YouSaid · the spoken record

Thomas-Greenfield

lines on the record: 1,605
first: 2021-05-27
most recent: 2023-12-22
sittings or episodes: 219
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“When asked about the stakes of the vote on this draft resolution, Mohammed said, “Closing the crossing to humanitarian aid means death by starvation for most camp residents.” He says, “death by starvation”. The stakes of this vote are quite literally life or death. In a letter to the Council, 32 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) wrote, “If the Council fails to renew this mechanism, it will send a message to Syrians that the Council is willing to accept preventable additional suffering and loss of life on its watch”. Often the issues before the Council are contentious, and that is to be expected, but this vote should not be contentious or controversial. We know that the cross- border mechanism allows for food, water, medicine and other essentials to reach 2.7 million people in Syria every single month.”
2023-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9371 (2023) · source
“I thank the co-penholders. In a few moments, we will vote on the co-penholders’ compromise draft resolution (S/2023/506). How we all vote will speak volumes. Supporting the draft resolution will extend humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people and ensure that aid will not be cut off in the dead of winter. But should any Member State oppose the draft resolution, it will be voting to shutter a critical humanitarian lifeline. Today it is unconscionable that cross-border aid through Bab Al-Hawa is paused while humanitarians wait for the Security Council to act. And there is no time to waste. The Syrian people are counting on us — people like Mohammed Al-Fandi, who lives in a camp near the Syrian-Turkish border.”
2023-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9371 (2023) · source
“We are especially concerned about Ahmed Al-Malahi, who requires urgent medical treatment. Finally, we call on the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release Levi Marhabi, one of the few remaining members of Yemen’s Jewish community. All Yemenis should have the ability to practise their religion without fear, and we continue to speak out against religious persecution in Yemen. We must continue to do everything in our power to end the war and the violence that has plagued Yemen for the past eight years, and we must do so with urgency.”
2023-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9370 (2023) · source
“Yemenis are rightly anxious to see progress on peace efforts, but that progress will require the Yemeni parties to come together to negotiate complex issues such as the use of Yemen’s sovereign resources to pay public salaries. We urge the parties to cooperate with the United Nations Special Envoy and to participate meaningfully in future intra-Yemeni talks. The United States continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all of its locally employed Embassy staff who have been detained in Sana’a for over 18 months. The international community is united on that issue and the Houthis must allow those innocent Yemenis to reunite with their families. We also call on the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release the 13 Yemeni Bahais held in Sana’a since last month.”
2023-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9370 (2023) · source
“We welcome UNMHA’s investments in women and peace and security, which are essential to addressing all aspects of the conflict in Yemen. It has been 16 months since the United Nations- brokered truce in Yemen began. While we are heartened by the various efforts to bring relief to Yemenis, including the expansion of flights from Sana’a airport, we know that those measures are insufficient and that many Yemenis are not yet feeling that relief. In fact, some are suffering from continued and even increased restrictions on the flow of goods, including Houthi impediments to the sale of cooking gas and the movement of other goods from southern Yemen to the north. The Houthis have also continued to block oil exports, further exacerbating Yemen’s humanitarian and economic crisis.”
2023-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9370 (2023) · source
“We encourage private-sector donors to support the United Nations plan for avoiding a catastrophe. At the same time, we must balance efforts like the FSO SAFER operation with the need to continue providing life-saving humanitarian assistance. The humanitarian response of the United Nations in Yemen remains dangerously underfunded, and cuts to assistance would have dire consequences for Yemenis at a time when famine conditions are poised to re-emerge. We urge bilateral donors, especially those in the region, to fund the humanitarian response. The United States welcomes the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) for an additional 12 months (resolution 2691 (2023)). I want to stress that the Mission must be afforded the freedom of movement it needs to carry out its vital work.”
2023-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9370 (2023) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Grundberg and Assistant Secretary-General Msuya for their briefings and continued efforts. We are also grateful to Resident Coordinator Gressly for his updates and his perseverance in addressing the FSO SAFER oil tanker situation together with the United Nations Development Programme. While much more needs to be done, that is truly good news. The FSO SAFER operation represents a model for international cooperation on Yemen. Together we are making true progress towards averting environmental, humanitarian and economic catastrophes that would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen and would have widespread consequences for the region and beyond. We must maintain that momentum and secure the additional $25 million needed to complete both phases of the FSO SAFER operation, as Mr. Gressly requested.”
2023-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9370 (2023) · source
“We must continue to hold Russia accountable for its crimes against the Ukrainian people, and to call on Russia to silence its guns and embrace diplomacy. Until it does, the United States will continue to support Ukraine in its principled self-defence against Russia’s savage attacks. Caving into Moscow’s aggression would endanger every single country — big and small, new and old — all of us. We must never let war become a viable path for redrawing international borders. We must uphold the Charter and international peace and security, and we must continue to stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“For a long time, Russia blocked Ukrainian grain from leaving the Black Sea — grain that helps feed so much of the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East. That is what makes the Black Sea Grain Initiative such a critical arrangement, and one that we must extend next month for the benefit of all. And that is why it is deeply troubling that Russia is once again the only country threatening to withdraw from the Initiative. As the new harvest begins in Ukraine and Russia, the arrangement becomes even more important. We must urge Russia to stay in the Black Sea Initiative. We must shine a bright light on Member States that violate Security Council resolutions, including through the timely investigation of those violations.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“Let us not forget that Russia carried out an air strike on Kyiv when the Secretary- General was visiting Ukraine in April. And as we heard just last week, when a delegation of African leaders travelled to Kyiv in pursuit of peace, they were greeted by a barrage of Russian missiles. Let us therefore not “both-sides” this issue. Russia has demonstrated no meaningful interest in negotiating for peace. There must be a sustained, united clarion call for President Putin to end his brutal war of aggression, because the longer the war goes on, the more the Ukrainian people will suffer and the more the world will suffer. After all, the effects of this war are now being felt around the world. Why? It is because President Putin has used food as a weapon of war, and in doing so has exacerbated global food insecurity.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“More than 140 countries have repeatedly voted to condemn Russia’s war of choice and more than 140 voted to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on United Nations principles. To that end, all efforts to broker peace must be rooted in the fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inherent right to self-defence enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. All of us here would insist on the same if we were in Ukraine’s place, and of course peace requires good-faith efforts on the part of all parties. Let us not forget that on the very day that President Zelenskyy presented his peace formula to the Group of 20 last year, Russia unleashed missile strikes across Ukraine.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“Moscow publicly feigns deep concern about attacks on critical infrastructure and has called Security Council meetings to try to convince us of that. But Russia’s hypocrisy is on full display as we watch Russian missiles and drones reduce entire Ukrainian cities to rubble. And for what? President Putin is hell- bent on beating a foreign country into submission, but the Ukrainian people will never, ever give up their sovereignty, democracy or freedom. President Putin thought his forces would march into Ukraine with little or no resistance, but he was wrong. The Ukrainian people have demonstrated remarkable bravery and grit. President Putin thought he would face no consequences from the international community. After that, he hoped the international community would tire of his war and simply move on. But there too he was wrong.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“It is a matter of life and death for the Ukrainian people. Russia’s cruel and relentless attacks have left millions of homes in Ukraine without light, heat or water, and recent strikes in Kherson have killed civilians, including aid workers delivering assistance to those fleeing the floods created by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. As we speak, Russia is blocking the United Nations from getting aid to people in the flooded areas. That is unacceptable. Russia must immediately allow the United Nations to deliver desperately needed humanitarian assistance to occupied areas of Ukraine. Humanitarian workers must have safe passage as they deliver aid and assistance to those in need — full stop.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing today. Moments ago, I stood with Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Albania to call out Russia and Iran’s flagrant violations of resolution 2231 (2015). We know that the Kremlin has procured hundreds of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and is now working with Iran to produce those weapons inside Russia. And we know that in recent weeks, the Kremlin has used those UAVs to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure and to kill and terrorize civilians. The United Nations must implement resolution 2231 (2015). We still have no explanation as to why experts from the 2231 team have not been dispatched to Ukraine to review evidence of the origins of those weapons and the destruction they have caused. The United Nations must act with urgency.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“So many of these conflicts are deeply complex and protracted, but I want the League of Arab States to know that it has strong partners in the United States and the United Nations. We are committed to working with the League to find creative solutions to today’s most pressing challenges. Let us build a more secure, peaceful and prosperous future for all, and let us do it together.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“We all know that Arab States have felt the effects of Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia has used food as a weapon of war, and by doing so it has increased global food prices and exacerbated food insecurity. And despite its commitments under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Moscow continues to hinder ships’ ability to get food out to the rest of the world. We encourage Arab States to call out Moscow’s cynical efforts to undermine the Initiative and urge them to stand with Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression. We also encourage the Arab League States to join the rest of the world in condemning Russia’s use of Iranian drones to harm civilians in Ukraine. The League of Arab States shoulders a weighty responsibility.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“Although the Al-Assad regime claims that it is ready to work with regional actors to receive refugees, we see no indication that it is committed to ending its harassment, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of returnees. We must also press the Al-Assad regime to create the conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees. And countries that have generously hosted millions of refugees must refrain from pushing them to return prematurely. We will continue to press the Al-Assad regime for the humane release of those arbitrarily detained and for a full accounting of those missing or who have died in Al-Assad’s prisons. Lastly, we applaud the Arab League’s invitation to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to address the Summit of the Arab League of States.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“It is also critical that we urge the regime to accept a 12-month renewal in July of the Security Council’s authorization of the cross-border aid mechanism. As we have said before, we must ensure that all three current border-crossings remain open. That authorization would fulfil the Arab League’s pursuit of guarantees of full and unhindered humanitarian access, including cross-border access to all areas of the country. It would also allow the United Nations and non-governmental organizations the time that they need to plan and coordinate the delivery of assistance. We encourage the League to press the Syrian regime to support such guarantees.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“Simply put, we do not believe that Al-Assad has earned his place there, and the United States will not normalize relations with the regime or lift its sanctions until there is progress towards a political solution. However, we have shared goals, and we want to work with the Arab League to defend the human rights of the Syrian people and address humanitarian and security issues on the ground. The bottom line is that the needs of the Syrian people should be front and centre in any and all engagements with the regime. To that end, the Arab League should press for progress on the many Syria-related issues before the Council, including good-faith participation in the political process outlined in resolution 2254 (2015) and Syria’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“We particularly welcome the Arab League’s participation in the expanded mechanism for the Sudan, together with the African Union, the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and others. Thirdly, in Libya, we encourage the Arab League to support the Libyan people’s call for long-overdue elections. We should all back Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bathily’s push to establish a framework and timeline for elections. We also encourage the Arab League to support the withdrawal of foreign fighters in Libya and their rehabilitation and reintegration in their home countries. Fourthly, with regard to the issue of Syria, it is no secret that we disagree about Syria’s readmission to the Arab League.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“First, in Yemen we see a window of opportunity to achieve durable peace. We recognize the efforts of Arab States to facilitate dialogue, and we encourage Arab League members to coordinate closely with Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Grundberg as we work to achieve a lasting resolution of the conflict. Secondly, in the past few months in the Sudan we have seen conflict upend the lives of the Sudanese people. And I want to take this opportunity to express our condolences regarding the 10 Democratic Republic of Congo students who were killed recently. The United States appreciates the Arab League’s efforts to facilitate humanitarian access, a cessation of hostilities and a resumption of an inclusive political process in the Sudan. We echo Ms. DiCarlo’s comments on the key role that the League plays in that regard.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for bringing us together today to discuss this important topic. I also want to thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing. The Security Council truly appreciates the fact that Ms. El Omrani came to speak to us today. Her leadership gives me tremendous hope for the future. I also want to welcome Mr. Aboul Gheit, the Secretary- General of the League of Arab States, to this dialogue with the Security Council. The United States believes strongly that the Arab League is vital to both regional and international peace and security. By working with United Nations entities, including those established by the Security Council, we believe that the League can meaningfully advance efforts towards stability. Today I want to highlight the Arab League’s critical role across five conflicts.”
2023-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9343 (2023) · source
“It is entirely within Moscow’s control to avert a nuclear catastrophe and end its war of aggression against Ukraine, a war that has caused so much pain, destruction and death. The United States will continue to stand with the Ukrainian people and support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“If Russia wants to show that it is serious about reducing nuclear risk at Zaporizhzhya, it can take steps to remove its weapons and civil military personnel from the plant; maintain an uninterrupted power supply to the plant from the territory under Ukraine’s control; provide a humanitarian corridor so that Ukrainian personnel can be rotated at the plant to reconnect the plant’s radiation monitoring systems; and return full control of the plant to the competent Ukrainian authorities. If Russia wants to show that it is serious about reducing nuclear risk more broadly, it must cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and stop undermining the arms-control regime. The United States is also deeply concerned about Russia’s stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus — as we all should be.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“The IAEA’s independent assessments have been essential in verifying the lack of diversion of nuclear material in Ukraine, and the presence of the Agency’s technical experts has helped support safe and secure operations at all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Those of us who sit on the Council are entrusted with a sacred responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. There can be no doubt that Russia’s actions are an attack on the safety and security of the region and the world, and we must stand together and demand that President Putin end this madness.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“That is a clear escalation of Russia’s efforts to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and authority over the Zaporizhzhya plant and undermines our ability to have confidence in the level of nuclear safety at the plant. Let me be clear. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant belongs to Ukraine and its data should go to Ukraine, not Russia. Russia’s reckless actions stand in stark contrast to Ukraine’s responsible behaviour. Throughout the conflict, Director General Grossi has made it clear that Ukraine has fully cooperated in implementing safeguards at all of its nuclear facilities and that the IAEA has not found any indication of proliferation concerns in Ukraine.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“Since March of last year, when Russia illegally seized the Zaporizhzhya plant, the international community has held its breath each time the facility has been hit by shells, each time it has lost external power and each time Russian forces have detained essential staff. An image released in April by the United Kingdom that showed Russian military emplacements atop reactors at the plant only heightened our concerns about the facility’s nuclear safety. To make matters worse, recent news reports indicate that Moscow has disconnected Zaporizhzhya’s vital radiation-monitoring sensors, which means that the plant’s data is now being sent to the Russian nuclear regulator.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“We urge everyone in this Chamber to support those important principles, just as we urge everyone to support all efforts to avoid a nuclear incident at Zaporizhzhya — an incident that could have a disastrous impact on both Ukraine and the surrounding region. The principles laid out today should foster an ongoing discussion about the steps we must take to ensure nuclear safety and security at Zaporizhzhya. I will also note that those principles build on the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security that the Director General introduced last spring. We know that one country — a permanent member of the Council — continues to demonstrate flagrant disregard for those principles.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“I thank Director General Grossi for briefing the Council on a pressing issue. I would also like to welcome the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to this meeting. The United States appreciates the focus and leadership that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has demonstrated in its efforts to help prevent a nuclear calamity in Ukraine, particularly at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to the IAEA and Ukrainian staff at the plant, who have laboured under unimaginable pressure to prevent a catastrophic incident. We appreciate the concrete principles that Mr. Grossi has presented to us today.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9334 (2023) · source
“At the same time, however, we will continue to help to provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable, and we ask that others provide more. Syrians should not be forced to live day by day, as we heard from Ms. Aveline. We will continue to work with the Council and all Member States to build a more reliable future for the Syrian people, particularly women and children.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“We must also press the Al-Assad regime to create the conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees. And the countries that have generously hosted millions of refugees must refrain from prematurely pressing them to return. Finally, the Council must speak with one voice on the need for the Syrian regime to return to the Constitutional Committee. Until there is political progress towards a durable resolution of the conflict, the United States’ sanctions will remain in place. And to those who blame sanctions for Syria’s current state, let us be serious. Al-Assad shattered Syria with his brutal war and heinous human rights violations. The United States will continue to hold the regime accountable for its abuses, including torture and killings.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“One practical step the regime can take is to release the more than 130,000 detainees it holds in its prisons and torture chambers and to provide an accounting of those who have disappeared or died. The United States also calls on other actors to release and provide more information on the unjustly detained, including those taken by terrorist groups such as Da’esh and Al-Nusra Front. Although the Al-Assad regime claims it is ready to work with actors in the region to receive refugees, we see no indication that the regime is committed to ending its harassment, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of returnees. Moreover, the regime, along with Russia, has continued to launch air strikes that impact camps for the internally displaced in northern Syria.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“We support all modalities to ensure the delivery of assistance through the most efficient and safe means. We welcome the completion of the cross-line delivery to Ras Al-Ayn and Tell Abyad on 24 May, and we remain concerned about the lack of progress on long-delayed cross-line missions to Rukban. Before I conclude, I also want to discuss the political situation. The Jeddah Declaration from the Arab League Summit stressed the need for the regime to take effective, practical steps to resolve the conflict in line with resolution 2254 (2015). We expect the members of the League of Arab States to hold Syria to the commitment it made to the United Nations framework at the Summit.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“Think of the lives that could have been saved had the United Nations been able to use several crossings to immediately surge the delivery of assistance into north-western Syria. Going forward, the United Nations must have multiple access options available. For that reason, the United States will work with the penholders to seek a 12-month authorization of all border crossings — Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai — through a Security Council resolution in July. We encourage all Council members to back that resolution, which will provide confidence, predictability and desperately needed support for humanitarian workers, the United Nations and the Syrian people. At the same time, we also encourage additional progress on cross-line assistance to all areas of Syria.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“As we heard, the Secretary-General said that a 12-month extension is indispensable, and it is a matter of life and death for the Syrian people. Due to its scale and scope, the United Nations humanitarian response requires longer timelines for planning and implementation, particularly of early-recovery projects, and the cost savings associated with the 12-month timeline are significant and ever more essential at a time of decreasing humanitarian contributions, given vast global needs. Immediately after the earthquake in February, we saw just how insufficient one border crossing point was, given was given the scale of the humanitarian challenge. And we saw what happened when that one crossing, Bab Al-Hawa, temporarily closed.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“And while the United States welcomed this month’s announcement that the United Nations will continue to have access to Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai border crossings through 13 August, the truth is that human suffering does not occur in three-month increments and the devastation caused by the earthquakes will take much longer than another three months to alleviate. If the Al-Assad regime wants to help the Syrian people, it should act immediately and announce that it will keep the Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai crossings open through at least August 2024 or as long as it takes. And even if the Al-Assad regime does the right thing, it is frankly no substitute for actions by the Council, which has a responsibility to respond to the dire humanitarian needs of the Syrian people.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“And as we speak, Syria continues to export instability to neighbouring States and remains a safe haven for extremists and terrorist groups. In short, the Syrian crisis remains a staggering human tragedy and a threat to regional and international peace and security. The Al-Assad regime has cynically tried to seize on the outpouring of international support following the earthquakes to reclaim its place on the world stage, but merely sitting at the same table as other regional leaders does nothing to help the people of Syria.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Ms. Mudawi for their informative briefings. I would also like to appreciate and thank Ms. Aveline for her sobering update about the needs on the ground. We are grateful for all she does alongside so many humanitarian workers to assist the Syrian people in their time of need. Recent public attention has focused on the evolving relationship between Syria and its neighbours, but this obscures a simple fact. The situation within Syria has not fundamentally changed for the better. For more than 12 years of war and the recent earthquake, the humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached new heights. More than 6.8 million Syrians remain displaced within Syria, and another 5.3 million live as refugees in neighbouring countries.”
2023-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9333 (2023) · source
“We are aware of the challenges in that regard, but we look forward to working with our fellow Council members and the AU to explore creative paths forward — just as we look forward to working with the full range of partners, including all Council members, the AU and its member States, the United Nations and civil society groups, as well as the United States Congress, to move this issue forward. By working in those four areas, we believe that we can — and that we will — advance our shared goals of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063. Happy Africa Day.”
2023-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9329 (2023) · source
“We expect to see the full implementation of those frameworks, as the United States is eager to support those efforts. In that vein, we want to ensure that AU peace support operations, if authorized under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, would use force under the framework of a protection of civilians Security Council mandate. And any operation must work towards a political solution, as already outlined in the AU Doctrine on Peace Support Operations. Finally, we remain committed to meaningful burden-sharing of the AU peace support operations costs, as outlined in resolution 2320 (2016).”
2023-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9329 (2023) · source
“First, we hope to reaffirm the importance we attach to Security Council authorization, primacy and oversight. As outlined in previous Council resolutions, it is key that we ensure the Security Council authorizes AU peace support operations on a case-by-case basis, while retaining oversight, just as it does for United Nations peace operations elsewhere. Secondly, regarding financial oversight, as it does for all United Nations peacekeeping missions, the General Assembly should have budgetary oversight and approval consistent with United Nations regulations, rules, policies and procedures. Thirdly, we are glad to see that the AU has made progress in developing frameworks on human rights, conduct and discipline and performance over the past several years.”
2023-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9329 (2023) · source
“The bottom line is this: the AU is sometimes best positioned to respond to the continent’s security challenges. At the same time, we recognize the potential oversight and accountability requirements associated with using United Nations- assessed funds for AU peace support operations. We will all need to work together to ensure there are mechanisms in place to mitigate challenges and risks, including by ensuring the appropriate authorization standards and mechanisms I just outlined. We welcome the progress the AU has already made in that regard, including through its compliance framework. As we move forward in these discussions, there are four areas, as outlined in previous Council resolutions, in which we look forward to working with Security Council members and the AU to achieve progress.”
2023-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9329 (2023) · source
“And AU peace support operations are one of those important tools. We know that the lack of predictable, sustainable and flexible funding has been an impediment to AU peace support operations. The United States supports, in principle, the use of United Nations-assessed contributions for AU peace support operations. We believe that such contributions must be subject to Security Council authorization and the important conditions set forth in resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017) and must be consistent with the standards we apply to all United Nations peacekeeping missions. The AU’s past track record of peace support operations shows that it often has the political will, regional expertise, language skills and ability to quickly deploy to address African conflicts.”
2023-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9329 (2023) · source
“I would like to thank Switzerland for hosting this critical debate, and we welcome your participation with us here today, Ms. Amherd. I also thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo, Commissioner Adeoye and Programme Director Tadesse for their insightful perspectives. During the annual protection of civilians open debate earlier this week (see S/PV.9327), we heard about the threats far too many people in Africa face: food insecurity, forced displacement, conflict and violence, persecution and human rights violations and abuses. This year’s report of the Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (S/2023/345) is chilling, and it demands a response. As the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson rightly noted at the February AU summit, Africa’s evolving security challenges call for new and innovative tools.”
2023-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9329 (2023) · source
“In conclusion, I want to again urge all parties to exercise restraint in both action and rhetoric and to find ways to build confidence, such as by returning the remains of those killed in conflict. In that regard I make particular reference to Hadar Golden. We must find a way to give his parents peace. All parties need to de-escalate tensions, prevent any further loss of life and recommit to efforts such as those agreed in Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh, which will rebuild trust and create conditions for constructive dialogue. Let us all do our part, as members of the Council, to help build a future where Israelis and Palestinians enjoy equal measures of freedom, security and dignity.”
2023-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9328 (2023) · source
“Hateful speech of any kind, such as the examples I just noted, runs counter to the efforts of the Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General Moratinos to combat racism and other forms of bigotry, including antisemitism. The United States also recognizes the severe fiscal crisis that the Palestinian Authority is facing is fostering further instability in the West Bank. We encourage all parties in the region to consider ways to support the Palestinian Authority and alleviate that financial crisis. Now is the time to make meaningful contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and pursue further efforts toward the long-term stabilization of its finances.”
2023-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9328 (2023) · source
“We are deeply troubled by Israel’s decision to allow citizens to establish a permanent presence at the Homesh outpost in the northern West Bank, which according to Israeli law was illegally built on private Palestinian land. That order is inconsistent both with former Prime Minister Sharon’s written commitment in 2004 and the commitments made by the current Israeli Government through the Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh process. Let me be clear. Advancing Israeli settlements in the West Bank undermines the prospects for peace. We also unequivocally condemn the racist speech that occurred during the Flag Day march through Jerusalem on 18 May, including chants of “Death to Arabs”. Those chants are outrageous and unacceptable.”
2023-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9328 (2023) · source
“As I have said many times before, the United States supports all efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution, but violence and incitement only move us away from that shared goal. The United States is also concerned about the provocative visit made by an Israeli Minister to Al-Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem on 21 May and the accompanying inflammatory rhetoric. That holy place should not be used for political purposes, and we call on all parties to respect its sanctity. Furthermore, I want to reaffirm our long-standing position in support of the historic status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites.”
2023-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9328 (2023) · source
“That includes racist statements and incitement, as well as violence. President Abbas’s statement on 15 May, equating Israel with the lies of infamous Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, offers a case in point. His comments are a gross affront to Holocaust victims and survivors. Making that kind of statement about the world’s only Jewish State is entirely unacceptable, especially during a time of rising anti-Semitic violence around the world. Similarly, President Abbas’s claim that the United States “wanted to get rid of the Jews and benefit from their presence in Palestine”, is totally without basis and deeply offensive to the American people.”
2023-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9328 (2023) · source
“I am pleased that, with the assistance of Egypt and Qatar, the parties took steps to de-escalate the situation, and that the ceasefire announced on 14 May has held, with the exception of only one incident. The question we must ask today, in the aftermath of the most recent round of fighting, is: what can be done to prevent future violence and better protect Israeli and Palestinian civilians? We believe diplomacy and direct engagement must be central to those efforts. This year’s meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, and Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, convened by Egypt, Jordan and the United States, resulted in several important commitments. Now, the parties must focus on implementation, just as the parties must refrain from further escalatory actions.”
2023-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9328 (2023) · source