YouSaid · the spoken record

Touray

lines on the record: 153
first: 1998-04-29
most recent: 2023-07-25
sittings or episodes: 19
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

“Allow me to conclude this statement by quoting the report of the Secretary-General: “...[T]he time when requests related to peace support operations could be considered as exceptional circumstances is behind us; to more effectively meet the challenges of today, support to such operations must be considered in a more systematic manner. [...] I urge the Security Council to signal its clear support for providing African Union peace support operations with access to United Nations assessed contributions. This would represent a concrete demonstration that the Council stands ready to break new ground and address a critical gap in the international peace and security architecture, as well as a strong reaffirmation of the willingness of the Council to stem the scourge of armed conflict on the African continent.” (S/2023/303, para. 38 and 44)”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“In that regard, the leaders of the region reiterate their support for the African Union’s request for predictable funding for African-led missions through assessed contributions. That position has been adequately supported and defended by the Secretary- General of the United Nations on several occasions, most recently in his report of 1 May 2023 on the implementation of resolutions 2320 (2016) and 2378 (2017) and considerations related to the financing of African Union peace support operations mandated by the Security Council (S/2023/303).”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“On the security situation in the region, the leaders stressed the region’s resolve to provide a robust response to threats to peace in the region. The regional response shall include the expeditious operationalization of a revised ECOWAS plan of action for the eradication of terrorism in the region. It will also include collaboration with other security initiatives and the provision of direct support to member States, including countries in transition, in their fight against terrorism. The leaders reiterated their strong commitment to financing the regional security mechanisms from the region’s own resources. The regional resolve does not take away the Security Council’s responsibility for the maintenance of world peace.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“The leaders have underscored their resolve to see an expeditious return to constitutional order in those member States, in accordance with the relevant ECOWAS protocols and the transition charters of each of the three countries. The leaders have reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to supporting credible and inclusive democratic elections in each of the three countries. The leaders have also reaffirmed their support for the Algiers peace process, which seeks to facilitate a peaceful settlement between the Government of Mali and the armed groups. The leaders call on the international community, especially members of the Security Council, to support the Algiers peace process in Mali, as well as the ECOWAS position on the transitions in the region.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“Yet regional leaders have reflected on the possible adverse impact of the withdrawal on the region and have decided to convene an extraordinary session on peace and security by the end of August 2023. In preparation for the extraordinary summit, a troika of the Heads of State of Nigeria, Benin and Guinea-Bissau, plus the Niger, met on 18 July to reflect on the political and security situation in the region. Their conclusions constitute the main message I would like to bring to the attention of the Council. With respect to the political situation in the region, the leaders of the region have decided to re-engage the three member States in transition at the highest level. To that end, His Excellency Mr. Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin, will undertake a consultative visit in the three countries on behalf of the troika.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“The second decision relates to financing for the regional mechanism, and the third relates to the review of the existing plan of action with a view to updating and aligning it with the new decisions taken. The consultations that have taken place among the Chiefs of Defence Staff of member States seek to strengthen the mandate of the regional Standby Force in a manner that will enable it to support member States in their fight against terrorism and threats to constitutional order. Two options have been proposed by the military chiefs, namely a brigade of 5,000 troops at an annual cost of $2.3 billion or a deployment of troops on demand at an annual cost of $360 million. Those recommendations predate the decision of the Council to close MINUSMA in Mali (resolution 2690 (2023)).”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“However, while we acknowledge the role of those initiatives, we cannot ignore some of the challenges they present. The multiplicity of such initiatives present problems of coordination, ownership and inclusion. ECOWAS’ proposal is to integrate the various initiatives into the regional plan of action and to use them as specialized operational tools of the regional mechanism. That will facilitate coordination, promote ownership and enhance inclusion. ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have taken three decisions aimed at facilitating the transition to such an inclusive arrangement. The first decision is to undertake a review of the mandate of the regional Standby Force, with a view to enabling it to address the challenges of insecurity through various forms of intervention, including kinetic operations.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“Our assessments have indicated that nearly 30 million people are in need of food assistance. In the absence of an adequate response, the number of people needing food assistance will increase from 30 million to 42 million by the end of next month. That is just a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity in West Africa. Responses to insecurity in the region have been diverse. They include bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral arrangements, such as Operation Barkhane, the Takuba Task Force, the Group of Five for the Sahel, the Accra Initiative and the Multinational Joint Task Force, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and ECOWAS’ own plan of action for the eradication of terrorism. Those important initiatives and operations have had impact on the ground.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“Terrorist attacks in the Republic of Benin and the Togolese Republic are a stark indication of the expansion of terrorist attacks to littoral States, a situation that poses an additional threat to the region. The insecurity continues to have dire humanitarian consequences, with a significant number of refugees and internally displaced populations in Nigeria, Mali, the Niger and Burkina Faso. By the end of April 2023, a total of half a million refugees were recorded in the region, with significant numbers in Burkina Faso, Mali, the Niger and Nigeria. The total number of internally displaced persons stands at 6,182,117, with 2 million in Burkina Faso, 3.3 million in Nigeria and almost half a million in Mali. The food security situation in the region suggests that insecurity does not only affect our present, but also threatens our future.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“We can spend the whole day talking about the drivers of insecurity in the region, but allow me to single out terrorism, armed rebellion, organized crime, unconstitutional change of government, illegal maritime activities, environmental crises and fake news as being the key drivers of insecurity in the subregion. Victims of insecurity — those killed, maimed and displaced and those who have lost livelihoods — are the subject of conflicting figures. Yet all the figures are indicative of the pain and suffering that insecurity continues to inflict on the people. For example, from 1 January to 30 June 2023, 1,814 incidents of terrorist attacks were recorded in the ECOWAS region. These incidents resulted in 4,593 fatalities: 2,725 were recorded in Burkina Faso; 844 in Mali; 211 in the Niger; 77 in Nigeria; and 70 in Benin.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“The fact that 3 out of the 15 countries of the region are under military rule is indicative of a reversal of the region’s democratic gains. For ECOWAS, this is unacceptable, and all the countries must return to constitutional order within the specified time frames. Not only is the Security Council’s support for transition to constitutional order in all of these three countries crucial, but it is also in our collective interest. The reversal of democratic gains runs parallel to the insecurity that West Africa and the Sahel have been facing for some time now.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“That promise hinges on governance and security. By governance, I am referring not only to the assumption of power through inclusive democratic processes, but also to accountability in the management of public affairs. The region’s performance on this score needs to be recognized. Out of the 15 countries in the region, 12 have democratically elected Governments. Twelve have term limits enshrined in their Constitutions, and we are confident that this number will increase shortly. Major elections that have taken place in the region this year alone include the presidential, legislative and state elections in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. The good showing by the oppositions in the various countries suggests that democracy is alive in the region. But the region is worried about the resurgence of the military in the political space.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“Mr. Touray: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) welcomes this opportunity to brief the Security Council on the political and security situation in West Africa. We are grateful to the United Kingdom’s presidency of the Council this month for the invitation to do so. I particularly welcome the opportunity to take the floor just after the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Simaõ, with whom I continue to work very closely in the region. Let us remind ourselves about a few features of the subregion. The 400 million people of the region comprise in large part young ambitious and dynamic people. The youthful population, the fertile land and natural resources of the region hold considerable promise for the people of West Africa.”
2023-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9384 (2023) · source
“ECOWAS recommends that stakeholders such as the Group of Seven Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, co-chaired by Côte d’Ivoire and Germany, should be involved in hosting the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Yaoundé Architecture. It is equally important to review the activities and operations of the Interregional Coordination Centre over the next decade in order to ensure that it is provided with the requisite staff and operational means, including financial autonomy. Let me conclude by reiterating ECOWAS’s commitment to working with various partners and addressing the various security threats in the region. We pledge to increase our collaboration and coordination with the various stakeholders involved in ensuring maritime security.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“As we approach the tenth anniversary of the Yaoundé Architecture, it will be important to ensure that the governing body of the Interregional Coordination Centre conducts an extensive review of the process’s planning and organization. In order to move forward, it will also be important to review the Yaoundé Code of Conduct with a view to transforming it into a legally binding framework 10 years after the 2013 Summit, as provided for in the text. We also need a common maritime strategy for our common maritime domain. It is therefore equally important to critically appraise our institutional responses and challenges.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“The Safe Domain I operation coordinated by ECOWAS in MMCC zone E, as well as operations in MMCC zone F, were also critical to increasing safety in Gulf of Guinea waterways. Those various initiatives have led to an improved maritime-security situation in the Gulf of Guinea, with a continuing decrease in piracy and armed attacks in the area. According to the International Maritime Bureau, actual and attempted piracy and sea robbery incidents declined from 31 in 2015 to 18 in 2021 and 15 in 2022. In 2023, incidents of piracy and armed attacks have further declined to five incidents in the first quarter of 2023. We would therefore like to see the international community continuing to invest in our region with a view to improving people’s economic and social conditions.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“The Global Maritime Crime Programme facilitated the Supplementary Act on the Conditions of Transfer of Persons Suspected of Having Committed Acts of Piracy and their Associated Property and/or Evidence, adopted in Accra in July 2022, for prosecutions among member States. Other coordinated operational activities included a Nigerian naval ship that arrested pirates who attacked a Panamanian oil tanker in the waters of Sao Tome and Principe in coordination with various outfits. It is important to point out that the international community supported operations and exercises in the region, including the annual maritime exercise led by the United States and the Grand African NEMO exercise led by France.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“The establishment of maritime information-sharing networks between ECOWAS and ECCAS has improved information sharing on maritime situational awareness, the conduct and planning of joint maritime operations and exercises with various Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres and national maritime operational centres. That improved information-sharing within our region has led to various arrests and the successful prosecution of pirates who have attacked vessels, including those who attacked the Chinese fishing vessel Hailufeng 11 in the Ivorian exclusive economic zone. Similarly, pirates were arrested and prosecuted in July 2021 in Togo.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“At the level of ECOWAS, the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy was adopted in 2014. The West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre was established and inaugurated in Abidjan in 2022. A Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) — zone E — was created and inaugurated in March 2015 in Cotonou. Meanwhile, preparations are in progress for the inauguration of the MMCC zone F in Accra, Ghana, and the MMCC zone G in Praia for 2023. The ECCAS maritime security architecture established the Regional Centre for Maritime Security in Central Africa in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo, as well as another zone D in Douala, Republic of Cameroon, and zone A in Luanda.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“Equally, a governing body comprising the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the President of the ECCAS Commission and the Executive Secretary of the GGC was established to improve and guide the activities and operations of the Interregional Coordination Centre. Substantial progress has been achieved in member countries as well. That includes the adoption of national maritime strategies by a number of countries and the deployment of critical maritime infrastructure in the area. Indeed, the strategic deployment of critical maritime infrastructure has improved maritime situational awareness in the Gulf of Guinea. At the continental level, the African Union adopted the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy in January 2014, and the Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa in October 2016.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“The first was the Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of Central and West African States on Maritime Safety and Security in Their Common Maritime Domain. The second was the Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships and Illicit Maritime Activity in West and Central Africa. The third document was the memorandum of understanding between ECCAS, ECOWAS and the GGC on safety and security in the maritime space of Central and West Africa. The memorandum of understanding signed by the three regional organizations led to the establishment of the Interregional Coordination Centre, to serve as the coordinating body on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“Of course, that caused serious financial problems for Benin, which saw its revenue from important economic activities, such as port operations, drop by 40 per cent. The response of the country, the region and the international community consisted of several measures, including joint bilateral maritime operations among countries and the adoption of landmark resolutions by the Security Council. The adoption of those resolutions was followed by the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States and the members of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) on Maritime Security and Safety in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Yaoundé in June 2013. The Yaoundé Summit adopted the following key strategic documents.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“Mr. Touray: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission welcomes the opportunity to address the members of the Security Council on this important subject. Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has evolved considerably over the past 14 years. The number of attacks by pirates increased significantly from 45 in 2010 to 64 in 2011, with the highest number of attacks being recorded in Nigerian waters, according to the International Maritime Organization. The response of the Nigerian Navy resulted in repulsing the threat from Nigerian waters, but the threat remained real in the territorial waters of the neighbouring region. That explains the increase in pirate attacks in the waters of Benin to 20 in 2011.”
2023-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9355 (2023) · source
“Permit me to conclude by congratulating Japan on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of January and to thank it for the kind invitation to participate in today’s meeting. I wish all of us a more peaceful and prosperous 2023.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“First, based on our comparative advantages, we can initiate or strengthen support mechanisms to ensure that the electoral cycle that has just begun in the region — and which will see critical elections held in the next two years — produce credible and peaceful outcomes. Secondly, the United Nations should enhance the frameworks for its support to counter terrorism and violent extremism in the region through an incremental engagement to empower youth, countering misinformation and disinformation, promoting intercommunal dialogue and local infrastructures for peace, engaging more actively in counter-improvised- explosive-device and mine-clearance efforts, and rolling out projects for deradicalization, reconciliation and reintegration in the region.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“The two institutions are currently working with critical stakeholders in Nigeria, including the electoral management body, political parties, candidates, security agents, the National Peace Committee, the media and traditional and religious leaders to ensure the transparency, inclusiveness and peacefulness of the pivotal general elections next month. In addition, ECOWAS and UNOWAS have undertaken joint assessment and facilitation missions to countries-in-transition Guinea and Burkina Faso. Indeed, ECOWAS and UNOWAS have a unique opportunity to bring the collaboration to a higher level through innovative and creative joint interventions.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“It is in this period that I would like to salute the excellent working relationship ECOWAS enjoys with the United Nations, especially through the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS). Allow me to register our appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Annadif Mahamat Saleh, the immediate past Special Representative of the Secretary- General for West Africa and the Sahel, and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ms. Giovanie Biha, for the tremendous collaboration. Since 2021, ECOWAS and UNOWAS have undertaken many joint initiatives, including joint assessment missions to Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone and the Gambia to promote capacity-building and dialogue towards the peaceful holding of elections.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“Currently, preparations for upcoming elections this year have seen the engagement of ECOWAS with key institutions and stakeholders in the various member States. These engagements cut across the strategic and technical levels. I mentioned the importance that our management attaches to partnerships, especially equitable partnerships. It is important for us that our partners stay engaged in the region as a whole and in the Sahel in particular. No number of current difficulties should lead to our disengagement, particularly with regard to humanitarian support and efforts to strengthen the capacity of the State to play its rightful role across national territories.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“With regard to terrorism, the authority further instructed the full operationalization of the December 2019 ECOWAS 2020–2024 priority action plan to eradicate terrorism, including the resort to kinetic interventions by the ECOWAS Standby Force. It is in that context that the Chiefs of Defence staff met in Bissau on 18 December 2022 to assess the modalities for the operationalization of the decision taken by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government by 2024. I am pleased to report that transition processes in three countries — Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea — are on course, and ECOWAS remains fully committed to accompanying the processes to the desired outcome of inclusive, transparent, free and fair elections. Beyond the three countries in transition, ECOWAS continues to support member States in the conduct of elections.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“This phenomenon constitutes a major setback to the gains made in the democratic consolidation since the 1990s. But it has also ignited deep deliberations and galvanized leaders into action, For example, during its sixty-second ordinary session, held in December 2022, the Authority of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government restated its commitment to ensuring that all the three member States in transition must restore full constitutional order by 2024. The Authority instructed the Commission to urgently complete the review of the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance to further strengthen the Community’s zero tolerance for power obtained or maintained by unconstitutional means. The Authority also decided to establish a regional force that will support member States in addressing challenges to constitutional order.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“According to the available data, over 1.8 million internally displaced persons were registered in Burkina Faso alone as of 30 November 2022, and 60 per cent of these were children. And for the same period, nearly one million children were affected by the closure of 5,500 schools. Additionally, the number of food-insecure people in the ECOWAS region is close to 30 million. We cannot make mention of the sociopolitical and security situation in our region without an emphasis on the recent spate of coups d’état in the region. Since August 2020, West Africa has experienced three successful military coups — in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso — and two repeat “coups within coups” — again in Mali and Burkina Faso — and at least three documented foiled coup attempts — in the Niger, Guinea-Bissau, and the Gambia.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“Data emanating from our regional monitoring mechanism — ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network, or ECOWARN — indicates that terrorist attacks, which by contagion are now affecting coastal countries, have gradually increased over the years. The incident count of these terrorist attacks rose from approximately 1,271 in 2019 to 3,519 in 2022. The number of deaths from the attacks follows the same pattern, from 3,827 in 2019 to 6,492 in 2022. Abductions and forced disappearances have also increased significantly, from 312 in 2019 to 1,068 in 2022. These violent incidents have contributed significantly towards the dire humanitarian consequences in some of our communities.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“Our briefing to the Security Council this afternoon is therefore not out of context for us. It aligns with our first strategic objective, which is enhanced peace and security. The sociopolitical and security situation in the West African region is seeing worsening violence, particularly in the Sahelo-Saharan region, with spillover into littoral States. Since 2009, and particularly 2012, the Lake Chad basin and the central Sahel have emerged as epicentres and incubators of terrorism and violent extremism — initially homegrown, in the case of Boko Haram in Nigeria, but steadily incorporated into the two global terrorist franchises, Al-Qaida and the Islamic State.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“Mr. Touray: The opportunity to address the Security Council is both a pleasure and an honour, as it comes at a time when the leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) seeks to invigorate and strengthen efforts to address the burgeoning challenges to human security in West Africa. I would like to preface my statement with a word or two about the strategic direction we have taken since our assumption of office in July 2022. In essence, we have identified four strategic objectives for our four-year mandate. Generally referred to as the Commission’s four-by-four, they are enhanced peace and security, deeper integration, good governance, and inclusive and sustainable development. In addition to those four strategic objectives, we have identified two key enablers — capable institutions and equitable partnerships.”
2023-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9238 (2023) · source
“I have asked for the floor to place on record my Government's profound appreciation for the interest and efforts, as well as the collective wisdom, of the Council in trying to put my country on the right track. We thank the members of the Council for the unanimity they have again shown in the adoption of resolution 2097 (2013) a moment ago, and want to assure the Council of my Government's cooperation and commitment towards its full implementation. We look forward to a seamless transition and transformation, structural and functional, of the United Nations peacebuilding efforts in the country.”
2013-03-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6942 (2013) · source
“Once again, the Council has demonstrated its collective determination to see Sierra Leone succeed. I want to assure Council members that there is ongoing political will on the part of the Government, as well as a common will and interest on the part of ordinary folk, for the country to succeed. In my view, the threat may lie in the interplay of party politics, and we urge that no effort be spared to resolve that issue in the interest of the peace consolidation process in Sierra Leone. We hope that this will ensure that the process will gravitate in the direction ofmoving the country towards its development goals. I thank the members of the Council for the unanimity they have shown in adopting resolution 2065 (2012).”
2012-09-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6831 (2012) · source
“Furthermore, it is a known factor that some other parties have tried to introduce mechanisms aimed at more or less spreading out the burden of that fee by ensuring that they get it out of the fees contributed to the parties by aspirants, out ofwhich proceeds they will bond the nomination fee for the successful aspirant who becomes the candidate. So mechanisms are to be put in place by the parties themselves to make sure that the burden is spread out and that no one member bears it alone.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“I should like to put on record the fact that first, the decision was taken by an independent body - the National Electoral Commission - and that secondly, due process was ensured, as it was discussed and debated in Parliament, and the ayes had it. Thirdly, it should perhaps be brought to the attention of the Council that it is a known factor that some of the political parties had to levy nearly 50 million leones for an aspirant to be a presidential candidate for the next elections - that is asking for hundreds of millions for the national presidential elections for each candidate.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“We also express thanks and appreciation to the staff of UNIPSIL, United Nations agencies and programmes in Sierra Leone, and all our international partners for their unreserved commitment to achieving Sierra Leone's peacebuilding objectives along with our development transformation goals. As in the previous general elections held in 2002 and 2007, we look forward once again to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections acceptable to all. Before closing, I should like to make some comments on the issue of nomination fees, as raised in the briefing by the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“Charles Taylor by the Court for crimes against humanity and violations of international humanitarian law committed in Sierra Leone during the course of the conflict. We therefore urge the United Nations and international partners to continue to support the Court towards the completion of its work. Let me conclude by welcoming the new Executive Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, and assuring him of the Government's interest and of its readiness and willingness to cooperate with him in order to ensure a successful outcome of his mission in Sierra Leone. I am sure that by now he must be convinced that Sierra Leoneans are very friendly, hospitable and ordinarily peaceful.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“His report and the briefing by the Configuration underscored the progress made in addressing key peacebuilding priorities and the need for enduring support, particularly in the area of youth unemployment and empowerment, building the capacity of the police, and the need for strong private- sector growth, which could translate into more tangible peace dividends and sustainable peace consolidation. At an open briefing by the Security Council team after its visit to Sierra Leone in May, similar sentiments were also expressed on the progress made and the need for support to address the present challenges. We commend the support of the United Nations and international partners for the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and hail the judgement passed against Mr.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“In that regard, we stress the need for the international community to continue to invest in success, in the spirit of the New Deal arrived at in Busan on aid effectiveness, and to recognize the need for special attention to be paid to countries emerging from conflict - Sierra Leone being one of the pilot countries. The preparation of the successor development framework to the Agenda for Change, anchored in the New Deal and entitled Agenda for Prosperity, is well under way, and some of its key elements will be highlighted during the presentation of the second joint progress report on the Agenda for Change at the Sierra Leone Configuration meeting to be held soon. The Chair of the Sierra Leone Configuration, Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski, visited Sierra Leone in January.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“The Government is also continuing to strengthen its efforts to make progress towards the education of the girl child and the provision of free health care to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under 5 years of age. Furthermore, with support from the Peacebuilding Fund and the International Organization for Migration, the National Commission for Social Action commenced a new round of payments of reparations to the remaining victims of the 11-year conflict. The Agenda for Change and the United Nations Joint Vision aligned with it continue to provide a strong partnership link between Sierra Leone and the United Nations, as well as the donor community. Its implementation has so far had a great impact on peacebuilding. Sierra Leone today is considered a best practice in donor coordination as well as a peacebuilding success story.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“To provide equal access to air time and programmes of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation, an elections guideline prepared by the Corporation was adopted by all political parties on 9 August and followed by the establishment of an elections unit to focus specifically on elections matters. In line with the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission aimed at addressing the root causes of conflict in Sierra Leone, the Government is continuing to collaborate with all national stakeholders and the United Nations in promoting the drafting and enactment of the gender equality bill, so as to enhance women's participation in the decision-making process.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“Ernest Bai Koroma to the Public Elections Law, which consolidates all existing electoral legislation into a single document; the appointment of a new Chair of the Political Parties Registration Commission after the death of the incumbent, in order to enhance the Commission's capacity to be actively functional in the discharge of its mandate; and the inauguration of the electoral courts to deal with electoral offences and related matters in order to ensure due process, as well as support for the machinery ofjustice through UNIPSIL's collaboration with Government in the training ofjudges, prosecutors, police investigators and paralegal staff.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“I am confident in reporting to the Council that preparations for the presidential, parliamentary and local elections are on course and at an advanced stage, with the National Electoral Commission continuing to demonstrate transparency and credibility throughout the process. At the invitation of the Sierra Leone Configuration, the Chair of the National Electoral Commission gave a comprehensive briefing to members of the Configuration in New York in June on the preparations for the elections. Recent activities aimed at improving the electoral climate have included the presidential assent by His Excellency Mr.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“The presidential, parliamentary and local council elections scheduled for 17 November 2012, as has been noted, remain a crucial test for the consolidation of peace, security and democracy in Sierra Leone. Continued commitment and support from international partners to assist the Government in strengthening key national democratic institutions such as the Political Parties Registration Commission, the Independent Media Commission, the National Commission for Democracy, the National Electoral Commission, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation, remains of primary significance.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“In that regard, we call to the Council's attention the signing by all 10 registered political parties and other relevant stakeholders of the "Declaration on the 2012 elections", on 18 May - a code of conduct for the elections aimed at ensuring peaceful and violence-free elections. That is ample demonstration of the commitment of the Government and the people of Sierra Leone to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections with the hope that the results will be accepted by all. We therefore continue to urge the Security Council and the United Nations in general, as well as our international partners, to maintain their full support for the ongoing electoral process.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“In that regard, the Government released a white paper on the report of the Shears- Moses Commission of Inquiry on the political violence of March 2009 and continues to make progress in addressing its recommendations, including working with all national stakeholders and international partners to establish an independent police complaints committee and strengthening the Independent Media Commission to improve its monitoring procedures over media matters and actors. President Koroma continues to constantly engage all stakeholders, with a view to encouraging and promoting political dialogue towards the attainment of a collective commitment to peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible elections.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source
“The Government will continue to demonstrate strong political leadership in dealing with issues of political violence in whatever shape or form and irrespective of party affiliation, and, through due process, will continue to ensure that perpetrators of violence are brought to justice, as was evident in the conviction of those involved in the political violence in Freetown in Janurary.”
2012-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6829 (2012) · source