YouSaid · the spoken record

Urbina

lines on the record: 774
first: 2007-10-23
most recent: 2010-03-19
sittings or episodes: 103
sources: un-security-council

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“Secondly, all efforts and decisions of the Peacebuilding Commission must be carried out not only in coordination with local authorities, but also with their consent. Thus, all projects should reaffirm the concept of national ownership. The relevant national and local authorities must be convinced that what is being implemented is a result of their own decisions and that international efforts are aimed solely at supporting their decisions, not undermining them. Thirdly, if the effectiveness of the Commission's work is to be enhanced, its annual programmes should be incorporated into a longer-term plan, such as a three- or five-year plan. We know full well that that is no easy task to accomplish. However, if we are successful, it would strengthen stabilization, build trust among donors and convince them that their assistance is needed.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“We continue to focus on assisting national efforts in the areas of dialogue, national reconciliation, capacity-building, institutional reform, economic revitalization and human rights, including efforts to mobilize resources and rationalize their use. Here, we should stress the importance of international, regional and subregional efforts, as well as joint efforts with main United Nations bodies. In that connection, we wish to make the following points. First, it is quite clear that, while top priority should be placed on security sector reform, judicial reform and overall institutional reform, we should also focus on improving living conditions, creating jobs and providing medicine and food.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“Work in that country has been focused on assistance in meeting the commitments set out in the framework of the expansion of the donor base and the launching of new priority activities, with a focus on justice and security. We are confident that the Commission will continue its efforts in the same spirit and with the same effectiveness in the Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau. We thank donors for their contributions to the Peacebuilding Support Office, which have enabled it to exceed its targets. That also gives us reason to hope for an increase in the number of donors. We agree with the comments and recommendations contained in the report with regard to the development of an integrated peacebuilding strategy.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“We wish also to voice our satisfaction about the Commission's interest in identifying the ways and means of meeting the challenges it faces in discharging its mandate. We pay tribute to the success of the Burundi configuration. The Government of Burundi has been able to achieve a lasting Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding, through the establishment of a joint monitoring and tracking mechanism. There was also agreement with the Government of Burundi on an annual work plan, focusing on Peacebuilding Fund projects in the areas of security and good governance. The situation is similar with respect to the implementation of the Commission's programmes in Sierra Leone. Indeed, the Commission and the Government of Sierra Leone have jointly adopted the Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“The Peacebuilding Commission was established to buttress the change in the nature of peacekeeping operations, which in the past had been focused more on military and security issues. But those two elements in themselves are not enough to address all the challenges arising from armed conflict, including political, economic and humanitarian problems. The establishment of the Commission was thus a significant step towards sustainable post-conflict peace. We want to say how much we appreciate the Commission's efforts, both in the organization of its work and in its interaction with other United Nations bodies and with the African Union, thus ensuring effective working relationships in the discharge of its mandate.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“The Security Council should muster similar creativity and flexibility so that, working in a coordinated manner, it will be possible to maximize its use of existing resources and facilitate the speedy achievement of sustainable results in the places where it has decided to intervene, in exercise of its mandate. Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I wish at the outset to thank His Excellency Ambassador Yukio Takasu, Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission, for his briefing on the Commission's work and on his efforts at the helm of the Commission. We also pay tribute to the representatives of Belgium, Brazil, the Netherlands and Norway for their efforts as Chairs of the country- specific configurations.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“We understand that this is no easy matter, but the additional effort will be rewarded in the medium term by better allocation of resources and clearly identifiable results. Nor can the same operational rules be applied in every context. As we indicated in speaking of the need to strengthen the role of the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General in terms of coordination and coherence, when it comes to peacebuilding the donor community should permit relatively flexible management in order to achieve the goals that in the medium term will enable us to lay the foundations of sustainable development. The Peacebuilding Commission offers a creative and flexible response, and that is where its great strength lies.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“Just as we think it neither practical nor helpful to attempt to distinguish between peacekeeping and peacebuilding, we believe that we should identify criteria by which to define the point at which the efforts of the international community and national efforts have borne sufficient fruit that it is possible to move beyond the exceptionality that gave rise to a given intervention. If we cannot define the point at which a situation ceases to be viewed as an emergency, then we will have interventions that, rather than building peace, will promote a culture of patronage and will weaken good governance and responsibility, sowing the seeds of future conflict. This gives special responsibility to the donor community. The criteria for allocating development assistance cannot be the same as those for allocating peacebuilding assistance.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“In that regard, we welcome the Council's practice of inviting the Chair of the relevant country configuration to advise the Council on the action that should be taken, on the basis of action taken by the Peacebuilding Commission. It is important that this relationship be strengthened in operational terms to enable the Council to adopt decisions based on analyses that take account of all the elements that are in daily play on the ground. Finally, my delegation stresses the need, for operational reasons, to distinguish between peacebuilding and development, but without creating any artificial competition between the two.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“To that end, we consider that the concept of integrated missions will enable us to appropriately meet the challenges inherent in all conflict and post- conflict situations, both in terms of the sound management of resources and in terms of results- oriented action. I think it is particularly difficult to pinpoint the moment when a peacekeeping operation becomes an operation with a peacebuilding task. In our View, elements of both are present from the beginning, with one of them predominant depending on progress or deterioration on the ground. We therefore do not think that the concept of graduation is appropriate, applicable or positive in a conflict or post-conflict conflict in moving to the peacebuilding stage.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“This would enable us to maximize existing resources and, in particular, to provide the Organization's principal representative in the field with the tools needed to promote the implementation of the agreements that will bring about progress towards resolution of the political issues that underlie all conflicts. Secondly, it is necessary to overcome the arbitrary distinction between peacekeeping and peacebuilding. My delegation has said that the Security Council, when it decides to create or renew a peacekeeping mission, should include in its mandate all the elements necessary to ensure that the transition from conflict to a post-conflict situation to development takes place in as orderly a way as possible.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“First is the importance of further strengthening coordination and coherence among the organs and bodies of the United Nations and of increasing cooperation with international financial institutions, regional development banks and regional and subregional organizations. As I have noted previously, after two years of work the Commission has made progress towards achieving its objectives and taken an important step towards achieving coordination and coherence within the United Nations system in post- conflict situations. However, it is especially important to develop even closer coordination mechanisms, particularly with special representatives of the Secretary-General in the countries on the Commission's agenda.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“Mr. Urbina (Costa Rica) (spoke in Spanish): I should like to begin by thanking the Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission, Ambassador Takasu of Japan, for his briefing and the information provided therein. As we consider the work of the Peacebuilding Commission over the past year, I wish to express our pleasure at the Commission's achievements. The Commission's limited experience does not yet allow us to claim that it has survived the test of the first five years, as the Brahimi report puts it, but the actions undertaken and their results to date are cause for optimism. My delegation takes this opportunity to address three very specific points.”
2008-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5997 (2008) · source
“In addition, we call on the Secretary-General to keep up his efforts in terms of crisis anticipation and to offer to mediate for the sake of maintaining international peace and security, the irreplaceable mainstay for the greater well-being of all.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“Clearly, when good offices are part of the mandate given by the Council, the priority is the effectiveness of the mission as a whole. To sum up, Sir, your delegation's convening of this important debate must provide the opportunity to rectify the situation. Costa Rica welcomes the proposal of the Secretary-General and will support any efforts to develop greater institutional capacity that is geared towards the prevention and peaceful solution of conflicts. My country will also support the strengthening of links with regional and subregional organizations and any initiative geared towards increasing their capacity to mediate and resolve the disputes that arise within their geographic scope of action.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“In that regard, Costa Rica believes it important to distinguish between those situations in which the Secretary-General acts of his own accord or at the request of the interested parties, and those situations in which he acts at the request of the Security Council. In the former, the main obligation is to the parties and, therefore, discretion is a valued asset. From our experience, we know that that can create tension with the Council or with some of its members. However, we also know that, in some cases, allowing the Secretariat to stand back and act as an impartial and discreet broker, untethered by the political dynamic of the Security Council, is of great value in maintaining international peace and security.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“For that reason, we consider it important for the United Nations to focus on strengthening regional organizations, so that they can participate effectively in the peaceful settlement of disputes before such disputes become a threat to international peace and security to be addressed by the Security Council. The Secretary-General must have a margin to act that is as broad as possible, so as to carry out his good offices functions. That is stipulated in Article 100 of the Charter, which guarantees the total independence of the Secretariat from every State and obliges all States to respect its international character and not to seek to influence it in the discharge of its responsibilities.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“However, quite often that tool does not deliver the expected dividends owing to the constraints of its context. At times, poor coordination with regional or subregional initiatives undermines the effectiveness of good offices. On other occasions, coordination with other organs of the Organization weakens the effectiveness of the good offices of the Secretariat, in particular in the light of the obstruction that can derive from its relationship with the Security Council. Here, we believe it important to emphasize the huge value of proximity and impartiality in ensuring the successful outcome of good offices actions.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“There will always be important issues, but none are as important as preserving the possibility for every human being to live in a peaceful environment. Nor can we accept opposition by those who consider the necessary follow- up to conflict prevention to be a mechanism of foreign interference. Even more unacceptable is opposition based purely on budgetary grounds. Not rectifying that situation would be a mistake that we would all continue to pay for. This is also an opportunity to exchange ideas on the context within which the actions of the Secretary- General are couched. Greater proactivity is needed in developing the institutional capacity to prevent conflicts. The good offices of external actors to neutralize sources of friction within a society or between States have proved to be a necessary and useful instrument.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“In that regard, the idea of allocating 2 per cent of the annual peacekeeping budget to strengthening the capacity for preventive diplomacy, as the Secretary-General has suggested, merits urgent consideration by Member States. The exponential increase in the peacekeeping budget is an unequivocal sign of the very limited capacity of the United Nations to prevent the burgeoning of conflicts that endanger international peace and security. The $7 billion spent on peacekeeping over the current biennium stand in contrast to the scant resources that the Member States have approved for conflict prevention endeavours. Clearly, that situation must be remedied. Costa Rica believes those who are opposed to increasing the preventive capacity of the Organization by claiming other priorities are wrong.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“The States Members of the Organization have been unable to reach agreement on allocating indispensable resources for the Organization to work towards conflict prevention, in terms of well-designed prevention that would address the operational, structural and systemic aspects that were identified by the Secretary-General in his second report (A/60/891)on that subject, in 2006. Clearly, the subject of conflict prevention concerns all Members. Therefore, we should redouble our efforts to strengthen the Organization's capacity for preventive diplomacy, so as to overcome, once and for all, the obstacles that to date have made that impossible. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“However, we feel compelled to bear in mind the role played by the regional organizations that make valiant efforts to prevent conflicts and resolve disputes on all continents, as has been affirmed in recent weeks by the interventions of the Southern African Development Community in Zimbabwe, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Thailand and Cambodia, the Organization of American States in Bolivia, and the European Union in the conflict in Georgia. Over seven years ago, the Secretary-General submitted his first report (S/2001/574) on the prevention of armed conflict, in which he urged us to move from a culture of crisis response to one of crisis prevention. That transition, however, is incomplete.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“Mr. Urbina (Costa Rica) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to begin my statement, Sir, by recognizing your country's leadership in mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes on the African continent. I also wish to join others in thanking you and your delegation for convening this meeting, as well as for the concept paper that you provided us with to guide our discussion this afternoon. I wish to respectfully welcome the presence among us today of Mr. Brahimi, whose work and experience are a key part of this Organization. Costa Rica's statement at this debate will address the activities of the United Nations Organization in the field of mediation and the settlement of disputes.”
2008-09-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5979 (2008) · source
“Representatives of Serbia who are present in the Chamber should know that Costa Rica supports - and will support in the General Assembly - Serbia's aspiration to seek an advisory opinion from the Court. Then, if we need to adjust our position, we shall do so. Our conduct will be consistent with the observance of law. We believe that to be a principle of civilized and respectful coexistence among nations: the rule of law, not force. Hence, it does not seem reasonable to try to confuse or indeed to equate situations and actions that are entirely different. In one case, there are divergent views, conflicting interpretations and peaceful solutions that have been formulated and that are under way. In the present case, I would recall that in some international circumstances there is an attempt to promote the principle that might is right.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“I am sure that some will want to analyse the position that Costa Rica took on Kosovo and contrast it to that on the situation in Georgia. But the similarities between the two situations stop in this case with the use of force to catalyse separatist aspirations. That is where the similarities between the two situations end. Costa Rica recognized Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence as a legally valid decision. As a State that respects international law, we have taken a position that we consider to be legally valid. But, also as a State that respects international law, we have accepted and supported the path that Serbia is taking in seeking an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Mr. Urbina (Costa Rica) (spoke in Spanish): I would like to come back to the last few lines of my earlier statement. I said that Costa Rica was still prepared to work with other members of the Council to find a lasting solution to the conflict - and, Ambassador Churkin, that solution should include the territorial integrity of Georgia, the rights of the Ossetian and Abkhaz peoples and, above all, the integrity of international law and the full observance of the principles of civilized coexistence enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. I am grateful to the representative of the Russian Federation for reminding me of the history of the region. That was precisely the concern of my President, who was anxious to strike a balanced position on this issue and who spent an hour on the telephone with me seeking to clarify the situation.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“My country remains ready to work alongside the other members of the Council to find a lasting solution to the conflict, a solution that must include the territorial integrity of Georgia, the rights of the peoples of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and, above all, the integrity of international law and the full observance of the principles of peaceful coexistence, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“The announcement of the signing of mutual assistance and cooperation treaties is something by which the Russian Federation is seeking to secure, through its huge military power, the dismemberment that it has brought about. We cannot, and the international community should not, reward those actions, which go against international law in all respects. Costa Rica continues to support the six-point plan drawn up by Mr. Medvedev and Mr. Sarkozy, and equally firmly supports the territorial integrity of Georgia. The international community now has the tremendous duty of finding a solution to this unusual situation, a solution that cannot be that might is right. The situation is all the more serious in that it involves a permanent member of the Council with all the powers entrusted to it by the Charter.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Members of the Council can hardly forget that a note (S/2008/545), signed by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, addressed to the President of the Council and circulated in this Chamber on 11 August, affirmed that the military intervention by the Russian Federation in Georgia aimed "to protect the Russian peacekeeping contingent and citizens of the Russian Federation from the illegal actions of the Georgian side and to prevent" - I repeat, prevent - "future armed attacks against them". Thus, as a result of a military action that included preventive goals and led to the complete weakening of Georgia, we now see the dismembering of its territory through recognition of an independence that had been ignored for a long time. Diplomatic recognition is much more than that.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Those aspirations and the de facto authorities that exercise authority over the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia had not been recognized as independent political entities before 26 August, notwithstanding the unilateral proclamation of independence that both entities had promulgated some months ago. It is as a result of the invasion of Georgian territory by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and their overwhelming and hardly surprising military victory that a State first recognized the independence of those territories. That State was precisely the one that carried out a military invasion of the territory of Georgia.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“Mr. Urbina (Costa Rica) (spoke in Spanish): I wish to express my thanks for the briefings from the Secretariat and the statement by the Permanent Representative of Georgia. The Council is discussing a particularly sensitive issue this afternoon. We are faced with a situation that my country thus far regards as a forcible dismemberment of a State Member of this Organization, a situation that my country regards as unacceptable. The aspirations of the South Ossetian and Abkhaz peoples to independence are well known on the international scene.”
2008-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5969 (2008) · source
“We advocate for periodic open debates on these issues every two years, so that each elected member can have at least one opportunity, during its tenure of membership of the Council, to debate the working methods of this organ. Today, we are sure that this exchange will enrich the discussions at the core of the Working Group on Documentation with a view to making decisions, and we are going to work to make this happen.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“I would also conclude by affirming that all of us, especially the members of the Council, must keep in mind that all exercise of accountability has, by virtue of its nature, ingredients of criticism, which should not perturb anyone. The price of constructive and beneficial criticism is the possibility of the misuse of these opportunities, and this is a small price to pay for the gains that are derived from a frank and constructive exchange. If we can share this spirit - being open to dialogue, to constructive criticism and to creative suggestions - we should agree that it is not necessary, neither is it possible, to have to wait another 14 years to have a further opportunity to debate about matters regarding the working methods of the Council with all the Member States.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“We are willing to do so concretely in accordance with the explicit requests of interested parties. Not all of the doors of the Council are closed, and we are willing to work to open them up more and more. But these doors will remain open only if interest is shown in using them. We spoke before of the need for a change in the prevailing culture more than a change in norms. This change in the prevailing culture includes all of us: the Council, the Secretariat and each and every one of the Member States. I wish to conclude by affirming that the holding of this debate, which is an important achievement, must be a responsible and constructive exercise.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“With regard to the implementation of paragraph 27 of the note, I will not dwell on that subject much, but, before I conclude, I want to reiterate the shared responsibility of all members of the Organization, whether they are members of the Security Council or not, to contribute to the correct implementation of all agreements on the working methods of the Council. We often witness a lack of interest of many members of the Organization in the work of the Council, a lack of attention to the information that is available and the sparse use made of the opportunities offered. Those opportunities must be taken advantage of, rights must be exercised and the responsibility must be assumed. We have defended, in the abstract, the opening of channels for participation prior to the taking of decisions.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“However, none of this justifies the non-compliance of a stipulation that was adopted by the Council and whose compliance is demanded by a large part of the membership of the Organization. In looking at the six meeting formats of paragraph 35 of the President's note, four guarantee greater access to countries which are not members of the Security Council. The Secretariat has the duty to facilitate the application of this existing rule, which favours transparency and accountability, by presenting open formats for all meetings as a first option in the proposed programme of work, prepared by each presidency of the Council. It is up to the members of the Council to argue and to convince others regarding the use of a private format on an exceptional basis.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“A decision-making process that does not include transparent and direct communication of the Council, as a whole, with interested parties cannot be considered legitimate. Another subject that deserves greater attention is the public aspect of the actions of the Council. Although it is true that there has been progress in the number of public meetings as compared to other years, we are far from the spirit of the norm, which establishes that every meeting of the Council is a public meeting as a general rule, unless expressly decided otherwise. We recognize that there are situations that demand discretion, but we disagree with a practice that has in fact inverted the language of the norm. It is also true that public meetings demand a greater degree of preparation and require greater responsibility from all of us.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“It analysed and resolved, at least in theory, many of the concerns of the membership of this Organization. Nevertheless, the periodic examination of the Council's practices makes it possible to conclude that the challenge of consistently implementing adopted agreements and rules still remains. Notwithstanding the decisions that have been made, Costa Rica believes this Council should be interested even more in the input that can be given by those who have a legitimate interest or are going to be directly affected by the Council's decisions. Despite the agreements reached in this direction, its practice reveals important shortcomings. The frequent use of informal mechanisms should be the usual practice before reaching agreements in the Council.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Of all the cultural norms of the Council, however, the most detrimental is the attitude of exclusion in relation to the great majority of Member States, whose presence in the Council is very rare, if even having taken place at all. The 2006 note by the President marks an important milestone in the history of the Security Council. This is an opportune moment to recognize the work of the former representative of Japan, Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, as well as Ambassadors Peter Burian of Slovakia and Ricardo Arias of Panama, who succeeded Mr. Oshima in the chair of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. Certainly, the note represents the crystallization of a process that had been going on for the fifteen years prior.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“The attitude of some members of the Council, who seem hesitant to examine the Council's working methods in an open debate, seems to indicate that more than simply a change in the norms of the Council is necessary - there needs to be a change in the Council's attitude. That is what these last few months have shown us since we became members of the Council. It seems that the culture that has become entrenched here in the last few years has fostered the unity of this body as an end in itself, which was not always the case. The diversity of interests among the permanent members and the elected members should not be mentioned, even less so the possibility of clarifying procedural matters or deciding the format of a meeting through a vote.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“We live in an age in which the transparency of decision-making processes and the accountability of representatives to the represented have been established as solid principles in all organizations, independent of their nature. Let's be clear: no one is attempting to take decisions that, because of their nature, fall under the purview of the Council and no one is expecting a revolution in the working methods of the Council. An important group of Member States, as reflected in the requests received by the President, aspires simply to have the Council listen to their assessments of the way it carries out its duties and to some suggestions, which may very well improve the efficacy and the legitimacy of the Council's decisions.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Costa Rica speaks today, unsurprisingly, as a member of the General Assembly. This is our only permanent status, which guides our perspective and our interests and which cannot be different from the interests of the Organization when considered as a whole. The premise established in Article 24 of the Charter, according to which Member States acknowledge that the Security Council acts on Members' behalf, seems to be a one-way street. Member States must recognize that the Council acts on their behalf, but the Council does not often recognize that it acts on behalf of the member States. This perception, according to which the Council is an autonomous organ independent of the membership of the United Nations, must yield to the unshakeable realities of our time.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Mr. Urbina (Costa Rica) (spoke in Spanish): I should like to welcome the presence of the Secretary- General, which shows his interest in the well-being and the strengthening of the entire Organization. I wish to thank the Belgian delegation and you in particular, Mr. President, for having granted the request made two months ago by the delegations of Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland, and my own delegation, that an open debate be held on the implementation of the note by the President of the Security Council (S/2006/507), submitted in 2006. As Council members are well aware, agreement to hold this debate was not easy to reach. The idea that the working methods of the Security Council are the exclusive domain of its members is a stumbling block that has always been difficult to overcome.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968 (2008) · source
“Costa Rica wishes once again to emphasize the need to restore the position and observance of international law, which guarantees the security of small countries. We share the concerns raised by the failure to comply with commitments, in particular because those commitments were agreed upon by the parties as steps necessary to normalize the situation in Georgia. We welcome humanitarian action from any quarter, because it eases the situation of a civilian population that has been the victim of politically motivated hostilities.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“Mr. Urbina (Costa Rica) (spoke in Spanish): I wish to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Pascoe and Mr. Mulet for their briefings this afternoon, and to thank the representative of Georgia for being here with us. Eight days ago, on Monday, 11 August, I made a statement here in which I briefly summarized Costa Rica's position on this matter. Today I am taking the floor again to say that, in our view, the situation in Georgia is not a European problem; nor is it a problem that involves only the great economic and military Powers. Costa Rica firmly believes that this is a crisis in which small States that are not major economic or military Powers also have a stake. We are the majority in this Organization.”
2008-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5961 (2008) · source
“Full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) by all States will take time. Once it has been accomplished, vigilance and innovation will be needed to maintain effective policies. That task not only calls 08-46307 for a long-term commitment to the objectives of the resolution, but also the nurturing of a sense of urgency, given the gravity of the threat facing the international community.”
2008-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5955 (2008) · source
“Among other recommendations, the Committee believes that, consistent with Security Council resolution 1810 (2008), it should strengthen its clearing-house role for channelling assistance to States 08-46307 in need; increase tailored dialogue with and among States to identify assistance needs and assistance projects to meet them; and promote awareness of, make better use of and consider options for developing existing financial mechanisms in order to build capacity to implement resolution 1540 (2004). To those ends, it should also work more closely with global and regional intergovernmental organizations and arrangements, within and outside the United Nations system, in fostering the sharing of experience, creating forums for discussion and developing innovative mechanisms to achieve implementation of the resolution.”
2008-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5955 (2008) · source
“(spoke in French) Notwithstanding that progress, the Committee concludes that Member States need to do far more than they have already done to implement resolution 1540 (2004). Consequently, achieving the goals of the resolution requires further attention by the Security Council and more intensive action, particularly on capacity-building and sharing lessons learned.”
2008-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5955 (2008) · source
“They range from developing new institutional means to incorporate the obligations of resolution 1540 (2004) in national practices to adopting new legislation and enforcement measures, executing new policies and creating new assistance programmes directed towards implementation of the resolution. The new reports submitted by a number of States since 2006 and the additional information received from other States, or otherwise identified from official governmental sources, have enabled the Committee to present a more complete picture of the measures already in place or planned in the near future. Thus, it has been possible to demonstrate a qualitative improvement in progress towards achieving full implementation of the resolution.”
2008-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5955 (2008) · source
“In the present report the Committee expresses the belief that those activities substantially raised the awareness of the international community concerning the dangers associated with the potential nexus between the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials, and non-State actors. Since the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1673 (2006), the Committee's work has placed greater emphasis on implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), facilitating the efforts of Member States to prepare to address that nexus. (spoke in English) In its present report, the 1540 Committee identifies a number of specific measures that States have in place to implement resolution 1540 (2004), including steps they have taken since April 2006.”
2008-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5955 (2008) · source