YouSaid · the spoken record

Valdivieso

lines on the record: 816
first: 1999-08-25
most recent: 2003-01-14
sittings or episodes: 123
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

“With respect to security problems, as has been said, we must condemn attacks on United Nations personnel, who, along with the personnel ofthe various humanitarian agencies, are unconditionally serving the local population; that must be understood and respected by every one ofthe actors in this conflict. The rights of all minorities must be respected, as stipulated in the resolutions and statements adopted by the Security Council. We reiterate our appeal to the parties to comply with those provisions. The efforts of KFOR to control attacks by Albanian extremists carried out from the safety zone in southern Serbia have yielded results, as reflected in the number of detainees and decommissioned weapons and in the reduction in the number of violent attacks.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“Mr. Valdivieso (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): I thank the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Guehenno, for updating the Council on the situation in the field. We would ask him to convey to all the personnel of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) our expressions of support for their work. In my statement today, I shall focus on three areas that I had originally planned to address, plus one that I think I should add in the light of what others have said. The first three are security problems, the organization of elections, and the peace plan proposed by the Belgrade authorities.”
2001-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4277 (2001) · source
“In this connection, we would greatly appreciate any remarks the President of Rwanda may wish to make on the repatriation of refugees and other persons of Rwandese origin currently living in Congolese territory. We recall with deep pain the events of 1994 in Rwanda, which gave rise to many of the problems currently engulfing the Great Lakes region. We believe that the proper administration ofjustice in Rwanda and gradual reconciliation among the Rwandese people are an inherent part of a lasting peace in the region. The course of justice must be firm towards the perpetrators of genocide so that the Rwandese communities can look to the future with confidence. As members of the international community, and in particular as members of this Council, we are prepared to offer and guarantee our assistance.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“We believe that this is the moment for the entire world to witness action being taken towards peace by the political leaders of the Great Lakes region, such as a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a disengagement of forces monitored by the United Nations, an orderly withdrawal of foreign forces and a normalization of the security situation along the borders. Two actions provided for in the Lusaka Agreement are of great importance to stability in the region. The first is the disarmament of the armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the second is the repatriation of their members to their respective countries of origin.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“We also stated our clear intention to require the signatories of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement to fulfil their commitments to establish peace in the region and we expressed our desire to promote a swift deployment of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in favourable working conditions. Today, we would like to make precisely the same points to the President of Rwanda, because we feel that this is indeed a window of opportunity to promote peace in Africa. We were pleased to hear him speak of renewed support for the Lusaka process and for the United Nations presence in Congolese territory.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“Mr. Valdivieso (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I wish to convey our pleasure at seeing you, Sir, preside over this meeting. I also thank your delegation for having made the arrangements for us to meet today with the President of Rwanda. My delegation welcomes President Kagame warmly and thanks him for coming here to have this dialogue with the Council on the situation in the Great Lakes region and its implications for international peace and security. Last week in this Chamber, in connection with President Kabila's visit, we expressed our firm resolve to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of the countries of the Great Lakes region.”
2001-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4273 (2001) · source
“Attaining peace requires - in addition to the will of the parties - a favourable national and international environment. This requires sustainable and lasting long-term commitment.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“Fourth, the Secretary-General could coordinate the preparation of a compendium of lessons learned over the past two decades, drawing on contributions from national Governments, regional organizations, United Nations agencies and specialized non- governmental organizations. Fifth, in each case there must be a strategy that will ensure the resources and personnel needed to complete the peace-building process. And sixth, in each instance the Secretary-General could identify a set of objective benchmarks indicating that peace has been built; this would avoid the premature termination of mandates, which could sow the seeds of new conflicts. Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is a culture, a way of life, a collective yearning.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“To respond to that concern, my delegation wishes to put forward some fundamental elements that we would like to see reflected in the presidential statement to be adopted on today's agenda item. First, peace-building is inherently a long-term process in which short-term positive results do not necessarily lead to ultimate success. Second, these missions need not be carried out principally by the United Nations; rather, depending on specific conditions, the lead organization can be a regional one. Third, donor commitment to peace-building processes must be sustained and long-term.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“The only thing they have in common are their comprehensive mandates, which have included tasks such as: the reorganization and retraining of police forces; judicial reform; formulation or assistance in the formulation of local laws and regulations in the economic and social sphere; help in carrying out agrarian reform; election monitoring; supervision of transitional government departments; the supply of food, drinking water and sanitary and health services; and monitoring human rights. If the Security Council has correctly devised these overall comprehensive mandates, we wonder why the results have been so uneven, with a degree of success in some cases and with huge failure in others.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“Rebuilding societies that have suffered the strife of war and that are bearing the consequences of conflict - social trauma, lack of resources, fragile institutions and political uncertainty - takes long-term sustained effort. But unfortunately, we constantly see erratic, short-term, poorly coordinated commitments by governmental, non-governmental and international organizations and other relevant actors. Sustainability and political will are the two elements that are key to the success of peace-building. Past Security Council efforts with a broad, comprehensive reconstruction mandate have included those for Namibia, El Salvador, Cambodia, Mozambique and, more recently, East Timor and Kosovo.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“There have been many studies and assessments of the causes of conflict; thanks in part to these, national Governments and the international community have made considerable progress on various approaches to preventing conflict. But despite the identification of the causes of conflict, and despite the broad formulas and comprehensive approaches to conflict prevention, there are factors that stymie these good intentions. Neither conflict prevention nor peace- building can be successful without genuine political will by all actors, including those responsible for the maintenance of peace, international mediators and the parties to the conflict. There is no doubt that peace-building is a far more complex and difficult challenge than it appears to be, as experience has shown.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“In such internal wars and conflicts, peace- building frequently occurs after the parties concerned have taken actions that constitute serious violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law with grave consequences for the civilian population. Patient effort is therefore required to restore the social fabric and the minimal conditions for coexistence. Peace-building has enemies, which can include individuals, businesses, organizations and Governments that do not desire tranquility and stability. Most blameworthy are those involved in the illicit trafficking of small arms, for whom peace- building is bad business. Because of the strong link between conflict prevention on the one hand and the maintenance of peace and peace-building on the other, these things must be considered together and addressed comprehensively.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“The responsibility for maintaining peace cannot be considered alone but rather as a part of the wider process ranging from preventive diplomacy to post- conflict peace-building. In order to understand this complex situation, we must consider the fact that the Security Council is only one of the actors, and sometimes the least relevant one, among those participating in the peace-building process. Also, the preponderance of intra-State conflicts in the midst of complex claims of a religious type, of ethnic supremacy and of xenophobia means that the peace- building process has become more complex, longer- term and more painstaking, and sometimes its leads to dissatisfaction among those who are expecting immediate or short-term tangible results.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“Mr. Valdivieso (Colombia)(spoke in Spanish): I would like to thank the President of the Council for having taken the excellent initiative of convening this open debate to address an item of concern to all Members of the United Nations. This provides us with an opportunity to highlight the growing importance of multidimensional approaches to the solution and prevention of conflict. The Security Council has major challenges before it in the complex management of current conflicts. We hope that today's debate will benefit this organ and other relevant organs in the United Nations system as we give critical consideration to the experiences of the past, to lessons learned and to ways that we can improve processes for preventing conflict, as well as for building peace.”
2001-02-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4272 (2001) · source
“We hope that the expectations of the moment will generate an atmosphere of confidence that will make it possible for us successfully to hold the meeting scheduled for 21 February between the Security Council and the Political Committee composed of the signatories to the Lusaka Agreement. Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a commitment that this Council has to humankind. It is a commitment that we have assumed towards the Congolese people, the peoples of Africa and those of the entire world. We call for the reconciliation of the Congolese people with itself and with its neighbours, and we are prepared to contribute from this office to that goal.”
2001-02-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4271 (2001) · source
“Secondly we must demand, as is our duty, of all the signatory parties of the Lusaka Peace Agreement that they fulfil their obligations. This means the demobilization of irregular forces, political dialogue leading to free elections, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Congolese territory and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, among many other aspects. The third component is to contribute to the prompt deployment of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under guarantees of security for its personnel, freedom of movement and logistical support, which are indispensable for the conduct of its operations.”
2001-02-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4271 (2001) · source
“They reflect a clear commitment to peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a peace that we recognize to be the profound aspiration of 52 million Congolese, with whom we identify as members of the international community. When we joined this Council, we promised the Members of the United Nations to work for the maintenance of international peace and security, and it is our intention to fulfil that promise. Therefore, we wish today to express a threefold purpose. First we must work to ensure respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as of all the neighbouring States in central Africa, as has been expressed by this Council on many occasions.”
2001-02-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4271 (2001) · source
“Mr. Valdivieso (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): Mr. President, I would like to say how pleased my delegation is at your assumption of the presidency of the Council, and I would like to reiterate to you our readiness to contribute to the successful fulfilment of your functions. On this solemn occasion, I also wish to extend a cordial welcome to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We regret the painful fact of the death of his father, former President Laurent Kabila, and we wish to convey words of comfort to his family and to the Congolese people as a whole. The presence of President Joseph Kabila in the Security Council, and his statement at this meeting, are of great significance to peace in the world and give us grounds for hope.”
2001-02-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4271 (2001) · source
“As the report makes clear, continued assistance will be necessary until the defence and police forces have been consolidated and, even more importantly, the judicial system is fully operational. The United Nations and the international community must continue to provide support in the period after independence.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Reconciliation cannot take place in an atmosphere of impunity. We also believe that UNTAET must intensify its efforts to bring about reconciliation among the Timorese people, including those who continue to favour the idea of autonomy. No less important is the need for relations between UNTAET and the Government of Indonesia, in particular the authorities of West Timor, to continue to improve. Furthermore, We welcome the new spirit of cooperation between the leaders of East Timor and the current Government of Indonesia. My delegation fully shares the recommendations of the Secretary-General to the effect that significant economic assistance from the international community must continue. We must ensure that the process will not result in the creation of a State whose future is in jeopardy from its inception.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“These developments must be followed very closely and dealt with resolutely, because they do not augur well for the democratic future of the new State. In this context, we believe that UNTAET must, as soon as possible, set up the civic education programmes to which the report refers in order to help prevent such outbreaks of violence. The situation of the refugees still in West Timor remains a cause for concern, and every effort should be made to resolve the problem quickly, including by controlling the militias. We welcome the fact that the trial of the six people accused in the Atambua killings opened on 11 January in a Jakarta court. As Mr. Ramos-Horta pointed out, there cannot be lasting peace without justice, which must be handed down regardless of the power or wealth of those who committed the crimes.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“UNTAET's efforts to build the capacity for self- government among the Timorese so as to enable them to assume all the responsibilities of government is extremely important, and we must provide our full support in this respect. Furthermore, we should also welcome the efforts to bring about a consensus on the holding of a national consultation regarding electoral modalities and the composition of the Constituent Assembly, which will draft the future constitution and become the first legislature of the independent State. We believe that it is important to emphasize that UNTAET will be responsible for the conduct of the elections. The incidents of violence among supporters of different political groupings are of great concern to us.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Along these lines, we agree with the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report published as document S/2001/42. We have noted the reports about the emergence of an increasingly strong consensus among the population in favour of achieving independence by the end of 2001, after elections are held. In this regard we must take into consideration that the Secretary-General has noted that the timetable is tight, and that a certain degree of flexibility will be required. We welcome the establishment of the National Council, as well as the concerted efforts to speed up the transfer of responsibilities to the Timorese.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“It is clear that the situation in East Timor now requires coordinated and integrated action from the different bodies in the system charged with economic and social development, and - we can hope - increasingly less attention from those of us in this Chamber, who are primarily concerned with international peace and security. In this regard we are struck by the contrast between the sad reminders of what East Timor endured and today's positive atmosphere. Bearing the aforementioned in mind, my delegation believes that the Security Council should take the necessary measures to enable UNTAET to complete its work successfully, without hurrying in ways that might jeopardize the future of the emerging administration in East Timor.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Sergio Vieira de Mello and his entire team for their tremendous efforts. We are also grateful for the very interesting statements made by the representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund - as well as the special statement of the President of the General Assembly. As you yourself said, Sir, we can call the General Assembly President's appearance in this Chamber "historic". We are also grateful for the presence of and the statement made by Mr. Jose' Ramos-Horta today. We were very moved by his testimony and by his faith in the future of East Timor.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“Mr. Valdivieso (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): First of all my delegation would like to express our thanks for the report, which highlights the many different activities that the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) has carried out in so short a time. It is indisputable that the situation in East Timor has been evolving at an extraordinary pace after so many years of political stagnation. Unfortunately, these so-rapid changes have been accompanied by some deplorable acts of violence that could perhaps have been avoided if the transition had been more gradual. As many have said at various times in this Chamber, the task assigned to UNTAET carried with it great responsibilities, and my delegation certainly joins all those that have paid tribute to Mr.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265Resumption1 (2001) · source
“We are very pleased and we stand ready to continue cooperating with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, our Timorese friends, all United Nations agencies, our sister institution, the World Bank, and donors. We will be glad to answer any questions and discuss bilaterally any further issues that any of the members of the Security Council may have, or to present more specific briefings as required.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“These elements are providing more and more clarity with respect to where the country is likely to go, and this in turn is providing some assurances to some investors who are already analysing the possibilities. We believe that every effort should be made to create the right incentives for private initiative. Without that, I think we run the risk of creating an environment in which the Government will be forced to take up obligations that I think the East Timorese have a unique opportunity to decide not to put in the hands of the Government - in contrast to what has traditionally been the case. Once again, I really appreciate the invitation to speak to the Council.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Very specifically, we are very concerned about the need for developing quickly commercial law, the labour code and a foreign-investment law, because without those basic legal requirements and frameworks and the assurances that the rights of investors are going to be protected, we cannot expect an appropriate response. We are also watching with great interest the approach followed in the political transition. This will also help, because political uncertainty also affects investment decisions. But I think two important elements that were mentioned by Sergio Vieira de Mello are the participation in decision-making and in the legislative effort of the East Timorese.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“In a couple of publications we have presented in detail what we think would be the immediate steps. I will be glad to make available to all the members of the Council the references to these publications, which can also be found on our Web site. We believe that for creating the right incentives there is an immediate need not only to maintain stability and to continue with a sensible fiscal budget and fiscal approach; it will also be important to move forcefully on developing basic legislation that is still missing, but not stopping at the level of legislation. In this regard, I fully agree with Sergio Vieira de Mello that enforcement is as important as having the laws in place, so the development of the judiciary has to go hand in hand with the development of legislation.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“I am very pleased to hear, as our friend from the United Nations Development Programme indicated, that it has a mandate to deal with this issue, which is so critical. We stand ready to cooperate with it in all areas of our expertise, and we will continue to support the United Nations and our Timorese friends in the future independent government of East Timor with whatever resources we have. The final major challenge is the creation of adequate incentives for the private sector. I think we have here a unique opportunity to move away from the traditional governmental structure that was set up, inherited from Indonesian times - that is, a large government. I think this is a very good opportunity. But for creating the right incentives for private sector development, a lot has to be done.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Even though our friend Sergio Vieira de Mello says that the budget is cruel, I think that the budget is realistic and is consistent with the availability of resources today and the medium-term potential of the country. That is precisely what forces us to ask ourselves continuously whether something that may be beneficial today may be too costly tomorrow. It is not that these questions should prevent us from making decisions; I think they have to be made. So this is a very important challenge: to continuously have on the table the questions of sustainability that are critical for macroeconomic stability. Without macroeconomic stability, we cannot expect growth, and we cannot expect to be in a position to address serious poverty problems. The other serious challenge is capacity-building.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“But in the process we may distort the wage policy for the future independent government of Timor. Another possibility is that we embark on projects that may be too costly over time. This pertains to the whole issue of sustainability over time. It is never too early to raise questions about sustainability. We are very concerned about that. I think the challenge for East Timor will be to continuously go over every decision that is being taken and understand not only the short term benefits but also the future implications. This is something that we have raised in meetings with donors. Very generous bilateral assistance is being offered, but we are asking donors to be as specific as possible, with regard to what they are willing to do today as well as the recurrent costs needed to maintain in the future whatever is initiated now.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“It will be slower than things more familiar to us would have been. But I think the dialogue is important, and we have to be tolerant and patient. The challenges that we see ahead in the economic sphere are essentially in the area of the maintenance of macroeconomic stability. I think that many people believe it is sometimes too early to talk about economic matters in a post-conflict situation; but it is never too early, because normally what happens is that in the rush of things, we make decisions that we may later regret. One of our major concerns, for instance, is wage policy. In the rush of things, sometimes we want to hire whoever is available at the moment, and we sometimes judge the adequacy of wage policy against the objective of trying to bring qualified people to help us as soon as possible.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“I understand that the Council President wanted the discussions to focus on the future, but I think it is important to look at the past, especially in the area of our concern, because we do not really believe that we have to change the tune as independence approaches, since, as I said, the institutions that have been set up will be required in any market-based economy. I think the skills that are being developed will be required in the future. Policies may change, and then there will be a need for developing analytical capacity and to ensure that advice is understood, adopted and embraced by the Timorese, because the last thing we need would be the feeling that things were being imposed. I think it is very important that whatever they adopt be embraced and come from their own initiative. This dialogue is important. It will take time.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“All the experts that have been recommended by our institution have, as part of their terms of reference, a capacity-building mandate, and they have the responsibility to identify and train local counterparts during their stay in East Timor, with a View to the latter eventually being in a position to assume their responsibilities, even though we anticipate that in these areas of expertise continued support will be required for a number of years to come. What are the major challenges that we see ahead?”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“We are now trying to coordinate more closely with the World Bank, with the Asian Development Bank and with other agencies, trying to make sure that we have a systematic approach that will enable us to deploy qualified staff for these critical areas of macroeconomic management in the months to come. We have already started some comprehensive courses in Singapore. We have a regional institute. We are trying to set up on-the-job training approaches.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“I think we are now proposing that this model be replicated, so to speak, for other economic institutions that are being developed, such as the national planning agency and the ministry of economy, because it is extremely important that we know ex ante what is required in terms of expertise, the type of institution being built and the requirements both for today and for the future. As previous speakers have said, it is very important that we do not create something that later will become difficult to sustain, especially when the massive amount of external support starts to decline. We acknowledge that the process of building East Timorese managerial capacity in the macro-financial management area has been slow; it is quite a specialized area. This will take time.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“But these two developments in banking and payments management-because there is no real monetary management - and in fiscal management are encouraging. I think they will require future assistance, and we stand ready to support the United Nations until the transfer of the administration to a new East Timorese government, and to support the future East Timorese government. With regard to developments in capacity- building, we will focus initially on making operational the institutions that we consider key for economic management. We have provided comprehensive technical assistance, and I think that one of the important lessons we have derived from this situation is that there are very detailed blueprints on how to manage these institutions, what functions and what type of people are required.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“I think there has been some debate on the issue of participation and ownership; it has been more and more encouraging to see that the East Timorese are taking a stronger interest. They are becoming better equipped by getting support from donors in terms of technical assistance, and they are developing their own views with respect to various alternatives that are being offered to them for a system of taxation, a system of public tariffs for utilities and so forth. Budget execution is a different matter, because it depends not only on having a budget but also on the spending agencies. This requires much more work. As Mr. Rohland indicated, they are having additional difficulties in procurement. There are some difficulties in the execution that hopefully will be addressed.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Subsequently, with the assistance of mainly the Australian and Japanese Governments, the central fiscal authority was staffed, and a very strong budget team was assigned to East Timor for about 15 months initially. These people have helped to develop a very comprehensive budget process, and now we are about to start discussions on the budget for fiscal year 2001- 2002. I think that this has been very, very important. I mention the deficiencies in the design that need to be tackled, but that will come with time and experience. Furthermore, there has been the development of a tax administration body, which is implementing a policy that is being designed in consultation with the National Council and through public forum discussions. Some progress has also been made in that very important area.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“For the time being, there is no problem with respect to the issue of monetary policy, as the currency chosen in the transition is the United States dollar. It will be up to a future independent Government of East Timor to decide whether a different monetary arrangement is suitable for its objectives. With regard to fiscal developments, there was, for the first time, a preliminary budget. For a post-conflict country to present a preliminary budget right at the outset of operations is a very important development. It was rudimentary, but still a guideline to at least help allocate resources in a somewhat sensible manner. It also demands accountability, which is very important.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“They are very well documented and can be found on the Web sites of the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF and various other agencies that maintain Web sites with all the various reports, so I will not go into detail about what the achievements have been during these last 15 months of continuous contact with East Timor. But let me just flag a few that I think are important enough to keep in mind and that, as I said at the beginning, transcend the political cycle. The first is the adoption of a currency as a means of payment and the design of a framework for the operation of banks. There are already two banks in operation, and, hopefully, there will be more in future. There are a number of initiatives for micro-financial institutions, and there is also some interest in foreign exchange bureaus.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“There, the critical steps were to establish a central fiscal authority, which eventually will become the Ministry of Finance, and, more fundamentally, the adoption of a sustainable, consolidated budget. This budget is the national budget. It is not the assessed contributions budget, it is not the budget that supports UNTAET operations. It is the budget that supports the operations of the local administration. We focus significantly on that, but we have also broadened our perspective to make sure that we monitor closely the inflow of resources into the country, as an excessive amount of resources give rise to distortions. There have been important and significant developments.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“The strategy developed in conjunction with UNTAET, the East Timorese, other institutions, United Nations agencies and the World Bank, and in continuous consultation with various donors and members of civil society, had three components. One was to ensure that there would be a payment system. Following the severe destruction of September last, there was no banking system and no possibility of making any meaningful financial transaction. Therefore that was one ofthe important elements. I think we have made some significant progress that will remain for years to come. Obviously, it will be under continuous monitoring and will require further adjustments to make sure that things function well. The second important component of the strategy to ensure appropriate macroeconomic management was the development of a basic fiscal framework.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“The idea is to establish a framework that will endure after independence, so it is extremely important that whatever is being created, even during the first month, should be sound enough to endure all of the difficulties that are likely to be encountered in future during the transitional process. The IMF will continue to stress the need for consistent and credible macroeconomic policies throughout the initial humanitarian relief period, the subsequent Transitional Administration, and the future independent East Timor. We will continue to stress the need for enhancing capacity-building and for creating adequate incentives for the private sector, because we believe firmly that the development of a vibrant private sector will be the engine of growth and prosperity and the only possibility of fighting poverty in East Timor.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“The role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in East Timor has focused on helping the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) develop a macroeconomic framework to guide economic decision-making and capacity- building, including developing institutions and skills, to help ensure that economic policies are implemented properly and that the resources made available to East Timor are efficiently used and appropriately accounted for. The support provided has been quite specialized. The support that we have provided under the strategies that we have recommended transcends the political transition process.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“Mr. Valdivieso: It is a great pleasure and privilege to have the opportunity to come before the Council today and contribute to this critical debate. It is well known that we are very proud to be associated with the leadership of the United Nations in assisting the East Timorese on the road to independence and to try to establish the necessary structures for securing the future welfare oftheir society.”
2001-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4265 (2001) · source
“In conclusion, we believe that, beyond a regime of sanctions applicable to a single country or to a group of rebels within a country, we must strengthen the capacity of the United Nations Secretariat to carry out ongoing monitoring of sanctions and embargoes imposed by the Security Council in fulfilling its mission of safeguarding international peace and security.”
2001-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4264 (2001) · source