YouSaid · the spoken record

Von Pierer

lines on the record: 17
first: 2004-04-15
most recent: 2004-04-15
sittings or episodes: 1
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

“Secondly, I would like to come back to the necessity to fight poverty and the lack of hope. In that context, I would be glad if we could achieve broad cooperation among the United Nations, the World Bank, Governments and private companies to promote education through a broad and systematic approach. I would like to reiterate what has been said this morning- people want hope for their children. A project for education for peace and prosperity could be a very effective way of promoting conflict prevention, peacekeeping and post-conflict peace-building. My third remark is only to thank the Council again for giving me the opportunity to participate in this important and very productive meeting this morning.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“Mr. von Pierer: I will make three brief remarks. First, I understand that there are concerns about how business can find the right balance between profit- making and good corporate citizenship. I think it is possible to find such a balance and, in my opinion, there is no doubt that it is absolutely mandatory to do so because business also wants to live a world of peace and prosperity. The representative of the United States gave impressive examples of successful companies receiving awards for their good corporate citizenship. There are more such good examples. You, Mr. President, referred to the Global Compact initiative. I think participation in this initiative is also an example of how business takes seriously being successful in the area of corporate citizenship.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“Business alone cannot change the world but, together with public partners, business can make decisive contributions in the struggle against Violence, against anarchy and against terrorism, and on behalf of civilization, freedom and prosperity. I totally agree with the Secretary-General when he said some minutes ago that bottom lines cannot be separated from some of the key goals of humankind: peace, development and equity. We have certain projects under way and we are ready to do much more.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“We set up a joint venture software company for Palestinian and Israeli developers in Ramallah, in the West Bank. It was so important to me that I personally took part in the inauguration ceremony in Ramallah. It was a moving moment, as you can imagine. It worked well and gave many people a future. It was growing fast until the project was tragically interrupted by the renewal of hostilities. But this idea and many, many more like it can work. I am convinced of it. These examples show that development aid and programmes must do and can do, much more than fight poverty. They must also focus on solutions for ensuring long-term benefits and stability, and they can be provided by public/private partnerships. Again, most important in my mind is education, education, education.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“The next generation is enjoying the shade." Education for prosperity and peace could be a broad programme for a public/private partnership. The next example is health care. Basic public health services are a must, even in countries with isolated communities. There are solutions like telemedicine to provide better health consultations. It is a tangible and effective way to bring part of the first world to the third. The third example is the transfer of knowledge and technology. This is a key step to integrate local economies with the world and to train people to help themselves. This could be accomplished in coordination with the local investment of global players; this is the way to build up networks of local business partners and suppliers and to create jobs. We took such an approach years ago under the guidance of Shimon Peres.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“Those fears, those desperate outlooks, lead to desolation and anarchy. People who have nothing to lose become unpredictable and capable of any deed. We have to counteract those trends by giving people hope and a way out of their situation - not only for a brief moment, but on a sustainable basis. I would like to give you three examples of what can and should be done. The first example is education. We must build schools, educate children and provide vocational training for youth. If we educate the children, we open the future to them - a future in growing prosperity and a future without violence and aggression. As the President of the World Bank said, people want hope for their children. That is expressed in the Asian proverb, "One generation is planting the trees.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“None of the four factors I have mentioned are effective without the fifth, that is, visible progress. People must personally see that progress is being made, that their own lives are improving, that they can begin to support their families again, not with extralegal activities but as part of a new civil order. That is essential for regaining trust and long-term social stability. My fifth message, therefore, is that we have to give people a future, a future that must be quickly tangible. This leads me to my last point today: what can be done over the long term to secure stability? One central source of conflict is hopelessness, or the feeling or being excluded from growing prosperity and from the benefits of globalization, and of being overwhelmed by a process that one cannot influence.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“If at all possible, post-conflict plans need to be developed at the same time as military or conflict-resolution strategies. There must be a seamless and fast transition. We have to be realistic. This means we cannot always expect all procedures to run in the standard forms that we know and are familiar with. For example, there is the bidding process. Extraordinary situations often demand extraordinary solutions, as well as fast and uncomplicated decisions. One must accept that this is sometimes more effective than following the usual game rules, because time is of the essence. So my fourth message is to plan as much as possible in advance but do not waste critical time in unique situations by relying on overly complex, overly bureaucratic and time-consuming solutions.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“The private sector must have partners - international organizations such as the World Bank, bilateral partners, development agencies, Governments and local authorities. Business cannot bear the financial burden, nor it can bear it only to a limited extent. As we all know, the process of securing financing can be complex and time-consuming, and sometimes frustrating as well. But in post-conflict situations, speedy financing is critical for restoring a viable society. Therefore, my third message is that financing instruments, including guarantees and public/private partnerships, must be made available as quickly as possible. Nothing is more dangerous to the peace- building process than a lack of action. The fourth factor is post-conflict planning, above all, timely planning.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“To summarize my first message: local government or provisional authorities must provide the necessary minimum of security, and business should draw on the experience of people who best know the country. The second factor is infrastructure. Nothing can function without water, electricity, food, food supplies, transportation and communication systems, particularly in cities. One of the top priorities must therefore be to reconstruct and to secure these services in order to restore functional authorities, to meet the basic needs of the population and to provide the foundation for rebuilding the economy and the society. So my second message is to begin as soon as possible with the process of repairing and renewing the basic infrastructure. The third factor is financing. The success of any reconstruction programme depends on getting funds.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“In critical regions, business follows some basic rules - for example, a strong reliance on local employees who best know their country, their culture and the local circumstances. Also important are a few expatriates to push the process. Our principle in such cases is to send employees only on a voluntary basis. These people are carefully chosen, after considering all religious, ethnic and cultural factors, and they do not necessarily come from Germany. Close cooperation with local authorities is a must for taking all proper measures. Above all, one needs good common sense, caution, prudence and, also, courage. But unfortunately, these rules may not always be enough. If the risks are too high, we sometimes have to pull back- only as long as necessary, I must add - because our basic philosophy is: "We are here to stay".”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“In general, I would say there are five basic factors that are critically important: security, infrastructure, financing, post-conflict planning, and visible progress. The first and foremost factor, security, is obvious. That has been a chronic problem in many regions, but since 11 September we also know that violence can strike anywhere, at any time. There are no more safe havens in the world, and we have to live with that fact. But now it is clear that in order for business to operate there must be a reasonable level of security and enough government control to provide basic law and basic order. The risk factors must be reduced to a manageable level - not to zero, perhaps, but to a manageable level.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“That is important and that counts. Concerning Iraq, we would like to pursue the same basic strategy and to help restore, for example, the country's power generation capacity, its power grid and its communication networks. We would also like to open local facilities, but, as we all know, the situation is extremely difficult right now. Despite the security risks, however, we have already started to help in concrete projects - one is to set up mobile telephone networks in northern Iraq and the other is to rebuild a power plant. We all share the hope that the reconstruction of Iraq can be accelerated as soon as possible. All countries and all situations are, of course, unique, and there is no golden solution for all post- conflict scenarios. One must analyse each situation and tailor the response.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“One project, for example, was to rehabilitate two hydropower plants that we had built over 50 years ago. We simply pulled original construction plans out of the archives and began work immediately. Another project was getting Kabul's water system back in working order. By the way, we trained a large number of Afghans for this special work at our facilities in Pakistan and India and trained only a few people in Germany. A fourth consideration was the social side, which is always important for successful engagement. We are helping to educate people. We are supporting UNICEF's "Back to School" initiative as an important investment in the country's future, with an emphasis on girls, to ensure that they also participate in basic education. I know that those efforts are just the beginning, but they are visible.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“But when it ended, we took some very specific steps to restart our activities and to help rebuild the country. First of all, we wanted to reopen our office as quickly as possible. We looked for a highly qualified national to relaunch our business and found the right man in our own company. He is fluent in Pashto, Farsi, German and English and was eager to contribute to his country's rebirth. We acted fast and reopened our office in Kabul in February 2003. Secondly, parallel to setting up our operations, we critically analysed the most pressing infrastructure needs in the country. From our point of View, the top priorities were to restore power supplies, repair the water system in Kabul and reconstruct the communications network. Thirdly, we were already on site when we received the first orders in these sectors.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“Secondly, what are the most urgent needs for the process of rebuilding after a conflict? Thirdly, what can be done over the long term to secure stability and to avoid conflicts or at least reduce their intensity? First, concerning Afghanistan, less than two weeks ago I met with President Karzai while he was in Berlin for the International Afghanistan Conference. Our talks concentrated on his country's reconstruction. At his request, we jointly visited one of our Berlin factories, the same factory that King Amanullah of Afghanistan visited on his tour of Germany back in 1928. This shows that we have generations of experience in Afghanistan, as we do in most other countries around the world. Our presence in Afghanistan was interrupted by war.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source
“Mr. von Pierer: It is a great and distinguished honour to be here today and to have the privilege of addressing you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and the memorable experience of joining you here in this legendary Chamber, which I have known so far only as a curious visitor. I have been asked to say a few words about the role of business in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and post-conflict peace-building. This is a challenge we at Siemens know well. In 157 years of doing business around the globe we have gained extensive experience working in different kinds of crisis situations. Today I want to address three themes. First, I will make some concrete remarks about two conflict areas that are the focus of public attention right now - Afghanistan and Iraq.”
2004-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4943 (2004) · source