YouSaid · the spoken record

Williamson

lines on the record: 252
first: 2002-01-30
most recent: 2003-07-07
sittings or episodes: 30
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

“I would like to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, for his briefing. The ongoing violence and tensions in Ituri are reasons for grave concern. The dangerous and violent situation in the east and north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a threat to the fragile peace process. The promise of political progress in recent months unfortunately has not been fully translated into reality on the ground. The United States appreciates the good work of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and the continuing attention of Under-Secretary-General Guehenno to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I would also like to thank the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, for his briefing.”
2003-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4705 (2003) · source
“As I said at the outset of my intervention, the United States thanks Special Representative Steiner and UNMIK for their good work and reiterates our strong support for UNMIK in its mission.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“We are especially concerned also by the Secretary- General's report that the Assembly continued to show reluctance to accommodate minority community demands. While the Kosovo economy has improved, it is still quite anaemic and needs help. There are too few opportunities for the people of Kosovo. In Kosovo, therefore, there is a great deal of work ahead. At the same time, with the successful elections, including at the municipal level; with a growing, well- trained professional police force; and with improved freedom of movement and progress elsewhere, there is cause for appreciation for the contribution that Special Representative Steiner and UNMIK are making in Kosovo.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“UNMIK is moving forward appropriately on this front, and we look forward to more details on the decentralization plan being worked out with the assistance of the Council of Europe. In the meantime, we urge Belgrade to play a constructive role and comply with its own obligations. More needs to be done to recognize UNMIK licence plates and other documents as a way of helping Serbs reintegrate in Kosovo. The United States is concerned by reports of rising acts of violence in Kosovo. We are especially concerned about the cases of violence against minority communities. There can be no environment of impunity in Kosovo. We are concerned about reports of renewed tension among the Kosovo Albanian coalition partners.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“We support further efforts in this regard, as long as UNMIK is careful to manage the process carefully. We believe that it is premature for Belgrade to return any military or paramilitary presence to Kosovo. The inter-ethnic situation continues to be very tense, and such a development would be provocative and unhelpful. We understand that the command of KFOR is reviewing ways to enhance its efforts to provide security at monasteries and other Serb cultural sites in the north of Kosovo. We also have taken note of the letter from Deputy Prime Minister Jovic. We believe his claims reflect a certain frustration with the difficult challenge of making progress in Mitrovica.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“The United States continues to fully support "standards before status", and we look forward to the Special Representative's detailed worked plan for implementing the related benchmarks for the standards. This plan represents a major step forward in further defining for the Provisional Institutions more completely what it is they need to accomplish in the exercise of their authority to create a multi-ethnic civil society with a functioning economy. We continue to find unhelpful all efforts to push forward on final status. We have supported talks between Belgrade and Pristina on technical issues. Therefore, we welcome Special Representative Steiner's ideas for more talks on technical issues between Belgrade and Pristina. In fact, this has already happened on environmental issues related to contamination of the Ibar River.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“Steiner's intention to develop a joint plan with Prime Minister Rexhepi to work out how this can be accomplished smoothly and effectively. Our understanding is that UNMIK will turn over a specific number of powers on a monthly basis through the end of the year. Such a transfer is extremely important. The elected leaders in Kosovo must accept responsibility for implementing the reforms necessary for a multi- ethnic society to flourish. We invite Mr. Steiner to clarify whether this understanding is correct. Where are we on developing and implementing an operational plan for standards? Should financial aid be tied to conditionalities such as performance on areas of education and health? We believe that it is important for UNMIK to work well with the Provisional Institutions, just as it is for those Institutions to cooperate fully with UNMIK.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“For example, the United States expended a great deal of energy and political capital in order to persuade UNMIK to agree in December to fold UNMIK's central fiscal authority into the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government Ministry of Finance and Economy. Unfortunately, individual UNMIK advisers at the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government at municipal levels appear to have been unwilling to cede real decision- making authority in this area. The United States welcomed Mr. Steiner's 20 January television address in which he articulated his desire, as reflected in the upcoming presidential statement, to hand over all competencies he legally can to the Provisional Institutions by the end of this year on the condition that they are prepared to work seriously. We commend Mr.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“Because we believe that these standards, if implemented, would establish a sound foundation for a functioning multi-ethnic Kosovo, we continue to encourage Special Representative Steiner to develop a detailed work plan to guide the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government through the benchmarks process. We are concerned by the Secretary-General's report that some Kosovo Albanian cabinet members have publicly distanced themselves from the benchmarks. The United States believes that UNMIK has been too reluctant to transfer authorities not reserved for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General under Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and the Constitutional Framework.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“Steiner was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General, he put forward a plan outlining eight goals or standards and a series of benchmarks to gauge progress towards meeting these standards. The United States Government joined the international community in stressing "standards before status", asking the Kosovars to focus their energies on achieving the Special Representative's benchmarks for sustainable democratic self-government rather than on discussions of final political status. Standards include the establishment of functioning democratic institutions, rule of law, and returns and reintegration of minorities and others who have been displaced.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“The authorities are significant, and the international community needs to continue to stress the importance of this. We believe that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government should resist the domestic political pressures that cause them to blame UNMIK for their own inability to use their new authorities effectively. The United States also is concerned with infighting among the Albanian parties. This is a growing problem, and it has a negative impact on the prospects for passage of critically needed legislation, on the economy, and elsewhere. The Security Council should make clear to all parties that they need to work together. Regarding UNMIK's transfer of authority in Kosovo, when Mr.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“We share with others in the Security Council a vision of an integrated multi-ethnic society in Kosovo where quality education is available to all, where people of all ethnicities are safe and have confidence in a fair, professional judicial system, where the economy is growing and creating jobs and opportunity and where the people are empowered to run their own affairs. We wish to call the attention of the Security Council to certain elements of the Secretary-General's report that we believe are of particular importance, and also to express our views on the current situation in Kosovo. The United States agrees that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government must do much more to use authority already transferred under the Constitutional Framework.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“The United States thanks Special Representative Steiner for briefing us today, and we welcome the latest report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (S/2003/ll3). Also, I would like to thank Mr. Steiner for inviting the Security Council last fall to send a mission to Kosovo in December and for the good work of Mr. Steiner and his UNMIK colleagues in developing a programme for the Council that proved to be very informative and useful. The United States continues to be committed to UNMIK. We thank UNMIK for its good work. However, the United States has some concerns, including reports of parallel institutions. Such parallel institutions will be an impediment, not a benefit, to the future of Kosovo. Parallel institutions will be a roadblock to reconciliation.”
2003-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4702 (2003) · source
“Therefore, the United States would like to see the Secretary-General submit a list to the Security Council next year of the worst abusers of children in armed conflicts, not limited to countries currently on the Security Council's agenda. And the United States would like to see active monitoring of those that have already been named. In conclusion, let me again thank the Secretary- General and Olara Otunnu for their good work and contribution in this area. It is extremely important. Our children are our future. We must be more vigorous and more vigilant in working to protect children in armed conflict.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“Boys and girls, some as young as 8 years old, are often recruited forcibly and used as combatants, spies, human shields, messengers, porters, kidnappers, guards, cooks, sexual companions or slaves, or for placing and/or removing bombs. Girls in armed groups and in paramilitary groups are particularly at risk for sexual abuse. Clearly, the abuse of children in armed conflict goes beyond the scope of the Secretary-General's current report. And clearly, we have a moral responsibility, a moral imperative, to leave no child behind. We cannot ignore the damage to children in armed conflicts, wherever that devastation occurs.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“In Uganda, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has waged a civil war against the Government of Uganda since the mid-1980s, and has abducted between 10,000 and 16,000 children from northern Uganda to serve as soldiers. Children are forced to participate in acts of extreme violence. Girls as young as 12 are given to commanders as wives. Some abducted children have managed to escape, while others have died from disease, mistreatment or combat wounds. In recent months, reports of abductions have risen. One non-governmental organization estimates that 4,000 children have been abducted just since June 2002. Colombia's children have long been caught up in the country's devastating conflict, including some 6,000 to 14,000 who are currently used as soldiers by armed groups, paramilitaries and militias.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“For example, Burma is an area of concern. It is thought to have the largest number of child soldiers in the world. Human Rights Watch recently reported that there is widespread forced recruitment of boys as young as 11 in Burma. Reportedly, children are routinely picked up on the streets, forced into the army, and never see their families again. According to Human Rights Watch, many children are forced to fight against armed ethnic opposition groups and to carry out human rights abuses, such as rounding up villagers for forced labour, burning houses and even massacring civilians. Armed opposition groups forcibly recruit young children.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“The perpetuators of the abuse of children in armed conflict want to remain in the shadows, hidden from scrutiny, protected from accountability. Our moral and legal obligations compel us to force these harmful practices, these damaging activities, into the light of day. Impunity in this area is unacceptable. The crushing consequences on children in armed conflict must be ameliorated. A better future depends on it; a society's reconciliation, justice and opportunity after the killing stops require it. The Secretary-General's report is a good start in response to the Security Council's request for a list drawn from countries currently on the Security Council's active agenda. However, some of the worst violators of children in armed conflict are not included on the list, even though they are mentioned in the report.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“Reports have indicated that boys as young as 14 and 15 years old have participated in militia attacks. Faction leaders recruit young boys to serve as personal bodyguards. Yet the situation could get worse if the international community does not make an extra effort to protect those children. Some recent estimates suggest that there are at least 175,000 internally displaced children in Somalia. This ongoing tragedy cannot be tolerated. We must do better to ensure that these children are not subject to exploitation. As I noted, explicitly naming Governments and armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers, in violation of their international obligations, can be a powerful tool in our efforts to protect children in armed conflict. These obnoxious practices cannot stand the light of scrutiny.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“For instance, the United States continues to support the work of the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund and the Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund, both of which offer grants to rehabilitate children soldiers in the region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and around the world. The Government of Liberia's flagrant failure to adhere to international law is a major factor contributing to the ongoing instability in West Africa. The armed forces of Charles Taylor, the President of Liberia, and the militias he has backed have a record of recruiting underage children. As long as his Government continues to support civil strife in West Africa, the threat to the region's children is real, the damage great. The international community must be vigilant. In Somalia, the situation is just as grave.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“There have been encouraging developments, but circumstances in Burundi are still such that children continue to be exploited as combatants. Our work towards any peace agreement to prevent inherent instability and danger should prohibit the use of children in armed conflicts. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo we have witnessed the sad exploitation of children in war over the past few years. Human Rights Watch reports that official communication from the Government has called on children between 12 and 20 years old to enlist. Meanwhile, rebel groups have habitually recruited children to aid their causes. While the task before us is difficult, it is important. There are ways to help these victims. There are ways to improve opportunities for exploited children.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“As the Secretary-General's report notes, the Afghan National Army will not recruit underage soldiers. Despite the use of child soldiers by factions, the lives of Afghan children have improved markedly. Since October 2001, America's Fund for Afghan Children has raised $11.4 million, including more than $1 million in the past three months. Refugee and internally displaced children are perhaps Afghanistan's most vulnerable. The United States has donated more than $145 million over the past year to assist in resettlement. Although Burundi has not received the same attention as Afghanistan, the situation there is extremely volatile, and the international community must be vigilant in preventing a catastrophe on the scale witnessed by Burundi's neighbour in the recent past.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“I turn now to the one of the most important aspects of the Secretary-General's report. For the first time, in response to a Security Council request - in resolution 1379 (2001) - this report from the Secretary-General explicitly names Governments and armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers in violation of their international obligations. Such public exposure can be a powerful tool to expose violators, hold them to account and, hopefully, better protect children in armed conflicts. The list names 23 armed parties to conflicts in five countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Somalia. Let me comment briefly about each of these. Significant positive progress has been made in Afghanistan since the inception of the Bonn process just over one year ago.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“As the Security Council discussed during its deliberations last fall on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is especially important that humanitarian access by State or non- State actors be allowed, consistent with humanitarian law. The United States joins others in opposing the illicit commercial exploitation of natural resources in conflict zones. We must be mindful to mitigate the adverse impact on children. In the Interlaken declaration of 5 November 2002, the United States joined 47 other Governments pledging to eliminate conflict diamonds from international trade through the implementation of a global rough diamond certification system. The United States applauds the progress by regional and subregional organizations in making children and armed conflict a priority concern in their policies and programmes.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“The United States supports the principle that child protection should be an explicit feature in peacekeeping mandates and, where appropriate, that child protection advisers be part of United Nations peace operations. The United States supports the working group on child protection, training for peace personnel, and developing training materials that can be adapted to the mandate of peace operations and employed to train military police and civilian personnel. My delegation was pleased to learn of the progress that is being made to implement various Security Council resolutions to protect children in armed conflict.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“These child soldiers - boys and girls - are the result of a cynical exploitation that exacerbates the violence and great suffering endemic in any conflict. We must do better to protect the human rights of children caught in armed conflict. We must do better to protect their future. The United States strongly supports setting 18 as the minimum age for compulsory recruitment by State actors and for recruitment or use in hostilities by non- State actors. We also support having States take all feasible measures to ensure that members of their armed forces who are under 18 years of age do not take a direct part in hostilities. We support the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict as he works to obtain commitments for the protection and well-being of children in conflict and post-conflict situations.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“The United States has been supporting, and wants to continue to support, the important efforts to end the use of child soldiers contrary to international law. We want to support efforts to end the exploitation of girls and boys in armed conflict. In his report, the Secretary-General touches upon a number of areas in which children today tragically suffer as a consequence of their exploitation in armed conflicts. As noted in the report, when war displaces families and communities, children often spend their entire childhood in camps, where they are at risk of exploitation and forcible recruitment by armed groups. In armed conflicts, girls and young women are present in many of today's fighting forces.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“These children serve as soldiers, runners, guards, sex slaves and spies. Our children are our future. Allowing their exploitation in armed conflicts does irrevocable harm to them, and it diminishes the future for all - robbing a people of the future leaders they will need to reconstruct their society when the conflict ends; scarring the next generation that a society needs to reconcile and find justice when the killing stops; distorting the next generation's perspectives and diminishing the contribution it can make to rebuild the economy and social structure; and often irreparably harming the child's opportunity for a healthy, productive and normal life. We therefore have a special responsibility to make extra efforts to protect the children caught in the destructive cauldron of armed conflict.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“My delegation wants to thank the President of the Security Council for putting this important topic on our agenda. We also thank the Secretary-General for his very useful report on children in armed conflict and for his statement this morning. We thank also the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, for his important work and for the progress he has helped achieve in this area. The use of children as combatants is one of the worst aspects of contemporary warfare. Young girls and boys are especially vulnerable to exploitation during warfare and its aftermath. They are unable to protect themselves, and they are stripped of their opportunity for better lives. Over 300,000 children are used in government or rebel forces in more than 30 armed conflicts around the world.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684 (2003) · source
“While we do not intend to diminish the achievements of the Facilitation or the contributions of the Regional Initiative, we believe that, despite the ceasefire agreement, the situation in Burundi still warrants close monitoring by the Security Council. Specifically, the Council should seek to encourage all parties to observe the provisions of the ceasefire agreement, while remaining alert to any indicators that the situation is devolving towards a mass killing scenario. In addition, we remain concerned that the FNL, led by Agathon Rwasa, continues its campaign of violence, refuses to sign a ceasefire agreement and remains outside of the Arusha process. We believe that the leaders of those armed groups that have remained outside of the process must face consequences.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“We believe that the 3 December signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) faction, led by Pierre Nkurunziza, and the Government of Burundi is a significant step towards achieving peace in that country. We would like to express our sincere and deep appreciation for the facilitation efforts led by South African Deputy President Zuma and conducted with the assistance of President Bongo of Gabon and President Mkapa of Tanzania. In addition, we would like to express our appreciation to the Regional Initiative and to its Chairman, President Museveni of Uganda, for their contributions to the peace process.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“If we can avert disaster this time, we should look much harder at how to help create conditions that will make the chance of it happening again - especially on this scale - much smaller. In summary I have three questions. What is the role of food-import policies in terms of the threat of famine? What is the role of Government food- distribution mechanisms in terms of the threat of famine? What is the impact of theft and corruption in terms of the threat of famine?”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Those actions must be investigated, and we believe that the Secretary-General and the international community should consider how best to ensure that food is not used as a weapon or a political instrument in the region. Southern Africa and the Horn of Africa face the real possibility of mass starvation. Hunger is already severe in many areas. Averting a catastrophe requires broad and urgent international support, increased resources, new tools and better use of existing ones, resolution of concerns over biotech food and real reform in crisis countries. We will do our part and will work with the World Food Programme to support it in this vital task. Famine should not be happening in the twenty-first century.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Production estimates in the agricultural industry indicate 26 per cent negative growth this year. There have also been numerous reports of the Government of Zimbabwe using food as a political tool and denying it to opposition areas. For example, in the Insiza district, WFP suspended food distribution after activists and officials of the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, intimidated its implementing partner and distributed three metric tons of food commodities to party supporters. To date, the issue has been unresolved. Personnel of the United States embassy and the United Nations looking into the hunger issue among displaced farm workers have been attacked by war veterans. The United States cannot accept any act of politicization of food aid.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“In 2001 and 2002 Zimbabwe's has been the poorest-performing economy in Africa, with negative growth rates of 8.5 per cent and 10.6 per cent, respectively. But in Zimbabwe there is no invading militia or domestic rebellion. But as a result of the current drought and, to a more significant extent, due to its own policies, the food crisis has gotten worse. The threat of calamitous famine is, in large part, a consequence of misguided Government policies. Price controls inhibit production and the trade in food staples. The continuing monopoly of the Government of Zimbabwe's grain marketing board on commercial imports of grain, combined with foreign exchange restrictions, make agricultural inputs such as tractors and fertilizers unavailable or prohibitively expensive.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“That requirement substantially raises costs, hastens storage losses and reduces the amount of food available for emergency relief. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a food exporter, supplying much of the food imports taken in by other countries in the region. The Government of Zimbabwe's violent and chaotic seizure of land from commercial farmers has decimated the most productive component of Zimbabwe's agricultural sector, reducing agricultural production by nearly 70 per cent in the last two years and crippling its ability to feed not only its own population but also neighbouring countries. Furthermore, Zimbabwe's economic policies have exacerbated agricultural conditions. Zimbabwe's economic disruption is typical of an economy in the midst of a devastating war.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Severe food shortages have resulted in abnormally high prices, making food unaffordable for many rural and urban families, particularly in Zimbabwe, Mali and Zambia. The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region has left large portions of the population increasingly vulnerable to health problems associated with the lack of food. Detrimental policies, particularly in Zimbabwe, have aggravated the effects of lower than average rainfall. Since January 2002 the United States, through the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Vision, have programmed 210,000 metric tons of food assistance for Zimbabwe. Of that total, nearly 150,000 metric tons have arrived in the region. Much of it is currently stored in the region due to delays caused by Zimbabwe's recent decision to insist that all biotech corn be milled prior to importation.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Commissioner Burn, from the European Union, also has issued a statement that recognized biotech varieties of maize to be safe for human consumption. We also believe that potential environmental problems such as cross-pollination with local varieties are not significant. A number of countries have approved biotech maize varieties - including South Africa, Argentina and several European States - following economic, environmental and health-safety reviews. The United States Government has a seven-year track record of consuming biotech commodities that speaks to their food safety and environmental benefits for producers and consumers. Biotech food is safe, wholesome and nutritious.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Given the urgency of the circumstances and the availability of safe United States food, we urge those countries with concerns to reconsider their restrictions on United States maize. The United States Government remains concerned about starvation among the people in the region and continues to stand ready to provide our food assistance. We do not believe there are food safety problems with biotech food. The United States Government does not segregate maize by seed origin, and we buy the commodities on the open market. This food is the same as the food eaten by Americans and has passed the regulatory process of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“We respect those Governments' decisions, and our goal is to work with those countries in an effort to help them better understand the facts and science of biotech foods so that their concerns do not lead to delays that risk endangering the well-being of millions of people. We are consulting with the affected States to adopt an agreement to allow the unrestricted import and distribution of local aid, including biotech produce, on an emergency basis for the duration of this crisis. At the same time the United States Government is concerned that food aid in the crisis in Southern Africa is being used as a tool to inflame the debate about biotechnology. It is important that decisions about food aid that may contain biotech products be based on sound science.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“It is safe and wholesome and can make the difference between life and death for millions of Southern Africans. Many Governments in the region already recognize this and are distributing United States Government-provided maize or maize flour to their people. The United States Government is firmly committed to materially aiding the nations of Southern Africa and has been first among international donors to recognize the scale of the problem and has dedicated resources toward meeting the needs. However, some recipient and/or transit countries continue to have concerns about accepting whole-kernel biotech maize.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Even with 100 per cent funding of the World Food Programme appeal, and even if Governments and commercial import predictions are fully realized, there will be a significant cereal deficit. Commercial markets, however, have not functioned well due to centralized marketing and foreign exchange issues. Government policies on genetically modified food aid have also hindered the food aid distribution process. The United States is deeply concerned that our efforts to provide desperately needed assistance could be delayed if not derailed by the confusion that prevails over biotechnology food issues. The whole-kernel maize being provided by the United States Government as part of our relief assistance is the same as that eaten by millions of Americans daily.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“However, drought in the United States and a corresponding rise in food grain prices will reduce the availability of United States food assistance worldwide this year. At best, we will be able to supply only about one third of what countries in the Horn of Africa will need during this crisis. Despite our efforts, much more needs to be done. We strongly encourage other donors to find the resources to respond to this urgent situation in Africa. We urge others as well to help settle unwarranted fears about available food supplies and to keep the focus on getting safe, nutritious food to the hungry. In Southern Africa, the crisis is most dire in Zimbabwe and Zambia.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“The United States Government has provided or pledged half a million metric tons of food to the Southern African region at a total value of approximately $266 million. In addition to food assistance, the United States Government has provided more than $10 million in non-food assistance to the affected countries for regional management and logistics, agriculture, supplementary and therapeutic feeding, emergency health care and cholera response and prevention. In the Horn of Africa, food aid requirements are projected to range between 1.5 and 2.5 million metric tons to meet the needs of 11 to 15 million people. Experts fear a repetition of the horrendous events of the 1980s. The United States Government has often been able to meet up to half of food aid requirements for the Horn of Africa during times of crisis.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Clearly, productive investment in agricultural and rural development to boost agricultural productivity is essential. Science and technology, including biotechnology, have great promise for allowing African agriculture to keep pace with gains in the rest of the world and to contribute to Africa's development. However, if widespread famine is to be averted in Africa, the international community must act immediately to mobilize adequate levels of assistance. The United States began to react to the crisis in Southern Africa earlier this year and to the crisis in the Horn in September. In Southern Africa we have tried to provide sufficient food assistance early on in order to prevent a famine, not respond to one.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Our congratulations go to our Colombian President on assuming his position. I would like to thank World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Jim Morris, both for his presentation and for his good efforts over these last months to avert famine and starvation in Africa. The situation in Southern Africa and the Horn of Africa is grave, with some 30 million people at risk of starvation. Drought is one cause of the crisis, but poor Government policies are as much to blame. Indeed, there is scholarship that concludes that the vast majority of all famines in recorded history have resulted from Government policies, not natural causes. Famine is not a natural occurrence and is not inevitable. Where famines take hold we must look for the failures of governance, of development and of assistance.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“We applaud the sincere efforts by the leaders on all sides of this conflict to resolve their differences through a peaceful process. We appreciate the efforts of UNPOB to contribute to the successful, peaceful completion of this process. This morning Under-Secretary-General Prendergast noted other considerations that may justify a year-long extension of UNPOB, matters that warrant our consideration and review. We note that UNPOB's mandate does not expire until December 31, and suggest that the Security Council meet at a later date, perhaps early next month, to consider this issue further. The United States preliminary View is that a six-month extension of UNPOB's mandate is adequate. In the coming days, we would hope to get answers to the questions raised, and to better understand the other considerations raised this morning.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“We note that progress towards greater autonomy and a referendum cannot be made until UNPOB has certified the completion of stage II of the arms disposal process, namely, the containerization of all collected arms. We applaud the good work that UNPOB has done in facilitating the collection and storage of over 1,500 weapons so far this year. At the same time, we would like to see a clearer and more measured indication from the Secretariat of the end-game for weapons disposal and the exit strategy for the UNPOB mission as a whole. We wonder, for example, how many weapons are there left to collect; what UNPOB's plan is, on a weekly basis, to achieve the collection and disposal of all remaining weapons; and how UNPOB will draw down its presence as the end of the mission approaches. Again, the United States supports the peace process.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“We believe goals need to be set based on accurate projections and, once they are set, everything possible should be done to try to achieve them. The Council is now being asked to endorse an additional year beyond that target end-date. We understand that the reasons that have been cited for the delay include a loss of momentum in the peace process owing to national elections in Papua New Guinea, an incident of looting of some of the arms collected and containerized as part of the arms disposal process and occasional inclement weather, which has kept UNPOB's helicopter grounded. Frankly, we do not find this to be a particularly compelling case for another 12- month extension.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“The Bougainville Peace Agreement successfully ended the fighting, preserved the peace that began four years ago, and put the island on track to autonomy and a referendum on independence. The key remaining task for UNPOB is to reduce the risk of re-incitement of violence by collecting, storing and disposing of weapons on the island. The Bougainville Peace Agreement envisioned that UNPOB would complete its work around the middle, and not later, than the end of 2002. A year ago, when the Security Council discussed a similar request for a 12-month extension of UNPOB's mandate, we were informed by UNPOB's Director, Ambassador Noel Sinclair, that the mission was expected to conclude "not later than the end of 2002".”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source