S/PV.6116 Security Council

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 1870 (2009). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

We are very pleased that the Council has unanimously adopted the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS). The Council’s vote reflects its unwavering support for the work of the United Nations in Southern Sudan. It also reflects the Council’s continued belief that the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is vital to bringing lasting peace to the people of Sudan. After years of conflict and economic deprivation, the citizens of Sudan deserve a future of peace and promise. The Sudanese people are faced with many challenges. We are concerned about the deterioration of relations between Chad and Sudan. The relationship between those two countries affects peace throughout Sudan, and for that reason we welcome the Qatar- and Libyan-sponsored bilateral talks in Doha between Chad and Sudan as a positive step forward. We remain, however, deeply concerned about the negative impact on the three areas caused by the Government of Sudan’s 4 and 5 March expulsions of 13 international aid organizations, to say nothing of the humanitarian needs in Darfur and the suffering that its people will face as a result of the expulsions. The United States believes that there is absolutely no justification for the Government of Sudan’s actions. The sudden expulsions of the non-governmental organizations put too many innocent civilians at grave risk. The Government of Sudan bears primary responsibility for its people, and therefore we urge Sudan to take immediate steps to restore effective assistance to Sudan’s most vulnerable civilians. We fully support UNMIS as it continues its work by helping to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to protect vulnerable civilians and to assist the people of Sudan to achieve a lasting peace.

France fully supports the activities of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) and more generally speaking those of the Secretary-General and of the United Nations system in that country. France is firmly committed to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which UNMIS is mandated to assist. The Agreement has helped put an end to several decades of conflict and has defined a framework for peace, unity and the future development of the Sudan. We are also firmly committed to the peaceful resolution of the Darfur crisis, which has for several years made necessary the largest humanitarian operation in the world. In that context, we back the Secretary-General’s three tracks for action to address the crisis situation created by the decision of the Government of the Sudan to expel numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as clearly described in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2009/211). In particular, we continue to call upon the Government of the Sudan to reverse the closures and expulsions of NGOs which until recently provided a key portion of the humanitarian assistance to the population, especially in the Three Areas, and to restore an environment conducive to the work of humanitarian actors. We note, as the Secretary-General notes in his report, that “the expulsions and closures have the potential to create a serious humanitarian crisis” (S/2009/211, para. 88). France is committed to ensuring that the Security Council and the United Nations system follow the situation very closely, without underestimating its gravity, in order to ensure that all parties shoulder their responsibility under international humanitarian law and under the commitments they have undertaken, and to make it possible for humanitarian assistance to reach people who today desperately need it.

My delegation welcomes the resolution that we have just adopted, reaffirming the Council’s commitment to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to peace and stability in the Sudan. But that commitment also obliges us to raise another issue that could have negative repercussions for initiatives to promote peace and stability. I am referring specifically to the decision of the Government of the Sudan to expel and suspend humanitarian and development assistance organizations. That decision has left the Three Areas and eastern Sudan with very little support for humanitarian recovery and reintegration activities. The provision of humanitarian aid for development in those areas is essential if the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is to be successfully implemented. That was the understanding of the Council when it considered this issue in its consultations on 6, 20 and 26 March, following briefings by the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the Director of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. John Holmes. That is why, in my delegation’s view, it was only natural that the resolution renewing the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan should have included in its preambular and operative paragraphs the Council’s rejection of the measures taken by the Government of the Sudan against humanitarian and development assistance organizations, given the negative implications that that decision could have for humanitarian assistance and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We wanted that reference to be retained in the resolution’s tenth preambular paragraph and in its operative paragraph 13, as it was in all negotiated drafts until the final one. Nevertheless, we voted today for a text that no longer contains those references. That is why we understand that, when it refers in its ninth preambular paragraph to “the events of March 4 and 5 2009”, the resolution adopted today is referring to the decision to expel humanitarian and development assistance organizations. I conclude by reiterating that the issue of humanitarian assistance should not be linked to others of a political or judicial nature. The Government of the Sudan continues to be duty-bound to comply with the decisions adopted by the Council and with the commitments it has undertaken under various international agreements and instruments. Furthermore, it is obliged to protect its population and to comply with the norms of international law, in particular international humanitarian law. Sir John Sawers (United Kingdom): The Government of the United Kingdom welcomes the unanimous adoption today of resolution 1870 (2009), renewing the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS). The Security Council’s unity in support of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the North-South peace process is an important signal to the Government of the Sudan and to the wider international community. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended one of Africa’s longest and bloodiest civil wars, and it remains the bedrock for peace and security in the Sudan. As resolution 1870 (2009) makes clear, the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has reached a critical stage, and significant tests lie ahead: on elections; on the process of disarming and rehabilitating former combatants; on developing effective security in the border areas; on the national census, with regard to which the resolution expresses concern about the delay in announcing the results; and on the referendum on unity, due in January 2011. In the light of the Sudan’s recent expulsion of 13 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Kingdom particularly welcomes the language in the resolution stressing the importance of providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian populations throughout the Sudan. The expulsions affect not only the people of Darfur, but also the delivery of humanitarian aid across the whole of the country, including the Three Areas on the borders between North and South. Resolution 1870 (2009) urges the Sudan to support the three-track approach delineated by the Secretary-General to ensure continuity of humanitarian assistance. The first of those tracks is for the Sudan to reverse its decision to expel the NGOs. The United Kingdom repeats today its condemnation of that decision and, in line with resolution 1870 (2009), urges the Sudan to immediately reverse it. We hope that the Sudan will respond to the Council’s call. Finally, the United Kingdom also welcomes the request, contained in the resolution, that the Secretary- General develop benchmarks for measuring and tracking progress in the implementation of UNMIS’s mandate and assess progress against these in his regular reports. That request, relating to the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, follows similar requests from the Council on other peacekeeping missions, such as the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad and the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is an important step in the Council’s efforts to further improve the effectiveness and direction of United Nations peacekeeping across the continent of Africa.

Japan welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 1870 (2009). We strongly hope for the continuous, effective implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and urge redoubled support for the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS), which is playing a crucial role in assisting in the implementation of the Agreement. On this occasion, we express our deep concern at the expulsion of major non-governmental organizations by the Sudan, which has seriously affected humanitarian and reconstruction efforts throughout the Sudan, including the transitional Three Areas. We are also concerned at the consequences that the expulsion will have for the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Japan supports the Secretary-General’s call for the Sudanese Government to reconsider its decision. The cooperation, jointly sponsored and promoted by the United Nations and the Government of the Sudan, in addressing the humanitarian gap, including the joint technical assessment mission, is a very positive step. However, it is not clear whether the resulting gap can be adequately filled in that manner. We urge the Government of the Sudan to provide a secure environment for smooth humanitarian activities. As the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement enters a very critical phase, it is essential to accelerate the political process. We urge both parties to make further efforts to that end, and we call on the international community to continue to support such efforts.

There are no further speakers on my list. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.