united-nations-officials

"My dear compatriots, life in Juba and Southern Sudan is beginning to take shape. Juba is no longer the town you once knew. It was once a lifeless place, filled with trauma and loss, where people were killed and it felt like a graveyard. But now, Juba is slowly transforming and taking shape."

"My condolences to all those who lost their lives in Kajo Keji, including both the cattle herders and the residents of the area."

""If you go to Juba now, the economic indicators are showing progress. The IMF has supported us, and we've managed to stabilize the exchange rate," she said, adding that through IMF loans, her government has been able to control South Sudan's rising inflation and provide back pay to civil servants."

"This message is for our President Salva Kiir: We must support our veterans while they are still alive, so they can care for their families."

"We hope the spirit of Bior Ajang will restore the peace we have lost. A pastor prayed for Bior Ajang's spirit to be with the angels, and I add that we also seek the presence of Dr. John Garang's spirit to help redeem our country."

"I'm not here to deny what's been happening in the country, nor to defend what's going on."

"I ask you to pray for the political will so that we, as leaders, can accept one another. If we do, we won't work as separate parties but as one government, serving one people."

"The Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan have been established, along with two separate assemblies: the Assembly of the North and the Assembly of Southern Sudan."

"My heart is heavy, and I truly believe that if it weren't for this country, Dr. John would not have died. He gave his life for you. But seeing how his people are suffering and dying now, it feels as though his sacrifice was in vain. It's time to change our hearts."

"We'll graduate them with sticks and send them straight to the community; they won't be going to the barracks. What truly controls a soldier is their weapon."

"As a government, we must ensure the implementation of this agreement—there is nothing more important, as I said before. The world is tired of us, and even our own people are losing patience. But they must remain patient and give us another opportunity to fulfill this agreement. There is no shortcut to freedom. If they want freedom and security in their own country, we must continue on this challenging journey."

"The oil revenue sharing is not proceeding as anticipated. However, "The CPA is my new husband.""

"Let us support our veterans and their children while they are still alive. Many veterans are left without any means of support; they are like walking corpses. We need to find ways to help them."

"Ba Mikaeli possessed a natural ability to see beyond the surface, discerning personalities and distinguishing truths from falsehoods that others might overlook."

"I commend media in Zambia for their efforts in raising awareness and combating early marriages."

"When HIV prevalence was at 25 percent, it was treated as a national crisis. Similarly, urgent action is needed to address the 42 percent of girls who are either married or become pregnant before reaching the age of 18."

"Increased awareness across the country has led traditional leaders to take an active role in combating this issue."

"Child marriages should be tackled with the same determination and effort that helped the country reduce HIV prevalence from 25 percent to the current 16 percent."

"I am writing to formally present myself as a candidate for the presidency of the PF."

"There are still women and girls who are denied their right to education even though the government provides free basic education, but some parents deprive their daughters of that right."

"My diligent efforts were rewarded when I was decorated with the ‘Order of Good Hope’."

"We have definitely seen marked improvements in the status of women. These improvements are driven by the diligent efforts exerted by women- led movements."

"Offering females quality education and putting in place techniques for active life-long learning, while giving them the space to express themselves and air their grievances, as well as access to support removing any obstacles in their way for development, are badly needed."

"Egyptian women already have gained the right to travel without their husband’s prior consent, and the right to pass down their nationality to children born to foreign fathers."

"Women’s rights have been secured constitutionally, with many constitutional terms, translated into legal clauses while others remain in the pipes. There are several measurable examples that echo the ongoing progress of women in Egypt by law."

"You can do it just have self- confidence and work hard. Women are multitaskers. They are soldiers and if they believe in what they are doing they will succeed…so believe in God, build friends and alliances, do not make enemies"

"I am grateful that in Vienna I could rely on an experienced security team in addressing the many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic over these past months. Their dedication has helped to keep our staff safe, and was recognized and appreciated by our host country. I count on UNDSS to further strengthen our UN security community here in Austria."

"To empower women, we should ensure that all young girls receive their education. The benefits of this education will trickle down not only to their families but nationwide as well."

"Currently, just over a quarter of our security staff in Vienna are women, and we are working to improve the gender balance. There is an immense opportunity for women in security to become strong role models, especially at senior levels, accelerating progress towards a more gender diverse work force, attracting new female recruits, and putting in motion a virtuous circle – for the benefit of all."

"I have pledged to improve the representation of women at the staff levels where parity is not achieved, as a significant step towards meeting the goal of gender parity at all levels by the end of 2021. My aim is that we build and cultivate an enabling working environment which provides the same chances and opportunities to male and female staff."

"some people doubt women’s capabilities simply because they are women, so you have to double your efforts to get what you are entitled for."

"Women will be fully empowered and gender equality will prevail when we explain to everyone in the society that they stand to benefit."

"There are several measurable examples that echo the ongoing progress of women in Egypt by law: more than 12 years ago Egyptian women already have gained the right to travel without their husband’s prior consent, and the right to pass down their nationality to children born to foreign fathers."

"The States Parties to those conventions have recently emphasized that they remain relevant and flexible in scope, permitting their use against new and emerging forms of illicit activities. As the guardian of the UNTOC and UNCAC, UNODC has a vital role to play in assisting States as they translate their commitments into actions."

"We still need to change the cultural practices that constitute violence against women and the best way to achieve this is by putting more women on the decision- making level, be it at the governmental or the parliamentary."

"Timbuktoo is the heartland of Civilization of Commence and Knowledge."

"We are borrowing the Timbuktoo to describe this initiative because we are looking at Africa from the past to the future."

"War in the family, but actually longing for peace, has been a message that was handed over for generations, so maybe it sits in my genes."

"A political dinner is what I am paid for. A wine dinner is gratis—it is for enjoying life."

"I wake up around 5.30am and I have no idea which part of the world is falling apart and why it’s falling apart and the primary focus of my work is complex humanitarian crises in places like Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine-Russia and also prolonged crisis like that in the DRC and Yemen."

"Dear High Commissioner,This will be my last official communication to you as Director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. … Once again, we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the Organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it. …The current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonial ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs, and coupled with explicit statements of intent by leaders in the Israeli government and military, leaves no room for doubt or debate. In Gaza, civilian homes, schools, churches, mosques, and medical institutions are wantonly attacked as thousands of civilians are massacred. In the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, homes are seized and reassigned based entirely on race, and violent settler programs are accompanied by Israeli military units. Across the land, Apartheid rules.This is a text-book case of genocide. The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine. What's more, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, are wholly complicit in the horrific assault. Not only are these governments refusing to meet their treaty obligations "to ensure respect" for the Geneva Conventions, but they are in fact actively arming the assault, providing economic and intelligence support, and giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel's atrocities."

"It is a stunning historic irony that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in the same year that the Nakba was perpetrated against the Palestinian people. As we commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the UDHR, we would do well to abandon the old cliché that the UDHR was born out of the atrocities that proceeded it, and to admit that it was born alongside one of the most atrocious genocides of the 20th Century, that of the destruction of Palestine. In some sense, the framers were promising human rights to everyone, except the Palestinian people."

"What we’re seeing in Gaza now is much worse because the United States and the United Kingdom and some other Western powers have actually been complicit in the genocide. That’s a separate crime under the Genocide Convention, the crime of complicity. And that’s because the United States, as you know, during this genocide, has been actively providing economic, military intelligence, diplomatic support. It’s been using its veto at the Security Council to stop a ceasefire. And after each veto, we’ve seen thousands and thousands of more Palestinians lose their lives in the genocide."

"Nowhere in the world is a woman safe from violence. The strengthening of global commitment to counteract this plague is a movement whose time has come"

"I think that it is important that women grab the opportunities that are there. Young women must stay at school much longer. They must delay having children until they can afford to have and look after them. They must be assertive and not be afraid to talk and to engage, because this world belongs to them just as much as it belongs to men."

"The women’s movement has led the struggle, very bold, very courageous. But the change that is required­– respect for human rights of women– is not just the responsibility of women alone. So we need to mobilize and to involve men."

"This is where you can see that it is really necessary to open up and allow young people to play the role they want to play in providing leadership and solutions in society."

"It's important that at a school level, in a comprehensive way, that all young people are prepared for the world of work that they will graduate into. If we do not provide those skills, we risk leaving these young people behind, they will graduate and they will be inadequate for the future that awaits them."

"We also know that companies that involve women at a high level and engage them fully are much more competitive and profitable. As a matter of fact, amongst Fortune 500 companies, it has been argued that such companies are 34 per cent more competitive than their counterparts when it comes to returning profits to shareholders."

"We don't have a groundswell in a critical mass of countries that have allowed young people to take their rightful place. So something has to change in Africa, so that we do not have so many young people who are so desperate."