United Nations S/PV.5331

Security CouncilSixtieth year

5331st meetingMonday, 19 December 2005, 10 a.m.New York

Provisional

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation ofspeeches delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Recordsof the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. Theyshould be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of thedelegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A.

05-65034 (E)

*0565034*

President: Sir Emyr Jones Parry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (United Kingdom of Great Britainand Northern Ireland)

Members: Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. KattiArgentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. MayoralBenin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. IdohouBrazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. SardenbergChina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Zhang YishanDenmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ms. LøjFrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. De La SablièreGreece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. VassilakisJapan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. OshimaPhilippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. ChuasotoRomania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. DumitruRussian Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. DenisovUnited Republic of Tanzania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. ManongiUnited States of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Wolf

Agenda

The situation in Africa

Briefing by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs andEmergency Relief Coordinator

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The meeting was called to order at 10.20 a.m.

Adoption of the agenda

The agenda was adopted.

The situation in Africa

Briefing by the Under-Secretary-General forHumanitarian Affairs and Emergency ReliefCoordinator

The President: In accordance with theunderstanding reached in the Council’s priorconsultations, and in the absence of objection, I shalltake it that the Security Council agrees to extend aninvitation under rule 39 of its provisional rules ofprocedure to Mr. Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and EmergencyRelief Coordinator.

I invite Mr. Egeland to take a seat at the Counciltable.

The Security Council will now begin itsconsideration of the item on its agenda. The Council ismeeting in accordance with the understanding reachedin its prior consultations.

At this meeting the Security Council will hear abriefing my Mr. Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-Generalfor Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency ReliefCoordinator.

There have not yet been any requests fromrepresentatives of interested countries to be invited totake part in this discussion. Moreover, as there is nolist of speakers for this meeting, I would invite Councilmembers who wish to take the floor to so indicate tothe Secretariat as from now.

I now give the floor to Mr. Egeland.

Mr. Egeland: This is a very importantopportunity for us to brief the Council on several majorchallenges that the humanitarian community faces inAfrica at the moment, all of which have regionalimplications. I will start with what continues to be thelargest humanitarian operation in the world — thecrisis in Darfur — as well as with its impact onneighbouring Chad.

The humanitarian operation launched in late 2003has been remarkably effective this year, againstoverwhelming odds. Some 13,000 international and

national relief workers have been providing relief tomore than 3 million people in Darfur and Chad. Thesuccess of their work can be measured in the thousandsof lives saved, as mortality rates among displacedpersons have dropped by two thirds over the past year.

I want to pay tribute to the heroic work of thosemen and women. But we must realize that their workand their lives are under increasing threat and that ouroperations can now be disrupted completely byrenewed conflict any day, and anywhere, in Darfur. Wemust be acutely aware that all that has been built up bythe thousands of relief workers and by hundreds ofmillions of dollars in donor contributions could bedestroyed. We could be on the brink of losing this hugehumanitarian operation. In addition, no amount ofhumanitarian relief can provide what those threatenedby the conflict have wanted most from day one:effective protection against violence of the mostvicious kind, and the ability to return to their homes.Only an effective ceasefire, a political solution and astrong international security presence can accomplishthose objectives.

We have to face up to the terrible reality that ourcolleagues on the ground are witnessing and reportingevery day. The killings have not stopped. The rapes arecontinuing, as are the burning, looting and forceddisplacement that I first reported to the Council morethan 20 months ago. For three consecutive monthsnow, the situation has been deteriorating. We have hadless humanitarian access during this period than at anyother time since that first briefing, in early April 2004.More than 20,000 more people were displaced in thelast few weeks alone. In a deeply worrying newdevelopment, camps for internally displaced persons(IDP) are themselves increasingly being attacked bymilitias.

The regional spillover effects of this crisis onChad and the impact of Chadian groups crossing intowest Darfur are also cause for great concern. Tensionsbetween the 200,000 Sudanese refugees and Chadianhost communities remain high. Attacks on innocentcivilians by armed groups crossing from the Sudancontinue to be reported, including the massacre inModaina on 25 September, which the Councilcondemned. Only yesterday, it was reported that 100people were killed in an attack on the town of Adré, ineastern Chad. Equally worrying are the recent politicaland military developments in Chad, including themounting tension with the Sudan over Darfur. A further

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deterioration of the situation would pose a threat toongoing relief operations to Sudanese refugees andcould trigger a serious humanitarian crisis.

The Council has taken many important steps toaddress the crisis in Darfur. But unless those measureshave a real impact on the ground, the wound willcontinue to bleed. Our massive humanitarian operationwill not be sustainable unless we finally seecommensurate efforts in the political and securityareas. The next few weeks will be critical, both for thetalks in Abuja and as the Security Council and theAfrican Union deliberate on the next steps. We need anexpanded and more effective security presence on theground as soon as possible: a presence that can providemore effective protection and, ultimately, allow peopleto return to their homes. That expanded presence isneeded whether or not the Abuja talks succeed. Itcannot be right that we have twice as manyhumanitarian workers in Darfur as internationalsecurity personnel. I therefore appeal very strongly tothe Council to show the sense of urgency anddetermination needed to achieve the objectivesidentified in its resolutions and to help bring this crisisto an end.

The second issue I want to address is the regionalcrisis caused by the activities of the Lord’s ResistanceArmy (LRA) in Uganda, the Sudan and, most recently,the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In mid-September, a group of LRA fighters crossed from theSudan into the north-eastern part of the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo. They remain in that borderregion, from where they threaten much of the WesternEquatoria area of southern Sudan. LRA attacks oncivilians and humanitarian workers have escalated,severely undermining our ability to provide relief tomillions of people and disrupting the long-awaitedreturn of refugees to southern Sudan. While the overallnumber of LRA combatants may not have increased,they have spread out over a larger area and nowconstitute a significant threat to regional security, withappalling consequences for several million people.

The specific impact of LRA activities onhumanitarian operations has been as follows.

In northern Uganda, gains are being lost assecurity erodes. Access to the nearly 1.7 million IDPsencamped in the northern districts has decreased in thepast three months. Recent violence has hamperedassistance efforts, and we have seen a shocking new

tactic: the deliberate targeting of humanitarianpersonnel. In October and November alone, fivehumanitarian workers were killed by LRA ambushes inthe Sudan and Uganda.

The United Nations can access only 18 of the 200camps for internally displaced persons in northernUganda without military escorts. Although the WorldFood Programme (WFP) is able to distribute foodunder heavily armed military escorts, many otherorganizations find fees for escorts prohibitivelyexpensive or do not use them on principle. The non-governmental organization Action Against Hunger hasreported that 57 per cent of internally displacedpersons in one area — 480,000 people — were notaccessible in November. Without access, the effects arepredictable: increased mortality, rising exposure tohuman rights violations, and deepening vulnerability.

Life in the camps continues to be unacceptable. Arecent joint study conducted by the Ministry of Health,the World Health Organization and non-governmentalorganizations indicated that crude and under-fivemortality rates were more than double the emergencythresholds. Access by internally displaced persons tofarming areas outside camps is extremely limited dueto movement restrictions imposed by the UgandaPeople’s Defence Forces. Less than half the internallydisplaced persons in Acholi districts can access landthat is more than two kilometres outside of theircamps, severely hampering their ability to producetheir own food. At present, there is no prospect of alarge scale return before the critical March plantingseason. Therefore, WFP will have to provide food aidto 1.5 million internally displaced persons through2006.

Given the conditions in the camps, it is notsurprising that many LRA combatants remain in thebush. We have not done enough to create the “pullfactor” that could draw more of the LRA todisarmament and reintegration programmes. Thosewho have come in have found few chances to live asafe and productive life. We must dramatically expandour programmes for reintegration in order to give hopeto those who still see fighting as a better option.

The LRA is also wreaking havoc in theEquatorias in the southern Sudan. Dozens of civilianshave been killed since the LRA crossed the Nile inmid-September and over 100 people, including

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children, have been abducted, many of whom have notreturned.

The impact on our humanitarian operations hasbeen dramatic. After three staff members of non-governmental organizations were killed, large parts ofthe Equatorias became inaccessible. In CentralEquatoria, international non-governmental organizationstaff withdrew and critical health programmes in ruralareas have been curtailed. In Western Equatoria, aUNICEF-led measles campaign has been disrupted andonly covered 10 per cent of the targeted population.Some 180 primary health care facilities in Central andEastern Equatoria are currently inaccessible toUNICEF and non-governmental organization partners.

The LRA attacks have also severely hampered thepreparation for the return of refugees from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, the Central AfricanRepublic and Uganda. Many recovery projects tosupport the returnees have had to be suspended fornow, including hospitals and water points. As long asthere is a significant LRA presence in the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo/Sudan border area, it is difficultto imagine when refugees will be able to start returningto Central or Western Equatoria, areas that previouslywere among the safest in the southern Sudan. That hasclear consequences for efforts to rebuild and stabilizethat important region.

Much more needs to be done to address thethreats and conditions I have just described. TheGovernments of Uganda, the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo and the Sudan bear the primaryresponsibility to protect and assist their populations, aswell as to pursue the LRA. Unfortunately, their actionsso far have not prevented the LRA from causing thedevastation I have just described. The LRA continuesto maintain bases and moves relatively freelythroughout the region. A relatively small number offighters is threatening a huge area and millions ofpeople.

I would like to suggest a number of steps theGovernments in the region and this Council could take.

It is of the utmost importance that the threeGovernments concerned fully acknowledge howdangerous the situation has become for civilians andhumanitarian workers and that they do whatever theycan to protect their citizens, secure access for reliefworkers and promote regional solutions.

As I noted in my recent briefing to the Council onthe protection of civilians, efforts to find a peacefulsolution to the conflict in northern Uganda must bestrengthened through an internationally supportedprocess. The United Nations must actively contributeto that effort.

While I welcome steps taken by the Governmentof Uganda to operationalize the national policy oninternally displaced persons, more should be done bythe Government and its army and police to assumeresponsibility for the protection of the civilianpopulation. More must also be invested in theprovision of basic services in the affected areas.

The Security Council should pay close attentionto the regional dimension of the crisis and the threatsto humanitarian work, and could consider severalpotential steps. The Council should strongly condemnthe LRA’s attacks against civilians and humanitarianworkers. The Council should insist on an immediatecessation of violence and of all support to the LRAfrom all sources. To help the Council consider furthersteps and improve its understanding of the LRA, itcould consider appointing a panel of experts. Such apanel could explore the sources of funding and supportfor the LRA and work with the three affectedGovernments and other parties to determine how theCouncil could most effectively contribute to reducingthe threat emanating from the LRA. The Council couldrequest regular updates on the effects of the LRA’sactivities on the region.

I also hope that, in their reports to the Council,the United Nations Mission in the Sudan and theUnited Nations Organization Mission in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo can indicate whatelse they can do, within their mandates, to providesecurity to relief workers and help create the necessaryconditions for the return of refugees and IDPs.

Finally, I have just returned from Zimbabwe andSouth Africa. As I reported to the Council in April, thehumanitarian situation in the subregion is already veryserious due to severe food insecurity, widespreadHIV/AIDS and inadequate basic services. More than 10million people in the region are in need of foodassistance. The situation could deteriorate in 2006,particularly in Zimbabwe and Malawi, unless actionsare taken to meet immediate needs and to reverse thedecline in key sectors.

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In Zimbabwe, the humanitarian situation hasworsened significantly in 2005. More than 3 millionpeople — almost one third of the population — willreceive food through WFP in January and even morewill receive assistance come April. Annual maizeproduction, the basic staple, is one third of what it wasseveral years ago. Basic services continue todeteriorate, particularly in the health, water andsanitation sectors. Inflation currently stands at over500 per cent. In that context, and as I told theGovernment in my meetings in Harare, the massiveurban eviction campaign of hundreds of thousands ofpeople was the worst possible action at the worstpossible time.

We are now entering the peak of the “leanseason”. Food prices are rising fast, placing some basiccommodities out of reach for a growing portion of thepopulation. I welcome the memorandum ofunderstanding finalized by the Government and theWorld Food Programme, which will ensure that theseemergency needs are met. I also hope it will lead tobetter collaboration between the Government and thehumanitarian agencies in other sectors.

Yet we much recognize that this huge need forfood assistance is symbolic of the vicious cycle that weare caught in. It was raining when I left Zimbabwe, butall expected that next year’s harvest would be poorbecause of the lack of a skilled agricultural labourforce, in part caused by the devastating toll of theHIV/AIDS pandemic; counterproductive agriculturalpolicies and practices; and a lack of inputs such asfertilizer, seeds and tools. It is not sustainable toprovide food assistance for millions of people yearafter year without making the necessary investment toget out of the situation. We can have a new approachthat again will provide food security for allZimbabweans. That will require major efforts from all,nationally as well as internationally. There is nosubstitute for engagement and dialogue at all levels inorder to address the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.

From my discussions with the Government ofZimbabwe, I am convinced that the United Nations andthe humanitarian community at large must try toengage more actively with the Government to addressthe enormous humanitarian crisis. We reachedagreement on some issues during my mission: a moreactive and systematic dialogue on food security; amore hands-on approach to resolving bureaucraticproblems for humanitarian organizations through one-

stop shops at both the Government and the UnitedNations; and the initiation of a shelter programme forhouseholds affected by the eviction campaign.

However, sustained progress will require thefollowing. The Government must stop further evictionsand be more flexible in allowing shelter and otherprogrammes for those affected. It must ensure thatbeneficiaries are assisted solely on the basis of need.The United Nations and our humanitarian partners, aswell as the donors, should be guided in their ownresponse by the needs of the population. We shouldprovide the appropriate level of assistance where andwhen we identify the needs. Beyond food aid, we needto invest in food security, livelihoods and basicservices. The Governments in the region and in Africaat large should engage more proactively withZimbabwe to find constructive solutions, also giventheir interdependence and the risk of increasedmigratory movements. All parties must understand theimportance of neutral and impartial humanitarianassistance.

More is currently at stake in terms of lives savedor lives lost in Africa than on any other continent. Atthe same time, there is great hope and opportunity,given the forward-looking initiatives of the AfricanUnion and the subregional organizations. Also, theGroup of Eight countries and other donors havepledged more resources for Africa than at any othertime. In this coming year, we must and can see change.

As humanitarian workers, we cannot accept thatso many lives are lost every year on this continent topreventable diseases, neglect and senseless brutality.We cannot accept that low levels of funding impedeour operations in so many places. We must demonstrateour humanity by responding equally to the needs ofthose affected, whether they are families returninghome to the southern Sudan, young men and womenlooking for a future beyond the IDP camps of northernUganda, or AIDS patients trying to sustain theirfamilies through a drought in Zimbabwe. I call upon allMember States to live up to their commitments to fund,support and facilitate a much more ambitiousdevelopment and humanitarian agenda.

And finally, we must recognize that too many ofthese humanitarian crises result from a total absence ofpeace and security. Humanitarian aid cannot be an alibifor an unwillingness to address the root causes ofconflict. The greatest contribution we can make to

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addressing humanitarian crises in Africa is determined,energetic and sustained efforts to bring an end to theconflict and injustice that cause so much suffering inAfrica.

The President: I thank Mr. Egeland for hisbriefing.

Mr. Idohou (Benin) (spoke in French): I wouldlike at the outset to pay tribute to the humanitarian aidworkers for their inestimable efforts to halt thehumanitarian crisis in Darfur and elsewhere in Africa.In Darfur we must ensure the success of the Abujanegotiations. We must also find ways to stabilize thesituation. The Security Council should re-evaluate thesituation and, in close cooperation with the AfricanUnion, find ways to increase security and to ensureeffective protection for civilian populations.

The situation in the Great Lakes region is a silentcatastrophe that is taking place outside the view of theworld. Very often, our gaze is clouded by the militaryand political aspects of the conflicts in the region.Perhaps the world has even become accustomed toreports of losses of human life and the unimaginablescale of the disasters that have been afflicting ourplanet since December 2004.

As astronomic as those figures are, they seem nolonger to move us. Otherwise, how can we understandthe passivity of the international community whenfaced with such a critical situation as that in northernUganda, where about 2 million people are internallydisplaced and where more than 1,000 people die eachweek — a total far beyond the emergency threshold. Itis said those figures are twice the mortality rate inDarfur.

The organizational policies of the camps, wherefreedom of movement has been curbed, thus promotingovercrowding, have lead to the spread of diseases suchas malaria and HIV/AIDS, not to mention theenormous stress that has also resulted. If theemergency level has been passed, we must immediatelysound the alarm to mobilize the internationalcommunity to save human lives.

We would like to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Jan Egeland, forhis efforts to draw the attention of the internationalcommunity to the everyday or forgotten hardships,which constitute violations of human dignity. We mustdeplore the fact that in a number of countries of the

Great Lakes region, returning refugees are becomingdisplaced persons in their countries of origin, due tothe lack of adequate reintegration policies and, aboveall, because there is no possibility for those people torecover their property in order to rebuild their lives.Those are all issues that deserve the activecommitment of the international community.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, theinternal displacement of populations continues,especially in Katanga, where an offensive attack by theGovernment army is under way to dislodge the Mai-Mai from certain areas. That is taking place in acountry where the United Nations is present and ismaintaining one of the largest missions ever deployed.That presence should guarantee respect forinternational humanitarian law and for the effectiveprotection of humanitarian workers and of populationaffected by the military operations.

The critical situation of refugees and internallydisplaced persons requires that we develop acomprehensive approach to their problems and thathumanitarian assistance encompass not only theprovision of survival resources but also the restorationof basic social services. For that reason, we welcomethe new approach adopted in preparing for theconsolidated humanitarian appeal that has just beenlaunched for Burundi, which envisions involvinghumanitarian assistance in conjunction with longer-term goals.

In addition, we should give special attention tothe increased risks for humanitarian workers in theregion, who are more and more often mistaken, atworst, for combatants or, in the best of cases, for BlueHelmets. We must find ways to ensure more effectiveprotection for humanitarian aid workers.

Furthermore, the negative impact of the cross-border flow of displaced persons and refugees on thesocial situation in the countries receiving themconstitutes a very harmful factor for destabilization,which can lead to insecurity and the proliferation ofarmed bands, because mass cross-border movementsare difficult to control and foment the circulation ofarms and cross-border crime. We need a coordinated,consistent response to those concerns.

Special attention should be given to the problemof the reintegration of child soldiers. We shouldincrease resources for the social reintegration of childsoldiers, because, as is the case in numerous countries

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of the Great Lakes region, the lack of assistanceprogrammes results in child soldiers becominginvolved in organized crime. We must break thatvicious circle and establish a virtuous circle thatensures a more promising future for the affectedcountries.

Finally, we welcome the General Assembly’sestablishment of the Central Emergency ResponseFund to respond to disasters and humanitarianemergencies.

Ms. Løj (Denmark): I would like to begin bythanking Under-Secretary-General Jan Egeland for hiscomprehensive briefing. I commend the Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Mr. Egelandfor the active role that they have played.

Given their gravity and magnitude, thehumanitarian crises of Africa merit more of ourattention and our political and financial resources.Some of the humanitarian crises highlighted by Mr.Egeland have been with us for much too long, whileothers have only recently become a major concern.Violent conflicts, food shortages and governance crisesare among the most widespread causes. If we have thecollective will, all those causes can be influenced andcorrected through concerted action by all partiesinvolved.

Let me take this opportunity to comment on thesituations of Zimbabwe and northern Uganda. But letme underline that the humanitarian situation in Darfuralso requires the close attention of the internationalcommunity, and I thank Mr. Egeland for his update onthe situation in Darfur.

With respect to Zimbabwe, I am afraid thatPresident Mugabe’s statements concerning Mr.Egeland’s person and the United Nations family ingeneral speak their own tragic language. We once againurge the Government of Zimbabwe to allow theinternational community to alleviate the suffering ofthe Zimbabwean people. We request a minimum ofrespect for Mr. Egeland’s commendable efforts to assistthe people of Zimbabwe.

The situation in Zimbabwe is getting worse everyday. There is a real risk that, unless the internationalcommunity starts making operational plansimmediately, thousands of people in Zimbabwe will dieof hunger within the next couple of months. Zimbabweis not the only country facing that dire prospect. The

food situation is indeed precarious in neighbouringcountries as well. But the food shortage in Zimbabwe,which is amplified by ill-conceived economic policies,could have disastrous consequences if nothing is done.The food shortage is particularly disturbing since onlya few years ago Zimbabwe was a net exporter of foodsupplies. The disastrous situation will only intensifythe current stream of people fleeing from Zimbabwe,adding new burdens to the neighbouring countries.

In that regard, we urge the Governments and theinternational institutions of the region to address thisissue urgently and to make an extra effort to develop acommon approach to Zimbabwe. Such an approachshould be guided by the overarching goal of alleviatingthe plight of the people of Zimbabwe and restoring therule of law.

Similarly, the United Nations should play a keyrole in trying to re-establish a mutually respectfuldialogue with the Government of Zimbabwe. To theextent that the present climate of mistrust spurred bythe outrageous recriminations of the Government ofZimbabwe can be replaced by a respectful dialogue, wewould like to suggest the consideration of a visit toZimbabwe by the Secretary-General as soon aspossible. I would appreciate it if Mr. Egeland couldcomment on that, including his views on how apossible visit by the Secretary-General could helplubricate relations with the Government of Zimbabwe.

Let me now turn briefly to the situation innorthern Uganda. As the Council has just heard fromMr. Egeland, this is one of the most tragic conflicts inAfrica. Approximately 1.5 million people are suffering,and there is an urgent need to strengthen our efforts toidentify ways and means to end the conflict.

It seems to be an annual pattern on the part of theLord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to express willingnessto negotiate for peace as the festive season approachesand as the rainy season complicates operations on theground. This time, the LRA must combine itsexpressed wish for peace with concrete proof bydeclaring a ceasefire and by putting a definite end tothe despicable, cruel acts continually being carried outin northern Uganda and southern Sudan. There is noreason for the LRA fighters not to disarm. A well-designed disarmament, demobilization andreintegration programme is in place and provides animportant incentive, at least for lower- and middle-ranked LRA members.

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The Government of Uganda, for its part, isencouraged to vigorously pursue a peaceful approachto the conclusion of the conflict. We would welcomeany attempt on the part of the Ugandan Government toenter into dialogue with the LRA, while taking thenecessary steps to ensure the protection of thevulnerable civilians living in northern Uganda. Peopleare killed not only by bullets. The majority of deathsoccur in the camps of the internally displaced personsas a result of the extremely poor living conditions. Thatis intolerable and simply has to stop.

Finally, let me take this opportunity also to assurethe Council of the Danish Government’s continuedwillingness to provide funds in response to thenumerous humanitarian crises in Africa. With respectto northern Uganda, the Danish humanitariancontribution amounted to $2.6 million in 2005. Andwith respect to Southern Africa, our humanitarianassistance is expected to exceed $12 million before theend of the year.

Mr. Oshima (Japan): I wish to express mygratitude for the convening of this timely meeting onthe humanitarian situation in Africa. I also thankUnder-Secretary-General Jan Egeland for hiscomprehensive briefing, which follows his briefing tothe Council two weeks ago on the protection ofcivilians in armed conflict (see S/PV.5319). Mydelegation welcomes the practice of regular briefingsby the Office for the Coordination of HumanitarianAffairs on behalf of the United Nations humanitariancommunity in order to bring the Security Council up todate on those issues of grave concern to theinternational community.

With respect to the situation in Zimbabwe, weappreciate the sustained efforts of the Secretary-General to engage with the Government in order toimprove the overall situation in that country. The just-concluded visit by the Emergency Relief Coordinator,focused on the humanitarian situation, was alsowelcome.

As was made clear by Mr. Egeland, dialogueefforts with the Government to develop a soundcooperative relationship between the authorities andthe United Nations and other humanitarian actors havebeen difficult, and that is to be regretted. However, weencourage those efforts to continue, despite theapparent lack of progress at the present time.

We are concerned at the deepening humanitariancrisis in Zimbabwe. The crisis is not limited to theproblem of housing those affected by the Government’sOperation Restore Order but includes the ever-worsening situation in food and non-food areas, whereprivations and shortages are reaching criticalproportions. The reported fact that the average lifeexpectancy of the people has been reduced by almosthalf, from 60 to 36 years, is a clear indication of howbad the situation in the country has become.

We expect the Government in Harare to payserious heed to the voice of the internationalcommunity and to cooperate effectively and in a spiritof sincerity with the United Nations and otherhumanitarian actors to help those affected by theeviction campaign and those in need of life-savingassistance. The international community, for its part,should respond to that dire humanitarian situation bystepping up its assistance and engaging with theGovernment with a view to promoting dialogue.

For our part, Japan has provided humanitarianassistance in the form of blankets and food aid. Westrongly hope that the Government of Zimbabwe willdemonstrate a greater willingness to work with theinternational community in a joint effort to provideprotection and assistance to its own men, women andchildren in need. We would like also to see a moreactive engagement on the part of African Governmentsin the region with the Zimbabwean Government toimprove the situation.

We remain seriously concerned at the situation inDarfur, where humanitarian conditions appear to beworsening, not improving. The only way to alleviatethat situation is to ensure tangible progress in theongoing negotiations in Abuja among the parties, andwe hope to see those negotiations lead to concreteresults without delay.

In the meantime, we deeply appreciate theactivities undertaken by the African Union to maintainsecurity in the region, which is a prerequisite forhumanitarian assistance. We are also concerned at thefact that Sudanese refugees have fled to neighbouringChad, causing many problems there.

The humanitarian situation in northern Ugandaand in southern Sudan, involving close to 2 millioninternally displaced persons and where the Lord’sResistance Army is wreaking havoc on populations, isequally worrying. We commend the humanitarian

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personnel who are engaged in humanitarian aid workand protection activities there in spite of the adversesecurity conditions. We are concerned at the presentstalemate in the dialogue between the Government ofUganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army, and we callon both parties to work to bring about positive resultsurgently.

Here again, neighbouring countries also haveimportant responsibilities and critical roles to play inimproving the situation. We expect them to exercise asmuch influence as possible to that end.

In that regard, Mr. Egeland suggested severalpotential practical steps that the Council could take tohelp address the regional dimension of the crisis,including the idea of appointing a panel of experts. Ibelieve that those suggestions deserve our support andcareful consideration.

Lastly, there is a clear need to do as much aspossible to bring lifesaving humanitarian relief topeople in dire need of assistance — internallydisplaced persons, refugees and others who areaffected. The Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and humanitarianagencies therefore deserve our fullest support — moral,political and financial — and should be provided withwhat they need.

At the same time, it is clear that the root causesand compounding factors of these more serioushumanitarian crises, whether they occur in Africa orelsewhere, do not lend themselves to an easy solution.Conflict, underdevelopment and poverty, the scourgeof HIV/AIDS, poor governance and neglect, policyfailures, criminality and natural disasters are some ofthe causes and complicating factors which are routinelyobserved. Humanitarian aid agencies and aid workersare doing excellent work in many areas, but theseproblems are beyond the power of humanitarians toresolve. As Mr. Egeland said, humanitarian aid cannotbe an alibi for unwillingness to address the root causesof conflict.

Only through the concerted efforts of the entireinternational community can the root causes of theseproblems be addressed, and the Security Council hasan obvious and critical role to play in that effort. At thesame time, the international donor community — bothtraditional and emerging donors — have a sharedresponsibility to assist and scale up their contributionsas much as possible.

For its part, Japan will continue to workbilaterally with the countries affected andmultilaterally, through the United Nations and otheravenues, to play its role in the context of this sharedresponsibility. In Africa, our efforts will consist mainlyof promoting good governance and economicdevelopment on the basis of the twin notions ofencouraging Africa’s ownership and of promoting itspartnership with the international community,consistent with the spirit of the New Partnership forAfrica’s Development (NEPAD).

The now-established Tokyo InternationalConference on African Development (TICAD)continues to be an important avenue for ourcooperation with Africa. Yet another potential vehiclefor effective cooperation in that regard is thepromotion of the idea of human security, the keyconcept of which was endorsed in the Septembersummit outcome document. Our support for Africa andour cooperation with African States will bestrengthened, and this includes working through theUnited Nations whenever possible and necessary.

Mr. Sardenberg (Brazil): Mr. President, allowme at the outset to thank you for having convened thismeeting. I wish also to thank Under-Secretary-GeneralJan Egeland for his comprehensive briefing today,which is indeed the third one this year on thehumanitarian situation in Africa.

As observed during earlier meetings, millions ofpeople in Africa continue to bear the brunt of famine,extreme poverty and pandemics, and they survive eachday in squalor. Children are hungry and suffer fromillnesses that often would cost very little to treat.Millions living with HIV/AIDS do not have access tolifesaving medicines.

I should like to touch on a few issues relating tothe humanitarian crisis in Africa. In some situations,people in Africa also suffer from all kinds of violenceduring insurgencies and armed conflicts. It is troublingthat conflict kills more people in Africa than anywhereelse and that the African continent hosts the largestdisplaced population in the world. We should notoverlook the devastating costs for countries in conflictor the impact on their neighbours.

Much remains to be done by the States affectedand by the international community as a whole. TheUnited Nations, including the Security Council, hasrightly given priority to Africa, which is underscored

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by the fact that African issues now constitute morethan 60 per cent of the Council’s agenda. However,most of the humanitarian crises in Africa result, to alarge extent, from a combination of interrelated factors.We must continue to devise true multidimensionalapproaches to address such crises.

It is necessary to recognize that decisivequestions in the humanitarian and developmentassistance sphere, such as financing, do not fall underthe purview of the Council. In that respect, it isencouraging that the General Assembly decided lastweek to upgrade the current Central EmergencyRevolving Fund to the Central Emergency ResponseFund, so as to ensure swifter and more predictableresponses to humanitarian emergencies. Let us notforget, for instance, that, after access restrictions werelifted in Darfur, it took four months for funds to becommitted to the relief appeal.

It is also encouraging that the Fund will continueto operate in accordance with General Assemblyresolution 46/182. We hope that this new mechanismwill help ensure that humanitarian assistance isprovided on the basis of existing need and allocated ina non-discriminatory, balanced and proportionatemanner.

We must continue to work with the GeneralAssembly and the Economic and Social Council, sincethose bodies address humanitarian issues in acomprehensive manner. At the same time, we hope thatthe establishment of the Peacebuilding Commissionwill provide for better coordination among UnitedNations bodies and other actors, so that deep-rootedsocial and economic causes of conflict can be tackledin order to prevent the emergence, spread or recurrenceof conflict. We need to continue to focus on effectiveapproaches to break the destructive and vicious circlesin which conflict, banditism, lack of development anddire social conditions perpetuate one another.

We thank Mr. Egeland for his detailed account ofthe humanitarian situation in the region, whichdeserves our careful examination.

Mr. Vassilakis (Greece): Like others, we wish tothank the Under-Secretary-General for HumanitarianAffairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. JanEgeland, for today’s enlightening and detailed briefing.We welcome this discussion and we thank you, Mr.President, for convening this meeting on thehumanitarian situation in Africa.

Humanitarian crises in Africa, as elsewhere, aremultifaceted. They are often the result of different butmutually reinforcing factors, such as conflicts, naturaldisasters, pandemics, poverty and bad governance.Like many processes that lead to death and destructionon a large scale, humanitarian disasters oftenundermine States as the basic unit of the internationalsystem and have a wide range of regionalrepercussions.

Until recently, conflict and, usually, civil strifewere the most important factors causing humanitariandisasters in Africa. Fortunately, however, remarkableprogress has been made in this domain in the pastdecade. Conflicts have ended in Angola, Liberia, SierraLeone and Burundi, to name a few. In addition, in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, after decades ofwar the country is now in a transitional phase and isrigorously preparing for national elections, while inSudan the 20-year civil war ended this year with thesigning of the comprehensive peace agreement.

Nevertheless, our efforts are not as successful aswe would have liked them to be, and there are still anumber of ongoing conflicts that have createdprotracted humanitarian crises.

The situation in Darfur continues to be a sourceof great concern and presents additional challenges onthe humanitarian level. According to the Secretary-General’s November report on Darfur, 3.4 millionpeople are affected by the crisis, while the number ofinternally displaced persons is 1.75 million. In thisrespect, we welcome the recent launching of the 2006work plan for Sudan, which has called for $1.7 billionin resources to face the enormous humanitarianrecovery challenges in the country.

In northern Uganda, the horrific war waged forthe last 18 years by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)has targeted civilians, especially children. During thecourse of the conflict, over 25,000 children have beenabducted, while 1.7 million people have beendisplaced.

The examples of both Sudan and northernUganda highlight the regional implications of conflictsand the humanitarian spillover that they often create.For example, since the conflict in Darfur began in early2003, more than 200,000 Sudanese have fled over theborder to Chad, while the LRA has been operating inthree countries — Uganda, Sudan and the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo. These examples underscore the

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need for regional cooperation in order to targethumanitarian crises and address the root causes of theconflicts. They also demonstrate that individual Statescannot be indifferent to the problems facing theirneighbours. Regional partners have come to understandthe importance of regional and transbordercooperation, as the International Conference on theGreat Lakes Region clearly demonstrates. The growingimportance of the regional dimension of humanitariancrises has also affected the Security Council in itsconduct of work. The promotion of inter-missioncooperation is a clear example.

According to many Africa analysts, crises ofgovernance, often coupled with natural disasters orpandemics, are the main root of humanitarian disasterson the continent. Counterproductive economic policiesand a lack of political will to address the problemscreated by these policies are common phenomena.

Zimbabwe, for example, is facing a criticaleconomic situation involving food shortages and aballooning budget deficit, together with inflation,unemployment and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.Approximately 20 per cent of the population is infectedwith AIDS, while there are 1.5 million AIDS orphans.It is obvious that Zimbabwe is in urgent need ofinternational humanitarian assistance in order to face areal emergency affecting a large section of thepopulation.

We welcome the fact that the United Nations ismaking significant efforts to address the situation. Wewelcome Mr. Egeland’s recent visit to Zimbabwe, aswell as the agreement signed by United Nationsagencies and the Government of Zimbabwe for foodassistance and HIV/AIDS programmes. We also notethe exchange between the Government of Zimbabweand the United Nations over the need for assistancewith shelter.

Today’s discussion once again demonstrates theneed for the United Nations to have a comprehensiveapproach towards resolving humanitarian crises.Greece will contribute its share, commensurate with itspossibilities, and we will consider positively the stepsproposed by Mr. Egeland. The three pillars ofdevelopment, security and human rights are especiallyrelevant in addressing humanitarian problems. In thisapproach, the role of the Security Council as guarantorof international peace and security is of vitalimportance.

Mr. Manongi (United Republic of Tanzania): Wetoo join in thanking Mr. Egeland for his insightfulbriefing this morning. We also wish to commend theOffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs forthe great work it is doing in Africa.

Millions of Africans live in countries where thereis ongoing armed conflict or the imminent risk of sucha conflict breaking out. This is a legitimate concern forall of us. On the other hand, many encouraging peaceprocesses are currently in progress with respect to allmajor conflicts in Africa, despite continued instability.Increased commitment to peace and security on thepart of African organizations is an example of this, asis the cooperation between the United Nations and ourorganizations in Africa.

Mr. Egeland has just informed us that no amountof humanitarian relief can provide what those who arethreatened by conflict have wanted most from DayOne, namely, effective protection against violence ofthe most vicious kind, and the ability to return to theirhomes. We agree. Indeed, strengthening Africans’capacity in conflict prevention in crisis situations andin crisis management must remain our main objective.Reactive military interventions and humanitarianmeasures are necessary to prevent further loss of life inemergencies, but even at their best, such efforts canonly control a situation, not resolve it. Investment intools that focus on development, capacity-building formediation and peacebuilding is needed to ensure thatexisting conflicts are resolved, as well as future onesprevented. Without such investment, the demand forreactive measures can only increase.

Mr. Egeland illustrated how expensive suchinvestment can be. It is noteworthy that Africa receivedaround $7 billion in humanitarian aid between 1995and 2001. The cost of United Nations peacekeeping isestimated at $2.8 billion for the period from July 2004to June 2005.

Africa has demonstrated its willingness to dealwith conflicts in the region. The Under-Secretary-General has also observed that we have not doneenough in relation to Uganda. We have not doneenough to create the “pull factor” that could draw theLord’s Resistance Army to disarmament andreintegration programmes.

Among the African Union’s principles is respectfor the sanctity of human life. It is in this regard thatwe reiterate the New Partnership for Africa’s

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Development view on how best to assist Africa to buildits capacity to manage conflicts. This focuses on fourkey areas: the prevention and resolution of conflicts;peacekeeping and peace enforcement; post-conflictreconciliation; and combating the illicit proliferation ofsmall arms, light weapons and landmines.

There are many complex and interconnectedcauses of humanitarian crisis in Africa. While weaccept that policy choices can play a role, naturalphenomena such as drought and the HIV/AIDSpandemic are factors as well. All these factorscompound one another. It is on this totality of factorsthat we must focus.

Mr. Wolf (United States of America): First, Iwant to thank Under-Secretary-General Egeland for histhorough and troubling report, and in particular for hishelpful suggestions for action.

We are pleased that the United Nations hasremained engaged on the grave humanitarian problemsfacing Africa in general, and Zimbabwe, Uganda andDarfur in particular. The United States believes that afood crisis is a threat not only to the welfare of thepeoples of Africa but also to regional stability andsecurity, which is one reason we have tripled ourcommitment of aid to Africa in the past year.

The misery and terror sown by the actions of theLord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda areperhaps not as well known to the world as thesituations in Darfur and Zimbabwe, but its murderousassaults, kidnappings, burnings of villages and fieldsand, especially, its kidnapping of children for use assoldiers or sexual and economic slaves marks the LRAas one of the most detestable groups of its kind, onethat we should all be looking for ways to counter inorder to bring its atrocities and interference to an end.

The Sudan remains a top priority for the UnitedStates. Among our international partners, the UnitedStates plays a lead role in supporting theComprehensive Peace Agreement and the Abuja talks,providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Darfurand southern Sudan, and spearheading efforts to endthe violence in Darfur and to hold accountable thoseresponsible for atrocities. President Bush was the firsthead of State to speak out publicly on the humanitariancrisis in Darfur. We were the first to highlight Darfur atthe Security Council, the first to state that genocidehad occurred in Darfur and the first to call foraccountability for perpetrators of violence and

atrocities, as well as being a lead donor onhumanitarian assistance, with more than $506 millionin food aid to Darfur and eastern Chad since the Darfurcrisis began. We appreciate Under-Secretary-GeneralEgeland’s reminder of what remains to be done by usall.

Economic collapse and food insecurity are nowchronic conditions in Zimbabwe, as we heard. Millionsof Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa andelsewhere. Given the shortage of fertilizer and inputsduring the current planting season, next year’s harvestwill be worse than this year’s, with grave implicationsfor food security. Food insecurity and economicmeltdown are the result of bad policies, non-transparency and the breakdown of the rule of law.

The United Nations should remain engaged withthe Government of Zimbabwe on fundamentaleconomic and policy reform. The United Nationsshould continue to press the Government of Zimbabweon the urgent need for dialogue with donors andinternational financial institutions. United Nationsengagement can influence the behaviour of thatGovernment, as we saw when the Government ofZimbabwe signed a memorandum of understandingwith the World Food Programme on the eve of Under-Secretary-General Egeland’s visit, and when SpecialEnvoy Tibaijuka’s intervention helped to endOperation Restore Order.

The United Nations should also urge theGovernment of Zimbabwe to reach out to allZimbabweans, political parties and civil society groupsto engage in a dialogue aimed at reaching a sustainablepolitical settlement. Repressive legislation should berepealed. Zimbabwe needs a broad-basedrepresentative Government to face the country’s hugeeconomic and humanitarian challenges.

We believe that a visit by Under-Secretary-General Gambari to Zimbabwe early in 2006 wouldkeep up the momentum of Under-Secretary-GeneralEgeland’s visit and should include the Sudan, Ugandaand other countries in the region. Under-Secretary-General Gambari should encourage African nations tostep up their engagement with all Zimbabwean partiesto promote timely solutions to Zimbabwe’s economiccrisis. For example, South Africa’s $470 million loan,if conditioned on political and economic reforms inZimbabwe, could be an element of a possible Africansolution.

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The important thing is to restore democracy,economic growth and food security in Zimbabwe. Ifthe conditions are right for genuine progress,Secretary-General Annan should visit Zimbabwehimself following Under-Secretary-General Gambari’svisit.

We also believe there is an important — indeed,leading — role for African countries to play inresolving the crisis in Zimbabwe, and we encouragethem to work with the United Nations and theinternational community to engage the Government ofZimbabwe in a constructive dialogue.

Mr. Mayoral (Argentina) (spoke in Spanish): Iwould like once again to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and EmergencyRelief Coordinator, Mr. Jan Egeland, for the completebriefing, his third, on the humanitarian situation inAfrica, which clearly shows the critical situation facingmany populations in that continent.

Given the seriousness of the situation, we need toask ourselves the source of this recurring humanitariancrisis and why it takes place repeatedly. While it is truethe reasons are deeply rooted in history relating to thecontinent as a whole, today they are also related topolitical elements that have been made worse byclimatic disasters, famine, long-standing diseases suchas malaria and cholera and newer pandemics such asHIV/AIDS that still have no immediate solution.

Unfortunately, Mr. Egeland’s report reaffirmedthe existence of continuing humanitarian crises in,among other areas, the Great Lakes region, Zimbabwe,Malawi, Niger and, as we have heard on a number ofoccasions, Darfur.

In this regard, we wish once again to stress theneed for the Council to bear particularly in mind thehuman dimension of conflict. We cannot remainindifferent to the suffering of innocent civilians or toviolations of human rights or internationalhumanitarian law. We, therefore, affirm that no securityconsideration can override the obligation of all Statesto comply with those norms.

Similarly, we believe it vital to emphasize thatparties to a conflict also have a direct responsibility toensure respect for international humanitarian law,whatever the circumstances may be.

In the light of Mr. Egeland’s comments, wewould like to raise the following points. First of all, we

are particularly concerned about the relationshipbetween recent incidents affecting the safety ofhumanitarian staff and the difficulties encountered bythose humanitarian workers in gaining access to needypopulations.

In that context, we should not underestimate theseriousness of the attacks against humanitarian workersin recent months in northern Uganda and Darfur, aswell as their practical impact on access to affectedpeoples. In addition to the criminality of thoseattacks — which fall under the purview of theInternational Criminal Court — we should recall thatMr. Moreno-Ocampo, the Court’s Prosecutor, referredto the issue last Monday during his briefing to theCouncil. We must underscore the fact that, inresolution 1296 (2000), the Council expressed itsreadiness to adopt appropriate measures in cases whereassistance to civilians is obstructed, includingevaluating situations in which impeding free accessmay constitute a threat to international peace andsecurity.

Secondly, we are closely following with greatattention and concern the situation of various groups ofrefugees and internally displaced persons. We realizethe sensibilities that raising the issue of displacedpersons may arouse, but we cannot forget thatpopulations of displaced civilians are among the mostvulnerable groups in conflict situations. It should berecalled that the Council has a subsidiary role toprotect those people.

With regard to the specific situations mentionedby Mr. Egeland, we would also like to know his viewsregarding a possible agreement in the context of theAbuja process, including how he believes that couldaffect the critical humanitarian situation in Darfur andits possible impact on northern Africa.

In conclusion, we would like to say thatestablishing a new body within the United Nations mayhelp to resolve, or at least alleviate, humanitariansituations, in particular on the African continent.

We would also like once again to express ourgratitude to Mr. Egeland for his efforts to improve thesituation for civilian populations. We reiterateArgentina’s support for his ongoing work to provideprotection for civilians in armed conflicts.

Mr. Zhang Yishan (China) (spoke in Chinese): Iwould first like to thank Under-Secretary-General

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Egeland for his briefing on the humanitarian situationin several African regions. In listening to his briefingson many occasions, we have noted a common threadrunning through his presentations: his great sympathyand concern for suffering people and his willingness tofully carry out the role of the Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs in order toalleviate that suffering.

As the Under-Secretary-General has told us, thehumanitarian situation in certain parts of Africa is veryserious. People are experiencing great suffering on adaily basis — including hunger, poverty, death andpandemics. China is very sympathetic to their plightand is concerned about the difficulties facing affectedcountries and peoples. We call on the internationalcommunity to make a common effort to provideintensified humanitarian assistance to help thosecountries through these difficult times.

We should also realize that there are numerousreasons for humanitarian crises. Armed conflicts,natural disasters, epidemics and other factors all play arole. In providing material assistance, the internationalcommunity should pay greater attention to the actualsituations in the countries concerned, take thenecessary steps to address the problems and emphasizethe elimination of the root causes of humanitariancrises.

The alleviation of the humanitarian crisesthroughout Africa should rely mainly on the efforts ofthe countries concerned, while respecting theiropinions and leadership and allowing their respectiveinitiatives to be fully carried out. The internationalcommunity should support and cooperate with theefforts of the Governments of the countries concerned.At the same time, we should also fully involve regionaland subregional organizations, such as the AfricanUnion. We must also avoid politicizing humanitarianissues. Not only is that not conducive to resolvingproblems, it can also further complicate them. It istherefore not desirable.

Mr. Chuasoto (Philippines): My delegation joinsothers in thanking Under-Secretary-General JanEgeland for his comprehensive briefing today.

Africa is facing huge political and humanitarianchallenges. Continuing conflict in Africa has causedimmense suffering. Civilians are often the main targetsin conflict situations and have been deniedfundamental peace and security. The outgrowths of

humanitarian crises usually have potentially disastrousconsequences for peace and security. However, effortsto respond to such emergencies have often not beengiven proper attention, nor have adequate resourcesbeen provided to aid vulnerable populations in need.

Ensuring peace and security is the primaryresponsibility of the Security Council. Although theCouncil is the most responsive body of the UnitedNations system, addressing humanitarian crises is anendeavour that is best handled through the coordinationand cooperation of all United Nations bodies andagencies. However, through the attention given to thosecrises, the Council’s leadership can spur action, ensuresustained engagement and garner the support ofregional actors and donors. In particular, Councilaction can provide the onus for achieving effectiveprotection against violence on the ground and foraddressing the root causes of conflict. In addition, theCouncil’s support for initiatives aimed at strengtheninglocal and national capabilities in humanitarian crisesgreatly increases the chance for success.

With the impending establishment of thePeacebuilding Commission, we believe that theopportunity has arisen for the Council to find ways tocontribute to strengthening the linkages betweenhumanitarian action and integration, rehabilitation andpeacebuilding. That will enable the Council tostrengthen its approach to humanitarian crises withinthe larger framework of peacebuilding efforts.

The humanitarian crises in Africa are of seriousconcern to my delegation, as are the obstacles that arisein meeting humanitarian needs. It is clear that seriouschallenges still lie ahead, especially in securingpredictable funding in order to respond to humanitarianemergencies in a timely, efficient and effective manner.International responses to crisis situations in Africaneed to be more forward-looking in their approach andshould be based on coordinated and integratedpartnerships between African Governments, regionalorganizations, development partners and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

We would like to take this opportunity torecognize the untiring efforts of NGOs and the mediain raising the international community’s awarenessabout these crises. Their advocacy continues to be animportant contribution to addressing the humanitariancrises in Africa.

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Lastly, my delegation reiterates its appreciation toMr. Egeland and his team. We assure him of ourcontinuing support for his humanitarian efforts inAfrica.

Mr. Dumitru (Romania): We are grateful foryour initiative, Mr. President, to convene this timelybriefing. I would like to join other members of theCouncil in thanking Under-Secretary-General JanEgeland for his comprehensive presentation.

The humanitarian challenges facing the Africancontinent have once again called for the Council’sattention and careful consideration. The practice ofproviding periodic briefings to the Council onhumanitarian developments in Africa is indeed verywelcome and useful. We commend in particular thework done by Mr. Egeland. The periodic missions hehas undertaken to Africa are proof of his dedicationand of the special emphasis placed by the UnitedNations on the need to address, as effectively andurgently as possible, the humanitarian needs of thatcontinent.

Against that backdrop, I should like to focus hereon three issues. First, with regard to the Sudan, wewere particularly anxious to hear the briefing on thesituation in Darfur, as the recent period has been rich indevelopments. Among them, the most encouraging isthe seventh round of inter-Sudanese peace talks on thesituation in Darfur that started in Abuja in Novemberunder the proficient mediation of the African Union.While we seem to have progressed politically, we wantto see that translated on the ground into an improvedhumanitarian situation in Darfur. It is unfortunate,however, that violence and atrocities are dailyoccurrences and that they are directed at civilians,including women and children, humanitarian workersand international peacekeepers. At the same time,given the prevailing climate of insecurity in Darfur, ithas become considerably more difficult to provideassistance to those who need it most.

We commend the crucial role played by theUnited Nations Mission in the Sudan and the valiantefforts of its personnel to provide comfort in thathuman tragedy. We also appreciate the constantpresence of the African Union mission in Darfur. It isencouraging indeed to see regional ownership at work.

Secondly, with regard to northern Uganda, weagree that the conflict there has important regionaldimensions with the potential to further destabilize the

already fragile security in the region and to disrupt theongoing humanitarian efforts. It remains our belief thatthe resolution of that conflict is possible onlypolitically, not militarily. Furthermore, the prospectsfor humanitarian improvement depend closely on theprogress made on the political front, with theGovernment living up to its responsibilities to protectthe population in the North and the Lord’s ResistanceArmy ceasing immediately all acts of violence andpursuing political talks.

Like others, we share a specific concern for thesituation of the nearly 2 million displaced people innorthern Uganda. In that regard, I would like to ask Mr.Egeland about United Nations plans to meet the needsof the internally displaced persons, given that themajority of them relies extensively on internationalassistance to survive.

Thirdly, regarding Zimbabwe, we highly valuethe information just provided by Mr. Egeland,following his timely visit there in December. Romaniashares the deep concern about the situation inZimbabwe. The humanitarian response seems criticalto that country, with the situation steadily worsening,the food shortage becoming chronic and the number ofpeople in need of assistance increasing. In that regard,we urge the Government to work with the internationalcommunity and the humanitarian agencies to addressthe needs of the vulnerable population. We accordinglywelcome the progress reported by Mr. Egelandconcerning the agreements reached with theGovernment on many issues, which will facilitate theUnited Nations response to the humanitarian crisis inZimbabwe.

Finally, given that this is Romania’s lastintervention on this issue as an elected member of theSecurity Council, we would like to emphasize that, beit with respect to Zimbabwe or to northern Uganda,Romania believes that there is no excuse for theSecurity Council and the international community tosimply hide behind the label of so-called forgotten orsilent crises and to do nothing but neglect seriousongoing developments that, although perhaps silentand unknown, claim untold numbers of lives and causeunspeakable levels of human suffering. That is true, ofcourse, not only for the African continent, but for otherparts of the world, too.

Mr. Smirnov (Russian Federation) (spoke inRussian): At the outset, I thank Under-Secretary-

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General Egeland for his detailed briefing on thehumanitarian situation in several regions of Africa.

The real situation and the depth of crises inAfrica require us to look into the issue of increasinghumanitarian assistance. We pay tribute to the selflesswork of the United Nations humanitarian staff in verydifficult circumstances, in particular in Darfur andelsewhere. However, of no less strategic importance isthe overall systemic approach that should allow us,inter alia, to avoid the inequitable distribution ofhumanitarian assistance on the continent and to put anend to the phenomenon of so-called forgottenemergency situations.

We believe that the situation should change in thenear future with the reorganization of the CentralEmergency Revolving Fund as the Central EmergencyResponse Fund. The basic modalities of thatmechanism, as we all know, were established in aresolution recently adopted by consensus by theGeneral Assembly. In particular, it provides for theFund’s resources to be allocated to natural disasterwarning and to meet the obvious humanitarian needs ofcountries in which the necessary time frame isinadequate to mobilize resources for a consolidatedconventional inter-agency appeal.

The United Nations and the Security Council areactively involved in Africa’s problems. TheOrganization, with its unique experience in settlingconflicts and in post-conflict recovery, can mobilizethe international community and various regional andsubregional machineries to achieve a comprehensivesolution to the problems of African countries. Thepositive experience of increasingly fruitful cooperationamong the major United Nations organs, within theirmandates, is an important enhancing factor in thatregard. The forthcoming decision to establish apeacebuilding commission will assuredly mark yetanother important step in that direction.

Russia welcomes the strengthening of the role ofAfrican States in world policy and their efforts to settlethe remaining regional conflicts on the continent, topromote economic and social development and toreaffirm human rights and democracy. We understandthe magnitude of the problems facing Africa, and inthat connection we attach special significance to thestrengthening of the peacekeeping integration activitiesof the African Union and African subregionalorganizations. We note the fruitful results of the

African Union’s intermediary efforts in settlingconflicts on the continent.

The world community’s attention to Africanproblems must not abate. In the United Nations andother international structures, Russia will in futurepursue a policy in keeping with the interests of theStates of the continent and continue to participate inagreed measures for comprehensive assistance toAfrica, including through the Group of Eight and othermultilateral forums. We will continue to activelysupport efforts to settle crises and to enhance Africa’speacekeeping potential.

Mr. De La Sablière (France) (spoke in French): Iwould like at the outset to thank Mr. Egeland and totell him how thankful we are for his commitment to thehumanitarian cause and to the African continent. Hisregular reports on the humanitarian situation in Africaare important. The Security Council correctly devotesconsiderable time and effort to considering thesituation in Africa, in order to help African countries,in coordination with the efforts of the African Unionand subregional organizations.

I believe it is important for us to be thoroughlyfamiliar with the humanitarian situation in variousregions. We need to know the causes of crises, as wellas their consequences, because often neighbouringcountries and subregional stability are affected. Toomany humanitarian crises are due to non-economiccauses, as Mr. Egeland has noted. Providing food aidcannot be an alibi for a failure to recognize the causesof crises in which millions of people suffer so terribly.I fully support his comments on that point.

I wish to focus briefly on the main situationsreferred to by Mr. Egeland in his briefing. First,concerning Darfur, Mr. Egeland’s description remindsus how disturbing that matter is. Undoubtedly, in 2006the international community will need to continue toprovide humanitarian assistance, including to Chad.The international community must make certain thataccess to camps is guaranteed and that no obstacleshamper the work of non-governmental organizations.However, improvement in the humanitarian situation,which is linked to the security situation, depends notonly on bringing the necessary pressure to bear, but,also on an improved political situation.

Currently, pressure must be maintained on theparties in Abuja. I believe that the Council should

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review that issue regularly, and within the frameworkof a comprehensive strategy.

One side note here is that I believe we tend toooften, when considering the situation in Darfur and inthe Sudan, to look at those problems separately. In fact,in his briefing, Mr. Egeland spoke of those two matterstogether, because they are related. Certainly thoseissues are complex, and for technical reasons theargument can sometimes be made that we shouldconsider separately the humanitarian situation, thesecurity situation, including the question of the UnitedNations possibly replacing the remarkable efforts madeby the African Union, the political situation and,finally, the implementation of the ComprehensivePeace Agreement. However it seems to me that fromtime to time we need to consider these matterstogether, in order to strengthen our commitment. Ithink we need a comprehensive view in order to assistthe Sudan more effectively.

The activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army(LRA) in northern Uganda and in the region hascreated an increasingly intolerable situation. It is clearthat the Council should look into that matter. There area number of issues beyond the humanitarian issue,including access to populations, which is of interest tothe Security Council. There is also a regionaldimension that has gained greater prominence.

In his briefing today, Mr. Egeland offered someproposals for the Council’s consideration. Hissuggestions were interesting, and I assure him that wewill be looking at them closely. It is time for a solutionto the problem to be found. The solution can only bemilitary, as the Council has often recalled.

I have a question that I often ask and that I nowask of Mr. Egeland once again. I do not understandhow a limited number of combatants, howeverferocious they may be, could have caused such tragicconsequences: 1.5 million displaced persons and acontribution to regional destabilization. Anyinformation that Mr. Egeland could give us on thenumber of these combatants would help us understandthe problem, which I must admit I do not comprehend.

I turn now to Zimbabwe. Following theinexplicable and unpardonable operation to demolishshanty towns, which was condemned by theinternational community, the Council had to look at thesituation. We take note of signs that the Zimbabweanauthorities appear willing to work with the United

Nations. We believe that following Mr. Egeland’s visitit would be useful for the Secretary-General to visitZimbabwe as well, as I understand has already beensuggested.

Limiting the measures taken by the EuropeanUnion in the framework of article 96 of the CotonouAgreement depend, we believe, on such dialogue andon concrete efforts by the Zimbabwean authorities —within the framework of the dialogue — towardsfinding a solution to the problems that they themselvescreated.

In conclusion, I echo a comment made byMr. Egeland and express our concern at the weakresponse to some United Nations emergency appealsregarding certain situations; here I refer in particular tothe Sahel. We need to find a solution to this problem,so that aid levels will match the gravity of thesituation, rather than the media attention in donorcountries.

Mr. Katti (Algeria) (spoke in French): I toowould also like to express appreciation to Mr. Egelandfor the detailed briefing he has just given us on someof the most serious humanitarian crises in Africa. Weagree with him that a regional approach needs to beadopted in order to deal with the humanitarian crises towhich he has just referred, given their cross-borderimplications. The Lord’s Resistance Army and therefugee situation are examples of this.

I wish to make a few brief comments onsituations to which he referred in his briefing. I willbegin with Southern Africa, by welcoming the dialoguewith the Zimbabwean authorities that began duringMr. Egeland’s visit to that country and the agreementsarrived at during that visit. But I want to stress onepoint to which he referred in his briefing: thatregardless of the circumstances, humanitarianassistance must remain neutral and impartial andshould not be used as a political tool.

We believe that it is important to take acoordinated approach towards the Lord’s ResistanceArmy. Mr. Egeland has made some suggestions that wefind interesting and which deserve furtherconsideration by the Security Council, in consultationwith the Governments concerned.

With respect to Darfur, we welcome a certainstabilization of the situation, including the militarysituation. The number of displaced persons has slightly

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decreased. The malnutrition rate and the childmortality rate have been reduced. That progress waspossible thanks to the mobilization of the internationalcommunity. But the situation clearly remains fragile,because of the highly volatile security situation and thelack of a political solution to the crisis. Restoring orderand security in Darfur will not be easy. However, it isclear that the conclusion of a political agreement willallow for a certain easing of tensions in the situation. Itis important to place pressure on the parties so that theAbuja talks can lead to a lasting peace settlement.

The President: I shall make a statement in mycapacity as the representative of the United Kingdom.

I join everyone who has thanked, Mr. Egeland forwhat I thought was a very powerful briefing and for hiscall for action to all of us.

First, with respect to western Sudan, the lack ofprogress, the deterioration of the situation and theproblem of humanitarian access all demonstrate howprecarious the situation is. We really need to do more.The results of the assessment mission of the AfricanUnion Mission in the Sudan — which is, I think, justnow coming back from the region — are quite crucial.We need for the Council to be in a position to be ableto consider the implications of that mission: what doesit mean for the present African Union Mission, howdoes that Mission move forward next year to cover aneven bigger task, and how does that fit in with what theUnited Nations is doing in the Sudan? All of thoseaspects are crucial. At the same time, it is necessary toexert maximum pressure on the parties to try to delivera peace agreement in Abuja as soon as possible.

Secondly, with respect to the Great Lakes regionand the humanitarian consequences of the activities ofthe Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudanand northern Uganda, we all share the concern at thesome 2 million displaced persons and at the impact thatthe relatively small number of fighters have onmillions of people in those three countries. The LRAactivity is causing an instability that is wider than evenbefore. So, we must encourage the parties to try toreach a peaceful solution. We, as the United Nations —including the United Nations Organization Mission inthe Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) andthe United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) —must do whatever we can to help the Governments ofthe region actually tackle that problem. I think the

Council’s role should be supportive of theGovernments.

Thirdly, with respect to Zimbabwe, the UnitedKingdom shares the concerns that Mr. Egeland set out.There is a humanitarian situation which, owing to anatural disaster and man-made causes, is extremelyserious and getting worse. I do not think that we haveseen the improvements that we had hoped for,following the July visit of Special Envoy of theSecretary-General Anna Tibaijuka.

The fact is, the United Nations and its agenciesand non-governmental organizations are doing a verygood job in the most difficult of circumstances.Mr. Egeland said very clearly that the action taken bythe Government of Zimbabwe in terms of the evictionprogramme was the worst possible action at the worstpossible time. We can only welcome the agreementsthat he was able to secure with the Government ofZimbabwe during his visit. What has been done byMr. England on food security and what has been doneby the World Food Programme in obtaining betteraccess for non-governmental organizations are allessential elements. I think we would all look to see theGovernment of Zimbabwe now fulfil its obligations interms of the agreements that it has entered into. I thinkthat means that we should be encouraging anaccountable and democratic Government, the rule oflaw and respect for human rights.

For my part, I would welcome greaterinvolvement by the United Nations in the dialogue onthe political relationship with the Government ofZimbabwe. But I think we need to see substantialprogress before we could think of the Secretary-General himself getting involved in that issue.

As for the part of the United Kingdom, let me beclear too, we will provide significant assistance to theneedy Zimbabweans, both bilaterally and through theEuropean Union.

In conclusion, I would like to make a fewpractical suggestions. First, Mr. Egeland’s briefingdemonstrates how humanitarian crises haveimplications for regional stability and security and howcross-border movements only underline the impact onfurther insecurity. So, the Security Council and theinternational community have a responsibility tomonitor such situations and to provide better assistanceto countries actually facing such crises. It seems to meto be quite obvious. The aim, quite clearly, is to try to

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tackle conflict and potential conflict, provideprotection for civilians and ensure the availability ofhumanitarian assistance and the access of thatassistance to those who need it.

I thought Mr. Egeland’s last paragraph reallysummed it up: security and stability actually go hand inhand with humanitarian crises. Where the former donot exist, crisis is more likely. The United Kingdomcommends UNMIS and MONUC for what they arealready doing to tackle armed groups, including theLRA. But I think that the lesson is that we need to bemore involved in the efforts that we actually undertaketo tackle those problems, given the graphic map Mr.Egeland has shown us of the path into the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo and the path out, and whatmight be possible by way of interdiction. It would bewholly consistent with everything that we have beensaying with reference to the role of the InternationalCriminal Court to say that the peacekeepers of theUnited Nations should be more active in trying toprevent the scourge of the LRA from contaminatingother countries.

In conclusion, it seems to me that Mr. Egelandhas provided the Council with a lot of material. I thinkit is for the Council to decide, perhaps at a slightlyslower pace, how it can react to that. But certainly, itwould be the United Kingdom’s intention to putforward some suggestions in due course.

I now resume my function as President of theCouncil.

As there are no further requests for the floor, Igive the floor to Mr. Egeland to respond to thecomments raised so far.

Mr. Egeland: I thank you very much, Mr.President, for organizing this meeting, and I give myheartfelt thanks to the members of the Council for theirsupport for this type of briefing and for the work thatour colleagues are doing on the ground under verydifficult circumstances, often with their own lives atstake as they try to prevent further suffering and afurther loss of lives among our beneficiaries.

There is a strong consensus around the Counciltable that the situations that I have described must seepositive change in the year ahead. Indeed, as therepresentative of China observed, our motive ashumanitarians in bringing this up is that we need to seechange. We want to see change. It is our job to bring to

the Council’s attention situations that are going badlyor which are deteriorating. In each of these threesituations, there is at the moment a crisis that isdeteriorating. What is happening in Darfur, in northernUganda and in the region at large, and also in thesouthern African region, including Zimbabwe, isindeed a moral outrage.

First, with respect to Darfur, the reports we aregetting from our colleagues in the field is that it allcould end tomorrow. Together we have built up aremarkable humanitarian operation. Against all odds,mortality rates are now one third of what they were inthe beginning of 2004. We have been able to providelogistical changes — a camp management operation, afood operation, a water sanitation operation, primaryhealth care and primary schooling, which isremarkable. Now it is all in jeopardy. We are onceagain down to levels of access that are comparable tothose we started with in 2004.

Our colleagues in the field say, therefore that theyare extremely worried that the major gains we havemade could be lost. Again, it goes back to not havinghad political and security progress commensurate tothat made in the humanitarian area.

The parties — the armed groups, the armedmen — are outrageously irresponsible, at all levels, intheir acts against civilians and internally displacedpersons. Some of them are also outrageouslyirresponsible in their whole attitude towards reaching anegotiated settlement. A question was asked as to whatthe consequences would be if no deal is reached inAbuja. Well, I do not dare to even think of theconsequences, because the situation could potentiallytotally unravel. We would have 13,000 humanitarianworkers caught in the crossfire and, of course,operations would be paralysed. Within weeks, millionswould starve and be in the utmost peril.

We should therefore rather focus on how toachieve success in Abuja, so that our progress cancontinue and we can plan for the return of people.Again, it is the kind of situation that is unsustainable inthe long term. We cannot have many millions of peopleon regular food handouts in overcrowded camps. It hasto change for the better.

The same is, of course, true of the Ugandansituation. Not nearly enough attention has been paid tothe crisis in northern Uganda. I hope that attention isforthcoming, as the crisis has now become a regional

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one. I have tried to describe the situation: millions ofpeople are being affected by the actions of as few as1,000 combatants roaming around those areas. Butwhen they target humanitarian workers and civilians,the consequence is immediate paralysis.

The representative of France asked how thiscould be, how the situation could continue — how sucha small number of fighters could wreak such havoc. Ireally do not know. It may be due to neglect andineffective action over so many years. The Lord’sResistance Army has been active in northern Ugandafor nearly 20 years, and now it is acting regionally.

It is really an outrage to see what has beenunfolding over the past 20 years. It must stop. It reallymust stop. It is the kind of situation where we have tosay, it cannot continue like this in 2006, with yetanother generation of children being abducted tobecome killing machines on behalf of that movement.

The proposed panel of experts would be one wayof finding out why it does not stop, why it continues,why it is allowed to go on. I really urge the Council tolook at the other proposals as well, regarding bothnorthern Uganda and the regional dimension of thecrisis. As humanitarians, we have the hope that we cannow say, “Enough is enough. We have to see change.”

Zimbabwe could continue to deteriorate, but itcould also improve in the year ahead. If there is onecountry in the world that should be able to feed itself,it is Zimbabwe. As I tried to outline in my briefing, ifthere are changes in the various areas where we see theGovernment changing its policies and practices; ifdonors invest not only in food handouts but infinancing agricultural production and livelihoods; ifthere is a climate in which the Government and othersfacilitate our work in all aspects so that we can becomeeffective in all aspects, including in the area of shelter;and if the disastrous evictions and other practicesstop — if all of those things happen, I think that wewill see positive change in Zimbabwe. We need to seepositive change; indeed, cross-border migration is alsocontinuing, because the situation is becomingintolerable for many people.

The representative of Denmark asked about afuture United Nations engagement with Zimbabwe.The Secretary-General has been invited by PresidentMugabe, who reiterated that invitation to me while Iwas there. The Secretary-General is planning to sendUnder-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari on a

mission to engage in dialogue with the Government.We hope to see progress on many fronts, so that bothMr. Gambari’s visit and the possible visit by theSecretary-General can advance our work and ourcommon agenda.

I should like to make two final and generalpoints, which also surfaced during ou