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Press releases

9 Nov 2011
Your Excellency Mr. Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, Distinguished Members of the Council, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank Portugal for convening today's debate on the protection of civilians.   I very much welcome the presence here today of His Excellency President Cavaco Silva –a clear sign of the commitment of Portugal to this very important issue.   All of us share a fundamental responsibility to do more to protect civilians caught up in the horrors of war.  
24 Oct 2011
Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects Dear Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, I am deeply honoured to have been appointed the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping. It is a great pleasure for me to be here with you and to address the Fourth Committee for the first time and to address you on UN Day. Your deliberations and collective leadership are vital to the work of all men and women serving in UN peacekeeping operations around the world.
13 Oct 2011
 I am very pleased to be here for what I intend to be the first of regular meetings, both in this setting but also in less formal settings. I do intend to work very closely with you.
4 Aug 2011
Looking back over an “intense” three-year tenure at the helm of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, outgoing Under-Secretary-General Alain Le Roy said that, despite some shortcomings, blue helmets should be credited for their achievements in reducing the scale of conflicts around the world.  
13 Jul 2011
M. le Président, 1. Je vous remercie de cette occasion de m’adresser au Conseil alors qu’il examine la demande d’adhésion de la République du Sud-Soudan à l’Organisation des Nations Unies. Je voudrais d’abord féliciter les Gouvernements du Sudan et du Sud-Soudan en ce moment historique. Les deux parties ont fait des compromis difficiles. Elles ont fait preuve de courage politique en respectant les résultats du référendum et s’assurant de l’indépendance pacifique du Sud-Soudan le 9 juillet.   M. le Président,
24 May 2011
I am honoured to be here today to celebrate the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.   Each year on this day, the United Nations honours those currently serving with such professionalism and dedication and remembers those who lost their lives in the cause of peace.  
15 Apr 2011
Despite very difficult circumstances, including the loss of many personnel, United Nations peacekeeping had passed critical tests in tackling “make-or-break” situations in Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Sudan, Secretariat officials said at Headquarters today.  
22 Feb 2011
Madam Chair, Distinguished Members of the Special Committee, 1. I am honoured to have been invited once again before the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and to open this Committee’s annual debate on the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.   Introduction and operational context
2 Feb 2011
Mr. Vice-Chancellor, Excellencies and distinguished guests, Dear faculty members, dear students, Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, for your very kind introduction and for this invitation. I am honored to have this opportunity after my distinguished predecessors, as fourth United Nations Secretary-General to speak before you in this very esteemed and one of the oldest universities. It is an honor to be part of the Oxford community, if only for a day.