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UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
25 September, 2007 =========================================================================
BAN KI-MOON ADVOCATES ‘STRONGER UN FOR A BETTER WORLD’
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened his first annual debate of the General Assembly this morning with a call to global leaders to back his efforts to bolster the United Nations in the interests of the world.
“Our changing world needs a stronger UN,” Mr. Ban declared in a wide-ranging speech. “My vision is an administration focused on results – efficient, directed, pragmatic and accountable, an administration representing excellence, integrity and pride in serving the global good.”
He acknowledged the need for a fresh approach, and, borrowing from the theme of a high-level event he convened yesterday to address the problems caused by greenhouse gas emissions, said: “We need an internal climate change at the UN.”
The Secretary-General, who since taking office in January has emphasized results over rhetoric, called for more attention “to getting things done.” He pointed to early successes in re-organizing peacekeeping operations and pledged to “continue the effort by strengthening the Department of Political Affairs.”
The stakes, he pointed out, are high. “Well-planned and executed preventive diplomacy can save many lives and forestall many tragedies.”
Addressing global hotspots, the Secretary-General pledged to “leave no stone unturned to end the tragedy in Darfur,” calling on the Government of Sudan to honour its pledge to join comprehensive peace talks and implement a ceasefire.
“The crisis in Darfur grew from many causes. Any enduring solution must address all of them – security, politics, resources, water, humanitarian and development issues. There, as elsewhere, we must deal with root causes of conflict, however complex and entangled.”
On the Middle East, he called for an end to violence, an end to occupation, the creation of a Palestinian State at peace with itself and Israel, and a comprehensive regional peace between Israel and the Arab world. “With renewed leadership from the Arab world and the United States, coupled with the efforts of Quartet Representative Tony Blair, the elements for a renewed push for peace are being brought together,” he said. The Quartet comprises the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and US.
“We also sincerely hope that the Lebanese people through national reconciliation will be able to restore political and social stability by electing their new president in accordance with their constitutional process,” said Mr. Ban.
He said the UN has an important role in promoting political negotiation and national reconciliation in Iraq, as well as in providing humanitarian assistance to the country’s people.
The Secretary-General also called for stepped-up efforts to deal with drug trafficking and the financing of terrorism in Afghanistan.
He repeated his call on the authorities in Myanmar “to exercise utmost restraint, to engage without delay in dialogue with all the relevant parties to the national reconciliation process on the issues of concern to the people of Myanmar.”
Pointing to recent progress on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mr. Ban, a former foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, voiced hope that the forthcoming inter-Korean Summit “will create a historic momentum, to bring peace, security, and eventually a peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.”
He voiced confidence in reaching a negotiated solution with Iran over its nuclear capabilities. “Our ultimate goal remains the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction.”
The Secretary-General also called for global action to address climate change, noting that yesterday’s high-level event generated agreement on the need to move forward. “Now is the time for action,” he declared.
Evaluating progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a series of anti-poverty targets set at the UN in 2000 – he painted a mixed picture and called for efforts to help those most in need. “Our Millennium Goals remain achievable – so long as we help the poorest nations break free of the traps that ensnare them.”
The Secretary-General also said the UN Human Rights Council must “live up to its responsibilities as the torchbearer for human rights consistently and equitably around the world.”
Mr. Ban, who since last week has been conducting intensive diplomatic activities on key global issues and crises, offered a ringing endorsement of multilateralism. “An increasingly interdependent world recognizes that the challenges of tomorrow are best dealt with through the UN. Indeed, they can only be dealt with through the UN,” he said.
Some 193 speakers are expected to participate in this year’s general debate, including more than 70 heads of State and nearly 30 heads of government. The debate is scheduled to continue until 3 October.
Today’s opening of the Assembly’s general debate follows high-level meetings in recent days on climate change, the Darfur conflict, Iraq, Afghanistan and the situation in the Middle East, and further meetings on critical issues, such as the permanent future status of Kosovo, are scheduled to be held this week.
The Secretary-General is also expected to conduct bilateral meetings with over 100 heads of State or government or ministers during the next two weeks.
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SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVES UN PRESENCE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CHAD
The Security Council today established a United Nations-mandated, multidimensional presence, which will include European Union military forces, in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR) to help protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid to thousands of people uprooted due to insecurity in the two countries and neighbouring Sudan.
Deeply concerned about the humanitarian threat posed by armed groups on the borders of the Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, the 15-member body set up, for a period of one year, the UN presence “intended to help create the security conditions conducive to a voluntary, secure and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons.”
In doing so, it also approved the deployment of an EU military force, also for a period of one year, with the authority to “take all necessary measures” in support of the UN presence.
The UN presence will include a UN Mission – to be known by its acronym MINURCAT – with 300 police and 50 military liaison officers, as well as civilian staff, focusing on the areas of civil affairs, human rights, the rule of law and mission support. The Mission will be headquartered in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena.
In the resolution passed unanimously today, the Council also endorsed the establishment of a new unit of Chad’s police to maintain law and order in refugee camps and areas with large numbers of displaced civilians in the eastern part of the country.
According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on the situation in Chad and the CAR, the humanitarian situation “has shown no signs of improving” since February, with more than 400,000 refugees and IDPs as a result of the fighting and an estimated 700,000 others in host communities also affected.
Mr. Ban wrote that the deployment of a UN-mandated multidimensional presence in Chad and the CAR – both of which have been beset by widespread population displacement because of clashes between rebels and Government forces – “could have a significant positive impact on the security situation there.”
The Council has already authorized deployment of a 26,000-strong joint UN-African Union force (to be known as UNAMID) to suppress ongoing violence in Darfur, which has had a spillover effect on the region.
The Secretary-General added in his report that a lasting solution to the region’s crises, including the violence and suffering engulfing Darfur, is only possible through inclusive political agreements.
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TOP-LEVEL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING BACKS ENHANCED UN TIES WITH AFRICAN UNION
Participants at a top-level Security Council meeting today on the challenges to peace and security faced by Africa voiced support for bolstering the cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU).
The heads of State or government or the senior ministers of the Council’s 15 members, as well as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konaré, discussed how to improve peace and security on a continent often beset by conflicts and crises.
Mr. Ban noted that while the governments and the people of Africa have made progress in some areas, on their own they cannot tackle all the conflicts.
The aim of strengthened ties between the UN and regional organizations such as the AU is “to enhance the capacities to address conflicts. Together, we must respond in a more timely and complementary manner to the crises in Africa,” he told the meeting, convened by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which holds this month’s Council presidency.
Mr. Ban, like many participants at today’s meeting, stressed the importance of bringing a sustainable peace to the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan, where the Council has authorized the creation of the first AU-UN hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur, to be known as UNAMID. At full deployment, it will have some 26,000 troops and police officers, making it the largest peacekeeping operation in the world.
“It is an expression of our collective commitment to end the tragedy of Darfur,” the Secretary-General said of UNAMID.
Voicing support for the hybrid force, United States President George W. Bush noted that 200,000 Darfurian “innocents are no longer with us,” and that more than 2 million others who have been displaced by the violence hope to return to their homes and live in peace. “It’s our duty to help them realize that dream,” he told Council members.
Kim Howell, Minister of State for the United Kingdom, said that Sudan must cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC). “Let’s not forget the need for justice,” he said, adding that “the age of impunity is dead and there can be no impunity in Darfur.”
Speaking in his national capacity, Mr. Sarkozy also stressed the importance of justice and “respect for humans.” He noted that “we must be completely categorical about the respect of human rights, on the progression of the rule of law, the need for justice and on punishing criminals.”
Several participants also appealed for intensified efforts to bring stability to Somalia, which has been riven by factional fighting and has had no functioning central government since Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime was toppled in 1991.
President John Kufuor of Ghana urged the Council “to show equal commitment to the protracted conflict in Somalia as in Darfur,” and consider a contingency plan for the possible deployment of a UN force to replace AMISOM, the AU-led mission in Somalia, by next February.
“We must encourage an inclusive political dialogue for national reconciliation,” President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo said. He said he expects the UN to support AMISOM, and welcomed the AU-UN partnership, as well as the participation of regional organizations such as the European Union (EU) and the League of Arab States.
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa underscored the importance of Africa finding solutions for African problems. He also cited the need for greater resources to allow the continent to tackle key challenges to establish a far-reaching framework for peace and security on the continent.
The answer to Africa’s problems lies with African cooperation, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said. “One should not impose one’s own way on them,” he noted. “Only unity among African countries can lead to a bright future for the continent.”
African achievements – including steps towards deepening regional integration and economic growth – prove the continent is “now a protagonist and no longer just an object of international relations,” said Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar noted that donor nations and the UN have provided much support to Africa. “To be fruitful, however, this support must be accompanied with two conditions: namely, good and enlightened governance, and an effective international will guaranteed by collective action to be undertaken by the United Nations,” he said.
As Africa continues to recover from the consequences of colonization, it is crucial that any policies to help the continent respect the “rights and dignity of the African peoples” and that the international community desist from pursuing policies that are “relics of the past,” said President Martin Torrijos of Panama.
Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde of Peru said that peace and security in Africa involves four main variables: prevention, cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations, the humanitarian issue and post-conflict management.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono voiced hope that responding to the economic, social and political challenges to peace and promoting interregional cooperation for peace will bring stability to Africa, pointing out that some conflicts that appeared intractable five years ago have been resolved.
In settling African conflicts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that “special focus should be given to addressing chronic political and socio-economic problems,” while issues such as the strengthening of state governance, the development of democracy and the fight against poverty and corruption are within the scope of the AU and the UN.
President Ivan Gašparovic of Slovakia underscored the complexity of African tragedies, with security, development and human rights being interlinked. Thus, he expressed his country’s concern for Zimbabwe, where the crumbling economic and political situation could potentially lead to conflict.
Characterizing the issue as “one of Africa’s biggest outrages,” Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt drew attention to the plight of the 300,000 child soldiers on the continent. “Each one of them is a stain on the soul of human civilization,” he said, calling for the imposition of a weapons embargo on all countries with child soldiers and the end of impunity for offenders.
Wrapping up the session, Mr. Konaré noted the continent needs the support of the international community in training its troops, improving its information technology and, most importantly, in providing more predictable and regular financing. “Currently, operations are financed one by one. That does not make it possible to deploy rapidly,” he told the Council. As a result, “interventions come too late.”
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US PRESIDENT VOICES SUPPORT FOR STRONG UN TO MEET GLOBAL CHALLENGES
United States President George W. Bush today told the General Assembly that he supports a “strong and vibrant” United Nations empowered to carry out the shared goals of the world body and its host country, from addressing global pandemics to stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to dealing with climate change.
“As America works with the United Nations to alleviate immediate human needs, we are also coming together to address long-term challenges,” President Bush told the annual high-level general debate. “Together, we are preparing for pandemics that could cause death and suffering on a global scale. Together, we are working to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. And together, we are confronting the challenges of energy security, environmental quality, and climate change.”
President Bush voiced appreciation for “the discussions on climate change led by the Secretary-General last night,” when the two attended a dinner that capped a day of events devoted to galvanizing the international community on the issue.
The US President, whose speech ranged over numerous global crises from hunger to violence in the Middle East, said resolving those problems “cannot be achieved overnight – and they cannot be achieved without reform of this vital institution.”
“The United States is committed to a strong and vibrant United Nations,” he declared.
He paid tribute to the UN’s “noble efforts” to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. “Today, more than half the world’s food assistance comes from America,” said the US President, announcing plans “to alleviate hunger under which America would purchase the crops of local farmers in Africa and other places – rather than shipping in food from the developed world.”
The aim would be to “help build up local agriculture and break the cycle of famine in the developing world,” he said.
President Bush also announced a series of measures against Myanmar, referring to the country by its former name. “The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers. We will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights – as well as their family members. We will continue to support the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in Burma,” he said.
“I urge the United Nations and all nations to use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom.”
The President addressed the political situations in Cuba, Zimbabwe and elsewhere, and called for action to help those living in the Darfur region of Sudan, where “many are losing their lives to genocide.”
The UN, he said, must “live up to its promise to promptly deploy peacekeeping forces to Darfur.”
On poverty, he said the UN “provides vital economic assistance designed to help developing nations grow their economies and reach their potential.” He called for global economic measures, saying “the best way to lift people out of poverty is through trade and investment.”
Open markets “ignite growth, encourage investment, increase transparency, strengthen the rule of law, and help countries help themselves,” he said, calling for a successful conclusion to the Doha round of trade talks. “A successful Doha outcome would mean real and substantial openings in agriculture, goods, and services – and real and substantial reductions in trade-distorting subsidies,” he said.
President Bush spoke out against “the failures of the Human Rights Council,” saying it had been “silent on repression by regimes from Havana and Caracas to Pyongyang and Tehran – while focusing its criticism excessively on Israel.” The UN, he said, must reform the Human Rights Council in order “to be credible on human rights in the world.”
The US, a permanent member of the Security Council, supports reform of that body, he said. “We believe that Japan is well qualified for permanent membership on the Security Council, and that other emerging powers should be considered as well.”
The President pledged US leadership toward achieving “a world where opportunity crosses every border.”
“This is the founding conviction of my country. It is the promise that established this body,” he said.
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ESTONIA URGES UN MEMBER STATES TO COOPERATE AGAINST CYBER CRIMES
The international community should step up its efforts to defeat cyber crime, starting by acceding to an international convention on the issue and eventually building to the development of a globally negotiated and comprehensive law of cyberspace, Estonia’s President Toomas Hendrik Ilves told the General Assembly tonight.
Mr. Ilves said his country’s experience in April and May this year in coping with an extensive cyber attack highlighted both the dangers faced and the value of cooperation.
“Cyber attacks are a clear example of contemporary asymmetrical threats to security,” he said at the annual high-level debate. “They make it possible to paralyze a society, with limited means, and at a distance. In the future, cyber attacks may in the hands of criminals or terrorists become a considerably more widespread and dangerous weapon than they are at present.”
The President said the threat posed by cyber attacks was often underestimated because they have so far not resulted in the loss of any lives and many attacks are not publicized for security reasons.
He called for cyber crimes to be defined internationally and generally condemned in the way that terrorism or human trafficking is denounced.
“Fighting against cyber warfare is in the interests of us all without exception,” Mr. Ilves said, calling on all countries to accede to the Convention on Cyber Crime of the Council of Europe. The pact is also open for accession to non-members of the Council of Europe.
The President welcomed the launch of the Global Cybersecurity Agenda of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and said the UN should serve as the “neutral and legitimate forum” for the eventual creation of a globally negotiated and comprehensive law of cyberspace.
Meanwhile, in his address, the President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski, emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and voiced support for international efforts to resolve the status of Kosovo, a Serbian province that has been under UN administration since 1999.
The issue should be dealt with “within a reasonable timeframe, in the best interests of the stability in the region and its Euro-Atlantic perspective,” he said.
At the same time, he said his country does not agree “with the recently mentioned idea of partition of Kosovo along ethnic lines, since this may provoke serious negative implications for the entire region.”
He added that the demarcation of his country’s northern border with Kosovo “according to a predefined procedure and agenda” remains a priority for the Government.
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UN MUST REFORM TO EFFECTIVELY RESPOND TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES – PORTUGUESE LEADER
The range of today’s global challenges requires a stronger United Nations that is more representative, transparent and effective, Portugal’s Prime Minister told the General Assembly today, calling for reform of the world’s leading multilateral forum.
“The long-term success of a global organization such as the UN depends upon its capacity to respond to ever-changing challenges and new international players, by reforming, adapting and continuously reinventing itself,” Prime Minister José Sócrates stated in his address to the annual high-level general debate.
Speaking on behalf of the European Union, whose chairmanship his country currently holds, the Prime Minister stressed the group’s belief that “only with a stronger Organization will we be able to live in a safer, fairer and more developed world.”
Whether meeting internationally agreed development goals, combating the growing threat of climate change or responding to the range of threats to international peace and security, he stressed that “global challenges require global responses.”
And no institution was better placed to forge global responses to common concerns than the UN, with its ability to convene the nations of the world to address shared problems and coordinate concerted action.
Among the common concerns is climate change, which Mr. Sócrates called “one of the great global challenges facing mankind.” He stressed that “our response must be global, and collective.”
The EU has already committed itself to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions – responsible for global warming – by at least 20 per cent. “But we want to go further,” he said, announcing that the Union was ready to raise its commitment to 30 per cent.
He also highlighted the need to develop “a more responsible energy policy,” as well as innovative technologies to exploit new sources of energy and to improve energy efficiency.
The Prime Minister’s call comes one day after an historic gathering of world leaders at UN Headquarters on the subject of climate change, ahead of a major summit to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in December.
In his address to the Assembly today, Slovak President Ivan Gašparovic also highlighted the need for the UN to speed up its pace and reform.
“We think it is necessary to make the work of newly-created structures and institutions more dynamic, and to set the UN to ensure targeted prevention and solution of concrete problems and conflicts,” he said.
The President welcomed last year’s establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission, which was set up to help countries emerging from conflict avoid sliding back into war or chaos. He also noted changes to the work of the Human Rights Council and the UN Secretariat.
But “UN reform cannot be complete without also reforming the structure and working methods of the UN Security Council,” Mr. Gašparovic said, noting that Slovakia – currently a non-permanent Council member – has been actively engaged on the issue.
The number of permanent and non-permanent members should increase, Germany and Japan deserve permanent seats and the so-called countries of the global South should also acquire more seats to reflect today’s changed geopolitical realities.
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UN THE ONLY PLACE TO SOLVE GLOBAL CHALLENGES, GERMAN CHANCELLOR TELLS ASSEMBLY
Strengthening the effectiveness of the United Nations is crucial to the world’s common future because it is the sole forum where meaningful joint agreements can be struck to meet global challenges, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate tonight.
But time is running out for the Organization to demonstrate tangible results on its process of reform, Ms. Merkel said, warning that changes are needed for it to better deal with the many crises worldwide.
“In my view, there is absolutely no doubt – the United Nations is the place where binding joint responses can be found to global challenges,” she said in a wide-ranging speech at UN Headquarters in New York.
Calling for greater UN reform, the Chancellor said the most important case was the Security Council, which must have international legitimacy if it is to respond successfully to crises and conflicts.
“However, the present composition of the Security Council no longer reflects the world today,” she said, reiterating Germany’s preparedness to become a permanent member of the Council.
Ms. Merkel praised the results of some UN reforms, including the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission to help countries emerging from conflict avoid slipping back into chaos or war and the report of the High-Level Panel on Development.
All major problems cannot be solved unilaterally, she stressed, calling for unity of purpose among the world’s countries to deal with such challenges.
Criticizing Iran’s nuclear activities, Ms. Merkel described them as a clear breach of the demands of the UN and its International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“Let’s not fool ourselves. If Iran were to acquire the nuclear bomb, the consequences would be disastrous – first and foremost, for the existence of Israel; secondly, for the entire region; and ultimately for all of us in Europe and the world who attach any importance to the values of liberty, democracy and human dignity. That is why we have to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms.”
Turning to climate change, Ms. Merkel said unity of purpose was also vital and she urged participants at the major summit in Bali, Indonesia, in December to agree on a clear road map so that a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can be developed.
The world must halve global emissions by the middle of this century, she said, calling for a common understanding between nations on the scale of emissions reduction, fair national contributions and the mechanisms needed to protect both the environment and sustainable economic growth.
Monaco’s Prince Albert II devoted a large part of his address to climate change and wider environmental issues as well.
He called on affluent nations to help developing countries find new financial resources and modes of consumption so that they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and still achieve sustainable economic growth.
“To meet this challenge, we must work together to find solutions to existing problems. Individual announcements or actions will never solve this problem. The threat is global,” he said.
Prince Albert also noted that he had created a personal foundation last year to fund individual environmental projects that highlight innovation.
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RECENT GAINS THREATENED BY TERRORISM AND DRUGS, AFGHAN LEADER TELLS UN ASSEMBLY
Afghanistan’s economy is posting serious gains, its nascent institutions are taking root and its health indicators are on the rise, but the twin perils of terrorism and illegal drugs place enormous obstacles to any further improvements, President Hamid Karzai told the General Assembly today.
Thanking the international community for its “steadfast support” since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 and the subsequent establishment of democratic government, Mr. Karzai said “the journey of Afghanistan’s stability and reconstruction is resolutely apace.”
More Afghans now enjoy access to health and education services than ever before, he said, noting that the child mortality rate has been slashed by over 25 per cent in two years, ensuring that at least 85,000 children remain alive today.
The country, which was torn apart by decades of war and misrule, is once again about to become self-sufficient in cereal production, according to the President, who said “already the fruits of relative stability and increased prosperity in Afghanistan are spilling over our borders to the wider region.”
Afghanistan joined the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) earlier this year to help with its plans to eventually serve as a commercial bridge between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Mr. Karzai told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate that while the economic and institutional gains have been impressive, so too are the “momentous challenges” that Afghanistan still faces. He cited poverty, underdevelopment and climatic hardships as well as the leading threats – terrorism and narcotics.
The President denounced the sharp rise in terrorist attacks within Afghanistan in the past two years, and particularly the “new and brutal tactics such as beheadings, kidnappings and the burning of schools and clinics.”
Stressing that “terrorism was never, nor is it today, a home-grown phenomenon in Afghanistan,” Mr. Karzai said the threat can only be truly overcome if dealt with regionally and internationally.
He described the recent holding of a joint peace jirga between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a symbol of the benefits of constructive cooperation in devising a counter-terrorism strategy. Sustained international support so that Afghanistan’s national army and police can lead anti-terror efforts was also necessary.
Turning to the issue of illegal drugs, Mr. Karzai said his Government would prioritize the provision of alternative livelihoods to farmers and speed up its poppy eradication programmes and interdiction of traffickers.
But other countries needed to play their part in defeating the global narcotic trade by battling international drug mafia and crime groups, strengthening border controls and reducing the demand for illegal drugs in foreign markets.
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ITALY URGES UN MEMBER STATES TO SUPPORT GLOBAL MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY
The campaign for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty has “reached a decisive moment,” Italy’s President told the General Assembly tonight, as he called on United Nations Member States to adopt a draft resolution on the issue.
Romano Prodi said Italy had worked extremely hard to garner support for the resolution – which it expects to soon deposit, along with other countries, before the Assembly – and for the wider principle of opposing capital punishment.
The proposed resolution calls for a universal moratorium on executions with a view to their eventual complete abolition.
“A United Nations resolution against the death penalty will prove that human beings today are better than they were yesterday also in moral terms,” Mr. Prodi told the annual high-level debate at the UN. Humankind is capable of “making progress not only in science but also in the field of ethics.”
The Italian President quoted remarks by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this year noting the “growing trend in international law and national practice toward a phasing out of the death penalty.”
In a wide-ranging speech, Mr. Prodi also discussed climate change, the situation in global “hotspots” such as Darfur and Lebanon, and the need for collaborative action to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.
“In Europe we have already made various strategic decisions,” he said, referring to proposed cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. “But it is obvious that any post-Kyoto agreement can only be achieved within the United Nations. Because when we speak about global warming we are speaking about the pre-eminent global problem of our day.”
The Kyoto agreement, the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is due to expire in 2012 and a major international summit scheduled for Bali, Indonesia, in December is expected to focus on devising a successor agreement.
Turning to UN reform, Mr. Prodi said the world body must be underpinned by the principles of democracy and the representation of every Member State.
“This is why we are opposed to any hypothesis of Security Council reform that would establish new permanent members. The growing contribution of a growing number of countries to the Organization should not be wasted by introduced elitist and selective reforms.”
Any negotiations on reforming the Council cannot start based on imposing pre-defined models, he said, stressing the need for “non-divisive solutions that would foster the widest possible consensus.”
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CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS MUST ALSO TACKLE POVERTY, INDONESIAN LEADER TELLS UN
The solution to the problems posed by climate change must be linked to sustainable development so that the world’s least affluent countries can conquer poverty, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the United Nations General Assembly today.
Speaking at the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York, the President said it was important to not lose sight of the fight against poverty when trying to combat climate change.
He said the global summit to be held in Bali, Indonesia, this December “must yield a new roadmap” that spells out what both the developed and developing world must do “to save humankind and its p***t from the looming tragedy of climate change.”
The Bali summit seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.
Mr. Yudhoyono said the summit “must produce an outcome and timeline that will be more comprehensive and more ambitious in achieving its practical objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We developing countries must protect our natural resources while using them wisely for development,” he added.
He said he was optimistic that there is now a window of opportunity to strike a global consensus to deal with global warming.
Indonesia also launched a Special Leaders’ Meeting of Tropical Rainforest Countries yesterday and the President said that the participating nations have agreed to strengthen their cooperation so that the forests can be better conserved.
“We also believe that countries that seek to enhance their carbon sinks – through forestation, afforestation, avoided deforestation – should be given incentive and rewarded fairly for doing so.”
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HONDURAN LEADER URGES UN ASSEMBLY TO ADDRESS MIGRATION AS HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE
The President of Honduras today urged national leaders attending the General Assembly's annual high-level debate to deal with migration not as a threat or problem but as a human rights issue.
Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales said it is a great paradox of the current age that while borders are opening for commerce and goods, they are closing for people and migrants. The issue of migration should be a central concern to both sending and receiving countries, he said.
He said Honduras had authority to speak on the issue, given its history as a multi-ethnic and multiracial society that has a served as a place of transit and refuge. “Migration never has been and never should be considered a crime or a threat,” he said. The issue should not be on the security agenda of countries but rather should be considered in the context of development, he added.
“Migration is a right, a simple and elemental human right,” he declared, adding that it would be “myopic” to view the problem only from the perspective of family remittances or other narrow issues. “The problem is more complex and difficult” involving factors such as economic and political structures, natural disasters, wars, violence, poverty and unemployment, he said.
Migrants, above all, are “human beings who have done nothing other than look for better opportunities.” They must be recognized as such, and treated with fundamental respect, he said.
The President appealed to those present to forge consensus on the issue, and called on the UN to build a world where migrants could realize their objectives in life.
President Daniel Ortega Saavedra of Nicaragua also spoke out in favour of migrants' rights. The amount of money sent back to families by immigrants “is a miserable amount compared to the volume of wealth that is extracted on a daily basis by forms of institutionalized oppression,” he said.
Immigrants in the United States and Europe “work harder than anyone else ? they are doing the jobs that the Europeans and Americans don't want, for miserable wages. Who is doing them a favour?”
He said no one was helping those poor people who managed to put aside a bit of money to send to their families. “These companies are simply using cheap labour.”
President Ortega said a “capitalist imperialist minority” was “imposing global capitalism to impoverish the world and impose apartheid against Latin American immigrants, and against African immigrants in Europe.”
He called global capitalism a “beast” which “has tentacles everywhere.”
Recalling his last speech before the Assembly 18 years ago, he said then as now “the enemy is the same one: this enemy is called global imperialist capitalism? It is only we the peoples that can change this.”
The President of Paraguay, Nicanor Duarte Frutos, said South America must become stronger “to claim its rights in this asymmetrical globalization.”
He called for a more just distribution of financing for development. “Speculative investment has shifted to the countries and regions where production is exploited and then we are invaded, and through dishonest business deals our industries are endangered and closed. At the same time our raw material is undervalued.”
He called for capital to be invested in updating industries in developing countries. “At the very least, the terms of exchange should be more just and should not be imposed unilaterally.”
The international economic order must promote a more equitable world economy through cooperation and fair treatment for all countries, he said. “All countries should be allowed in the club to develop mankind.”
The UN must respect this philosophy, he stressed, calling for priority attention to programmes to end poverty and unemployment.
President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina said the world cannot ensure peace based on a military approach, and called for respect for human rights and democracy. He urged a better distribution of wealth, saying “each country must have the right to seek out its own model for development, without external interference.”
He called for a change in the structure of global financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We need to grow and to improve the standards of living in our societies,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of talks in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO). “We want to see equity in the world markets; we want to see discrimination towards our products removed.”
* * *
IRANIAN PRESIDENT TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT NUCLEAR ISSUE IS NOW CLOSED
The issue of Iran’s nuclear activities is a matter only for the United Nations atomic watchdog now and not the Security Council, the country’s President told the General Assembly today as he accused “arrogant powers” of abusing the Council to prevent Iran enjoying its rights and entitlements.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcomed what he said was a shift by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) towards supporting the rights of its Member States while supervising their nuclear activities.
“Previously, they illegally insisted on politicizing the Iranian nation’s nuclear case, but today, because of the resistance of the Iranian nation, the issue is back to the Agency, and I officially announce that in our opinion the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed and has turned into an ordinary Agency matter,” he said.
The Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran last year amid concern over the exact nature and scope of the country’s nuclear activities. Earlier this month, however, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei welcomed Iran’s agreement on a timeline to address all outstanding issues.
Stressing that Iran’s nuclear activities have always been entirely peaceful and transparent, Mr. Ahmadinejad said Tehran had been deprived of other members’ technical assistance and sometimes even IAEA support, despite having fulfilled all of its obligations. Even some centres not involved in the fuel cycle production or requiring Agency supervision were closed, he told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
“For about five years, some of the aforementioned powers have, by exerting pressure on the IAEA, attempted to prevent the Iranian nation from exercising its rights… The Iranian nation came to the firm belief that the main concern of these powers is not the possible deviation of Iran’s nuclear activities, but is to prevent its scientific progress under this pretext.”
Mr. Ahmadinejad devoted much of his speech to criticism of “certain powers,” which he said were responsible for many of the world’s problems. These powers routinely breached human rights despite claiming to be exclusive advocates of those rights; aggressively attacked indigenous cultures and national values; promoted lewdness and violence; perpetuated gross economic imbalances between countries; violated rules of international law and disrespected their global commitments; and escalated the arms race.
Mr. Ahmadinejad warned these countries “to learn from history and their actions,” saying they had lost the competence to lead the p***t, and that international relations would soon change.
“The era of darkness will end, prisoners will return home, the occupied lands will be freed, Palestine and Iraq will be liberated from the dominion of the occupiers, and the people of America and Europe will be free of the pressure exerted by the Zionists.
“The tender-hearted and humanity-loving governments will replace the aggressive and domineering ones. Human dignity will be regained. The pleasing aroma of justice will permeate the world, and people will live together in a brotherly and affectionate manner.”
He announced that Iran would help establish the “Coalition for Peace,” which he described as “a front of fraternity, amity and sustainable peace based on monotheism and justice.”
The Iranian leader also called for the General Assembly to be viewed and treated as the UN’s most important pillar, with the urgent task of reforming the Security Council.
“The presence of some monopolistic powers has prevented the Security Council from performing its main duty, which is the maintenance of international peace and security based on justice. The credibility of the Council has been tarnished and its efficacy in defending the rights of UN Member States has been undermined.”
Many nations had lost confidence in the Council, as well as in the major international monetary and banking mechanisms, he said.
* * *
POWERFUL NATIONS SKEW GLOBAL FORUMS SUCH AS UN – SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT
The powerful countries of the world continue to dominate global forums such as the United Nations to the detriment of freedom, justice and equality, ensuring that while there is often lofty talk of solving major international problems, little is actually done to fix them, South African President Thabo Mbeki told the General Assembly today.
In an address to the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, held at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Mbeki said “the skewed distribution of power in the world – political, economic, military and technological and social – replicates itself in multilateral institutions, much to the disadvantage of the majority of the poor people in the world.”
On issues from climate change to the international terms of trade to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), he said, the UN can and does diagnose the problems and the appropriate solutions, but wealthy nations only respond positively if it coincides with their own narrow interests.
“The rich and the powerful have consistently sought to ensure that whatever happens, the existing power relations are not altered and therefore the status quo remains… The cold reality is that it will be difficult for the UN in its present form fully to implement its own decisions and therefore help the poor achieve urgently the MDGs.”
The result is that the poor and disenfranchised “can be forgiven for thinking that this important global leadership many a times sounds like an empty vessel,” he said.
“Indeed, until the ideals of freedom, justice and equality characterize this premier world body, the dominant will forever dictate to the dominated and the interests of the dominated, which are those of the majority of humanity, would be deferred in perpetuity.”
Mr. Mbeki stressed the importance of tackling climate change on a united, global scale, saying that any delay in action would hit poor countries and communities hardest. He called for a significant advance at the major summit on climate change in Bali, Indonesia, scheduled for December.
That meeting seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.
The South African President said the starting point for any future regime must be equity, striking a balance between environmental imperatives and ensuring sustainable development.
“Any deal on the ‘fair use of the ecological space’ will have to be balanced by a deal on giving all countries a ‘fair chance in the development space’,” he said.
Mr. Mbeki also called for the rich countries of the North to increase their official development assistance (ODA), investment, trade and technology transfer so that countries of the South can achieve the MDGs.
“As history teaches us, it was because of the massive resource transfers in the aftermath of World War II that Western Europe recovered and was set on its development path. A similar intervention helped put a number of Asian countries on to their own development trajectory.”
“The question we should ask is why is there an absence of the same resolve to assist poor nations today?”
* * *
AT UN DEBATE, EMIR OF QATAR CALLS FOR SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME TO DOHA TRADE TALKS
The Emir of Qatar today called for action to achieve a successful outcome to the Doha round of trade talks during an address today to the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate.
“While we are concerned abut the deadlock in the ongoing consultations on the implementation of the Doha Development Agenda, we hope we would be able to put that phase behind us and that all parties concerned, especially the developed countries, would show enough flexibility to reach mutually beneficial, practical results,” said Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
Turning to regional issues, he said the Security Council, by last month’s resolution 1770 on Iraq, “has partly restored to the United Nations its rightful role in addressing Iraq’s tragedy after it has been proven that it is no longer possible for that matter to remain confined to one State or an alliance of States.”
At the same time, he noted that the current situation in Iraq must be addressed not only by the international community but also the country itself. “The main responsibility rests with the leaders of the Iraqi people, who are primarily responsible for hammering out a formula of national reconciliation that ensures justice, peace and security and preserves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.”
He emphasized that the world’s major conflicts cannot be handled by any one power. “Addressing them should be assigned to the United Nations as it constitutes the political embodiment of the international community’s principles, laws and broad aspirations to peace-building and achieving progress.”
* * *
COUNTRIES SHOULD JOIN KAZAKHSTAN IN RENOUNCING NUCLEAR ARMS, PRESIDENT TELLS UN
The President of Kazakhstan today called on national leaders attending the annual United Nations General Assembly’s high-level debate to follow the example set by his country by renouncing nuclear arms and enjoying the peace dividend that will ensue.
Nursultan A. Nazarbayev told the Assembly that the people of Kazakhstan, having endured over 450 blasts at the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing ground, “have lived through all the horrors of the effects of nuclear explosions.”
In response, the country, after gaining independence, shut down the site and renounced its nuclear arsenal – the fourth largest in the world. “Those steps have shaped the strategy of our State in the area of global security,” he said. As a result, he added, Kazakhstan “has witnessed an inflow of considerable investments.”
The President then posed a question to the assembled leaders: “Why not follow our example instead of wasting astounding amounts on the arms race?”
He said that beyond ethical, economic and other motives, legal barriers are needed to combat stop nuclear proliferation, and toward that end proposed adapting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to today’s realities.
“It should be acknowledged that the NPT has turned into an asymmetric agreement; it provides for sanctions applicable only to non-nuclear States,” he said. “If nuclear powers call for banning the development of nuclear weapons, they themselves should set an example of reduction and renunciation of nuclear arsenals.”
Currently, he observed, “That is not the case.”
* * *
CHILE’S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR UN MEMBER STATES TO ACT TO STEM CLIMATE CHANGE
The President of Chile called for a new global political consensus to deal with climate change, based on a shared but differentiated set of responsibilities and within the framework of the United Nations, during an address to the General Assembly today.
Michelle Bachelet described the impact of climate change on her country, where “the speed with which the glaciers are melting has doubled in the past 10 years.” At the same time, Chile’s southern zones are experiencing a “dangerous depletion of the ozone layer, jeopardizing the health of our citizens.”
The Government has taken steps to mitigate the effects of global warming, she said, calling for stepped-up international action. “There is no time to lose. The effort of consensus that we must make, the effort to enlist the greatest possible support, is comparable only to the effort for peace made on the occasion of the adoption of the San Francisco [UN] Charter six decades ago,” she told the annual high-level debate.
“If we do not act now, the future of all humanity will be endangered,” she warned, arguing for a new “global political consensus to generate collective action capable of solving the problem in accordance with the principle of shared but differentiated responsibility and within the framework of the United Nations.”
While acknowledging that all countries must contribute to this effort, she emphasized that those who “have already polluted and achieved their development” have special responsibilities.
“We ask the developed countries to promise technical and financial assistance to the developing countries that most need help with their efforts to combat climate change.”
She voiced hope for the success of negotiations planned for Bali, Indonesia this December aimed at hammering out a successor pact to the legally binding Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which is set to expire in 2012. “We also hope that the developed countries will make greater commitments regarding mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing.”
In addition, she added, developing countries must undertake “additional emissions reduction actions in the framework of a global effort.”
* * *
UN EXPERT URGES SERBIA TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT, PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
Alarmed at the stigmatization and hostility faced by those working to advance human rights in Serbia, an independent United Nations expert has called on that country’s authorities to give political recognition and legitimacy to human rights defenders and their work.
“This stigmatization of defenders, which portrays them as ‘enemies’ of the country, is not countered by supportive statements of State authorities that would give them legitimacy,” Hina Jilani, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the situation of human rights defenders, said in a statement released in Belgrade, following a visit to the country.
She urged State authorities to firmly condemn attacks and campaigns against the “vibrant and active” human rights community in Serbia and acknowledge the importance of their work.
The Special Representative said a major concern was the hostile attitude against human rights workers, who are constantly under attack, mainly in the media. This animosity appears to be linked to their work on transitional justice and minority rights – issues that she said “some sectors of the political establishment are not willing to address.”
She noted that Serbia is a country in transition, confronted with the challenges coming from its recent past, as well as those linked to the future, including uncertainties regarding the status of Kosovo. “This environment slows down the advancement of the country on many fronts, including and in particular on human rights.”
Ms. Jilani made a similar appeal to the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in a statement released in Skopje following her visit to the country.
While several new laws pertaining to the work of human rights defenders had been adopted since her last visit to the country in 2003, she was not satisfied with their implementation, noting that mechanisms that defenders can use to report cases of non-compliance and protect victims “are still lacking, are insufficient or do not function properly.”
“This has created an environment in which Government responsiveness is limited or absent,” she stated.
Another concern is that human rights defenders do not have access to detention centres and police stations, which seriously impedes their monitoring and protection role.
The reports of Ms. Jilani’s visits will be presented and discussed at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva next March.
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SRI LANKA TELLS UN DEBATE THAT GLOBAL TREATY ON TERRORISM MUST BE AGREED SOON
The negotiation process for a comprehensive global convention against terrorism has taken far too long and needs to wind up, Sri Lanka’s President told the United Nations General Assembly today as he called for greater international vigilance against terrorism and related illegal activities.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing the annual high-level general debate at UN Headquarters in New York, said his country knew first-hand of both the impact of terrorism and the need to act aggressively to deal with the scourge.
“We have become party to 11 of the 13 UN conventions for the suppression of various acts of terrorism,” he said. “We think that the comprehensive convention on international terrorism, which in our view remains a priority, is only limited to endless discussion. I emphasize that we must conclude these negotiations soon.”
Talks among Member States on a draft convention have been progressing at the UN for years, but have stalled on a number of issues, including the precise definition of terrorism.
Mr. Rajapaksa said today that terrorism and related illegal or illicit activities increasingly undermined State sovereignty, civil society and the rule of law.
“We need to be vigilant about these activities. Although the UN system has set up mechanisms to deal with many of these problems, the capacity of the UN to address these challenges effectively has been brought into question.”
The President said Sri Lanka strongly endorsed efforts to strengthen UN mechanisms to counter fund-raising for illegal activities.
“We encourage the Secretary-General to allocate more resources to this area, especially to enhance technical skills in countries which do not have such skills.”
Mr. Rajapaksa devoted some of his address to the conflict between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which he called “a ruthless terrorist group in the north of the country.”
He said Government forces “have freed the Eastern Province from terrorism and restored law and order there,” and now the Government plans to make the province a model for development and rehabilitation.
The President said the military operations had been launched only to convince the LTTE that it would not be possible for them to obtain a military victory, and that “our goal remains a negotiated and honourable end to this unfortunate conflict.”
* * *
GHANA'S LEADER CALLS ON UN TO PREPARE TO STEP UP ITS ROLE IN SOMALIA
The United Nations should expedite its planning for the deployment of a peacekeeping force to replace the existing African Union-led mission in Somalia, given the scale of the troubles faced by the African country, Ghana's President John Kufuor told the General Assembly today.
Speaking before world leaders at the annual high-level general debate, President Kufuor said that while the AU's efforts to bring peace to Somalia deserve commendation, “it cannot be overemphasized that the enormity of the challenges in Somalia go well beyond the capacity of the AU and requires the concerted support of the UN.”
Last month the Security Council voted to extend the mandate of the AU-led mission (known as AMISOM) by six months to February next year, and asked the UN to consult with the AU on what further support – financial, logistical or technical – it could provide to the mission.
President Kufuor today urged the UN to consider seriously that request and to allow AU members such as Ghana, which have pledged to contribute troops, to do so.
He also called on the world body to expedite its contingency planning for a UN replacement force once AMISOM's mandate expires in February.
Somalia has been riven by factional fighting and has had no functioning central government since Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime was toppled in 1991.
The Ghanaian President said that while a resolution to the crisis in Somalia, as well as to the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict and the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire are imperative, just as much attention should be spent on consolidating peace in countries emerging from conflict – such as Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
It was vital to tackle “the root causes of these conflicts, including good governance, respect for the rule of law and human rights” to avoid relapses into violence, he said.
On the economic front, President Kufuor noted that African countries in recent years are posting increasingly impressive rates of growth in their gross domestic product (GDP).
“Africa, contrary to some misconceptions in certain quarters, is not a lost case or cause,” he said, with better macro-management of economies and greater foreign investment.
But he warned world leaders not to be complacent, adding that the income gap between rich and poor nations is widening.
President Kufuor forecast that many African States will not achieve the internationally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which fall due in 2015, unless wealthy countries change global trade rules and honour their commitments to increase official development assistance (ODA) to developing countries.
Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika focused his address on his country's efforts to meet the MDGs, saying there had been steady progress so far and he was confident that most of the eight targets would be met or surpassed by 2015.
The percentage of people living below the poverty line, for example, has fallen from almost 54 per cent in 1998 to 45 per cent last year, he said. Malawi also has a food surplus of at least 1.4 million tons more than its own requirements, allowing it to export food to other southern African nations.
President Mutharika said Malawi had identified six “priorities within priorities” that it believed could pull the country out of the poverty trap: agricultural development and food security, irrigation and water development, transport and communication infrastructure development, energy and power, integrated rural development and the management and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Improving governance was also critical, he said, citing the need to fight corruption, reform the public and private sectors, safeguard human rights and the rule of law and increase social protection for vulnerable groups.
The President of Senegal announced his country's intention to contribute to the new hybrid force that will be deployed by the UN and the African Union in the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan.
Abdoulaye Wade argued in favour of having Africa represented among the permanent members of the Security Council, noting that it is the only continent that at present is not, despite the fact that the large majority of the body's agenda is focused on countries there.
Africa, he said, “is not poor, it has been made poor by a policy that exploited it.” Trade measures would not suffice to end the injustice that has been done; economic measures were also required, he said.
Looking to the summit meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to be held next March in Senegal, he voiced hope that it would foster progress in achieving peace.
Advocating an Islamic-Christian dialogue, he said, “If the leaders of the world meet together and make a real appeal for tolerance for present and future generations, then we will have taken a step forward towards understanding of different religions, which is essential to peace.”
Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos told the Assembly that while Islam can peacefully co-exist in societies with other religious beliefs, “it is necessary to neutralize fanaticism and prevent the Islamization of the State, which is contrary to humanity’s modern legal concept of a secular State.”
Mr. dos Santos stressed the importance of defending cultural diversity and protecting the “values and privileges of the universal culture that are consecrated in conventions, charters and international treaties.”
Ecumenism and dialogue among cultures are avenues for action that can be used for the purposes of bringing together, in peace and solidarity, the dominant religions and all the people of the world, he said.
The President also noted that, “in spite of criticism and of some known failures, the UN remains the only institution at the international level with the prestige and credibility for the resolution of inter-State conflicts and crises that, due to their dimensions, escape the control of the authorities of a State or endanger its population.”
* * *
UN MERCENARY EXPERTS VOICE CONCERN OVER INDISCRIMINATE SHOOTINGS IN IRAQ
The United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries today expressed its concern over the 16 September “indiscriminate” shooting – claiming the lives of more than 10 Iraqi civilians – in a heavily-populated Baghdad neighbourhood involving a foreign private security company.
In a statement, the Working Group, comprising five independent experts serving in their personal capacities, welcomed investigations in progress to bring to light the facts of this and other reported killings of Iraqi civilians by foreign private security company employees.
The experts noted that “in a number of situations of low intensity armed conflict or post-conflict these private security companies have been given immunity through bilateral Government agreements or decrees – immunity which in many cases becomes a sort of impunity.”
Cautioning against the dangers of privatization and the internationalization of the use of violence, the Working Group stressed Member States’ responsibilities under international law to effectively regulate and control the behaviour of private military and security guards.
The military assistance, consultancy and security services offered by private companies at the global level must not violate human rights, the experts said, recommending that the Governments of the countries where these companies are incorporated or registered and the nations where they operate join forces to create mechanisms to control their activities.
Today’s statement also called on States to accede to the International Convention against the Use, Recruitment, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.
The Working Group, which was established in 2005 to monitor the impact of the activities of private military and security companies on the enjoyment of human rights, is led by Chairperson-Rapporteur José Luis Gómez del Prado of Spain. The other experts are: Najat al-Hajjaji of Libya, Amada Benavides de Pérez of Colombia, Alexander Nikitin of the Russian Federation and Shaista Shameem of Fiji.
* * *
FRENCH PRESIDENT URGES UN TO FORGE ‘NEW DEAL’ BASED ON JUSTICE
French President Nicolas Sarkozy today urged national leaders attending the annual high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly to forge a “new deal” that will ensure justice for all.
“What the world needs now is a new state of mind,” President Sarkozy told the Assembly. “We need a genuine, global new deal.”
This must be based on the notion that “the common goods that belong to all of humankind must be the common responsibility of all of us,” he said, appealing to the UN to work to ensure that all people have access to resources, water, energy, food, medicine and knowledge.
“I appeal solemnly to the United Nations to tackle the question of a fairer distribution of profits, of the earnings from commodities and raw materials and the benefits of new technologies,” he said, adding that the UN must also “tackle the issue of introducing more morality into financial capitalism so as to place it more at the service of development.”
The President said justice, globally, requires a State for the Palestinian people, as well as the right of the people of Israel to live in security. “Justice means a return for the Lebanese people to the plentitude of freedom, independence and sovereignty” and for the Iraqi people “reconciliation and democracy.”
Justice, he stressed, “means the same chances of success for each poor child in the world as for each rich one.”
He urged strong action against the proliferation of nuclear arms, referring in particular to Iran. The country, he said, is entitled to nuclear power for civilian purposes. “But,” he added, “if we allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, we would incur unacceptable risk to stability in the region and the world.”
The issue, he said, could only be resolved “by combining firmness with dialogue.”
President Sarkozy called for respect for diversity, national identities, religion, beliefs and cultures. “Attachment to one’s faith, to one’s language and culture, and to one’s way of life, thought and belief – all this is natural, legitimate and profoundly human,” he said. “To deny that is to sow the seeds of humiliation. It stokes the fires of the very nationalism, fanaticism and terrorism we claim to be fighting.”
A “clash of civilizations,” he said, “will not be averted by forcing everyone to think and believe alike; cultural and religious diversity must be accepted everywhere and by all.”
The UN, he said, embodies no one religious belief or ideology. “It embodies what is universal in all ideologies, all religions, all beliefs… which is why it is the only place in the world where all people can speak to one another and understand each other.”
* * *
CONGOLESE RETURNS FROM TANZANIA THREATENED BY LACK OF FOOD – UN REFUGEE AGENCY
Serious food shortages are threatening the voluntary return of Congolese refugees from camps in western Tanzania, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The agency has successfully been assisting refugees return to South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for over two years by ferrying them across Lake Tanganyika from Kigoma in Tanzania to Baraka in the DRC.
But this programme was plunged into uncertainty after an announcement by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) that it does not have sufficient supplies to feed some 16,000 Congolese expected to return to their home country by the end of this year.
“If we do not receive more food, we will be forced to suspend repatriation from Tanzania,” said Magatte Guisse, who heads UNHCR’s office in Baraka, a small DRC town on the western shores of Lake Tanganyika. “”This will be a big blow to what has been a very successful operation.”
In the past two weeks, Congolese repatriating from Tanzania have received only half the rations – including maize, beans, vegetable, oil and salt – generally distributed to refugees upon their arrival in Baraka. Instead of receiving a three-month supply, they are only given enough food to meet needs for six weeks.
Of the 54,000 Congolese who have returned to the DRC via the Kigoma-Baraka route, UNHCR has assisted almost 40,000 of them.
Additionally, WFP cautioned that UNHCR’s repatriation programmes in other regions of the DRC will also be impeded unless more food stocks can be procured. The two agencies are considering diverting food stocks from countries which host Congolese refugees, such as Tanzania and Zambia.
UNHCR said food support is essential for the refugees’ reintegration, as many fled their home country more than a decade ago. While most returning to South Kivu take up farming, they need assistance in feeding their families before their first harvest.
Meanwhile, schools in the Fizi district of South Kivu are overwhelmed by the deluge of pupils enrolling at local schools, due largely to the fact that refugees returning to the area were staying in lowland areas to avoid the violence between Government forces and rebels in other parts of the province.
“Our classes are so crowded that teachers have no room to move about,” said Sumaili Nyongolo, head teacher at Mama Yemo Primary School in Fizi. “Pupils are sitting right under the blackboard.”
Some 16,000 refugees, including 6,400 children, are predicted to return to South Kivu’s Fizi and Uvira districts by the end of this year, and UNHCR fears that some Congolese may delay their repatriation for fear of not getting their children into school in the area.
Humanitarian agencies and Government officials are seeking means to accommodate the surge in the number of schoolchildren by looking into the possibility of double shifts and the construction of additional classrooms and new schools.
In a related development, a senior UN official in the DRC visited Bunia in Ituri province in north-eastern DRC in a bid to end the impasse in the third phase of the disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion (DDR) programme.
While 4,665 combatants registered for the initiative, only 1,331 – including 258 women – have disarmed thus far.
“After all the years of disarmament, it must now be completed,” Ross Mountain, the Secretary-General Deputy Special Representative, told the leaders of three armed groups participating in the programme. “Plans for stabilization and the revival of the economy are ready, and Ituri could be a beacon of development in the DRC,” he said, stressing the programme’s impending deadline on 30 September.
* * *
WITH TYPHOON COMPOUNDING FLOOD DAMAGE IN DPR KOREA, UN STEPS UP RELIEF
With rainstorms and strong winds from last week’s Typhoon Wipha compounding the woes of hundreds of thousands of North Koreans already suffering from August’s floods, United Nations agencies are pre-positioning food for a new distribution and appealing to donors to make up a huge funding shortfall.
The floods are reported to have affected close to 1 million people and displaced nearly 170,000 across flood-affected provinces in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), killing 454 people with 156 still missing and over 4,351 injured.
The DPRK’s Central Bureau of Statistics reports that some 40,463 houses were destroyed, 133,732 houses submerged and 67,056 badly damaged. In addition, over 8,000 public buildings were destroyed or badly damaged, including thousands of schools and hospitals. At least 10 per cent of the total agricultural land was also inundated.
Last month’s UN Flash Appeal for $14.1 million currently stands at 12 per cent funding, with just $1.71 million contributed. A further $4.78 million has been pledged. “Donors are encouraged to convert their pledges into contributions as soon as possible,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update.
Resident UN Agencies and partners continue to expedite aid delivery and close collaboration with the DPRK Government and local communities continues to be strengthened through regular assessments, OCHA reported.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has finalized details with the Ministry of City Management on a rapid two-week assessment of pumping stations cover 20 affected counties and some 70 per cent of those displaced.
The Agency is also working closely with the Ministry of Education to provide emergency school supplies, as well as furniture and stationary to the worst damaged schools. Concerns are turning to repairing schools in time for the winter, as some classes are still being held in the open air.
Having completed the first round of emergency food distribution and undertaking monitoring missions to more than half their recipient counties, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is now pre-positioning stocks for a second round of distribution scheduled to start mid-October.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the Health Ministry to improve the quality and expedite analysis of disease surveillance, while the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is distributing emergency kits for family planning and safe and clean delivery for 300,000 displaced persons.
* * *
UN-BACKED FOOD FORTIFICATION PROGRAMME TO BENEFIT MILLIONS OF EGYPTIANS
Millions of Egyptians are expected to benefit from a new United Nations-backed nutrition programme to cut widespread anaemia, estimated to afflict 60 per cent of the population in the most impoverished parts of the country, damaging maternal and infant health.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), created at a special UN session for children in 2002, has committed $3 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to work with the Egyptian Government on the fortification of wheat flour with folic acid and iron, two essential nutrients for reducing anaemia.
The wheat flour is widely used in Egypt to make the very popular baladi bread.
The Government has allocated $20 million to the five-year project. The GAIN contribution will enable WFP to purchase fortification equipment and nutrients for the first phase of the programme, and to help raise public awareness about proper nutrition and the health benefits of consuming fortified bread.
“WFP has a long history of providing food assistance to food-insecure communities in Egypt and improving their nutritional status continues to be one of our key objectives,” WFP Country Director Bishow Parajuli said.
* * *
MOST SEVERE DROUGHT IN MEMORY DRASTICALLY REDUCES CROPS IN MOLDOVA, UN REPORTS
The most severe drought in living memory has drastically reduced crops in Moldova, driving up food prices and cutting access for poor households, according to a new United Nations report issued today.
“Reduced yields not only affected overall production, but drastically reduced returns on leased land and on labour, hitting small farmers, who usually receive in-kind payments of wheat, corn and oil, particularly hard,” UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global Information and Early Warning System Chief Henri Josserand said.
The small Eastern European country with a population of about 4.5 million, has recorded nine significant dry periods or droughts since 1990 and this year’s drought can be compared with that of 1946, during which many Moldovans starved to death, according to the joint report by the FAO and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
A FAO/WFP mission observed that many lakes and rivers, usually full to capacity at this time of year, were dry and the water table in some areas had receded by almost two metres. “Moldova’s 2007 drought has been the most severe in living memory and represents the extreme manifestation of a trend towards drier weather conditions in the country,” Mr. Josserand said.
Household production from home gardens, a mainstay of food for most rural families, which comprise 70 percent of the population, is down sharply, the report said. Lack of pasture and fodder, and the need to purchase increasingly expensive food have forced the majority of households to sell a substantial share of their livestock, a key component of household financial and food security.
While lending to Moldova’s agricultural sector is relatively small, debt outstanding is on the order of $30.5 million for small farms and farmers’ associations, and over $100 million for private agricultural enterprises. Unless these loans are re-scheduled, the report predicts that the current failed cropping season may be followed by a delayed or sharply curtailed one due to producers’ inability to afford inputs.
“Government-funded social assistance programmes, such as allowances to vulnerable groups, expanded school canteen programmes and cash-for-public-work programmes, urgently need to be stepped up,” WFP Regional Assessment Officer Asif Niazi said, pledging technical support to the government from its regional office in Cairo as WFP does not have an office in Moldova.
Among its recommendations, the report urged provision of agricultural inputs for October planting, subsidies for livestock feed to prevent further sell-off of animals, and relief on land taxes and essential food import duties. Given the prevalence of anaemia in the country, it said that imported wheat should be fortified.
Medium-term measures should consist of rebuilding the national herd, improved seed production, and appropriate crop mix and water resources for home gardens, while the longer term will require a more sustainable strategy for the agricultural sector, and greater and less expensive access to credit and agricultural insurance, including weather-indexed risk management instruments.
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FUNDING SHORTFALL THREATENS UN AID IN SUDAN’S STRIFE-TORN DARFUR REGION
A shortfall of over $7 million is imperilling United Nations efforts to aid some of the more than 2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and thousands of Chadian refugees in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region.
“We fear we may be compelled to scale down our existing operations in West Darfur if we do not receive additional funding very soon,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva today.
The UNHCR operation in Darfur is facing a shortfall of $7.1 million out of a required 2007 budget $19.7 million.
“We are seriously concerned that the lack of funding will soon have a direct impact on our operation,” Ms. Pagonis said, noting that the number of Chadian refugees continues to rise. “We are already facing difficulties in paying staff salaries for next month,” she added.
UNHCR has been present in Darfur since June 2004 both in West Darfur and South Darfur, focusing mainly on protection and humanitarian aid for IDPs, including the promotion of access to legal redress, providing relief items to vulnerable people, strengthening basic services, including wells, schools and health centres, and efforts to avoid further displacement through small-scale rehabilitation projects.
“Our regular monitoring in areas of displacement also contributes to establishing a safer environment. All of these activities could be curtailed if our funding situation does not improve,” Ms. Pagonis said.
“Meanwhile, we remain extremely concerned that there is still no major improvement in the security situation,” she added, citing new displacement due to renewed in the region where more than 200,000 people have been killed and over 2 million others forced to flee their homes in four years of fighting between Sudanese Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups.
Most of the camps in the El Geneina and Zalingei areas of West Darfur have reached maximum capacity. With continuing arrivals, there will soon be a need to create new sites. An estimated 250,000 people have been newly displaced this year due to the ongoing violence.
UNHCR is also responsible for 30,000 Chadian and Central African refugees in West Darfur. The number of refugees has steadily increased during the year, a trend that is likely to continue if the security situation fails to improve in those two countries.
Because of the volatile security situation, many aid workers must travel by helicopter to reach IDPs as roads are too unsafe. When travelling by road, staff must be escorted by African Union forces. So far this year, 77 aid workers have been abducted and nearly 70 humanitarian vehicles hijacked.
“Despite all these constraints, assistance to the displaced remains fundamental for UNHCR and humanitarian agencies,” Ms. Pagonis said. “We appeal to donors to quickly provide contributions so we can continue our work.”
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PRESIDENT LULA OF BRAZIL PROPOSES ‘RIO + 20’ TO FOLLOW ON EARTH SUMMIT
Standing before the United Nations General Assembly one day after an historic meeting on climate change, the President of Brazil today proposed convening in 2012 a summit on the environment in Rio, exactly two decades after the landmark international conference met there to produce the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“I propose that we hold a new conference, in 2012, to be hosted by Brazil: the Rio + 20 Conference,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told the Assembly’s annual high-level debate. The year 2012 is also when the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC, which contains legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is set to expire.
He emphasized the need to reorder international priorities in favour of social justice. “If we want to salvage our common heritage, a new and more balanced distribution of wealth is needed, both internationally and within each country. Social equity is our best weapon against the p***t’s degradation,” he said.
“It is unacceptable that the cost of the irresponsibility of a privileged few be shouldered by the dispossessed of the earth,” declared President Lula, calling for industrialized countries to “set the example,” while emphasizing that “developing countries must also help in combating climate change.”
Brazil, for its part, would work to protect the Amazon, he said, noting that the rate of deforestation there has been cut in half in the past three years.
President Lula also advocated the use of bio-fuels as a “clean energy alternative” and pledged that Brazil’s bio-fuels “will reach the world market with a seal of assurance for their social, labour and environmental quality.”
On his signature issue of combating hunger, President Lula called for stepped-up global efforts to reduce inequality. “The final defeat of poverty, however, demands more than international solidarity,” he said, calling for new international trade relations based on balanced and fair rules.
“Farm subsidies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer are no longer acceptable,” he said. “We cannot accept agricultural protectionism that perpetuates dependency and underdevelopment.”
Voicing his confidence in the tool of multilateral diplomacy, President Lula noted Brazil’s support for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
“In Haiti, we are showing that peace and stability are built with democracy and social development,” he said.
Martin Torrijos, the President of Panama, voiced support for a renewal of MINUSTAH, but pointed out that further efforts are needed. “It is essential that the mandate not end before institutions in the country have been strengthened.”
He told the Assembly that the structure of the UN must be strengthened, noting that the number and quality of peacekeeping operations had increased in recent years. To ensure that countries do not slide back into war, these missions must cover a broader range of activities.
“Reaching a lasting peace means more than simply laying down weapons,” he said, stressing that legal and political institutions must be rebuilt, and human rights must be respected.
He also voiced support for the conclusion of a comprehensive convention to combat terrorism, highlighting Panama’s lead role in diplomatic efforts on the issue.
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MILLIONS OF STATELESS PEOPLE TO BENEFIT FROM RECENT BREAKTHROUGHS, SAYS UN AGENCY
The United Nations refugee agency has welcomed as “major breakthroughs” recent decisions by Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka to grant citizenship to some three million people who live in the three Asian nations without any official identity.
“There has been a succession of positive developments in recent months concerning several groups of stateless people across the world – following many years of stagnation,” Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), announced today at a press briefing in Geneva.
The refugee agency, which also has a mandate for stateless people – those who for a variety of reasons do not have nationality or citizenship in the state where they are living, or anywhere else – believes there are as many as 15 million stateless people worldwide in at least 49 countries.
Among the recent developments is the decision of the Bangladeshi Government to confirm citizenship for at least 160,000 of the country's 300,000 Urdu-speaking population, also known as Biharis, who became stateless following the separation of Pakistan from India in 1947 and the subsequent civil war that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Earlier this year in Nepal, some 2.6 million people received certificates of citizenship. Hundreds of mobile teams fanned out across Nepal's 75 districts, visiting even the most remote mountain villages, to ensure that certificates were issued to as many of the country's inhabitants as possible.
This followed an earlier campaign in Sri Lanka, where more than 190,000 people obtained citizenship over a 10-day period, after a change in the law that benefited the stateless descendants of tea pickers who had been brought to the country from British India nearly two centuries earlier.
Ms. Pagonis also noted movement on the issue in South America and Europe. Last Thursday, Brazil's Congress passed an important constitutional amendment granting nationality to children born to a Brazilian parent living abroad. Previously such children risked ending up stateless, and it is estimated that up to 200,000 children could benefit from this development.
Despite the recent advances, she noted that millions of others remain without an official identity, “living in the Kafkaesque world of the stateless.”
“In many cases they are unable to educate their children, benefit from government healthcare, get a legal job, travel abroad – or do any of a wide range of things which most of us take for granted,” she stated.
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UN APPEALS TO AID MORE THAN 1 MILLION AFRICAN FLOOD VICTIMS FALL ON DEAF EARS
Despite urgent appeals United Nations agencies are facing a huge shortfall in funding to help well over a million flood victims across a wide swath of sub-Saharan Africa, from Ghana in the West to Ethiopia in the east, as they face food shortages, loss of crops and even the dangers of landmines from recent conflicts dislodged by the raging waters.
Of nearly $85 million sought recently for just Uganda and Sudan, only about $1 million has been forthcoming.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) voiced deep concern over the situation of some 300,000 people in northern Uganda, the vast majority of them women and children, hit by the worst floods the country has known in decades.
The impact has been exacerbated by the conflict with rebels in the north and the fact that most families are experiencing displacement for the second time, UNICEF spokesperson Veronique Taveau told a news briefing in Geneva.
Some 200,000 people are estimated to be in need of emergency shelter, and an emergency vaccination campaign as well as the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets is already under way to try and head off a malaria outbreak. UNICEF is urgently appealing for $7.2 million to continue its aid programme for the most vulnerable, women and children.
UN World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson Christiane Berthiaume told the briefing that despite transportation difficulties, the agency had already managed to distribute 1,051 tons of food to 64,328 people in Uganda, either by truck or helicopter. With more rains forecast for October, WFP sees no alternative to airlifting food to some locations.
Ms. Berthiaume repeated the appeal the agency made last week for $64.4 million to feed not only the 300,000 flood victims, but also the 1.4 million refugees and displaced persons in Uganda. So far, no funds had been received for this operation.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Elizabeth Byrs said that in West Africa, as of today, some 609,000 persons had been affected by flooding in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
In Niger, OCHA’s greatest concern is the fact that the heavy rains have displaced landmines, and the risk of hitting them at any time and in any place is very high, Ms. Byrs warned. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is to make a rapid preliminary assessment of the landmine risk.
WFP, the Red Cross and the Government have provided over 1,000 metric tons of food for the nearly 50,000 flood victims in Niger, but while food aid has been assured for current and arising needs, there is a need for blankets and mosquito nets.
In Ethiopia, new flooding has been reported since the first week of September, Ms. Byrs said. Nationwide, 226,000 people are estimated to have been affected, some 5,630 hectares of crops have been destroyed and grazing lands have been inundated. The risk of additional flooding and displacement is high in the flood-prone areas as the water level is rising daily, she warned.
In Sudan, Ms. Berthiaume said WFP would be dropping food supplies to nearly 44,000 flood victims in three states in the south that were inaccessible by road. That was in addition to the food WFP has been distributing to 90,000 flood victims in other areas in the south and east.
Distribution of food to the Lakes, Jonglei and Upper Nile states is to begin in October and continue for one month. There are plans to airdrop 1,400 tons of food and ferry another 264 tons down the Nile.
The floods in Sudan, which have killed 113 people, have affected nearly half a million others, and 200,000 people are now without shelter. An inter-agency appeal for $20.2 million for flood victims in Sudan was launched in mid-August but has so far received only $1 million.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT URGES SUSTAINED MOMENTUM ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The President of the United Nations General Assembly today opened its annual high-level debate with a call for action to sustain the international momentum generated by yesterday’s high-level meeting on addressing the problem of climate change.
“Climate change and its dramatic effects are increasingly visible and increasingly violent. The irony is that those least responsible for it will suffer most. Yesterday, many of you reaffirmed this, and sent a strong political message that the time for action had come,” General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said, urging countries to build on Monday’s historic gathering on climate change.
Convened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to jumpstart international action on the issue, the daylong event attracted the participation of top officials from over 150 nations, including 80 heads of State or government.
The President stressed the need to map out a way forward. “First we need to take stock – to outline the instruments we have and structures necessary to address climate change; then a clear vision of the way forward; and, finally a strategy to get us there together.”
In addition to climate change, the President restated his key priorities for the current session, including financing for development; the global antipoverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); countering terrorism; and renewing the management, effectiveness and coherence of this organization, including Security Council reform.
“Modernizing our management and implementing greater coherence across the system will enable this organization to deliver better results on all the priorities I have outlined,” he said, calling on all present to support the Secretary-General’s efforts to make the UN more effective.
“Together, dealing systematically with substance, the General Assembly can demonstrate its global leadership on these important issues. To revitalize this ‘house’ is also to renew our faith in each other, and this Organization’s cherished values,” he said.
President Kerim also pointed to a change in global dynamics. “The basic values, norms and principles of international relations world are undergoing a profound transition,” he said. Noting disparities in wealth and education, he emphasized the need to “move the world towards a sense of genuine belonging, shared opportunity and responsibility.”
The General Assembly leader also urged action to address key global hotspots, calling on those present to “use all the opportunities presented to us during the course of this session to advance towards durable peace, especially in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur.”
The General Assembly “should be more of a dialogue, not a monologue; more engaging and insightful,” he said, urging a focus on results based on a “spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.”
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