by UN Tribune

New York City Expected to Adopt CEDAW Legislation in June

Feb. 17, 2015 – As the sixtieth session of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women opens in Geneva, the treaty is expected to get a boost in coming months when mayors from several US cities are expected to sign legislation to implement CEDAW at the municipal level.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was one of 100 mayors that signed on to a resolution at the US conference of mayors last year to enforce CEDAW at the municipal level and he is expected to implement the resolution in June.

The US is one of seven UN member states that have not ratified the 1979 convention, one of nine core human rights treaties, with both Republican and Democrat-majority senates rejecting the convention in part because of what they view as its pro-abortion agenda.

The convention makes no mention of abortion and countries that restrict or prohibit abortion, such as Chile, Ireland and Portugal, have ratified the treaty.

To circumvent the senate’s unwillingness to ratify CEDAW (the US signed the treaty in 1980), the Cites for CEDAW campaign was launched to push cities to pass laws to eliminate discrimination based on gender.

San Francisco and Los Angeles are currently the only two US cities to have passed ordinance to comply with CEDAW, which has been described as an international bill of rights for women.

During its sessions, the CEDAW committee, made up of 23 elected members, receive and review reports from states that have ratified the treaty and then issue recommendations. Some statements by the committee have caused controversy such as one in its 2000 review of Belarus when it said that, “The Committee is concerned by the continuing prevalence of sex-role stereotypes and by the reintroduction of such symbols as a Mothers’ Day and a Mothers’ Award, which it sees as encouraging women’s traditional roles.”

Besides the US, the other UN member states that have not ratified CEDAW are Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Tonga. The Holy See, a non-member observer state also has not ratified the treaty while Palestine, also a non-member observer state, became the last country to ratify the treaty in April 2014.

Of the nine core human rights treaties, the US has ratified three: the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

02.10.15

by UN Tribune

US, France, UK Tops for UN Secretariat Staff

Feb. 10, 2015 – Ban Ki-moon’s imminent announcement of a replacement for Valerie Amos as head of OCHA has put UN hiring in the spotlight with the United Nations chief under pressure to make the appointment based on merit.

In reality, the UN Secretariat is a political battleground where, as described in Thant Myint-U and Amy Scott’s definitive The UN Secretariat: A Brief History (1945-2006), “the UN’s member states compete for power and influence and attempt to diminish the power and influence of others.”

The most recent Composition of the Secretariat report illustrates how political power and financial contributions impact hiring with just three of the 193 UN member states – the United States (2,611), France (1,484) and the UK (931) – accounting for almost 15 percent of the 41,426 Secretariat staff .

The Secretariat, which the UN Charter says “shall be comprised of a Secretary-General and such staff as the organization may require” essentially implements the resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council, including managing peacekeeping operations, and also includes OCHA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It does not include specialized agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP and WHO.

Although US nationals contribute the most Secretariat staff, the Composition of the Secretariat report, which covers July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, says that it is under-represented in staff numbers but France and the UK are over-represented.

The US is the largest contributor to the UN’s regular budget, accounting for 22 percent, or $655 million annually, whereas France provides 5.5 percent, $151 million, making it the fourth biggest contributor, while the UK, at 5.1 percent, or $140 million, is fifth.

Japan is the second biggest financial contributor to the regular budget, assessed at 10 percent, or $293 million, yet only 255 Secretariat staff are Japanese. Germany is the third biggest contributor, assessed at 7 percent, $193 million. There are 516 German nationals working for the Secretariat.

China and Russia account for 5 percent and 2.4 percent of the regular budget, contributing $139 million and $66 million respectively, and there are 450 Chinese nationals and 562 Russians working for the Secretariat.

Amos is the first female head of OCHA and Ban is under pressure from civil-society groups to improve the UN’s poor record on appointing women to senior posts. According to the Composition of the Secretariat report, only 19 of the 75 undersecretaries-general and just 16 of the 64 assistant secretaries-general are women.

UN Tourism Conference Held In Cambodia Where Children are Sold to Vacationers

Feb. 9, 2015 – A first-ever world tourism and culture conference was held in Cambodia last week as that same country’s record on protecting children came under review by the Child Rights Committee in Geneva.

The conference, organized by the UN World Tourism Organization and UNESCO, concluded on Friday – a day after the UN committee released a blistering report on Cambodia’s compliance with the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

In its report on Thursday, the committee said it “deeply regrets that preventive measures regarding offenses prohibited by the Optional Protocol remain inadequate and fragmentary.”

In particular, the committee said they were concerned about “orphanage tourism, which seems to be a growing phenomenon where children in institutions and orphanages are being exposed to sexual exploitation by foreigners, such as tourists and volunteer workers.”

It also asked the government of Cambodia to revise its laws by “defining and criminalizing all forms of sale of children and child pornography.”

An estimated one-third of prostitutes in Cambodia are under the age of 18 and the country’s laws do not specifically define or prohibit the prostitution of children.

The committee asked Cambodia’s government to push its tourism agencies and travel agents to sign up the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism published by the UNWTO – the same agency that held its inaugural tourism and culture conference in Cambodia last week.

Some 37 percent of the victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in Cambodia are children, according to UNICEF, and up to 30 percent of boys and girls reported experiencing forced sex in their lifetimes.

The UNWTO/UNESCO tourism conference made no note of child sex tourism in its press release following the conference’s conclusion but on Monday it was announced that Carol Bellamy, a former executive-director of UNICEF and New York City councilwoman, had been appointed as chair of the UNWTO child protection network.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

02.06.15

by UN Tribune

US Senators Urge Funding for UNFPA as Republicans Hold Purse Strings

Feb. 6, 2015 – A group of US senators is urging President Obama to continue funding the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) as the threat of Republican-controlled legislatures pulling funds for the agency looms.

The Republican Party won significant gains in the house and senate in the midterm elections and US funding for UN climate and population programs are under threat. Under President George W. Bush, the US withheld funds for the UNFPA claiming in part that the agency supported Chinese government programs which include forced abortions and coercive sterilizations.

The 22 senators, including Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein and Kirsten Gillibrand, in a Jan. 27 letter, wrote that “U.S. funding for UNFPA supports a range of global activities including the provision of voluntary family planning information, education and services, training and deployment of skilled birth attendants and midwives, and work to help end the harmful practices of female genital mutilation and child marriage.”

“We are disappointed that despite UNFPA’s critical work around the world, a number of misperceptions about the organization persist,” the letter added.

On its website, the UNFPA says it “does not promote abortion as a family planning method.”

The US has contributed some $30 million annually to the agency under the Obama administration. From 2001-2008, a total of $244 million in Congressionally approved funding was blocked by the Executive Branch.

The UNFPA receives some $450 million yearly with Sweden ($66M), Norway ($59M), the Netherlands ($49M) and Denmark ($44M) the top donors.

Since the Helms amendment to the foreign aid package in 1973, US foreign aid is prohibited from being used to pay for abortion as a method of family planning “or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions.”

The senators conclude their letter by saying, “support for UNFPA is cost-effective, saves lives and supports our broader diplomatic, development and national security priorities.”

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

02.04.15

by UN Tribune

UNDP Inks Agreement With Controversial John McCain Institute

Feb. 4, 2015 – The United Nations Development Program has signed a formal agreement with the controversial International Republican Institute (IRI) whose chairman since 1993 is John McCain. The IRI is considered by many as the foreign policy wing of the Republican Party.

It was established by former United States president Ronald Regan in 1983 as a response to a ban by previous president Jimmy Carter on CIA funding of individuals, political parties and non-governmental organizations favorable to US interests.

The mission of the IRI, which is funded by the US Congress, is to promote democracy and freedom and it is primarily involved in supporting and monitoring elections but it has also been accused of undermining democracy in Haiti, Venezuela and Honduras.

The UNDP said the memorandum of understanding it signed with the IRI on Tuesday “will strengthen the partnership and facilitate better coordination between UNDP and IRI in assisting countries to strengthen democratic governance systems and processes and achieve peaceful settlement of disputes.”

The UNDP is the development-arm of the United Nations and has an annual budget of some $5 billion. Its current administrator is former New Zealand PM Helen Clark. Clark is tipped as a potential next UN secretary-general and, if she decides to announce her candidacy, will need the support of the Republican-controlled US Congress to get the post. The United States, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has a veto on the secretary-general nomination.

Republicans have called for cuts in US support to the United Nations and its specialized agencies and last month a Republican senator, Rand Paul, said he would be “happy to dissolve” the UN.

The IRI’s current president, Mark Green, is a former congressman from Wisconsin. He supported a number of votes when in congress to decrease funding for the United Nations.

-Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

01.28.15

by UN Tribune

UN Peacekeeper Killed Amid Israel – Hezbollah Tension

Corporal Francisco Javier Soria Toledo, 36, was mortally wounded on Wednesday while serving with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. (photo: UN/Spain)

Jan 28, 2015 – A Spanish peacekeeper serving with the UN force in Lebanon was killed on Wednesday after Israel responded to an attack by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

“Corporal Francisco Javier Soria Toledo died this morning during incidents between Hezbollah and the Israeli army in the area of responsibility of the Spanish contingent,” Spain’s UN mission said in a statement. “Corporal Cordoba was serving in the 4-28 position in the vicinity of Al Ghajar village.” [see map of UNIFIL deployment]

The Security Council was meeting behind closed doors at 4pm ET to discuss the incident. Spain is currently a non-permanent member of the Council, beginning its two-year term on Jan 1 this year.

There are some 10,000 troops from 36 countries serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. Corporal Toledo, who was married, was serving his second tour of duty with UNIFIL, having deployed in November. He is the 308th peacekeeping fatality for the mission since its formation in 1978.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed earlier when Hezbollah fired on an Israel army convoy in the Shebba farms area along Israel, Syria and Lebanese borders.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

01.26.15

by UN Tribune

Rwanda and Yemen Among Eight Countries to Lose UNGA Voting Rights

Jan. 26, 2015 – Rwanda and Yemen are among eight countries to have their General Assembly voting rights suspended over non-payment of dues.

These countries have fallen foul of Article 19 of the UN Charter, which states that countries will lose their UNGA vote if their “arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years.”

Rwanda completed a two-year stint on the Security Council on Dec. 31, 2014. It is the fifth biggest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.

Minimum payments of $69,948 from Yemen and $7,636 from Rwanda are required to get their voting privileges back, according to a letter from Ban Ki-moon to the president of the General Assembly. Liberia is also listed in Ban’s letter but he has since informed the GA that Monrovia has made the necessary payment.

Macedonia is also among the countries currently without a General Assembly vote. It will have to make a minimum payment of $24,606.

In total, 12 countries are not in compliance with Article 19, but four of those, including Guinea-Bissau and Somalia, can still vote as the GA decided that inability to pay is beyond their control.

The eight countries currently without a vote in the General Assembly:

1. Yemen
2. Grenada
3. Kyrgyzstan
4. Marshall Islands
5. Rwanda
6. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
7. Tonga
8. Vanuatu

Rwanda has been assessed dues of $54, 271 for 2015 while Yemen’s dues are $271,357 for the year.

UPDATE Jan. 28: Following publication of this story, Rwanda has since made the necessary payment to restore its UNGA vote, a representative of the committee on contributions has informed UN Tribune.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

Image/UN Photo

01.21.15

by UN Tribune

Pope Francis’s Sept. UN Visit Will be Fourth by a Pontiff

Jan. 21, 2015 – Pope Francis’s visit to the United Nations in September will be the fourth by a pontiff and comes fifty years after Paul VI became the first pope to address the UN General Assembly.

The Catholic News Agency reported on Sunday that Francis will visit the UN on September 25 and address the assembly.

Sept. 25 is also the opening day of the high-level summit on the post-2015 development agenda when world leaders will agree on goals to replace the MDGs.

The pope is likely to address poverty, the plight of refugees, the persecution of Christians, climate change and religious freedom in his speech before the 193-member assembly. It is not yet clear if he will address the post-2015 summit.

The Vatican, or Holy See as it is know diplomatically, is a non-member observer state of the United Nations, joining the organization in 1964.

The following year, Paul VI became the first pontiff to address the assembly where he called for an end to war. John Paul II visited the UN twice, in 1979 and 1995. In the latter visit he spoke of the growth of unhealthy forms of nationalism. Benedict XVI’s speech in 2008 praised the UN as a defender of human rights but said those rights come from God and no government or religion has a right to limit human rights.

The Vatican’s cachet in diplomatic circles has increased in recent weeks after the White House said that it was instrumental in bringing to a close the 40-year US embargo of Cuba. Pope Francis was the only world leader mentioned by US President Barack Obama in his state of the union address on Tuesday.

Francis will come to New York from DC where he will address a joint session of Congress. From New York, he will travel to Philadelphia.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

01.20.15

by UN Tribune

Four Insiders Who Could Succeed Valerie Amos as OCHA Head

Jan. 20, 2015 – It’s rare that a top United Nations post goes to someone already working for the organization as headline jobs are doled out as political favors to the permanent five members of the Security Council as well as top donors such as Germany, Sweden, Japan and Norway.

But there is precedent, not least in the case of Kofi Annan who started his career as a staffer with the World Health Organization, later becoming head of peacekeeping, until his appointment as secretary-general in 1997.

With Ban Ki-moon under pressure from aid groups not to succumb to political pressure and appoint David Cameron’s preferred candidate, Andrew Lansley, to succeed Valerie Amos as head of OCHA, he could do worse than look for potential replacements inside his own ranks.

Here are four candidates that fit the bill to succeed Amos as the world’s top humanitarian aid official.

1. David Nabarro

Nabarro is currently managing the UN’s response to the Ebola outbreak. A native of the UK and a medical doctor, he had stints with the British National Health Service, Save the Children and the the British government’s Overseas Development Assistance program before joining WHO in 1999. His UN experience includes serving in Iraq, where he survived the Canal Hotel bombing in 2003; coordinating the health response to the 2004 Tsunami; coordinating the UN response to the Avian flu outbreak; and coordinating the UN system’s task-force on global food security. That he is British may well make him a good choice for a compromise candidate if it comes down to a political appointment versus appointment on competence.

2. Philippe Lazzarini

Screen Shot 2015-01-20 at 20.13.45
Lazzarini, a Swiss native, is currently the UN’s deputy special representative and humanitarian coordinator in Somalia. He previously held senior positions with OCHA, serving in Angola and Iraq as well as Somalia and the Palestinian territories. Prior to coming to the UN, Lazzarini worked for the ICRC, with postings to Amman, Angola, Beirut, Bosnia, Gaza, Rwanda and Sudan.

3. Amina Mohammed

Mohammed is currently Ban Ki-moon’s special adviser on post-2015 development planning. She worked for the Nigerian government throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, serving under three presidents, including as an adviser on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In the early 2000s, she headed up the Task Force on Gender and Education for the UN Millennium Project.

4. John Ging

Ging is currently OCHA’s head of operations. A former officer in the Irish army, he served three tours of duty as a UN peacekeeper. He later worked with the aid agency GOAL in Rwanda, DRC and Tanzania following the Rwandan genocide. He has also worked with the OSCE in Bosnia and served as head of the UN mission in Kosovo in 2005. He worked for UNRWA as head of operations in Gaza from 2006 – 2011, a period which coincided with Israel’s 2008/09 offensive.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

01.13.15

by UN Tribune

Foreign Min of New UNSC Member Spain is Visiting Gaza

Jan. 13, 2015 – Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Garcia-Margallo has arrived in Gaza as part of a Middle East tour that also saw him visit Jordan, a fellow non-permanent Security Council member.

Garcia-Margallo arrived in Gaza from the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing after visits to Amman and Ramallah. He was to be accompanied by the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, according to the Spanish foreign ministry.

Spain began a two-year term on the Security Council on Jan. 1, winning one of the two available seats in the Western Europe & Others Group vacated by Australia and Luxembourg.

The Spanish parliament on Nov. 18, in a non-binding vote, called for recognizing Palestine as a state.

A Security Council resolution that calls for Israel’s withdrawal from territory it occupied since 1967 is expected to put to a vote sometime early this year, after the same measure was defeated in a 8-2-5 vote on Dec. 30 last year.

Garcia-Margallo is expected to visit areas devastated by this past summer’s war during his visit to Gaza. In Ramallah, he signed a cooperation agreement with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Al-Malaki, which sees Spain donate $33 million to the Palestinian Authority for 2015-17.

He will hold meetings with Israeli officials on Wednesday.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

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