01.17.13
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UN ‘Regret’ Over Serbian War Song Played at UNGA Concert

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Ban Ki-moon and Vuk Jeremic at Monday’s Concert (source: Blic)

Jan. 17, 2013 – The United Nations has expressed regret that a Serbian war song was sung at a concert held in the General Assembly hall on Monday.

The event, commemorating the Julian New Year and Serbia’s presidency of the General Assembly, was attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic, who is Serbia’s former foreign minister.

For the final performance, the Viva Vox choir sung “March on the River Drina,” a patriotic song that recalls a World War 1 battle between Serb and Austro-Hungarian forces on the river Drina, which runs through the Bosnia-Serbia border. The song later became an anthem for ultra-nationalist Serb forces.

A protest letter sent to Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday states that, ”The genocide that occurred in Srebrenica and Zepa, and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was conducted by Serbian aggressors while blasting this song as they raped, murdered, and ethnically cleansed the non-Serb population.”*

On Thursday, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said: “We are aware that some people were offended by the encore song at the concert held at the General Assembly on Monday and we sincerely regret that people were offended by this song which was not listed in the official program. The Secretary-General was obviously not aware what this song was about or the use that was made of it in the past.”

At the closing of Monday’s performance, Jeremic dedicated the concert to all those who dream of world peace.

A war song seems an unusual tribute to world peace. 

– Denis Fitzgerald

* “The women knew the rapes would begin when ‘Mars na Drinu’ played over the loudspeaker of the main mosque… While ‘Mars na Drinu’ was playing, the women were ordered to strip and soldiers entered the homes, taking away the ones they wanted. The ages of women taken ranged from 12 to 60. Frequently the soldiers would seek out mother and daughter combinations.” source: “Seventh Report on War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia: Part II” US submission of information to the United Nations Security Council. 1993.

01.16.13
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UN Condemns Attack on Aleppo University

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More than 60,000 people have been killed in the past 22 months in Syria, according to the UN Human Rights Office 

Jan. 16, 2013 – Tuesday’s attack on the University of Aleppo has been condemned by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who said deliberately targeting civilians or civilian institutions is a war crime.

Two explosions struck the university – one of Syria’s biggest – on the first day of exams, reportedly killing more than 80 people, and injuring 160.

“The secretary-general strongly condemns the appalling attack at Aleppo University yesterday, in which scores of people have been reported killed and wounded,” Ban’s office said in a statement Wednesday.

“Deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian targets constitutes a war crime. Such heinous attacks are unacceptable and must stop immediately,” the statement said.  “All combatting parties in Syria must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

Ban called “for a reflection by all Syrians about the degradation of a conflict that is tearing their nation apart, and stresses the urgent need for a peaceful political solution that ends the violence and meets the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people.”

The head of UNESCO has also condemned the attack.

“It is truly shocking and distressing to see so many young people dedicated to pursuing their education in the midst of strife lose their life to senseless violence,” Director-General Irina Bokova said Wednesday. “This is a dark day indeed for the entire country.” 

Aleppo University is Syria’s oldest institution of science and technology. The university has about 60,000 students. Tuesday’s explosions reportedly struck an area between the university’s halls of residence and the architecture faculty.

– Denis Fitzgerald 

01.14.13
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57 Countries Urge UN Security Council to Refer Syria to ICC

Jan. 14, 2013 – Switzerland, on behalf of 57 countries, on Monday sent a letter to the president of the Security Council urging the 15-nation body to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Among the signers of the letter were permanent Council members Britain and France as well as non-permanent members Australia, Luxembourg and South Korea. 

Libya and Tunisia were the only Arab countries to sign the letter.

China and Russia, not surprisingly, did not sign on to the letter but neither did Sweden, the United States and current non-permanent Council member Argentina. 

The letter was sent the same day the International Rescue Committee released a report detailing “horrific levels” of sexual violence recounted by refugees who’ve fled Syria in the past 22 months. 

-Denis Fitzgerald 

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01.10.13
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Record One Billion Tourists in 2012: UN

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A record 1 billion people visited other countries in 2012, a more than 50% increase from the amount of people who traveled abroad in 2000. (The figures in the chart above also show numbers for 1970 (166 million), and 1950, (25 million) source: UNWTO.

Jan. 10, 2013 – There were more than one billion tourists in 2012, according to figures from the UN World Tourism Organization, more than double the amount of tourists in 2000 when 435 million people traveled abroad.

Europe was the destination for more than half the tourists last year and was also where more than half the world’s tourists came from. Asia accounted for about 225 million tourist arrivals, the Americas next at some 160 million, followed by Africa and the Middle East which each received more than 50 million tourists last year, according to projected data.

France had the highest number of tourists in the world in 2012 with about 85 million visitors, followed by the US with some 65 million, China, 60 million, Spain, 58 million, and Italy, about 48 million. Smaller European countries showed strong growth too with Ireland receiving close to 8 million tourists and Finland, 4.5 million.

Outside of the US, Mexico had the highest number of tourists in the Americas with close to 24 million visitors, followed by Argentina, about 6 million, Brazil, 5.5 million and Chile, more than 3 million.

South Africa was the top destination for the African continent, receiving almost 10 million visitors last year followed by Morocco with about 9.5 million.

In the Middle East, Egypt witnessed an estimated 32% increase in tourists from 2011, with some 10 million people visiting last year. Saudi Arabia had the highest number of visitors in the region in 2021, with about 18 million arrivals. Syria, not surprisingly, is projected to record a 40% reduction in tourists in 2012 with about 5 million people estimated to have visited the country last year.

The WTO says tourism accounts for one of 12 jobs globally and for about 9 percent of global GDP.

–Denis Fitzgerald

01.06.13
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$11.8bln Donated to UN Aid Appeals in 2012 – EU, US Top Givers

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The UN’s top aid official, Valerie Amos, meets child refugees in Kabul, May 2012 (photo: UN Photo/Fardin Waezi)

Jan. 6, 2013 – Almost $12bln was donated to UN aid appeals last year with the European Union and the United States contributing more than half that amount.

The European Union (European Commission + 27 Member States) was the largest donor providing $4.9bln while the U.S. was the largest individual donor providing $3.1bln to humanitarian aid appeals in 2012.

A breakdown of the EU number shows that the European Commission – the legislative arm of the EU – donated $1.8bln to UN aid appeals last year while member states provided just over $3bln. The biggest member state donors were Britain ($809mln) and Sweden ($684mln).

Non-EU members Norway and Switzerland donated $493mln and $324mln respectively.

Outside of Europe and the US, Japan was the largest provider of aid to the UN, donating $658mln last year, followed by Canada who gave $496mln, and Australia, $296mln.

Among emerging donors, Brazil provided $54mln to UN humanitarian relief in 2012 while the UAE gave $43mln, Russia, $39mln, China $27mln, and Saudi Arabia $27mln. BRICS countries combined contributed $126mln last year with South Africa giving 3.5mln and India $2.7mln..

The Republic of South Sudan ($792mln), Somalia ($676mln), and Sudan ($588mln) were the biggest recipients of UN aid in 2012.

A tally of the top donors is here.

Denis Fitzgerald

01.02.13
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50 Member States Still to Pay 2012 UN Dues, Including US

Jan. 2, 2013 – Fifty UN member states have yet to pay their dues to the organization’s Regular Budget for 2012, including the United States – the largest contributor by some distance, assessed to pay 22 percent of the $2.5bln budgeted for last year.

A tally, or “honour roll” as it’s called by the UN, shows that 143 countries have paid their dues to the Regular Budget – which pays staff wages and related costs in eight headquarter locations in the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The Regular Budget also covers international conferences, public information work, human rights promotion, and special UN missions to conflict areas.

Nine countries contribute about 70 percent of the total budget: US – $568mln; Japan – $296mln; Germany – $189mln; UK – $156mln; France – $144mln; Italy – $118mln; Canada – $75mln; Spain – $75mln; and China – $75mln. The US is the only one of the nine not to have paid its dues by Dec 31, 2012.

Among the countries that also have not yet paid are Comoros, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mali, Sudan, *South Sudan, and Venezuela.

The two countries with the lowest assessments – Central African Republic and the Solomon Islands – have both paid their $23,000 share.

Republican lawmakers are quick to pour scorn on the UN but a closer look at what the US gains from the organization – strictly in economic terms – paints a different picture.

Of the 43,000 staff working for the UN Secretariat, some 2,700 are US citizens, or 6.2% of the total staff. Japan, the second highest financial contributor, has a mere 167 staff members or 0.59%, according to the latest available Composition of the Secretariat report.

In addition, a 2010 report from UN Foundation showed that the UN Secretariat procured more than $832 million from US companies in 2010. The report also said that the economic benefit to New York City by having UN Headquarters located in the city is about $3.3bln annually.

– Denis Fitzgerald 

(Separate to economic benefits, the US – as well as holding a veto in the Security Council – is also allocated the key top political post in the UN – Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, currently Jeffrey Feltman. It also gets to nominate the head of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, currently Anthony Lake; and the World Food Program, currently, Ertharin Cousin.)

* South Sudan was admitted to the UN in July 2011, after the Budget Committee met in June and thus was not assessed.

12.31.12
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Busy First Month For New UNSC Members

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The Knotted Gun sculpture outside the vistors entrance to the UN headquarters in New York City was a 1988 gift from Luxembourg, who join the Security Council for a two-year term on Jan 1 – the first time ever the country has served on the 15-nation body (photo: Denis Fitzgerald)

Dec. 30, 2012 – Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda, and South Korea begin two-year terms on the Security Council Jan 1 with fighting still raging in Syria, nuclear negotiations with Iran deadlocked, and a settlement to the Israel – Palestine conflict more elusive than ever.

January’s shaping up to be a busy month for the council and the the five new members – who replace big powers Germany, India, and South Africa, as well as Colombia and Portugal – are likely to spend their first month occupied by the rebel takeover of parts of the Central African Republic, the recently authorized African force for Mali, and further efforts to find common ground on a solution for Syria.

Rwanda, serving for a second time on the council, will find itself in the spotlight over allegations that it is supporting the mutinous M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The M23 most recently stand accused of shooting at a helicopter belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping force in DRC. Rwanda denies it is supporting the rebels.

South Korea’s expected to immediately begin lobbying the 14 other council members to take strong action against North Korea over Pyongyang’s rocket launch earlier this month.

Australia’s election to the council will put the ‘other’ back in the Western European and Others category and it sees the EU contingent on the council reduced to three (Britain, France and Luxembourg) from four (Germany and Portugal end their terms).

Argentina join Guatemala as the Latin representatives on the council and after recent spats with Britain over the Falkland Islands it will be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out in the council. Colombia consistently sided with Western countries during its term but such cooperation from Buenos Aires is far from guaranteed.

Luxembourg, more noted for its influence in international finance, will find itself having big boots to fill as the sole non-permanent EU representative with Germany and Portugal ending their terms.

(In addition to the five new members, the composition of the council in 2013 will consist of permanent members Britain, China, France, US, and Russia, and non-permanent members Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, and Togo – the latter five end their terms on Dec 31, 2013).

 – Denis Fitzgerald 

12.10.12
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A Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities?

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Eleanor Roosevelt holds a copy of the English draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in this 1948 photo (credit: UN photo)

Dec. 10, 2012 – On this day, 64 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in Paris. The document, whose 30 articles form the bedrock of the international human rights system, has been translated into a record 402 languages since.

While there are criticisms of the UDHR – that it emphasizes political and civil rights over economic, social and cultural rights; that it fails to mention minorities or people with disabilities; and, more generally, that it is a Western construct – it has exerted significant moral and legal influence over the past six decades.

One of the more interesting propositions in recent years – while not a direct criticism of the UDHR – is that the concept of rights have become so ingrained in society (specifically in Western society) that citizens increasingly ignore their duties and responsibilities as members of society.

The idea of a Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities was first put forward in 1997 and championed by former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, but the proposal was never acted on by the UN General Assembly – and it’s unlikely to gain traction in the near future. The most significant criticism of the draft declaration is that its 19 articles would embolden autocratic rulers who’d use it to crackdown on people seeking their legitimate rights. Article 14 of the draft also raises significant concerns for a free press.

Nevertheless, the notion of equating human rights with human responsibilities is an interesting one, and some of the articles in the draft human responsibilities declaration – particularly on climate change, sustainable development, and domestic violence – tackle issues not addressed in the original UDHR.

The full-text of the draft Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities is here.

– Denis Fitzgerald 

To know more about the the drafting of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights you should read Mary Ann Glendon’s book A World Made New

11.30.12
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Kosovo Next for UN Recognition?

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Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian delegation celebrate Thursday’s historic UNGA vote recognizing Palestine as a state. (photo credit: UN photo)

Nov. 30, 2012 – Yesterday’s victory for Palestine at the UN will give hope to Kosovo that it too can soon join the United Nations as a non-member state.

To date, some 96 countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state including 22 of the 27 EU member states. Pristina needs 97 votes in the General Assembly (simple majority) for admission as a non-member observer state.

Like the Palestinians, Kosovo’s road to full UN membership is blocked in the Security Council, with Russia sure to use its veto to prevent Pristina’s full-member state status 

Among the countries that have yet to recognize Kosovo are several member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, including Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan and Tunisia.

Morocco and Pakistan have expressed support for an independent Kosovo state but are concerned about the implications for their own territorial integrity due to the situations in Western Sahara and Kashmir.

Similarly, EU member states, Cyprus and Spain – who both voted in favor recognizing Palestine – have not recognized Kosovo. Both are also wary of the implications for their own territorial issues regarding Catalonia and Northern Cyprus.

It may well be the fledging governments in Libya and Tunisia who will bring Kosovo over the threshold with Tunis and Tripoli in the past year indicating support for recognizing an independent Kosovo, though neither has yet made a formal declaration.  

Should Kosovo seek a General Assembly vote before Sept 2013 then former Serb foreign minister Vuk Jeremic would preside over the session in his capacity as president of the 193-member assembly.

Denis Fitzgerald

(UN recognition of Kosovo as a state would also pave the way for its acceptance into football’s international governing body, FIFA. The country could then participate in international qualifying competitions for the quadrennial Euro and World Cup tournaments, a move that would be very welcome in football-mad Kosovo)

11.28.12
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UN Warns of HIV Epidemic in Arab World

Nov. 27, 2012 – The U.N. Aids agency is warning of an HIV epidemic in the Arab World, one of only two regions globally where there’s an increase in the number of new infections.

The latest report from UNAIDS shows a 35 percent increase in new infections from 2001 to 2011 in the Middle East and North Africa compared with a 20 percent decline globally over the same period.

The number of people living with HIV in the Arab World is estimated at about 500,000, with an increasing number of children newly infected, again bucking the global trend.

The situation in Arab countries is compounded by social stigma, discriminatory laws, and a lack of funding for HIV treatment and prevention.

Some 56 percent of pregnant women living with HIV globally received antiretroviral treatment in 2011 to prevent mother-to-child transmission but that figure is less than 10 percent for the Middle East and North Africa region.

Similarly, 54 percent of all people living with HIV and eligible for antiretroviral therapy globally received treatment but that figure drops to 15 percent in Arab countries.

The consequences are borne out in the mortality rates for the Arab world – a 17 percent increase in the number of people dying from Aids-related illnesses from 2005 to 2011. The only other region to witness an increase in mortality in the same period is Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which is also the only other region to experience an increase in new infections from 2001-2011.

Among the groups most heavily affected are men who have sex with men and their situation is made worse by laws criminalizing same-sex sexual activity imposed by states in the region – in some instances punishable by death. (Jordan and Iraq are the only countries, and the West Bank is the only territory, where same-sex sexual activity is legal.)

“The persistence of stigma, discrimination and punitive laws underscores the need for greatly expanded action to ground AIDS responses in human rights,” the UNAIDS report states. “Countries should take steps to better understand and address the factors that contribute to vulnerability to HIV and impede service access; take steps to measure and reduce stigma and discrimination; initiate legal reform as well as pragmatic steps to enforce protective laws.”

– Denis Fitzgerald