Tag Archives: UN

10.06.13
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Djibouti – The UN’s Forgotten Crisis

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Oct 6, 2013 – Despite hosting a US military base and a French naval base, Djibouti’s humanitarian crisis is largely ignored by the international community.

The UN appealed for $70 million at the beginning of the year to address widespread malnutrition in the drought-stricken country but so far has only received $18 million, making it the most underfunded humanitarian appeal, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The US, which operates its surveillance and armed drone programs for nearby Yemen and neighboring Somalia out of Djibouti, has contributed a mere $152,000 to the UN appeal, while France, which lost its rule over the country in 1977, has not made any contribution, UN figures show.

Djibouti ranks near the bottom of the Human Development Index and about one-third of the country’s children are malnourished while the practice of female genital mutilation is commonly carried out on girls between the ages of 2 and 5, according to UNICEF. 

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

Photo: A US Predator drone flying at sunset – Charles McCain/Flickr.

09.27.13
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Dalia Grybauskaite: The Next UN Secretary-General?

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Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite addressing the UN General Assembly on Sept. 26, 2013 (UN Photo/Ryan Brown)

Sept. 27, 2013 – It’s still a few years away but already there’s speculation about who will succeed Ban Ki-moon when his second and final term as secretary-general ends in 2016.

Eastern Europe is the only one of the five United Nations regional groups that has never had a secretary-general and there’s a view inside the UN that Eastern Europe’s turn will come at last.

Last year’s General Assembly president, Vuk Jeremic of Serbia, and current UN envoy to Afghanistan, Slovakia’s Jan Kubis, are among the names that have been mooted.

But the UN has also never had a female secretary-general and for an organization that spends a lot of time and resources promoting gender equality, there’s also a lot of talk that it’s past time a woman was at the helm after eight successive male secretaries-general.

Enter Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite. A former EU budget commissioner, she was elected as an independent candidate in 2009. Dubbed the Steel Magnolia, she cites Margaret Thatcher and Mahatma Gandhi as her political role models. Lithuania currently holds the presidency of the European Union and is expected to secure a two-year term on the Security Council for 2014-16, during which time the next UN chief will be selected.

In her address to the General Assembly on Thursday, Grybauskaite spoke about how her country, once a recipient of international aid, is now a donor country, and that the 21st century “must be the age of solidarity, equality and sustainable development.” And she began and ended her address speaking about the post-2015 development process, which will be guided by the next secretary-general.

But she also spoke about “those who want to enforce a specific course of development on others, by economic pressure, energy levers or cyber tools, by distorted information, or threats.” No doubt a reference to Russia. And therein lies the major obstacle to her possible selection as the next UN secretary-general: avoiding a Russian veto.

– Denis Fitzgerald
On Twitter @denisfitz

09.16.13
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UN Chemical Weapons Report Will Confirm Sarin Gas Used in Aug. 21 Attack

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EXCLUSIVE: Sept. 16, 2013 – The report of the UN chemical weapons investigators due to be released Monday morning in New York will confirm that sarin gas was used in the August 21st attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

The report will say that that there is “clear and convincing evidence” that the nerve agent sarin was fired from rockets into the area.

On Sunday evening in New York, the UN photo Twitter feed released an image that showed the first page of the report that was handed to Ban Ki-moon by the head of the UN investigation team, Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom.

A close-up of the photo reveals that the inspectors’ report that “the environmental and medical samples we have collected, provide clear and convincing evidence that…rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used.”

The report will be presented to the UN Security Council as well as the UN General Assembly on Monday. While the US and Russia has agreed on a deal to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control, the admission by Syria that it possesses these weapons and the report of their use is bound to further calls for the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. 

A 1988 resolution following confirmation that chemical weapons were used by Iraq in its war against Iran compels the Security Council to act if there was any future confirmation of the use of these weapons ‘wherever and by whomever committed.’

– Denis Fitzgerald

Photo: UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

09.09.13
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Getting Rid of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Stockpile Could Take Years

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A UN inspector takes a sample of a nerve agent in Iraq, 1991 (photo/UN photo)

Sept. 9, 2013 – Verifying, inspecting and destroying Syria’s chemicals weapons stockpile could take years if the past is any indication.

Of the seven countries that have declared they possess these weapons, only Albania, India and a third country said to be South Korea, have completed destruction of their stockpile of prohibited chemical agents and chemical munitions.

The OPCW, which oversees compliance with the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention – which Syria has neither signed nor ratified – reported in July that 81 percent of the  71,196 metric tons of declared prohibited chemical agents and 57 percent of the 8.6 million declared chemical munitions have been destroyed.

It would also seem that inspecting and verifying Syria’s stockpile would require a ceasefire to come into effect so investigators can safely visit Damascus or other locations where chemical weapons are produced and stored.

Four other countries besides Syria have not signed the CWC – Angola, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan – while two, Israel and Myanmar, have signed but not ratified.

The four other countries that have yet to complete destruction of their declared chemical weapons stockpiles are Iraq, Libya, Russia and the US.

– Denis Fitzgerald

09.04.13
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Energy Rich Qatar Lags in UN Aid Appeal for Syria

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Syrian children inside a classroom at the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan (photo: UN photo/Mark Garten)

Sept. 4, 2013 – Qatar, the richest country in the world, has given less than $3 million to the UN aid appeal for Syria, according to figures from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Of the more than $2.9 billion donated to the UN’s emergency relief fund for Syrians, energy-rich Qatar has contributed $2.7 million – less than 0.1 percent of the overall total. Countries such as Belgium, Finland, Iraq and Ireland have all given more.

The United States is the top donor, at $818 million, followed by the European Commission – the EU’s legislative arm – which has provided $619 million. Of the 28 EU member states, Britain, $196 million, and Germany $73 million are among the top ten donors.

Kuwait, $324 million, is the top Gulf donor, coming in third overall, according to OCHA’s figures as of Sept 4th, 2013, while Saudi Arabia, at $51 million, is the tenth biggest contributor.

Outside of the EU, US and Gulf, Japan, $82 million, and Australia, $64 million, are also among the top ten donors.

Of the remaining permanent five Security Council members, Russia has given $17 million, France, $15 million and China, $1 million.

The UN has requested a total of $4.4 billion to assist Syrians, with $1.4 billion designated to assist those inside the country – more than 4 million of whom are displaced – and $3 billion to assist neighboring countries that are now home to more than 2 million Syrian refugees.

– Denis Fitzgerald

07.18.13
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Ireland Sending Peacekeepers to Golan

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Ireland currently has troops serving in the region with the UN force in Lebanon
(above) and with UNTSO. (photo: courtesy of Irish Dept. of Defence)

Update: The resolution to deploy 114 peacekeepers to UNDOF was approved by the Irish parliament by a vote of 95-17.

July 18, 2013 – The Irish parliament will vote Thursday on a motion to send a contingent of peacekeepers to beef up the depleted UNDOF force monitoring the line of separation between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights that was established following the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

The withdrawal of Japanese, Croatian and Austrian troops in recent months has cast doubts on the future of the mission, one of the UN’s oldest, and a proposal to send a Nordic contingent to replace the withdrawing troops has yet to come to fruition.

Fiji and Nepal have agreed to send contingents to bolster the force which currently stands at 933 troops. That figure includes Austrian troops as Vienna has agreed to gradually withdraw its 377 peacekeepers to allow time for reinforcements.

The Irish cabinet has already approved sending peacekeepers to the Golan Heights but parliamentary approval is needed for deployment, which would take place in September.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently appointed Irish Major General Michael Finn as head of the UN Truce Supervision Organization, the UN’s oldest peacekeeping mission, an unarmed force comprised of military observers that works alongside UNDOF.

– Denis Fitzgerald

05.30.13
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Post-2015 Panel Propose 12 Goals to Shape Future Development Agenda

May 30, 2013 – The high-level panel tasked by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advise him on the post-2015 development agenda has proposed a set of 12 global goals that range from empowering girls and women to ensuring peaceful societies.

The panel’s report, handed over to Ban at UNHQ on Thursday, states that the two main challenges identified in creating the blueprint were how to end poverty and how to promote sustainable development.

The report goes beyond the poverty, health and education focus of the Millennium Development Goals—set to expire in 2015—to include such targets as reducing violent deaths and guaranteeing access to government data as well as doubling the share of renewable energy, ending child marriage, ensuring the equal right of women to own and inherit property, increasing the number of startups, and ensuring people have access to indepedent media.

“The report recognizes peace and good governance as a core foundation for development,” Ban said in remarks to a closed-door briefing to member states earlier on Thursday, according to a transcript provided by his office. “Freedom from fear and violence is essential for building peaceful and prosperous societies.”

He said the report calls for “transformative shifts in our economies and societies” and that sustainability is not simply an environmental issue but one that must be fully integrated into the economic and social spheres.

The report will be debated by various stakeholders at the UN on Friday. Ban will present his own report to the General Assembly in September.

The 12 Goals are:

1. End Poverty
a) Bring the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to zero and reduce by x% the share of people living below their country’s 2015 national poverty line 
b) Increase by x% the share of women and men, communities and businesses with secure rights to land, property, and other assets
c) Cover x% of people who are poor and vulnerable with social protection systems
d) Build resilience and reduce deaths from natural disasters by x%
(Note: where there is ‘x’ the specific target may be determined by gender, location, age, people living with disabilities, and relevant social group. Targets will only be considered ‘achieved’ if they are met for all relevant income and social groups.)

2. Empower Girls and Women and Achieve Gender Equality
a) Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against girls and women
b) End child marriage
c) Ensure equal right of women to own and inherit property, sign a contract, register a business and open a bank account 
d) Eliminate discrimination against women in political, economic, and public life

3. Provide Quality Education and Lifelong Learning
a) Increase by x% the proportion of children able to access and complete preprimary education 
b) Ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, completes primary education able to read, write and count well enough to meet minimum learning standards 
c) Ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has access to lower secondary education and increase the proportion of adolescents who achieve recognized and measurable learning outcomes to x%
d) Increase the number of young and adult women and men with the skills, including technical and vocational, needed for work by x%

4. Ensure Healthy Lives
a) End preventable infant and under-5 deaths
b) Increase by x% the proportion of children, adolescents, at-risk adults and older people that are fully vaccinated
c) Decrease the maternal mortality ratio to no more than x per 100,000 d) Ensure universal sexual and reproductive health and rights
e) Reduce the burden of disease from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and priority non-communicable diseases

5. Ensure Food Security and Good Nutrition
a) End hunger and protect the right of everyone to have access to sufficient, safe, affordable, and nutritious food
b) Reduce by x% stunting, wasting by y% and anemia by z% for all children under 5 
c) Increase agricultural productivity by x%, with a focus on sustainably increasing smallholder yields and access to irrigation.
d) Adopt sustainable agricultural, ocean, and freshwater fishery practices and rebuild designated fish stocks to sustainable levels 
e) Reduce postharvest loss and food waste by x%

6. Achieve Universal Access to Water and Sanitation
a) Provide universal access to safe drinking water at home and in schools, health centers and refugee camps
b) End open defecation and ensure universal access to sanitation at school and work, and increase access to sanitation at home by x%
c) Bring freshwater withdrawals in line with supply and increase water efficiency in agriculture by x%, industry by y% and urban areas by z%
d) Recycle or treat all municipal and industrial wastewater prior to discharge

7. Secure Sustainable Energy
a) Double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
b) Ensure universal access to modern energy services
c) Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency in buildings, industry, agriculture and transport 
d) Phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption

8. Create Jobs, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Equitable Growth
a) Increase the number of good and decent jobs and livelihoods by x
b) Decrease the number of young people not in education, employment or training by x%
c) Strengthen productive capacity by providing universal access to financial services and infrastructure such as transportation and ICT
d) Increase new start-ups by x and value added from new products by y through creating an enabling business environment and boosting entrepreneurship

9. Manage Natural Resource Assets Sustainably
a) Publish and use economic, social and environmental accounts in all governments and major companies
b) Increase consideration of sustainability in x% of government procurements
c) Safeguard ecosystems, species and genetic diversity
d) Reduce deforestation by x% and increase reforestation by y%
e) Improve soil quality, reduce soil erosion by x tonnes and combat desertification

10. Ensure Good Governance and Effective Institutions
a) Provide free and universal legal identity, such as birth registrations
b) Ensure that people enjoy freedom of speech, association, peaceful protest and access to independent media and information
c) Increase public participation in political processes and civic engagement at all levels
d) Guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data
e) Reduce bribery and corruption and ensure officials can be held accountable

11. Ensure Stable and Peaceful Societies
a) Reduce violent deaths per 100,000 by x and eliminate all forms of violence against children
b) Ensure justice institutions are accessible, independent, well-resourced and respect due-process rights
c) Stem the external stressors that lead to conflict, including those related to organized crime
d) Enhance the capacity, professionalism and accountability of the security forces, police and judiciary

12. Create a Global Enabling Environment and Catalyze Long-Term Finance
a) Support an open, fair and development-friendly trading system, substantially reducing trade-distorting measures, including agricultural subsidies, while improving market access of developing country products
b) Implement reforms to ensure stability of the global financial system and encourage stable, long-term private foreign investment
c) Hold the increase in global average temperature below 2⁰ C above preindustrial levels, in line with international agreements
d) Developed countries that have not done so to make concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) as official development assistance to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20% of GNP of developed countries to least developed countries; other countries should move toward voluntary targets for complementary financial assistance
e) Reduce illicit flows and tax evasion and increase stolen-asset recovery by $x
f) Promote collaboration on and access to science, technology, innovation, and development data

–Denis Fitzgerald

05.20.13
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Annual World Health Assembly Highlights Global Health Burden

May 20, 2013 – The annual meeting of the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization, which opened in Geneva on Monday provides an interesting overview of the current global health situation and priorities for the years ahead.

The proposed $3.9 billion budget for the 2014-15 biennium includes an eight percent reduction in the budget for communicable diseases, with cuts in the HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis budgets, and a 20 percent increase in the budget to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), aimed reducing the prevalence of cancer, cardio-vascular diseases and substance abuse.

The reduction in the HIV/Aids budget reflects the significant progress made in reducing new infections – a 20 percent overall decrease since 2003, including a 40 percent decrease in new infections among children over that period. Anti-retroviral drugs now reach eight million people living with HIV, up from two million in 2006.

The increase in the NCDs budget is indicative of the growing burden on health systems and the related increase in mortality: some two-thirds of the estimated 60 million deaths annually are a result of non-communicable diseases.

Among the primary aims of the increased NCDs budget is reducing harmful alcohol use, reducing tobacco use, and increasing mental health awareness and treatment – particularly in low-income countries. WHO’s mental health action plan notes that almost half the world’s population lives in countries where there is just one psychiatrist for 200,000 or more people.

Some facts and figures from documents and resolutions that will be discussed and voted on at the WHA over the next week:

– Close to 900,000 people commit suicide each year

– Between 76 precent and 85 percent of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment for their in low-income and middle-income countries

– Between 2000 and 2011 the reported incidence of measles decreased globally by 65 percent, in tandem with more vaccinations

– 30 percent of married women in the West Bank and 51 percent of married women in the Gaza Strip had experienced violence from their husbands in the preceding 12 months

– As of Feb. 14 2013 the numbers of both cases of polio and countries experiencing cases were at their lowest-ever recorded levels: Globally, 222 cases had been reported in 2012, a 66% decline compared with 2011. Five countries reported cases in 2012 compared with 16 in 2011

– About 16 million adolescent girls between 15 years and 19 years give birth each year. Babies born to adolescent mothers account for roughly 11% of all births worldwide

– Denis Fitzgerald

04.23.13
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States Slowly Making Good on Syria Appeal Pledges

April 23, 2013 – More than $1.2 billion has been committed to aid the humanitarian response inside Syria and in neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees, according to the lastest figures by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Some $2 billion had been pledged by donors in recent months, with $1.5 billion alone pledged at a donors conference in Kuwait City on Jan. 30.

It was just just last week that Kuwait made good on its $300 million pledge from Jan. 30, a contribution that U.N. Refugee Agency chief Antonio Gutteres said gave his and other humanitarian agencies “a breathing space” as they struggle to assist the more than 6 million people in need inside and outside of Syria.

The situation inside Syria is compounded by myriad bureaucratic hurdles placed on humanitarian actors. Valerie Amos, the head of OCHA, told the Security Council last week that aid convoys are stopped at 50 checkpoints on the 310 kilometer journey from Damascus to Aleppo. She also said that each aid truck requires a permit signed by two government ministers to pass through government checkpoints.

The top donors to the humanitarian appeal are Kuwait, $324 million; the United States, $214 million; the European Commission, $162 million; and the United Kingdom, $117 million.

A full list of the funds committed and outstanding pledges is here.

– Denis Fitzgerald

04.10.13
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First Timers Chad, Georgia, Lithuania and Saudi Arabia Among Those Vying for UNSC Seats in 2014-15

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The new Security Council members will deliberate in the newly renovated council chamber which re-opened this month. (photo: courtesy of Norway/UN)

April 10, 2013 – Six countries have declared their candidacy for the five vacancies up for grabs in October’s election for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council.

So far, Chad, Chile, Georgia, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are running for election to the Council for 2014-15, though it’s looking more like an election process than race at this stage. 

Among the six, Georgia and Lithuania are the only two running in a competitive race. One of them will replace Azerbaijan who currently occupy the Eastern Europe seat, but whose term ends Dec. 31, 2013. Neither Tbilisi nor Vilnius has served on the Council, and Lithuania, if successful, would be the first Baltic country elected to the 15-nation body.

Chile, whose likely next president, Michele Bachelet, recently stepped down as head of U.N. Women, last served on the Council in 2003-04 and was one of the the so-called ‘Middle Six’ delegations whose vote was fought over by those for and against the invasion of Iraq. 

The Latin America group at the UN typically presents a “clean slate” for candidates meaning each candidate runs unopposed so Santiago is virtually guaranteed to replace Guatemala.

Nigeria and Chad are running for the two African seats to replace Morocco and Togo. Nigeria has served four times on the Council, most recently in 2010-11 while Chad has never. Unless other candidates are announced in the interim both are assured of a two-year term.

Saudi Arabia, one of the 51 founding members of the U.N. in 1945, has also never served on the Council. It looks set to replace Pakistan for the Asia-Pacific group Arab swing seat – the African and Asian groups take turns every two years to nominate an Arab country: Morocco was elected from the African group for 2011-13 so it is now Asia’s turn to nominate an Arab state.

– Denis Fitzgerald