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Hold Israel Accountable Under The UN Convention On The Rights Of The Child

A so-called “ceasefire” has done nothing to halt the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. Israel’s government is escalating policies that jeopardize the very lives of Palestinian children, and powerful nations are complicit through their silence or direct endorsement. Even now, terror and bloodshed continue in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while the U.S. administration signals tacit support for what amounts to ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Under the Biden administration, sanctions were imposed on extremist Israeli settlers—17 individuals and 16 entities over 11 months—to curb violence against Palestinians.

Lebanon Demands ‘Firm Stance’ From UNSC Over Israeli Ceasefire Violations

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry has filed a complaint against Israel to the UN Security Council (UNSC) over its constant violations of the ceasefire that was reached at the end of last year. Lebanon expressed its rejection of “systematic Israeli attacks and violations” and Israel’s removal of the signs on the withdrawal line in southern Lebanon, in the complaint filed on 4 February. Beirut also demanded that the UNSC issue a firm and clear position on Israel’s continuous violations and oblige it to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The complaint called on the Security Council to back support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and UNIFIL forces “to guarantee the protection of the Lebanese sovereignty and the safety of the Lebanese citizens.”

Israel Blocks UN Probe On ‘Hamas Rape’ Claims

Israeli officials have obstructed a UN investigation into alleged sexual crimes committed by Hamas fighters during the 7 October 2023 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, fearing this would open the door to a probe into the rampant allegations of sexual violence against Palestinians inside Israeli torture camps. According to a report by Israeli daily Haaretz, Tel Aviv rejected a request from Pramila Patten, the UN special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, to investigate the allegations against Hamas after she established that a necessary condition would be access to Israeli detention centers to probe claims against Israeli soldiers.

World Leaders Fail to Reach Agreement on Global Plastics Treaty

Efforts by nations to come to an agreement on a global plastics treaty failed on Monday. While more than 100 countries sought to put a limit on the world’s plastics production — in addition to tackling recycling and cleanup — oil and gas companies were only prepared to address the problem of plastic waste. The meeting in Busan, South Korea was supposed to be the last, but negotiations will continue into 2025, reported The Associated Press. “It is clear that there is still persisting divergence,” said Inger Andersen, the United Nations Environment Programme’s executive director, as Reuters reported.

The Potential Of Cooperatives For Economic Equality

Released on October 17th under the title “Social Development in Times of Converging Crises: A Call for Global Action”, the report is the output of the global call by the GA resolution 77/281 in April 2023 to promote the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development.   Overall, the report estimates that the economic cost of crisis mitigation from 2020 until 2030 will translate into “a cumulative output loss of over $50 trillion”, to the detriment of social development. It is a global plea to prioritise people and the planet over profit, and for public-private social investments to be at the same level as their economic counterparts.  

United Nations Security Council Renews Mission For Western Sahara

What has been described as “Africa’s last colony”, the Western Sahara territory is still waiting to exercise its decades-long desire for national independence and sovereignty. Formerly known as the “Spanish Sahara”, the area has been under the domination of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1975. The liberation movement which grew out of the struggle for freedom is popularly known as the Polisario Front. The organization engaged in an armed struggle and mass political campaign since the 1970s having designated itself as a “government in waiting”.

Leaders From Key Countries Will Not Attend COP29

Leaders from some of the world’s major economies, including the European Union, the United States and Brazil, will not be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month. COP29, which will convene from November 11 to 22, is expected to have more than 40,000 delegates in attendance. European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will not attend the summit to prepare for a second term in office, reported The Guardian. Instead, a team of negotiators, including energy commissioner Kadri Simson and climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, will represent the commission at the talks.

US And Israel Oppose Entire World In UN Vote To End Cuba Blockade

For the 32nd consecutive year, the entire world voted at the UN General Assembly to demand an end to the illegal US embargo against Cuba. The United States and Israel opposed the international community in a vote of 187 to 2, on the resolution titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. Just one country abstained: Moldova, a former Soviet republic that now has a pro-Western government that is seeking to join the European Union and NATO. Ukraine did not vote. In 2023, Kiev had abstained.

Iran Calls For Urgent UNSC Meeting Following Israeli Attack

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on the UN on 27 October to convene an urgent Security Council meeting in response to Israel's recent missile and drone attack on the Islamic Republic while affirming Iran's right to retaliate. Araghchi issued a letter to the UN Secretary-General stating that the "Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the President of the Security Council to convene an urgent meeting to address these serious violations and illegal actions, ensuring that this regime is held accountable for its actions." "While Iran's air defense system intercepted most of the missiles, four Iranian army officers bravely sacrificed their lives to protect the national security of their country and were martyred," Araghchi's letter stated.

Planet Will Warm As Much As 3.1°C Under Current Policies

Without greater action, the planet will warm as much as 3.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to the latest United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report: No more hot air … please!. In the coming round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), countries must commit to slashing their collective yearly greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent by the end of the decade and by 57 percent by 2035, a press release from UNEP said. Otherwise, the annual report says, the chance of meeting the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average will disappear within a few years.

Leaked Report Finds Israel Targeting United Nations Troops In Lebanon

Israel’s military has attacked UNIFIL troops deployed on the Lebanon–Israel border a dozen times, including possibly with white phosphorus, the Financial Times (FT) reported on 22 October. According to a confidential report prepared by a country contributing troops to the UN mission, Israeli forces forcibly entered a clearly marked UN base and are suspected of using the incendiary chemical white phosphorus, injuring 15 UN soldiers. Israeli forces began targeting UN troops shortly after launching ground operations across the border into Lebanon on 1 October. UNIFIL has called the attacks “deliberate” and a “flagrant violation of international law.”

Co-operatives Are At A Pivotal Point

When the United Nations General Assembly declared 2012 as the first International Year of Co-operatives, it seemed to herald a bright future for the movement. With the theme of “Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World”, the International Year of Co-operatives had three main objectives: increasing awareness, promoting growth, and establishing appropriate policies.  As CWCF Executive Director Hazel Corcoran notes, it was a heady time. There were large events including a summit in Quebec City held that year, the international Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade was unveiled, and numerous smaller- scale events took place.

The Law Has Failed Palestinians, It’s Time For A Protection Force

It has been nearly a year since Hamas and other Palestinian resistance fighters broke out of Gaza and the illegal Israeli occupation launched a devastating and genocidal war on Gaza, which has now expanded to all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and other countries in the region. Many attempts within the United Nations to stop the war and to hold Israel accountable have failed to protect Palestinians, as have other international bodies. Clearing the FOG speaks with human rights lawyer Ousman Noor, who started a petition demanding that an international protection force be established urgently to protect Palestinians. Noor explains how people can use the petition to pressure nations to take action.

Beyond Hegemony

We are at a new phase of human history because of the confluence of three interrelated trends. First, and most pivotal, the Western-led world system, in which countries of the North Atlantic region dominate the world militarily, economically, and financially, has ended. Second, the global ecological crisis marked by human-induced climate change, the destruction of biodiversity, and the massive pollution of the environment, will lead to fundamental changes of the world economy and governance. Third, the rapid advance of technologies across several domains—artificial intelligence, computing, biotechnology, geoengineering—will profoundly disrupt the world economy and politics.

Report From Meeting With New Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil were among a select group of media organizations invited to a meeting with Iran’s recently-inaugurated president, Masoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. The question-and-answer roundtable offered an intimate look at the strategic thinking behind the president’s visit, which featured dozens of meetings with foreign diplomats and influential members of Iran’s US-based diaspora. Participants in the meeting included Beltway press fixtures Andrea Mitchell, Lester Holt, and an array of correspondents from mainstream outlets like Sky News, the New Yorker, and PBS.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

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Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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