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Palestinians Celebrate United Nations’ Vote On Jerusalem

December 22, 2017 Palestinian BDS National Committee, mondoweiss.net , , ,
n an emergency session, the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations at the UN General Assembly voted 128-9 in favor of a resolution calling on the United States to overturn its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This “collective act of defiance” took place despite threats from Trump’s ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, to “take names” of countries voting against the United States and Israel, and threats by Trump to cut US aid to those countries. Israel’s ambassador to the UN accused the world body’s members of being “puppets” to the “Palestinian puppet masters”, following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s description of the UN as a “house of lies.”

U.N. Freedom Of Speech Expert Concerned About Net Neutrality

December 22, 2017 Tom Miles, Reuters.com , ,
GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N.’s freedom of speech expert said on Wednesday he was concerned about the ramifications of a decision in the United States to roll back net neutrality, since it could lead to small and independent voices being drowned out on the web. Last week the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal rules intended to ensure a free and open internet, setting up a court fight over a move that could recast the digital landscape. David Kaye, an American law professor and the U.N. Human Rights Council’s independent expert on freedom of expression, said net neutrality, the idea that all internet traffic should be treated the same regardless of content, was essential.

European Union Trying To Prevent UN Treaty On Corporations And Human Rights

December 21, 2017 Staff, stopcorporateimpunity.org , , ,
According to our sources, the European Union (EU) delegation to the United Nations General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, which deals with budgetary matters, is trying to eliminate the financing of the Human Rights Council’s intergovernmental working group (IGWG) mandated to draft a legally binding instrument on transnational corporations (TNCs) and human rights. It is worth recalling that the intergovernmental working group, set up under Human Rights Council Resolution 26/9 adopted in June 2014, is tasked with creating a mechanism at the international level to allow victims and affected communities access to justice in the face of human rights violations committed by TNCs.

War Criminal Kills Himself In Court As Found Guilty

November 30, 2017 Stephanie van den Berg and Bart H. Meijer, reuters.com , ,
By Stephanie van den Berg and Bart H. Meijer for Reuters - THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A former Bosnian Croat military commander swallowed what he said was poison in a U.N. war crimes courtroom on Wednesday and died shortly after losing an appeal against his 20-year prison term. Slobodan Praljak’s apparent courtroom suicide, which was broadcast on a video feed, came in the final minutes of the last judgment at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which closes next month after 24 years. The white-bearded Praljak, 72, was taken to hospital after drinking from a flask or glass as an ICTY judge read out appeals rulings against him and five other convicted Bosnian Croat war criminals, tribunal spokesman Nenad Golcevski said. “I just drank poison,” the ex-general told the stunned court. “I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.” After gulping down the drink, he sat back down and slumped in his chair, said a lawyer who was in the courtroom at the time. “Praljak drank a liquid in court and quickly fell ill,” Golcevski said. He was treated by tribunal medical staff, but “passed away today at the HMC hospital in The Hague”, he said. Presiding Judge Carmel Agius hastily suspended the hearings and the courtroom was declared a crime scene by Dutch authorities. As a forensic investigation got under way, the chamber was sealed off and the public told to leave. “Don’t take away the glass!” Agius said, instructing the guards to lower blinds and block a glass-partition separating the court from the public. In the chaotic moments that followed, guards and paramedics raced in and out of the courtroom, and ambulances sped away. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, whose country was the patron of separatist Croat forces in Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, said he regretted Praljak’s death and offered condolences to his family. “His act tells the most about deep ethical injustice toward the six Bosnian Croats and the Croatian people.”

Women Worldwide Take To The Streets Against Violence

November 26, 2017 Staff, www.telesurtv.net , ,
By Telesur. Women, as well as allies, gathered worldwide to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by holding demonstrations, rallies and protests. The chosen date, November 25, is the anniversary of the 1960 assassination of the Mirabal sisters – political activists in the Dominican Republic – whose killings were carried out by U.S.-backed dictator Rafael Trujillo's right-hand man and his cronies. According to the United Nations, violence against women is a reality for 1 in 3 women worldwide.

Peacekeeping Is No Job For Ordinary Soldiers

November 19, 2017 Rick Salutin, www.rabble.ca , , ,
By Rick Salutin in Rabble. Peacekeeping always seems like a good idea at the time, then it tends to go awry. It did right from the start when Canada's Lester B. Pearson proposed a UN force to resolve tensions in the Mideast in 1956, after Britain, France and Israel invaded Egypt. Pearson got the Stanley Cup -- I mean, the Nobel Peace Prize -- for it, and probably became prime minister as a result six years later. Even that didn't go smoothly. Pearson wanted Canadian troops as part of the force but the Egyptians gagged when they heard names like the Queen's Own Rifles and Princess Patricia Light Infantry, with a little Union Jack on the then-Canadian flag, the Royal ensign. They'd just been blasted by Royal British bombs.

US Calls Venezuela Global Threat At UN As EU Approves Arms Embargo

November 17, 2017 Lucas Koerner, venezuelanalysis.com , , ,
By Lucas Koerner for Venezuela Analysis - The US chaired an informal meeting at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Monday to discuss the situation in Venezuela despite a boycott from leading members such as China and Russia. “The crisis in Venezuela today poses a direct threat to international peace and security. Venezuela is an increasingly violent narco-state that threatens the region, the hemisphere, and the world,”Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, declared during the session. Also present at the meeting were Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro and UN High Commissioner Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad, both vocal critics of the government in Caracas. The meeting was also boycotted by Bolivia and Egypt, who objected to Washington’s interference in Venezuelan internal affairs. “The situation in Venezuela is an issue that is entirely the responsibility of Venezuelans and of course does not constitute a threat to international peace and security,” said Bolivian UN Ambassador Sacha Llorenty at a press conference alongside his Russian, Chinese, and Venezuelan counterparts Monday. Thanking the other nations for their support, Venezuelan UN Ambassador Rafael Ramirez denounced the US for “abusing its prerogatives” as a permanent UNSC member “to impose its geopolitical agenda” in violation of the UN Charter.

Ban Ki-Moon Urges US To Shun ‘Powerful Interests’; Adopt Universal Healthcare

November 14, 2017 Jessica Glenza, theguardian.com , ,
By Jessica Glenza for The Guardian - The former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon called on Americans to pass universal health coverage at a speech in New York City on Tuesday, marking a dramatic intervention of world leaders into the US healthcare debate. Ban called on the US to stop “powerful interests” from prioritizing “profit over care” as part of a global delegation pushing the US to adopt a publicly financed health system similar to those in other wealthy countries. The US spends more on healthcare than any nation in the world, yet 28 million Americans still lack care. “In the US, all too often only rich people get access to expensive life-saving treatments,” said Ban. “This is unjust and threatens everybody’s health when working- and middle-class people with communicable diseases cannot afford treatment for their infections.” “Even routine preventive care is often prohibitively expensive,” said Ban. “As America is demonstrating, you simply cannot reach universal health coverage if your health system is dominated by private financing and ultimately functions to prioritize profit over care. Enacting universal health coverage would be a revolution in US healthcare. Currently, the US relies on a complex network of for-profit health insurers, government subsidies and limited public insurance programs to provide healthcare access to Americans.

Women Still Need More Seats At The Peace-Making Table

November 2, 2017 Shaheen Chugtai, towardfreedom.com , ,
By Shaheen Chugtai fo Toward Freedom - (IPS) – Whether targeted by perpetrators of sexual violence, oppressed by ideological extremists, or uniquely threatened by the bombing of hospital maternity units, women often bear the brunt of conflicts. Yet when it comes to peace negotiations, women too often don’t have a seat at the table. The continuing reality that men, particularly armed men, enjoy an almost exclusive role in peace processes defies both logic and evidence. It is now 17 years since UN resolution 1325 was adopted – the first Security Council resolution to establish the so-called women, peace and security agenda, which aims to uphold women’s rights in war and roles in peace. Ahead of the Open Debate on Peace and Security at the UN, it is the time reflect and double down both on what promises are left unfilled, as well as what progress has been made – there are examples of both. There have been some positive signs of headway, as seven subsequent UN Security Council resolutions have helped strengthen policies and norms worldwide over the past decade. Almost 70 countries have national action plans to put women, peace and security aims into practice. This year, renewed peacekeeping and peace enforcement mandates for Western Sahara, Sudan and Somalia included new language on the importance of women’s participation. Hopefully this trend will continue with South Sudan’s peacekeeping mandate renewal just around the corner.

To Close Climate Goals Gap: Drop Coal, Ramp Up Renewables

November 1, 2017 Georgina Gustin, insideclimatenews.org , , ,
By Georgina Gustin for Inside Climate News - Countries will have to phase out coal and invest in renewable energy even faster than previously expected to keep global warming below perilous levels and fend off the most dangerous impacts of climate change, according to a United Nations report released just before the next round of international climate talks. The United Nations Environment Program on Tuesday released its annual report on the "emissions gap"—the distance between countries' pledged commitments for meeting the targets of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the pathways that scientists estimate could actually achieve those targets. The report, prepared by dozens of scientists and incorporating the latest scientific findings, includes new information to help negotiators zero in on more ambitious commitments that might achieve the Paris Agreement's most stringent target: keeping the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the start of the industrial era. "The overarching conclusions of the report are that there is an urgent need for accelerated short-term action and enhanced longer-term national ambition, if the goals of the Paris Agreement are to remain achievable," the report says. "And that practical and cost-effective options are available to make this possible." In other words, the world's countries need to get moving—and fast. But there's hope.

Nuns To Deliver UN Nuclear Abolition Treaty To US Military Base

October 10, 2017 Julia Conley, www.commondreams.org , , ,
By Julia Conley for Common Dreams. Colorado Springs, CO - speaking out against the United States' decision to forego last month's United Nations treaty prohibiting the use and development of atomic weapons, two Catholic nuns on Monday will perform their latest in a long series of anti-nuclear protests. Sister Ardeth Platte and Sister Carol Gilbert plan to present the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, signed by 53 countries, to officials at the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, delivering the message that the U.S. must join with other nations to reach worldwide nuclear disarmament. "We're coming as peacemakers and peace advocates, to teach and show our concern," Platte said in an interview with the Denver Post. "Our politicians could be heroes of these times, if they start working with nations rather than against nations." The U.S. was one of several countries with nuclear capability that did not sign the agreement. North Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom were among the other nations that refused to take part in negotiations—which Platte and Gilbert say too many Americans don't even know took place. "We want the citizens of Colorado to know about this treaty," Gilbert told the Post. "The treaty would make nuclear weapons illegal." The treaty was signed amid growing tensions between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has tested several intercontinental ballistic missiles since July, launching them into the Pacific Ocean over Japan.

UN Resolution Condemns Use Of Death Penalty To Target LGBTQ People

October 5, 2017 Zack Ford, www.thinkprogress.org , , ,
By Zack Ford for Think Progress - The United Nations approved a resolution Friday condemning the use of the death penalty in a discriminatory fashion, including its use to punish “apostasy, blasphemy, adultery, and consensual same-sex relations.” But the United States joined a minority of states who voted against it. ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, highlighted the outcome of the vote. Executive director Renato Sabbadini noted in a statement how atrocious some countries’ anti-gay laws are, saying, “It is unconscionable to think that there are hundreds of millions of people living in States where somebody may be executed simply because of whom they love.” Four countries punish homosexuality with death (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen), as do certain provinces in Nigeria and Somalia and ISIS-controlled territories in northern Iraq and northern Syria. The nations of Afghanistan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates also permit the death penalty, but rarely enforce it. There are far more countries where homosexuality is illegal but not punishable by death. Brunei Darussalam previously passed a death penalty law, but it has not been implemented. Uganda considered such a law just a few years ago.

UN Takes First Step To End Israel’s Impunity

October 2, 2017 Ali Abunimah, www.electronicintifada.net , ,
By Ali Abunimah for The Electronic Antifada - UN officials are finally moving to hold Israel accountable for breaking international law, though they are facing fierce resistance from Israel and its allies. “After decades of Palestinian dispossession and Israeli military occupation and apartheid, the United Nations has taken its first concrete, practical step to secure accountability for ongoing Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights,” said Omar Barghouti, a founder of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. “Palestinians warmly welcome this step.” On Wednesday, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported that the UN’s human rights office began sending letters to some 150 companies around the world warning them that they may be added to a database of firms doing business with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This week Nickolay Mladenov, the top UN political official in Jerusalem, told the UN Security Council that “Israel’s illegal settlement activities have continued at a high rate” in gross breach of UN resolutions. There is a growing legal consensus that international law requires governments to prohibit all trade with the settlements.

Outlawed West Papua Independence Petition Presented To UN

September 28, 2017 Timothy Fernandez, www.abc.net.au , ,
By Timothy Fernandez for ABC News AU - 'A secret petition demanding a new independence referendum for West Papua has been presented to the United Nations. The Indonesian Government banned the petition in the provinces of West Papua and Papua, threatening that those who signed it will be arrested and face jail. But the document was smuggled between villages where it has been signed by 1.8 million West Papuans, more than 70 per cent of the province's population. Advocates argue that West Papuans have been denied a legitimate self-determination process, since it was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969. The petition demands a free vote on West Papua's independence as well as the appointment of a UN representative, to investigate reports of human rights violations by Indonesian security forces. The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, said the petition was incredibly important and the people of West Papua had effectively already voted to demand their self-determination. "They have come in numbers to express their hope for a better future," Mr Sogavare said in his UN General Assembly speech. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia had long recognised Indonesia's sovereignty over the Papua provinces. "This is a bipartisan position in Australia, underlined by the Lombok Treaty between Australia and Indonesia which came into force in 2008," she said.

More Than 40 Nations Sign Nuclear Ban Treaty in First Hour

September 20, 2017 Staff, www.accuracy.org , ,
By The Institute for Public Accuracy. Reuters reports today: "Dozens of countries signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons on Wednesdayamid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, although the United States, Britain, France and others boycotted the event at the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders. "The treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons will enter into force 90 days after 50 countries have ratified it. ... "'There remain some fifteen thousand nuclear weapons in existence. We cannot allow these doomsday weapons to endanger our world and our children’s future,' U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he opened the treaty for signing.
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