September 2019 — Page 4 of 20 — Human Rights & Charity

‘No place for violence, intimidation or fraud’ in Afghan elections: UN chief

Afghanistan has been plagued by repeated deadly acts of violence in the months preceding the elections, which have been delayed twice because of security concerns.

Last Tuesday, two suicide attacks left dozens dead: an explosion at an election rally for President Ashraf Ghani in Charikar, north of the capital Kabul, which killed some 26 people, including children; and a blast in Kabul’s Green Zone, where the defence ministry, US embassy and NATO headquarters are located, killing 22. There are fears that, with the Taliban threatening to unleash violence, Saturday’s election could see more attacks.

Mr. Guterres urged all stakeholders to ensure that all Afghan voters are able to exercise their right to vote, and declared that this is “crucial as Afghanistan strives to consolidate a democratic and inclusive political system”.

Any acts of violence against the electoral process, continued the UN chief, including attacks directed at polling centres, polling staff and voters, are unacceptable.

According to media reports, the Afghan Government will shut 2,400 polling stations, citing security reasons, but some local officials are claiming that the closures are politically motivated, and an attempt to suppress the opposition vote.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), published a tweet on Friday noting the announced closure of 445 more polling stations on election day: “Transparency key to credibility”, the mission said. “Imperative to clarify where these Polling Centres are located – voters have a right to vote and need to know”.

Despite grappling with Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh is ‘development miracle’

“Bangladesh recorded the highest economic growth among a list of 26 countries in the last 10 years”, said Sheikh Hasina, noting a 188 per cent expansion in its gross domestic product (GDP), which “has grown from $102 billion in 2009 to $302 billion this year”.

Citing poverty and inequality as two major obstacles to development, she pointed out that “poverty eradication, sustainable growth, protection of the environment and human-resources development are some of the key features of our development strategy”.

“Bangladesh has achieved one of the fastest poverty reduction rates in the world”, the Prime Minister said, explaining that over the past 10 years, the country has adopted progressive and timely policies, with a key development strategy that tackles inequality through social security, decent work and financial inclusion.

Other sustainable development achievements

“Having achieved the milestones of gender parity”, she said, “we are now focusing on enhancing the quality of education with emphasis on e-learning, and qualified teachers”.

And she maintained that Bangladesh’s school drop-out rate has gone down from 50 to 18 per cent.

Moreover, the country has created an extensive network of 18,000 community clinics and Union Health Centres to bring health coverage to the entire population.

“These centres provide 30 different types of medicine free of cost and free primary health services to the rural people”, she explained, adding that 80 per cent of recipients are women and children.

Ms. Hasina called the blue economy Bangladesh’s “new frontier of opportunities”, saying, “we are contributing to UN’s norm-setting exercises on protecting marine biological diversity in the areas within and beyond national jurisdiction”.

Turning to climate change, she pointed out that Bangladesh is a coalition partner on climate resilience and adaptation and has adopted “transformative and innovative climate resilient technology and crops for reducing disaster risks”.

Keeping the peace

As the second largest troop- and police-contributing country, Bangladesh continues to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.

Responding to the Secretary-General’s call to implement the Action for Peacekeeping Agenda, Ms. Hasina said, “we have joined as one of the ‘champion’ countries”.

Turning to the Rohingya crisis, the Prime Minister stated that it has been “lingering into the third year”, saying that “not a single Rohingya could return to Myanmar due to absence of safety and security, freedom of movement and overall conducive environment in Rakhine state of Myanmar”.

She requested the international community to “understand the un-tenability of the situation” and that the crisis has gone “beyond the camps”.

“Despite our all efforts to contain it, the crisis is now becoming a regional threat”, lamented Ms. Hasina, with “increasing congestion and environmental degradation… challenging health and security”.

Noting that “we are bearing the burden of a crisis which is Myanmar’s own making”, Ms. Hasina recalled a proposal to resolve the crisis, which included for the international community to ensure that the root causes of Rohingya problems are addressed and the violation of their human rights accounted for.

“For us multilateralism remains as the strongest panacea for resolving the global problems and creating global goods”, concluded the Bangladesh Prime Minister.

At UN, Modi outlines development successes, says India gave world ‘Buddha, not war’

Narendra Modi painted a picture of a rapidly changing India that in five years has built over 110 million toilets and opened over 370 million bank accounts for the poor.

India has given “the world new hope” by launching the planet’s biggest digital identification programme for its citizens – saving more than $20 billion by checking corruption, he said.

What’s more, “when a developing country, successfully runs the world’s biggest health assurance scheme, giving 500 million people the facility of an annual health cover of 500,000 Rs [rupees] for free treatment, the achievements and responsive systems that result from this scheme show the world a new path”, he said.

Progress abounds

Turning to environmentally friendly endeavours, Mr. Modi proudly stated that a country-wide campaign has begun to make India free of single use plastics.

Moreover, over the next five years, 150 million Indian homes will have a water supply and over 125,000 kilometers of new roads.

“By the year 2022, when India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, we plan to build 20 million houses for the poor”, he said, adding that he also aimed to eradicate Tuberculosis by 2025.

Prime Minister Modi said his country draws inspiration from its motto: “Collective efforts, for growth of all, with everyone’s trust,” asserting that this “is not confined within the borders of India”.

“Our endeavours are neither an expression of pity, nor a pretense”, he maintained, explaining that while they are centered on 1.3 billion Indians, “their fruits are for all, for the entire world”.

Environmental leaders

From an historic and per capita emission perspective, Mr. Modi maintained that while India’s contribution to global warming is very low, it is “one of the leading nations when it comes to taking steps to address this issue”.

He said it is working towards the target of 450 giga watts of renewable energy, and creating the International Solar Alliance.

Noting that global warming is increasing the number and severity of natural disasters, the Prime Minister told the General Assembly that India has initiated the “Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure”, to help build infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters.

“India has given the world Buddha’s message of peace, not war. Its voice against terrorism rings with seriousness and outrage, alerting the world about this evil. Terrorism is one of the biggest threats to the world and all humanity.”

“It is absolutely imperative that the world unites against terrorism,” he said.

In a world sweeping changes sparked by modern technology, he concluded his address by stressing the importance of multilateralism.

“A fragmented world is in the interest of no one”, he said. “In this new era, we will have to give new direction to multilateralism, and to the United Nations”.

Island nations on climate crisis frontline ‘not sitting idly by’

On Friday, they will be centre stage during the General Assembly’s big opening week, when countries will discuss progress made since the landmark SAMOA Pathway agreement was reached, five years ago.

The 38 countries designated by the United Nations as Small Island Developing States, or SIDS, are amongst the most vulnerable countries in the world. Situated in the Caribbean, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans as well as the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, they are bearing the brunt of an increasingly extreme and unpredictable global climate. As well as the environmental challenges, SIDS face a unique set of issues relating to their small size, remoteness, and exposure to external economic shocks.

Most island nations tend to confront similar constraints in their efforts to develop sustainably, such as a narrow resource base, small domestic markets and heavy dependence on a few external and sometimes remote markets. They also generally face high costs for food, which often has to be imported, as well as energy, infrastructure, transportation and communication. Those challenges are further complicated by the difficulties they face mobilizing development finance on affordable and appropriate terms.

Ms. ‘Utoikamanu has been speaking to UN News about the challenges faced by SIDS.

How are SIDS being impacted now?

Island communities are on the frontlines of the climate emergency and often have little resilience to disasters. Earlier this month, the Bahamas, one of the wealthier SIDS, was devastated when Hurricane Dorian swept across parts of the Caribbean archipelago. On a visit there, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was “impossible not to be horrified with the destruction” he saw, dubbing the Category 5 hurricane, “Category Hell.” He added that the extreme weather had been “powered by climate change.”

The Bahamas is not alone. Pacific island states have been particularly susceptible to climate-related changes. The melting of glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic caused by higher global temperatures has led to rising sea levels which has significantly impacted low-lying island nations. In May, the Secretary-General visited Tuvalu and said that sea level rise in some Pacific countries is “four times greater than the global average”, adding that it poses “an existential threat to several island States”.

Those climate shocks and the unique make-up of the SIDS means that many are finding it difficult to develop in a sustainable fashion and improve the lives of their citizens.

How does this concern the rest of the world…isn’t this a problem that SIDS need to work out?

The SIDS are the countries most affected by climate change but, given that they are generally producing little of the harmful greenhouse gases that are fueling climate change, they are also the countries least responsible for the problem. So, all nations, especially industrialized ones which have generated most of these harmful gases, have a moral responsibility to act.

And while island nations are clearly on the frontline of the climate crisis, as global warming worsens, the effect is being felt around the world in developing and developed countries. So, it’s a global issue which concerns people everywhere.

So what solutions are being found?

The greatest challenge faced by Small Island Developing States is the fall-out from climate change, and they need to not only adapt to this new threat but also find ways to develop sustainably. In short, they need to build both economic and environmental resilience.

SIDS are not sitting idly by; many for instance are emerging as frontrunners in the pursuit of renewables-based energy systems building on abundant local and natural resources. While they recognize that they contribute little to greenhouse gas emissions, they recognize that they themselves can help set examples for the rest of the world.

Here are some of the ways that organizations and individuals are, often with support from the international community, finding ways to respond effectively to the crisis.

In the Comoros, in the Indian Ocean, farmers are adapting to dramatic shifts in the climate, namely a rise in temperatures and a reduction in rain fall.

In Papua New Guinea, local conservationist Alfred Masul is working to build resilience to extreme weather and rising sea levels. He is protecting the fragile coast of his island home by planting mangrove trees, which will also encourage fish to return to local waters and provide a valuable source of food.

In Jamaica, in the Caribbean, which has been suffering from drought in recent years following a 30 per cent drop in rainfall, communities are learning to harvest rain water, an exercise which can build resilience and aid development by helping to shore up food security and create jobs.

So, what will the SIDS hope to achieve in New York this month?

Climate-related disasters are growing in frequency and severity, so the risks facing people living on islands and to development overall will only intensify. The global community will join the small island developing states at a high-level summit at the UN in New York to assess how SIDS are boosting sustainable development whilst confronting the new climate reality. They will focus on one key instrument, the SAMOA Pathway, a blueprint for sustainable development for island nations which was agreed five years ago in the capital of the eponymous Pacific Ocean country.

It is hoped that new steps will be taken on climate action, that the oceans and seas which surround the islands can be better conserved and that public health systems can be strengthened. The SIDS will also look at scaling up new opportunities for economic growth as well as the Pathway suggests “forging genuine and durable partnerships for sustainable development.”

At UN, Somalia’s President spotlights country’s progress, but cautions eradicating terrorism ‘will not be easy’

Somalia’s progress towards reconstruction was moving ahead, but Mr. Mohamad said “one cannot remain deaf and blind” pockets of global discontent and the effects of poverty, inequality and unfair globalization.

He noted that Somalia played a leading role in the socio-economic development of the Horn of Africa and expressed confidence that cooperation among countries in the region would only strengthen political stability and social and cultural connectivity.

He went on to express his country’s pride after the success of the regional elections in some of the Federated States ahead of the 2021 presidential and legislative elections.

And while he called Somalia “historic” example of reform, resilience and commitment to progress and reconstruction, he cautioned that despite tangible progress, the country still faced many challenges, first and foremost those related to security, on which “everything depends”.

“With the help of our international partners, we are striving to rid ourselves of the last pockets of violent extremism and terrorism,” he said, stressing that the task would not be easy, especially given the “violence, cowardice and opportunistic guerilla tactics of Al Shabab.”

But Mr. Mohamed said he is confident that with the help of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other partners, his country will regain stability, which was in the interest of the region and the world.

Turning to one of the key issues before Member States, climate change, he said Somalia which had the longest coastline on the African continent, was already experiencing the effects of rising waters and temperatures. Somalia was also impacted by land degradation, long-term drought and deforestation.

Mr. Mohamed reiterated his commitment to the Paris Agreement, but also to Security Council resolution 751 (1992), which called on all States to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct and indirect import and export of Somali coal.

“It may not save the environment, but it will definitely deprive terrorists of a source of funding,” he said.

‘Terrorist Iranian regime’ must be checked; Saudi Foreign Minister urges financial pressure

Although he had planned to speak about Saudi Arabia’s ongoing economic development and reforms and other issues, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf said that unfortunately, the “reprehensible attacks” against the Kingdom’s oil facilities less than two weeks ago demanded attention and a unified international response.

He said that the firing of 25 cruise missiles and drones that nearly cut oil production in Saudi Arabia by half was “a flagrant violation of international laws and regulations”, as well as “an attack on international peace and security and a significant threat to oil supplies”.

“We invited UN and international experts to pin down the perpetrator,” he said, claiming that “whoever stood behind these attacks is also responsible for other assaults on commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the Abha Airport and the Shaybah oil field.”

He maintained that the perpetrator “is a vile and cowardly regime, which hides behind its affiliated militias” that views his State and its people “only as a battlefield to achieve its subversive agenda”.

The Foreign Minister said, “we have known that regime for 40 years” and that it has carried out terrorist acts inside Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Europe.

But the latest attacks and aggression “have exposed the Iranian regime before the entire world”, he stated, calling it “a rogue and terrorist system that continues to threaten international peace and security”.

As such, he saw the attacks as “a real test of the international community’s will”, upholding that the UN and “the entire world” faces a moral responsibility to take a unified position, or an unknown future would befall the region, international peace, energy supplies and the world economy.

“The reality is that this bloodthirsty regime is no longer menacing the peoples of the region only, it is doing so to the whole world”, he stressed.

Activities outside the Kingdom

Mr. Al-Assaf suggested the Assembly look into other crimes committed by Iran, such as in Syria where it claimed more than half a million lives.

“The Iranian regime participated in killing the Syrian people, either directly or through its proxies and support for militias like the terrorist Hezbollah”, he said.

Moreover, the Foreign Minister blamed Iran for disrupting a political solution in Yemen by “threatening maritime shipping lanes and blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid”.

Asserting that “this rogue regime” used revenue from the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA to finance its aggression and terrorist activities, he advised the international community to cut off its finance sources as “the best way to compel the regime to renounce its militias, prevent it from developing ballistic missiles and put an end to its destabilizing activities in the region and the world”.

North Macedonia President, credits dialogue and diplomacy for setting a decades-long ‘name dispute’

“This bilateral difference had serious negative implications, both in the regional and multilateral setting, becoming regretfully infamous as a difficult and irresolvable problem”, said President Zoran Zaev.

However, today the country can see “nothing but benefits from settling the differences”, such as a complete identify profile at the UN and “exceptionally good relations with Greece”, according its President.

Noting advanced bilateral cooperation, he said the republic of North Macedonia has thus contributed to the regional stability.

Moreover, the Prespa Agreement, along with the Treaty of Friendship with Bulgaria, has accelerated its integration into NATO and helped to eliminate the greatest obstacles to European Union accession.

Mr. Zaev underscored his country’s appreciation to the UN for it’s 20 years of dedicated support and cited the Prespa Agreement as a “demonstration of the power of diplomacy and dialogue”, calling it “an instrumental example for the settlement of many other open issues”.

“Reaching this milestone required good faith and above all vision”, he said. “It also required diplomacy, resilience and mutual trust”.

The landmark Agreement is helping both sides to overcome a history of distrust and establish a new foundation based on friendship and partnership.

“All problems throughout the world are different and have their specific features, yet dialogue and diplomacy are still the best approaches to settlement”, affirmed Mr. Zaev.

“As leaders of our countries, we owe it to our citizens to work on the resolution of problems, to maintain the peace and to create conditions for development and better life for all.”

Present and emerging challenges

At a time of great importance in confronting present and emerging challenges, Mr. Zaev recommitted to the common values of peace, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and sustainable development.

The President stated that a strong UN is needed “to stand for and deliver for all”.

“International order based on rules, effective multilateralism, with the central role of the strong action-oriented United Nations is necessary in a world of everyday uncertainty”, he spelled out.

Turning to the global climate crisis, he told the global leaders that in August, for the first time in its history, a seemingly eternal glacier in Iceland vanished as a result of global warming to climate change. A bronze plaque was placed on a rock to commemorate it.

“This should be a global warning for all of us”, he asserted.

South Sudan ‘heading towards lasting peace and stability’, UN General Assembly told

“Last year, I stood here representing a country many skeptics had considered was on the brink of deteriorating into violent conflict,” said Taban Deng Gai, adding that now, “South Sudan is heading towards lasting peace and stability”.

He credited success in the ongoing implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement to the engagement of different parties, and urged the international community to support efforts to bring non-signatories “on board”.

Mr. Gai told the Assembly that a face-to-face meeting between President Salva Kiir and Rick Machar earlier this month offered an opportunity to deliberate issues and pave the way for the new Government of National Unity by 12 November.

“The Transnational Government of National Unity will continue to consolidate peace including preparations for elections at the end of the Transnational Period”, he said, calling upon UN Member States “to extend much needed support for the new incoming Government”.

Security situation

As the Government and parties to the peace accord had worked diligently to implement its provisions, Mr. Gai said, the country’s overall security situation is stable.

He elaborated on several peace initiatives under way, including dialogues at grassroots, regional and national levels, which have made “significant strides towards reconciliation and healing” among the country’s diverse communities.

To consolidate peace on the ground, ensure democracy and accountability and fight impunity, Mr. Gai believed in a “complementary three-track approach” that included people-to-people peace initiatives, national dialogue and the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

Turning to Abyei, Mr. Gai said his Government is “gravely concerned” about the security situation there and urged the Secretary-General to quickly appoint the UN Interim Security Force’s (UNISFA) Civilian Deputy Head.

As Mr. Gai congratulated neighbouring Sudan for its ability to amicably resolve the political impasse “that many feared would get out of hand.” He drew a round of applause when he said: “We are one people in two independent countries united through our historical, cultural and social ties”.

Patriotism must have global dimension, says EU’s Donald Tusk

“The very idea of the United Nations, just like that of the European Union, is de facto a heroic attempt to overcome such thinking,” Donald Tusk told the General Assembly, underscoring that: “Patriotism in the 21st century must also have a global dimension, if it is not to become, as has many times been the case, a common national egoism.”

Indeed, the EU’s political chief warned, history has shown how easy it is to transform the love of one’s homeland into a hatred towards one’s neighbours, or “how easy it is to use the slogans of one’s own sovereignty against the sovereignty of others.”

Admitting that the word globalism “doesn’t sound attractive”, Mr. Tusk said “solidarity” was the world he preferred. “In my political vocabulary, globalism and solidarity mean the same thing. And I am not talking about some naive ideology or abstract linguistics, but about concrete challenges and a chance for pragmatic solutions.”

He said that even in the most modern and beautiful cities, in Europe or elsewhere “our life can change into hell, if we do not find, here at the United Nations, adequate solutions to global threats, such as: armed conflicts and terrorism, nuclear proliferation, or the destruction of our environment.”

Mr. Tusk stressed that without a readiness to establish rules on a global level, and later to consistently respect them, local communities, nations and States, and even continents, will remain helpless in the face of those threats.

On what he termed the current “environmental emergency”, he said that microplastics are spreading in the oceans and up to 200 species become extinct each day. “We are fast approaching a point, beyond which we will only be able to mitigate climate change rather than reverse it.”

He vowed that the EU would continue doing everything possible to confront the threats posed by climate change. Europe is showing leadership in implementing the Paris Agreement and hoped to win the race to become the world’s first carbon-neutral continent. In 2017 alone, the EU and its member States spent 20 billion euros helping developing countries tackle and adapt to climate change, he added.

Finally, Mr. Tusk said that it was not just nature and the oceans that deserved protection, but “the truth in public life, freedom, rule of law, and international solidarity.”

For example, he said that to protect the truth, it is not enough to accuse others of promoting fake news. “Frankly speaking, it would be enough to simply stop lying. Today, too many politicians use lies as a permanent method to maintain power.”

“To protect rule of law, you really must accept that law should be above power, not at its beck and call. If you want to follow the principles of international solidarity, you always have to help the weaker,” he said: adding: “If the powerful of our world do not understand this, they will go down in history, not as leaders, but as fake leaders. And rightly so.”

UN shipping agency urges more women to climb aboard, fuel sustainable growth

That’s according to the International Maritime Organization, IMO, which has made empowering women the theme for this year’s World Maritime Day, celebrated on Thursday.

“This provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to highlight the important – yet under-utilized – contribution of women within the maritime sector”, said IMO.

The agency’s Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, said that “gender equality has been recognized as one of the key platforms on which people can build a sustainable future.”

“Helping our Member States achieve the SDGs and deliver the 2030 Agenda is one of our key strategic directions”, he added. “Gender equality and decent work for all are among those goals – SDGs 5 and 8 – and, although we are highlighting the role of women in the maritime community this year, I want to stress that this is part of a continuing, long-term effort in support of these objectives.”

“Women in the maritime world today are strong, powerful and constantly challenging old-fashioned perceptions”, he added. “The maritime world is changing. And for the better. With help from IMO, and other organizations, exciting and rewarding career opportunities are opening up for women. And a new generation of strong and talented women are responding. They are proving that in today’s world the maritime industries are for everyone. It’s not about your gender, it’s about what you can do,” Mr. Lim said.

In its message for the Day, IMO acknowledged that shipping “has historically been a male-dominated industry and that tradition runs long and deep. However, IMO believes that empowering women fuels thriving economies, spurs productivity and growth, and benefits every stakeholder in the global maritime community.”

The agency has initiated a Women in Maritime gender equality and capacity-building programme, which encourages Member States to enable women to train alongside men in their national maritime institutes, in order to acquire the skills needed to take the helm, and rise to the top of the industry.

A series of activities and events are on-going around the world, related to the theme of Empowering Women in the Maritime Community.

Some of the highlights so far:

March – launch of women in maritime profiles to showcase women who have benefited from the Women in Maritime programme.
4-5 April – 3rd International conference on Empowering Women in the Maritime Community at the World Maritime University, Malmö, Sweden. Read the outcome here.
5 April – Meeting of all seven IMO regional Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs), on the sidelines of the WMU Conference.
1 May – special event held at IMO Headquarters on International Labour Day, exploring issues around female representation in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
25 June – On the International Day of the Seafarer, IMO, industry and other stakeholders joined the campaign to get on board with this year’s theme of gender equality.
25 June – IMO film, Turning the Tide, showing how IMO’s Women in Maritime programme is helping to support gender diversity in the maritime sector.
15-17 September – World Maritime Day Parallel Event 2019 in Cartagena, Colombia.
18-20 September – Regional conference for the Network of Women of the Maritime Authorities of Latin America – Red de Mujeres de Autoridades Maritimas de Latinoamerica (MAMLa).
26 September – Celebration of World Maritime Day at IMO Headquarters.
Late 2019 – initiating IMO/WISTA study to collect and analyse data on the number of women employed in the maritime sector.

Month: September 2019