Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Violence, displacement, hunger’ll drive record humanitarian needs in 2018 – UN
Violence, displacement, hunger’ll drive record humanitarian needs in 2018 – UN
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said protracted conflicts in Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen, the Rohingya exodus from Myanmar and natural disasters exacerbated by climate change are among many crises.
OCHA, therefore, appealed for a record 22.5 billion dollars for humanitarian responses across the globe.
According to Mark Lowcock, Head of OCHA and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the agency intends to reach 91 million extremely vulnerable people in 26 countries in 2018 through UN-coordinated humanitarian response plans.
He said there are 40 million people displaced within their own countries.
Also, the deputy director emergencies of International Rescue Committee (IRC), Bryce Perry, said in 2018, the committee will continue to focus on the CAR and other countries experiencing severe humanitarian crisis.
Perry said Yemen continues to be at the top of the list as humanitarians struggle to deliver aid in response to extreme food insecurity, disease outbreak and a collapsed economy.
He said the IRC, remained concerned about the persistent political instability, a highly vulnerable population and continued unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo .
Perry said the Rohingya crisis has topped the humanitarian needs have quickly outstripped available aid resources and the crisis will remain a priority for the year to come.
According to Nigel Timmins, a humanitarian director, without a political settlement in sight, the conflict in Yemen looks set to continue.
Timmins said the conflict has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the world’s largest cholera outbreak and is on course to create the world’s worst famine.
He said in Northern Nigeria, no fewer than eight million people are dependent on life saving aid as the conflict in northern Nigeria reaches its eighth year, with no sign of abating. Unable to grow or buy food, millions are going hungry.
He said close to 1.7 million people have fled their homes, and with the security situation remaining fragile, many more will continue to do so.
In Syria, he said,the devastation and suffering delivered by six years of war in Syria is staggering and relentless.
He said that three quarters of Syrians have been affected, 13.5 million people are in need of assistance and five million have fled the country.
Also according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, David Beasley, the organisation would put more focus on school meals programmes, on connecting people with projects that benefit their communities.
Beasley said millions of lives depended on the WFP to get help to them quickly and it must be done efficiently to save money. (NAN)
UN General Assembly votes on draft Jerusalem resolution in rare emergency session
The U.N.General Assembly is holding an emergency session today, requested by Turkey and Yemen on behalf of the Arab group of countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to vote on a draft resolution rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital after the United States vetoed the measure at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC). Turkey and Yemen circulated a draft resolution on Tuesday that mirrors the vetoed measure, reaffirming that any decision on the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be rescinded. Egypt had put forward the draft at the UNSC, which was backed by all 14 other members in the vote on Monday.
Like the Egyptian draft, the text before the assembly does not mention Trump's decision but expresses "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem." Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will participate in the planned General Assembly vote on Jerusalem today on behalf of Turkey. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki will be arriving in New York with Çavuşoğlu. Palestinian permanent observer to the U.N. Riyad Mansour said he expected overwhelming support for the measure, stating that Jerusalem is an issue "to be resolved through negotiations" between Israel and the Palestinians. "The General Assembly will say, without the fear of the veto, that the international community is refusing to accept the unilateral position of the United States," Mansour told reporters.
Not only Muslims but Christians are also "very disturbed" by the U.S. decision on Jerusalem, said Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad El-Maliki in Istanbul yesterday ahead of their trip to the U.S., Çavuşoğlu said they are expecting strong support at the voting session in the U.N. General Assembly tomorrow, since not only Muslims but Christians are also against Trump's move.
On Dec. 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. The decision has been strongly opposed by the international community, including U.S. allies, with the exception of Israel. The OIC convened on Dec. 13 in Istanbul in an emergency summit where it was declared that the top Islamic body recognizes east Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and called the White House's decision "null and void."
The decision was voted on on Tuesday at the UNSC, but the U.S., as a permanent member, vetoed the draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem.
In the 193-nation General Assembly, however, no country has veto powers, contrary to the UNSC where the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia can block any resolution.
The U.N.'s history regarding the Palestine issue dates back to 1947, a year before Israel was founded. Since that day, the U.N. has released nearly a hundred resolutions in relation to Palestine and its conflict with Israel, the first one of which is the recommendation of the partition plan in 1947 with Resolution 181. The U.N. opted for a special status, as Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Although Israel has been a member of the U.N. since 1949, Palestine is only an observer state, which it became in 2012.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Zionist forces declared west Jerusalem part of Israel, ignoring the U.N. recommendation.
In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel again targeted Jerusalem, taking control of the eastern part of the city, which was previously under Jordanian control.
Israeli authorities intentionally extended the law to bring Jerusalem directly under the country's jurisdiction, which many considered a breach of international law.
Israel then passed the Jerusalem Law in 1980 to officially annex east Jerusalem. This law was declared null and void by U.N. Resolution 478, which was immediately passed as a response to the Israeli move.
The U.S. has long had a major role in the conflict, launching issue-specific committees such as one on the condition of Palestinian refugees. It also became the de facto mediator for many peace attempts between the parties, the latest of which took place in 2002, and failed like previous attempts.
The U.S.'s veto on Tuesday, the sole dissenter of the 15-member UNSC, has left the U.S. alone in the international arena. In addition, the shift in longstanding U.S. policy on Jerusalem has sparked angry demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories and many Muslim countries.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met yesterday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud in Riyadh to discuss recent developments pertaining to Jerusalem.
In the meeting, Abbas briefed the Saudi king on the steps he is taking to "safeguard Jerusalem from the threats it is facing," according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
In t the meeting, Abbas praised what he described as "the international consensus in support of the Palestinian people and cause and rejection of the U.S. decision [on Jerusalem]."
Germany repeated its opposition on the issue and said EU members are discussing a joint position ahead of a key vote at the U.N. General Assembly.
German Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Rainer Breul told a press conference in Berlin that Germany hopes EU states reach a unified position before the vote on Thursday.
"The German government is aiming to reach an EU consensus and voting according to this, as has been the case with similar resolutions on the Middle East. Consultations are currently underway," he said.
The top Roman Catholic cleric Apostolic Administrator of Jerusalem Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa also said yesterday that the status of Jerusalem should not be altered by "unilateral decisions," amid protests over the U.S. move.
Pizzaballa said in a statement yesterday that "unilateral decisions will not bring peace, but rather will distance it. Jerusalem is a treasure of all humanity. Any exclusive claim – be it political or religious – is contrary to the city's own logic."
Regarding the issue, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın said Tuesday that Turkey would resume intense efforts until the day of the vote for the Jerusalem decision to be accepted at the U.N. General Assembly.
"In the case of a two-thirds majority, and we think with great probability that this majority will be formed, it will be confirmed in the U.N. that the Jerusalem decision by the Trump administration is unlawful," he said.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron made a statement on the issue Tuesday while discussing it with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Paris, saying that both countries are awaiting U.S. input before pressing ahead with any peace initiatives following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The two leaders reaffirmed their condemnation of the decision, insisting that the first half of 2018 would be crucial for the region.
"We don't agree with the unilateral move by the Americans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital, but we want to see the full initiative put on the table," Macron told a joint news conference with Abdullah.
"We will lend our support to any useful initiative," Abdullah said, adding that they will be waiting in the next few months on "our American friends."
"Palestinians must be able to establish their independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital, a state that lives side by side with the state of Israel," Abdullah added.
Macron will hold talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 10.
The French leader said France "will maintain contact with everyone in the region".
Nigeria seeks global support on climate change
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Paris appealed to the international community to support Nigeria’s commitment to reducing the effects of climate change.
In a submission to the One Planet Summit attended by over 60 heads of state and governments, as well as representatives of non-governmental and private organisations, the President said: “We cannot implement our Nationally Determined Contribution without adequate financial, technical and capacity building support from the developed countries.”
Buhari’s appeal came as the three co-chairmen of the plenary session, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, stressed the need for a global, comprehensive and speedy action, including private sector financing against the devastating impact of climate change.
Buhari noted that although the country had been strengthening efforts towards implementing the Paris Agreement and the Marrakech Call for Action, plan to reduce its emission by 20 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2030 cannot be attained alone. “Having just come out of recession, we are under no illusion of the challenges we face in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, “Nigeria recognises that ensuring sustainable funding is a major constraint in efforts to implement the Nationally Determined Contribution. To respond effectively to climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges, critical mass of financial resources beyond what we can provide from our national resources will be required.”
On steps Nigeria has taken to meet its national goal in this respect, he said the country “embraced the issuance of the green bond as an innovative and alternative source of projects funding that would help reduce emissions and provide robust climate infrastructure, such as renewable energy, low carbon transport, water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture in line with the Paris Agreement”.
In furtherance of efforts to deliver on the country’s pledges, he noted that government was “tightening the existing governance structure for more effective implementation of climate change activities, including the additional responsibilities that are consequent on adoption of the all-encompassing climate change treaty”.
Government was actively promoting technologies and practices such as sustainable land management, climate resilient agriculture, water efficiency, clean energy, and skills for reducing greenhouse gas emissions among others, Buhari said, stressing that sustaining these efforts would require external support.
Other measures included “accelerating research and development on facilitating access to climate friendly technologies, through technology pooling and collective approach to financing research and development, regulating restrictive practices in licensing agreements and anti-competitive uses of intellectual property and international declaration on climate technologies”.
He said: “In Nigeria, we are looking at insurance-based proposals to deal with loss, damage and adaptation to the poor, vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups. Risk mitigation through insurance must benefit those groups who currently have negligible access to any form of indemnity coverage. Vulnerable groups will also benefit from new technologies and ways to make insurance schemes affordable, including through long-term premium support.”
He said Nigeria would require “a long-term solution for a source of clean power, which can be achieved through private investments to create economic competitiveness for industrialisation, job creation and agricultural programmes throughout the country; and the inclusion of Nigeria in climate regional programmes, especially strong financial support to our planned project for the replenishment of the Lake Chad”.
The President noted: “This long-term solution will ensure sustained livelihood for rural and urban communities, and permanently address the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism and terrorism, and stem illegal migration especially of our youths abroad.”
Acknowledging that external support must be sustained on a long-term basis, Buhari said: “The changes Nigeria and other developing countries need to make cannot be undertaken overnight.”
He said he looked up to developed countries to jointly take a leading role in mobilising support for addressing the challenges of climate change within the framework of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The UN scribe had in his earlier address warned that governments who failed to bet on a green economy would be living in a grey future.
He said the Paris Agreement laid the basis for ambitious action, but regretted that countries were not winning the war on climate change, which is “the defining challenge of our time”.
Guterres noted that everyday in every region front pages are dominated by weather-related disasters such as storms, floods, droughts and fires. He lamented current financial commitment by governments, saying it was not enough to address climate change problems.
Buhari had before the summit attended a luncheon hosted by his French counterpart in honour of visiting heads of state and governments at the Elysee Palace.
UN peacekeepers killed in Congo attack
Fourteen United Nations peacekeepers have been killed and more than 40 wounded in attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, U.N. officials said on Friday
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under–Secretary General for UN Peacekeeping says on Twitter that the attack occurred Thursday evening in North Kivu province.
Lacroix says he is “outraged” by the attack and that medical evacuations are ongoing. He does not identify the attackers.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is the largest in the world and is aimed at calming a number of armed groups in the vast, mineral-rich Central African nation.
We have the right to live in a clean environment. We expect to be able to eat, drink and breathe without risking our health. Yet, we continue to pollute our air, land, waterways and oceans. We trigger sand and dust storms due to climate change and environmental degradation. We use dangerous chemicals and substances in everyday objects. We inflict global suffering that is inexcusable, preventable and reversible. Dedicating this Assembly to working towards a pollution-free planet highlights the urgent need for rapid, large-scale and coordinated action by leaders from governments, industry, the scientific community and civil society. It also highlights the incredible opportunity to promote equitable and sustainable social and economic development. Beating pollution will help reduce poverty, improve public health, create decent jobs, address climate change and protect life on land and sea. We already have much of the knowledge and technical solutions we need to prevent, mitigate and manage pollution. There are many examples of countries, cities and businesses taking action. And there are international successes, such as the entry into force of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the recent announcement that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will enter into force on January 2019, having obtained the required threshold of 20 ratifications. With stronger policies, regulations, laws and fiscal incentives, we can scale up such progress. Making our planet pollution-free is a long-term necessary endeavour. The world counts on this Assembly to show strong leadership by sounding the alarm and calling on all governments to act to beat pollution. The United Nations Environment Assembly is gathering in Nairobi, Kenya from 4-6 December 2017 under the overarching theme of pollution.
We have the right to live in a clean environment. We expect to be able to eat, drink and breathe without risking our health. Yet, we continue to pollute our air, land, waterways and oceans. We trigger sand and dust storms due to climate change and environmental degradation. We use dangerous chemicals and substances in everyday objects. We inflict global suffering that is inexcusable, preventable and reversible.
Dedicating this Assembly to working towards a pollution-free planet highlights the urgent need for rapid, large-scale and coordinated action by leaders from governments, industry, the scientific community and civil society. It also highlights the incredible opportunity to promote equitable and sustainable social and economic development. Beating pollution will help reduce poverty, improve public health, create decent jobs, address climate change and protect life on land and sea.
We already have much of the knowledge and technical solutions we need to prevent, mitigate and manage pollution. There are many examples of countries, cities and businesses taking action. And there are international successes, such as the entry into force of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the recent announcement that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will enter into force on January 2019, having obtained the required threshold of 20 ratifications. With stronger policies, regulations, laws and fiscal incentives, we can scale up such progress.
Making our planet pollution-free is a long-term necessary endeavour. The world counts on this Assembly to show strong leadership by sounding the alarm and calling on all governments to act to beat pollution.
The United Nations Environment Assembly is gathering in Nairobi, Kenya from 4-6 December 2017 under the overarching theme of pollution.
Ex-Bosnian Croat leader commits suicide in court
Ex-Bosnian Croat leader Slobodan Praljak has died after drinking poison at a UN war crimes court in The Hague: Croatia’s state TV
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