Peace & Justice

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressing opening ceremony of the Munich Security Conference 2018 on 16 February. Credit: MSC / Kuhlmann

UN Chief Warns of a Repeat of the League of Nations' Fate

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | MUNICH (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned against a repeat of what happened with the League of Nations and the threat of a nuclear conflict, stressed the need for breaking the Gordian knot in the "broader Middle East", called for establishing an international legal framework for "cyberwars between States", and asked the international community to build a consensus on regulating the "so‑called Internet of things."

Guterres was speaking at the opening ceremony of the three-day Munich Security Conference that concluded on February 18. Its motto "To the Brink – and Back?" seemed an apt description of the situation confronting today's world.

: Ramesh Jaura; UN INSIDER; 19 February 2018

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (second from right) at the 2018 opening session of the General Assembly's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on 5 February 2018. Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs (left at the table) attended the meeting. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Palestine President to Address Security Council Amid 'Eroding' Consensus on Two-State Solution

By J Nastranis

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – In the run-up to Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, addressing the Security Council on February 20, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that global consensus on the question of Palestine "could be eroding, making effective concerted action more difficult to achieve, at a time when it is more important than ever."

In remarks at the opening of the 2018 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York on February 5, Guterres said: "Negative trends on the ground have the potential to create an irreversible one-State reality that is incompatible with realizing the legitimate national, historic and democratic aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians."

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 18 February 2018

Photo: Regional meeting of religious leaders, Treviso, Italy. Credit: UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

Religious Leaders Plan Action Against Inciting Atrocity Crimes

By Jaya Ramachandran

VIENNA (IDN) – The United Nations has taken an important step towards preventing incitement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes. More than 150 religious leaders from around the world, member states and UN officials, gathered in Vienna to discuss the implementation of the Plan of Action launched by Secretary-General António Guterres in July 2017 at a meeting of the world body's Headquarters in New York.

Guterres said: "All religions teach respect for life and recognize human beings as fundamentally equal. These principles summon us to show respect for all human beings, even those with whom we might profoundly disagree or whose cultures might seem alien."

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 16 February 2018

Women Are Being Left Behind in Spite of UN Pledge

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Two and a half years after the international community adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pledged not to leave any one behind, women around the world are faced with stark inequalities and grave challenges, says a new report by UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Titled Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN Women's flagship report identifies gaps and opportunities for gender equality, demonstrates through concrete evidence and data the pervasive nature of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere, and puts forth actionable recommendations on how to fulfill the 2030 Agenda.

: J Nastranis; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 14 February 2018

Photo: The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Pennsylvania transits the Hood Canal as the boat returns to its homeport at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Wash., Dec. 27, 2017, following a routine strategic deterrent patrol. Pennsylvania is one of eight ballistic missile submarines stationed at the base, providing the most survivable leg of the strategic deterrence triad for the United States. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda R. Gray

Trump Awaits a 'Magical Moment' to Ban Nuclear Weapons

By Shanta Roy

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), released February 2, is a dangerous departure from the past, and appears to reflect a firm U.S. commitment to readily use the world's deadliest weapons of mass destruction – even if the United States is only a target of "significant non-nuclear strategic attacks", including cyberattacks.

The new policy statement – reflecting a wide justification for a nuclear war – should also be viewed against the continued contradictory statements made by President Donald Trump on issues such as climate change, the Iranian nuclear deal, and most importantly, the use of nuclear weapons.

: Shanta Roy; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 06 February 2018

Photo: Kairat Umarov, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN and President of the Security Council for the month of January, speaks to press following Security Council consultations on the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) and other matters. 22 January 2018. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Kazakh Security Council Presidency Elicits Praise

By Santo D. Banerjee

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – Kazakhstan has elicited praise for highlighting Afghanistan and Central Asia during its first ever presidency of the Security Council in the month of January. An end-of-the-month "wrap-up" session also reflected appreciation for putting spotlight on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and confidence building measures.

Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country to be elected to the 15-nation Security Council as a non-permanent member for the two-year period 2017-2018.

"Central Asia is represented on the Security Council for the first time in the history of the United Nations," said Council President Kairat Umarov, Kazakhstan's Permanent Representative to the UN.

: Santo D. Banerjee; UN INSIDER; 04 February 2018

Photo: Escorted team from UNAMID’s Governance and Community Stabilization Section is pictured on its way to Birka area, North Darfur. The purpose of the trip, which took place on 2 February 2018, was to conduct a peace conference for farmers and herders as part of the Mission’s support to peaceful coexistence and stability between the two communities. Credit: Mohamad Almahady, UNAMID.

Security Council Statement under Kazakh Presidency Voices Concern and Relief on Darfur

By J Nastranis

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – In a presidential statement on Darfur by Kazakh Ambassador Kairat Umarov, Security Council President for January, has welcomed improvements in the security situation, as well as the on-going absence of armed clashes between Government forces and the armed opposition, in addition to the extension of unilateral cessations of hostilities by both sides.

The presidential statement (S/PRST/2018/4) issued on January 31 said: "The Security Council also welcomes improvements in the humanitarian situation, including increased humanitarian access throughout Darfur and the return from Chad and the Central African Republic of more than 5,000 refugees in recent months."

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 03 February 2018

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (at podium, right) and Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, address the press following the signing of a Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhancing Partnerships on Peace and Security in April 2017 at UN headquarters in New York. UN Photo/Manuel Elias.

UN, African Union Partnership Key to Success of Peacekeeping

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Strong partnership between the United Nations and African Union is a key to the success of peacekeeping operations of the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security, particularly in view of an increasingly complex nature of conflict and the lack of progress of political processes, a consultative meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has stressed.

The Task Force welcomed the determination of the African Union to continue developing its compliance framework in line with the African Union Peace and Security Council communiqué of May 30, 2017.

: J Nastranis; THE WORLD; Africa; 02 February 2018

Photo: Survivors of Namibia’s Herero tribe surrendering after a battle with German forces. Ullstein Bilderdienst Berlin/Supplied

Reparations Suit Over German Colonial Massacre Significant for the UN Genocide Convention

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – In its first formal response to a class-action suit filed by the Herero and Nama people of Namibia, Germany has asked a New York judge to throw out the suit as “inadmissible” because of “the principle of state immunity.”

Representatives of the communities directly affected by the 1904-1908 genocide in Namibia have taken the German government to court in New York, demanding damages to be paid directly to the descendants of the Ovaherero and Nama genocide survivors.

In 1904 and 1905 the Ovaherero and Nama of central and southern Namibia rose up against colonial rule and dispossession in what was then called German South West Africa.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 02 February 2018

Photo: The entrance to Holot immigration detention centre, Negev desert, Israel. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Decision to Deport African Immigrants Sparks a Debate in Israel

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Under a so-called “infiltrator’s law”, more than 1,000 African asylum seekers in Israel face deportation from Israeli detention centres starting in March.

Speaking at a recent Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the harsh enforcement policy. “We are not acting against refugees,” he said. “We are acting against illegal migrants who come here not as refugees but for work needs. Israel will continue to offer asylum for genuine refugees and will remove illegal migrants from its midst.”