IDN-InDepthNews – Page 681 – News for a Sustainable World, Peace and Security

UN INSIDER2017-01-062023-07-10

Germany’s Ursula Mueller New ASG For Humanitarian Affairs

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – In a fresh move to deliver on his pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Ursula Mueller of Germany as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Mueller is the fourth key woman for four key posts. According to a statement on January 5, she will succeed Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea, who is currently serving as Chief of the Transition Team in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. She has served as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs since April 2013, and was Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights from January 2007 to March 2013.

UN INSIDER2017-01-052023-07-10

UN Boosts Fight Against Small Arms, Light Weapons Trafficking

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) have agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) of far-reaching significance to formalize existing cooperation.

The importance of the MoU is underlined by the fact that terrorism, proliferation of weapons and materials of mass destruction, trafficking of small arms and explosives, and illicit diversion of dual use goods pose a serious threat not only to security and safety of people, but also to economic development, political stability and social cohesion of countries across the globe.

OPINION2017-01-042023-07-10

The Fate of The New Congo Deal Is Anybody’s Guess

By Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – The West African state of the Congo has always been taking one step forward, two steps back. This goes back to the days when Congo became independent from Belgian rule in 1960.

Now we see it again. There were supposed to be elections at the end of last year. But President Joseph Kabila has clung to power. After months of negotiations led by the Catholic bishops a deal has been agreed on December 31. If Kabila is given one more year in office then he will call elections in a year’s time.

NEWSBRIEFS2017-01-032023-07-10

DR Congo Deadlock Ends Leaving Kabila In Office For Now

By Global Information Network

NEW YORK | KINSHASA (IDN) – Difficult negotiations have succeeded in bridging the differences between President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and opposition parties who wanted the President to abide by the constitution and step down, having served the two terms he is legally allowed.

President Kabila had sought to stay until 2018 but will now step down by the end of next year. The deal was concluded on New Year’s Eve in the capital Kinshasa, according to negotiators, ending a lengthy stalemate in the country.

NEWSBRIEFS2017-01-032023-07-10

Israel Suspends Ties With Africans For Anti-Settlement Vote

By Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Israel lashed out at its African and other allies, suspending aid and other relationships in retaliation for their votes on a UN resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

Senegal and Angola were the primary targets of Israeli fury. The two countries were non-permanent members of the UN Security Council when the resolution was adopted on December 23. Both voted with the entire council on the measure which passed unanimously and which Israel had furiously lobbied against.

OPINION2017-01-032023-07-10

Need To Consolidate 2016 Achievements In 2017

By Dr. Patrick I. Gomes, ACP Secretary-General

BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – Presidents and Prime Ministers of 79 Member States of the African, Caribbean & Pacific (ACP) Group, the ACP Council of Ministers, Senior Officials, Continental and Regional organisations, development partners, civil society and private sector organisations deserve the ACP’s Secretariat’s deep appreciation for having contributed so significantly to the main achievements of the ACP Family in 2016.

OPINION2017-01-022023-07-10

Editorial: Onwards and Upwards in 2017

By Ramesh Jaura

We don’t want to look back … just recall that we faced numerous obstacles when we re-launched IDN-InDepthNews at the beginning of 2016 under the umbrella of the International Press Syndicate (INPS), formerly Globalom Media, established in March 2009.

As we move forward in 2017, we are very grateful to our colleagues around the world – Phil Harris, Shastri Ramachandran, A.D. McKenzie, Neena Bhadrari, Kalinga Seneviratne, Katsuhiro Asagiri, Jacques Couvas, Fabiola Ortiz, Justus Wanzala, Jeffrey Moyo, Kizito Makoye Shigela, Stella Paul, Lowana Veal, Vesna Peric Zimonjic and Lisa Vives of Global Information Network, to name just a few.

UN INSIDER2017-01-022023-07-10

Kazakhstan Joins Security Council With New Foreign Minister

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – A few days ahead of Kazakhstan joining the Security Council on January 1 as a non-permanent member for two years, President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed the Central Asian republic’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kairat Abdrakhmanov as new Foreign Minister.

On December 28 he replaced Erlan Idrissov (57) who held the post from 1999 to 2002 and 2012 to 2016. He takes over as Ambassador to the UK, a post he held from 2002 to 2007. He was then ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2012.

UN INSIDER2017-01-012023-07-10

Huge Challenges Ahead For New UN Chief António Guterres

By Sebastian von Einsiedel and Cale Salih*

With the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States on 20 January 2017, the United Nations is headed toward a new and potentially challenging relationship with its largest funder. This article refers to four areas that may be especially affected by the change of guards in Washington DC – Security Council dynamics; funding; climate change; and human rights – and makes concrete recommendations for the new Secretary-General António Guterres on how he can best protect the UN from “beginners’ mistakes all around” in the new U.S. Administration.

UN INSIDER2016-12-312023-07-10

Deputy UN Chief Deems Culture and Spirituality Important

By Ramesh Jaura

NEW YORK (IDN) – The outgoing United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has urged world leaders to stop dividing humanity into “us and them”, and said that it is important “to realize that there is an element of spirituality needed in what we do”.

In an extensive and in-depth interview with UN News, he described the “Syria tragedy” as his “greatest disappointment” and obliquely criticised the Security Council for having missed an opportunity to adopt a binding resolution four years ago.