Condemning Attacks on Aid Efforts, General Assembly Adopts Package of Texts, One Urging States to Better Protect Humanitarian Workers, Respect International Law
UN PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 12/ 11/ 17The General Assembly today adopted seven draft resolutions, among them texts on credentials, the culture of peace and on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.
Condemning in the strongest possible terms the alarming increase in threats to and deliberate targeting of aid workers, the Assembly adopted without a vote the draft resolution “Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel” (document A/72/L.22). By its terms, the Assembly urged States to make every effort to ensure the full implementation of the rules of international law that protect aid workers.
Also by the text’s terms, the Assembly called upon all Governments and parties in complex humanitarian emergencies in countries in which humanitarian personnel were operating to cooperate fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies and organizations and to allow those personnel to perform efficiently their task of assisting the affected civilian population, including refugees and internally displaced persons. It also called upon all States to consider becoming parties to relevant international instruments.
Prior to taking action on “L.22” as a whole, the Assembly, by a recorded vote of 95 in favour to 12 against, with 17 abstentions, decided to retain two paragraphs referencing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Several speakers, including the representative of the Netherlands, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that language related to the Court was worthy of inclusion.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s representative, whose delegation had requested the vote, warned against politicizing humanitarian efforts. Stressing that the International Criminal Court was not a United Nations organ, he reiterated that it was instead “at best a threat to the peace and stability” in his country.
Also under the humanitarian assistance umbrella, the Assembly adopted, without a vote, three draft resolutions on: international cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development; strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations; and assistance to the Palestinian people, which had been introduced on 8 December
Sharing the perspective of those providing aid, a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), highlighted two worrying gaps in the United Nations indivisible new policy on prevention, development and peace. The first was protection, as the policy focus rested on development and peace with recognition that protection was essential to both. If people were being attacked, forcibly displaced, looted, impoverished, besieged, unlawfully detained or were too afraid to go to hospitals and schools, they would not attain development or peace. The second gap was neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian action. States must respect that essential practice — rooted in the Geneva Conventions — so that vulnerable people, both under or beyond the State’s control, could be protected and assisted impartially on the basis of need.
Raising another concern, a representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said risks driven by climate change would be unevenly weighted against poorer people living in areas of low development. As such, she encouraged all stakeholders to ensure real progress by recognizing the added value of local actors in addressing and reducing disaster risks and impacts of climate change.
Turning to its agenda item on the culture of peace, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution “Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace” (document A/72/L.29), reaffirming that interreligious and intercultural dialogue constituted important dimensions of the dialogue among civilizations. It also condemned any advocacy of religious hatred that constituted incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence and underlined the importance of moderation as a value within societies for countering violent extremism and for further contributing to the promotion of interreligious dialogue, tolerance and cooperation. ( read more from link source)
Security Council Adopts Procedural Vote Allowing It to Hear Briefings on Humanitarian Situation in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea---UN PRESS RELEASE dated 12/ 11/ 17
Wrong Forum for Humanitarian Issues, Stress Opponents, as United States, Other Supporters Say No Separation between Peace, Human Rights
Amid the security challenges arising from the ballistic missile and nuclear testing activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, it was critical to address the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in that country as well, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today.
“The international community has a collective responsibility to protect the population of the DPRK if the State does not protect its own citizens,” Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary‑General for Political Affairs, said in his briefing. It must also consider the wider implications of the reported grave human rights violations for the wider region’s stability.
Speaking after a procedural vote on whether or not the Council would hear the briefings, he called for a sustained focus on the humanitarian situation — including better monitoring, effective use of sanctions exemptions for humanitarian assistance and stepped up humanitarian aid — while security issues were addressed. “Let us use all the tools at our disposal — the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly, the Security Council and other international entities — to take action to build a better future for the people of the DPRK,” he said.
Also briefing the Council was Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who said escapees had reported widespread violations of human rights — including torture and deprivation of freedom of information and expression — in almost every aspect of people’s lives. They were combined with increased surveillance and abject conditions endured by detainees in labour camps. Military tensions in recent months had led to more severe controls over freedom of movement as well as civil and political rights, he said.
Repatriated escapees — often repatriated from China as economic migrants, although many were actually trafficking victims — were routinely subjected to multiple forms of torture, he said. The people also endured severe violations of their economic, social and cultural rights, in addition to chronic food insecurity, due in part to the diversion of resources to military objectives. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) would act on the recommendations of the Human Rights Council’s Group of Independent Experts, he said, noting that the latter proposed monitoring the country more comprehensively in anticipation of the creation of an accountability mechanism.
Speaking earlier, the representatives of China, Russian Federation and Bolivia objected to the meeting, emphasizing that human rights did not fall within the Security Council’s remit — maintenance of international peace and security. China’s delegate emphasized that human rights issues should not be politicized, describing the situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as complex, sensitive and grave. The concerned parties should consider the proposed “suspension‑for‑suspension” initiative and work towards restarting negotiations.
The Russian Federation’s representative warned against diluting the Council’s work with issues unrelated to its core mandate, and against politicization and double standards, all of which could erode its credibility. The priority must be the peaceful settlement of the dispute, he said, stressing that today’s meeting must not be used as a pretext for greater foreign intervention on the Korean Peninsula. (read more from source link)
United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament, Development in Latin America, Caribbean to Host Inaugural Women and Security Symposium---UN Press release issued 12/ 11/ 17
NEW YORK, 11 December (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean is organizing the first “Symposium on Women and Security” from 12 to 13 December in Lima.
Expected to bring together more than 40 women from the region who have dedicated their work to advancing the global peace and security agenda, the Symposium aims to present future strategies of the United Nations system to promote women and security in the region; to deliberate on how 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can contribute to improving the lives of women in the region; and to explore different approaches to strengthening arms control to that end. Throughout the event, ample time will be dedicated to identifying and sharing new ideas on empowering women working in the fields of peace and security.
The Symposium is made possible thanks to generous financial support from the Governments of Canada and Sweden.
The Symposium will also serve as a platform to launch “Forces of Change III: Latin American and Caribbean Women Share Experiences on Disarmament, Security and SDG Implementation”, a publication of the United Nations Regional Centre, and the third edition of an innovative initiative highlighting the role of women as agents of change in the field of disarmament, arms control, and non‑proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Latin America and the Caribbean. Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, notes in her foreword: " it is clear that the region is at the forefront of progress toward the full and equal engagement of women in peace and security discussions and decision-making”. (read more from link source)
NEWS FROM THE UN NEWS CENTER
New Year could bring more misery to children in DR Congo’s restive Kasai region, warns UNICEF
12 December 2017 – New Year could bring more misery to children in DR Congo’s restive Kasai region, warns UNICEF In the coming year, severe acute malnutrition could claim the lives of more than 400,000 children under the age of five in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s volatile Kasai region, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned Tuesday.
On International Day, UN agency urges greater investment for sustainable agriculture in mountains
11 December 2017 – On International Mountain Day, the United Nations food security agency has called for greater focus on sustainable agriculture in highland regions around the globe to better respond to climate change impacts and migration challenges.
Make digital world safer for children, increase online access to benefit most disadvantaged – UNICEF
11 December 2017 – Governments and the private sector have not kept up with the game-changing pace of digital technologies, exposing children to new risks and harms – both on and offline – and leaving millions of the most disadvantaged behind, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Monday in a new report.
Security tensions may have deepened rights violations in DPRK, Security Council told
11 December 2017 – People’s rights are reportedly violated in “almost every aspect” of their lives in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations human rights chief warned Monday, stressing that security tensions on the Korean Peninsula should not negate concerns about the situation of ordinary people there.
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NEWS FROM THE US MISSION TO THE UN
Remarks at a Panel Discussion on Human Rights Abuses in North Korea, “North Korea Human Rights: The Terrifying Experiences of Forcibly Repatriated North Korean Women”
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8211" We have an interesting lineup of speakers for you today. Former Australian High Court Justice Michael Kirby is here. In 2014, Justice Kirby chaired the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea. The seminal report it produced described a regime so dedicated to murder, torture, deliberate starvation, enslavement, rape and forced abortion that it “does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.”
The report also noted that among the people who suffer most are those who are forcibly repatriated after attempting to escape North Korea. The vast majority of these returnees are women. They are subjected to torture, beatings, detention, and, in some cases, execution. If they are pregnant, they are forced to have abortions. If their babies are born, they are ordered to be killed.
Today we will hear the story of a woman who took on the North Korean security state and survived, Ms. Ji Hyeon-A. Ms. Ji was forcibly repatriated three times and imprisoned before escaping from North Korea for good in 2007. The details of her suffering at the hands of the North Korean state’s security apparatus are difficult to hear, but they are necessary to hear."---Ambassador Nikki Haley
Remarks at a UN Security Council Meeting on Human Rights in North Korea
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8210" The regime is using that power to develop an unnecessary arsenal and support enormous conventional military forces that pose a grave risk to international peace and security. Their menacing march towards nuclear weapons begins with the oppression and exploitation of ordinary North Korean people. Through the export of workers abroad to earn hard currency and the use of forced labor at home, the regime uses its people to underwrite its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The government has developed a strict caste system designed to control and suppress the will of the people. The regime forces the North Korean people to work up to 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week, often with no compensation. Failure to report to an assigned job can result in imprisonment in a forced labor camp for six months to two years. NGOs have revealed video footage of children as young as five forced to carry out heavy labor in dangerous conditions, including work on railroad lines and in mines.
Meanwhile, the Kim regime not only builds nuclear weapons, it builds theme parks and high rises in Pyongyang for the elite and politically obedient, where they live in relative comfort. The remaining 85 percent of North Koreans must obtain permission to enter the city. The country is dotted with military checkpoints to ensure that everyone stays where the government wants him or her to be." ---Ambassador Nikki Haley
Remarks on the Adoption of the Agenda Following a Procedural Vote to Allow a UN Security Council Meeting on Human Rights in North Korea
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8209" Thank you, Mr. President. You know, this is an issue that is repeatedly a problem. We continue to think that there’s a separation between peace and security and human rights, and there’s not. If you go back in history, it is shown that any country that does not take care of its people ends up in conflict. We’ve seen that in multiple cases in multiple places.
As much as the Secretary-General and this Council talks about prevention when it comes to conflict, prevention is about how a country treats its people as well. If they start to treat their people carelessly, if they start to abuse their people, they will easily abuse other countries. And that’s what we’re seeing happen in North Korea.
So while I understand the concerns of some Council members, I think it’s extremely important that if we’re going to stay true to our word on prevention, then we stay true to our word that prevention also includes human rights and being able to call out countries when they do abuses like this.
So I suggest that not only should we do this today, but we should be doing this more often with other countries where we see these things coming up; we’ve seen this in Venezuela, we’ve seen it in Syria, these are things that if we truly care about prevention, human rights has to be at the heart of it." Thank you.--- Ambassador Nikki Haley
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United States and Cuba Hold Biannual Migration Talks in Washington, DC----US STATE DEPT. press release issued 12/ 11/ 17
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/12/276448.htmThe United States and Cuba held the 31st biannual Migration Talks in Washington, DC on Monday, December 11. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs John Creamer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Ed Ramotowski led the U.S. delegation. The Cuban delegation was led by Josefina Vidal, the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for U.S. Affairs.
The delegations discussed the significant reduction in irregular migration from Cuba to the United States since the implementation of the January 2017 Joint Statement. Apprehensions of Cuban migrants at U.S. ports of entry decreased by 64 percent from fiscal year 2016 to 2017, and maritime interdictions of Cuban migrants decreased by 71 percent. The United States confirmed it met its annual commitment in fiscal year 2017 to facilitate legal migration by issuing a minimum of 20,000 documents under the Migration Accords to Cubans to immigrate to the United States. The U.S. delegation also raised the need for increased Cuban cooperation in the return of Cubans with final orders of removal from the United States.
A strong migration policy is vital to the United States’ national security. The Migration Talks, which began in 1995, provide a forum for the United States and Cuba to review and coordinate efforts to ensure safe, legal, and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States. The talks were last held in April 2017.
NEWS FROM THE US DEFENSE DEPT:
Iraqi, Syrian Democratic Forces Destroy ISIS’ ‘Caliphate’
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2017 — While Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces have destroyed the idea of an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ‘Caliphate,’ much work remains to be done against the terror group, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning said today.
Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq
SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 11, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria over the last three days, conducting 14 strikes consisting of 27 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Small Army Post Supports Counterterrorism Fight in Africa
CONTINGENCY LOCATION GAROUA, Cameroon, Dec. 11, 2017 — At an Army outpost in a sun-scorched area of northern Cameroon, there's a small task force with larger implications than its size may suggest.
Reservists Bundle Christmas Joy for Remote Islanders
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam, Dec. 12, 2017 — Air Force reservists from the 44th Aerial Port Squadron here worked alongside the people of Guam on Dec. 9, filling boxes full of critical supplies as part of Operation Christmas Drop.
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Daily Bible Verse: And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
Matthew 2:4-6 NKJV
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