60 posts
The Security Council’s family Christmas from hell
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And it’s tidings of comfort and joy… but not for the Security Council. On Thursday, Russia proposed an investigation into the casualties of NATO’s Libyan campaign: Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said a council-mandate...
66th UN General Assembly: EU high level presence in New York
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The beginning of the 66th UN General Assembly will be marked with the traditional General Debate. This will be the first General Debate since the adoption of the historic resolution 65/276 in May, under which the EU statement in the General Debat...
Don’t worry – Van Rompuy will still participate in the haiku competition
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While Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou, has cancelled his visit to US and attendance to the UN General Assmebly and IMF meetings, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy is traveling to New York to participate in the UN Genera...
A vote on Palestine at the UN
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The non-existence of a Palestinian state is one of the last bits of unfinished business after the end of the second world war, when millions of people were forced or fled from their homes, and the lines on maps were redrawn in a hurry or...
Fatigue may have caused fatal crash of UN chief
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By SLOBODAN LEKIC UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Fifty years after the plane carrying U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold crashed in the African bush during a peace mission to Congo, killing all aboard, the accident remains one of the Cold War’...
Global Conversation with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon – Live on Social Media Networks
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A Global Conversation with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – Live on Social Media Networks will be held Tuesday, 13 September 2011, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (New York time). “As world leaders prepare to gather in New York for …...
Libya: a classic case for the blue helmets?
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The Guardian reports that NATO officials want the UN to lead any post-conflict peace operation in Libya, and view it as "a classic case for blue helmets." While the UN is currently focused onRead more…...
Persistence prevails as EU gains 'largely symbolic' upgrade to its status at the UN
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After succeeding to allay the fears of smaller states that their influence would be eroded, the European Union has finally succeeded in its long bid to obtain a greater status at the UN – even if it’s only largely symbolic.Now dubbed a “super-...
The EU will be able to act more effectively at the UN
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On May 3rd, the UN decided to allow EU representatives to participate in the debate at the General Assembly and present oral proposals or amendments in the name of the EU. This decision follows eight months of intensive discussions with other UN mem...
CLIMATE CHANGE – FROM AGONY TO EPIPHANY?
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“Cancún may have saved the process but it did not save the climate.” Said a Greenpeace activist at the end of the last Cancun Conference of Parties (COP) 16 Climate negotiations in December 2010. True. Broadly speaking, what was agreed in Cancun...
India in the Security Council: better or worst?
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To answer the second question of this post, i should consider the purpose if the Security Council. Now I could be wrong, but I believe it is to ensure peace, international stability and the compliance of UN parties to their international commitments...
Aid and India in the Security Council
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Though I'll be posting less frequently, I will continue to post, here. Hopefully this move will help me refocus this blog, and my messy ideas.So, and as a starter here are two questions that popped to mind:1) Is international aid worst to the benefit...
Campaign for a more accountable and democratic UN
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Image via Wikipedia After my posts on the UN Security Council Elections I received an interesting email on a “Campaign for a more accountable and democratic UN”. They are campaigning for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary...
United Nations Security Council Election Voting Results
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Image via Wikipedia As promised here are the results from today’s elections at the UN General Assembly to fill 5 non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council. The quota in all elections was 127 based on the fact that 182 members were present...
Security Council Election Results
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Image by Getty Images via @daylife A follow on from this mornings post on the Elections to the five non-permament seats on the UN Security Council. The following countries have been elected: African Group: South Africa Asian Group: India Latin Americ...
Elections to the Security Council
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Image via Wikipedia Today 5 new members of the of United Nations Security Council will be elected. They will replace Uganda, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Austria. They will be elected for two years. The African seat is not being contested as South Afric...
Comesa to petition UN on WHO tobacco ban
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The Common Market for Eastern and Southern African is opposed to the World Health Organisation’s attempts to push through a ban of ingredients used in producing blended tobacco.These ingredients are laboratory produced compounds ranging from sweetn...
Why can’t the EU crack the UN?
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This week, a resolution granting the EU a special status at the UN was postponed by a vote of 76 states to 71 (the rest abstained or didn’t vote). European diplomats have been working hard to get this resolution since the Lisbon Treaty passed...
International Day of Democracy - 15 September 2010
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Democracy vital tool for achieving development, UN Secretary General Ban says on International Day15 September 2010 – Democracy is an “indispensable” tool to better the lives of people around the world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today,...
Financing Agriculture
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The 20th Brussels Development Briefing will be on ‘Financing agriculture and will take place on the 15th of September 2010. As an input to the UN Summit on MDGs to be held in New York on 22-26 September 2010, we will discuss issues related to f...
Security of Humanitarian aid workers
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Security represents one of the most challenging issues for the humanitarian community. The conditions in which humanitarian workers operate have become increasingly dangerous. Humanitarian emblems and flags which traditionally provided a shield for h...
Don't shoot, I'm a humanitarian worker!
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On World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, the European Commission honours humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or freedom, or have been injured during the course of their work. The European Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid departmen...
UNICEF aid info for Pakistan
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Bağış için bizi arayın (0312-290 33 13 ya da 0212-252 52 22) Banka Hesap Numaralarımız Türkiye İş Bankası Ank. Çankaya Şubesi Şube Kodu: 4238 1006 TL 1007 $ 1008 € IBANTR740006400000142380001006TL TR090006400000242380001007$ TR7900064...
EU reaches out for new powers at United Nations
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European Council President Herman Van Rompuy will in future be able to address the UN chamber no differently from US President Barack Obama or Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmedinejad under draft reforms agreed by member states. EU countries at meetings in...
US backs Kosovan independence regardless of UN ruling
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UN court set to rule on legality of Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia The US has pledged to back Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence regardless of a UN court verdict on its legality due today. READ...
Ireland proposes greater EU military action under the UN
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Ireland has circulated proposals for greater EU military involvement under the UN in peacekeeping missions. Greater EU involvement in peacekeeping missions would lead to a higher level of co-ordination and coherence in national planning, and make the...
New UN agency UN Women upsets Christo taliban gravy train?
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Some of you may remember that the professional Christotaliban lobbyist to the UN, Austin Ruse, was recently questioning the contents of this blog in comments (see older postChristo-Taliban conference in Vienna, Declan Ganley rides again)A UN vote t...
Financing Agriculture
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The 20th Brussels Development Briefing will be on ‘Financing agriculture and will take place on the 15th of September 2010. As an input to the UN Summit on MDGs to be held in New York on 22-26 September 2010, we will discuss issues related to f...
New hope for stalled world trade talks
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A robust rebound in world trade and political progress at the G20 have set the stage for a renewed push to agree a global trade deal, according to top-ranking officials from the EU, US and China. EurActiv reports from the European Business Summit (EB...
ECLAC and AFD Sign Cooperation Agreement
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The Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, signed an agreement with the Executive Director for Operations of the French Development Agency (AFD), Jacques Moineville, for inter-i...
France says Africa must be on UN Security Council
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday Africa should be represented on the U.N. Security Council, promising to back reforms when France takes the helm of the G8 and G20 groups of big economies next year. Speaking at the launch of the 25th Af...
"Turkey not junior US partner any more"
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F. Stephen Larrabee, an expert on Turkey at the RAND Corporation, says the days when Turkey was a "junior partner" of the United States are over. READ MORE...
Morning Brief (8-6)
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UN Iran sanctions vote on Wednesday. Politico’s Laura Rozen reports: “The goal is Wednesday,” one European diplomat said of the anticipated vote date. “Vote is likely Wednesday,” another diplomatic source in New York said. The text of t...
EU: Trilateral relationship between UN-AU-EU in making
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The European Union reaffirmed its strong engagement with the United Nations, particularly in Africa where a trilateral relationship between the UN, African Union (AU) and EU is already in the making to enhance regional cooperation. The statement came...
Turkish Cypriot election looms over Cyprus settlement talks
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A potentially decisive moment is approaching in the Cyprus settlement talks that started in September 2008. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, is to visit the divided island on Sunday and stay there until Tuesday. He does not, of...
The Enduring Illogic of ‘Traditional’ UN Peacekeeping
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Harvey Morris has an interesting article on the limitations of UN peacekeeping in today’s FT. In it he interviews outgoing DPKO head Jean-Marie Guehenno, who talks of the crisis in UN peacekeeping. According to Morris, Guehenno: [H]as urged the S...
Mediation or pressure?
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The vote at the UN yesterday on Zimbabwe was not a North/South split - after all Burkino Faso voted for the resolution. But it did reveal, in the use of the veto by Russia and China, two different ways of thinking about the exercise of responsibility...
