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What's nearly ten times the size of the UK, but invisible to the naked eye?

Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Algeria.

Sniffing around on the UN site, I discovered this thrilling news:

"Acting without a vote, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today approved a resolution to grant observer status in the work of the General Assembly for the 25‑member Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, while also deciding to request that the General Assembly consider how best the Council of Presidents of the General Assembly could contribute its unique expertise to the Organization’s work once a resolution on recommending observer status for the group was withdrawn".

Which is nice.

The list of members given on the UN site looks like this:

"Established in Amman, Jordan, and headquartered in Malta, the Assembly had a membership comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia and Turkey".

A number of points spring to mind:

Serbia, Jordan and Macedonia do not have coasts, 'Palestine' is not a sovereign state, and neither Algeria nor Spain appear to be members.  Both would be in the top ten for Med coastlines.  Bosnia and Monaco might manage coastlines of a few miles each.  

A look at the PAM's site left me little the wiser, although I discovered that Algeria is a member.  Perhaps the Spaniards have the decency to refuse to chow down with Syria and Libya, something that clearly eludes the birthplace of democracy and our French chums.

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posted by Croydonian

Ban Ki-Moon's equivalents of slavery

Friday, November 20, 2009
"Secretary-General, in Message to Mark International Day for Slavery’s Abolition, Says List of Similarly Abhorrent Modern Practices Is ‘Shockingly Long’.  Source

Really?

"In our globalized world, new forms of slavery have taken shape.  The list of abhorrent practices, new and old, is now shockingly long, and includes debt bondage, serfdom, forced labour, child labour and servitude, trafficking of persons and human organs, sexual slavery, the use of child soldiers, the sale of children, forced marriage and the sale of wives, and the exploitation of prostitution".

Not really in the same league as slavery, are they?

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Alarmist headline o' the day

Wednesday, November 04, 2009
From our old friends at the UN:


Yup, it says 'Some 400 Billion People Could Join Ranks of Slum Dwellers by 2020 Unless Urgent Action Is Taken to Reverse Trend, UN–Habitat Tells Second Committee'.

I guess we of baby making age have got our work cut out if we are going to increase the world's population nigh on 60 fold.

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The 2009 Hansard trawl, featuring a very expensive smoking shelter, the parsimony of the Welsh Office and Glenys Kinnock bigging up the UN.

Thursday, October 29, 2009
How much does a glorified bus shelter cost?

Mr. Hoban: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the smoking shelter constructed between Norman Shaw North and Portcullis House is expected to cost. 


Nick Harvey: The smoking shelter is forecast to cost £49,000.

Good grief.  A company here is knocking out its 'premier smoking shelter' at £3,160.75 ex VAT.  Having checked, it would appear that one cannot buy a one bedroomed house anyway in these islands for 49 large, but I imagine quite a sizeable mobile home or caravan could be had.  Furthermore, by the time the shelter has been finished, smoking will be illegal anyway.  Probably.  

Special pleading department:

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the insurance industry on reducing the cost of travel insurance for  (a) older people and  (b) older people with health problems. 

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such representations.

Reckon he is hacked off at how much he paid this year?  He's 60.   *Amazingly* enough, Roy does not have an actuarial background.

Moving swiftly on...

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what events in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) overseas territories took place on 24 October 2009 to celebrate United Nations Day. 

And they pulled out all the stops, as will  be seen:

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not informed of all events commemorating UN day across the UK or in the Overseas Territories. However, to mark UN Day 2009, my noble Friend Baroness Kinnock, FCO Minister for the UN, will host a reception for members of the UN Association-UK’s young professionals network at the FCO on 28 October 2009. The reception will give young professionals from across the vocational spectrum the opportunity to hear about the ways in which the UK supports the work of the UN. Baroness Kinnock has also paid tribute to the UN and its staff by posting a message on the FCO website.
I bet Ban Ki-Moon is chuffed to bits about that.  The message is here. I've skimmed it for you, so do not bother - it really isn't worth the effort.

On not being invited to the office Christmas party:

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department (a) he and (b) officials of his Department (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hain: My predecessor the right hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) hosted one Christmas function at a cost of £1,054.05. Officials did not attend this reception.

I'm sure the peons at the Welsh Office really appreciated that. 


Something I will be keeping an eye open for:

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Answer of 14 October 2009, Official Report, column 204, what steps he plans to take to assess the implications of the injunction obtained in the High Court by Trafigura in the case listed as (1) RJW (2) SJW-and-(1) The Guardian (2) Persons unknown for (a) parliamentary privilege, (b) investigative reporting and (c) legislative safeguards for whistleblowers. 

Mr. Straw: I have asked senior officials at the Ministry of Justice to meet representatives of the national press and to consult the judiciary to assess the situation. I will then consider the situation in the light of these discussions and will make a statement in due course.

Oh aye.

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The UN talks space

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Which are the countries which matter when it comes to space activity?  The US of A, Russia, China, India, Japan and France/ EU.  By my reckoning, and broadly backed up here.

And which countries decided that they had something to add to the UN's debate on 'international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space'?

This rather motley crew:

Sweden (for the EU), Pakistan, St Lucia (yes, really), Uruguay, Thailand, Cuba, Kazakhstan, India, Syria, Sudan, China, Colombia, Philippines, Libya, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, and Indonesia.
None of the comments are of any great quality, interest, so I will swear off quoting them, bar this nice piece of DPRK logic:

"The action taken in the Security Council against his country was a clear indication that the Council was not only “devoid of democracy”, but was also “beyond its limit” in pursuing double standards and partiality, he said.  The United States, claiming that the launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was a “ballistic missile” launch for a military purpose, had tabled the issue in the Security Council.  In fact, the country that had launched most satellites so far, and which possessed more than 400 space objects for both military and civil uses in outer space, was the United States.  Following the United States’ logic, the first country to face the condemnation and sanctions should be none other than the United States itself.  

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A veritable feast of DPRK odds and ends

Thursday, October 01, 2009
Or at least I think so.

First up, 'DPRK's Will to Strive for Building Nuclear-free World Reiterated'

UNSC 1887 was passed unanimously by the Security Council, it starting thusly:

"The Security Council, 'Resolving to seek a safer world for all and to create the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the goals of the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in a way that promotes international stability, and based on the principle of undiminished security for all.  “Reaffirming the Statement of its President adopted at the Council’s meeting at the level of Heads of State and Government on 31 January 1992 (S/23500), including the need for all Member States to fulfil their obligations in relation to arms control and disarmament and to prevent proliferation in all its aspects of all weapons of mass destruction".

And so on, as can be well imagined, with pious bromide upon pious bromide wheeled out.


Fortunately the DPRK is not on the Security Council, and it does not like 1887 one little bit:


"What matters is that this resolution, too, is a double-standards document as it failed to fully reflect the desire and will of the world community as a whole.  As a matter of fact, the summit should have called into question and dealt with the U.S. nuclear threat and the reality in which peace and stability are being seriously disturbed in different regions due to the above-said threat.  It is a prerequisite to global denuclearization for the country with the biggest stockpile of nukes (I believe they mean their Uncle Sam) to reduce and eliminate them.....We totally reject UNSC Resolution 1887, too, as it is peppered with the hegemonic ambitions of nuclear powers and will not be bound to it at all".

Meanwhile, everybody's favourite beige leisure-suited despot has been out and about:

"The first leg of his guidance was the Pyongyang Catfish Farm...he set forth important tasks to be fulfilled by the farm in rapidly boosting the production of catfish.  Noting that in order to enable people to find the catfish bred with good care tastier it is necessary to seek diverse cooking methods, he underscored the need to pay deep attention to the research into this field, too. 
....


The next leg of his guidance was the December 7 Factory...Saying that the factory has an important duty and role to play in improving the standard of people's living, he advanced tasks to be carried out by it.

The third leg of his guidance was the completed indoor swimming pool of Kim Il Sung University.

 And bringing it all back home, so to speak:

"There has never been such bright prospect and abundant fruits in the history of building a great prosperous and powerful nation as today, he said. He earnestly called for bringing earlier the historic day when the people will beat the drum of triumph to declare the emergence of a great prosperous and powerful nation by increasing the speed of advance at this stirring time when a great victory is drawing near.

Hmm.  Note this release from the same day:  "An event on the restart of UNDP aid to the DPRK was held at the mission of the UNDP here on Wednesday".

That's the United Nations Development Programme hidden behind those initials.  This is what it says about what it gets up to in the DPRK:

"UNDP began operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1981, as the first UN programme with a resident presence in the country. While UNDP’s operations in DPRK have always been modest (roughly US$3 million per year in programme expenditures and less than 10 international staff and consultants), UNDP’s on-the-ground presence helped facilitate the international response to the famines of the 1990s, and to expose DPRK to the standards and norms of the international community. In recent years UNDP has focused on food production and economic and environmental management".

Doesn't sound very Juche to me.

And hold the front page - *Dishcloth Gourd Widely Planted in Residential Quarters*

Yes, you read that right.  And there's more:


"Cucumbers as big as forearm are hanging from dishcloth gourd vines in several hundred square meters of fields around apartments Nos. 5 and 11 in Jungsong-dong, Central District, Pyongyang....The Korean people have cultivated dishcloth gourd around their houses from olden time and used it widely in their life. Dried and peeled dishcloth gourd was used in washing kitchen containers....Its extract, with medicinal value, is raw materials of lotion, perfume and the like. It is easy to cultivate dishcloth gourd because it is strong against blight and harmful insects.

And this is what they look like:



Can't say that my knowledge of gourds is all it could be, so I have been digging around and have thus discovered that the DCG is better known in these parts for its incarnation as the loofah when drued out.

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Today's UN follies

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Hot air has been rising:

"No longer satisfied with a power balance that favoured the few but risked imperilling the many in another economic tailspin, world leaders addressing the General Assembly today appealed for a new brand of multilateralism that reflected developing nations’ concerns in global decision-making, as they wrapped up the annual general debate".

And in particular, from Nicaragua's foreign minister, who came up with this possibly drug induced comment:

"...although his country had been impoverished by historical circumstances like so many others within Latin America and the Caribbean, it had remained a land of beauty and natural resources and, indeed, was symbolic of reconciliation and national and international unity".

Erm?

And a suitably Sandinista like take on everything, the kitchen sink, plug, and draining rack included :

On regional issues, he said Nicaragua embraced the cause of Puerto Rico’s independence, as well as the return of the Malvinas Islands to their rightful owner.  Moving on to the issues of the economy, he mentioned that unfortunately the global financial crisis came upon the heels of decreased official development assistance (ODA), which was still made conditional by international financial institutions.  There was reluctance by developed countries to replace the present model with one that was more just.

He said economic policies should be decided within the most representative institution, not within groups such as the Group of Eight and G-20, which were “promoters of the model of domination by the few over the majority, a model which is characterized by exclusion”.  In addition, it was not possible to put a kind face on perversion, or on arrogance;  that was the essence of the prevailing economic system, which promoted “the exploitation of one human by another, the subjugation of nations, the hoarding of wealth by the few.  This is why we are in the crisis, not due to lack of resources.”


Mark me down as a pervert then - I'm all in favour of economic acts between consenting parties.


Moving swiftly on, what about this for a novel form for expressing disapproval:

Antonio Pedro Monteiro Lima ( Cape Verde) expressed “unequivocal disdain” for the violence in neighbouring Guinea 


Attaboy Antonio.


Sounds to me like he's touting for business here :

"Continuing, he said organized crime was becoming a problem in Cape Verde, which was “fertile ground” for the spread of such activity because it was an emerging democracy with a fragile economy.  His country was unable to deal with the problem alone, and he called for a deploying of joint capabilities.  Cape Verde would not allow itself to be poor and unstable and the key would be to diversify partnerships, and use multilateralism to combat challenges".

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Asking a little too much from Twitter

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
This, from Ban Ki-Moon of the UN:

Hello, everyone!
...
As you know, I just rang the Peace Bell.  I think you saw a broadcast of my remarks.  These can be summarized in three words:  We Must Disarm.  I shared some of the messages that we received on Twitter from people just like you –- maybe even some people right in this room.

I also tweeted some of my own reasons why We Must Disarm:

·         because the world is overarmed and peace is underfunded;

·         because disarmament contributes to development; and

·         because nukes threaten humankind.  Let’s get rid of them 4 good.
I sent these messages on Twitter because I want to involve the whole world in the campaign to eliminate weapons of mass destruction.  Not just political leaders but citizens everywhere -– including students like you.  You are the future leaders and owners of this planet Earth.


Erm, can't see that he'll achieve that, somehow.

Meanwhile, as if the poor man hasn't suffered enough he has just met David Miliband, and earlier on he was hobnobbing with the odious Blair.  His Twitter feed is here, but what really intrigues is the one person Mr Moon follows, a British twitterer called Matthew Somerville who appears to be a civilian.

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The joys of being UN Secretary General

Thursday, September 03, 2009
I have long tended to think that anyone who wants to be UN Secretary General probably deserves the grimness that goes with the territory, but I do not think Ban Ki-moon deserved a trip to Longyearbyen:

"It is even much, much colder than in the Arctic! I am frozen. The temperature is -15°!
It is a great experience and a unique opportunity for me to visit the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It is a great privilege for me and thanks to my gracious Norwegian host, Minister [for Agriculture and Food Lars Peder] Brekk, for the tour of this one-of-a-kind structure built deep in the Arctic permafrost".

BKM is no more useless than the average UN bod, so I do feel rather sorry for him. Doubtless flights from NYC to Svalbard are not exactly hourly occurences either.

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Privatising war, re-visited

Thursday, August 20, 2009
That Langley made use of Blackwater's Finest in its pursuit of Al Qaeda has given me an excuse to go rooting around in the archives for something pertinent. Plus I am suffering from blogger's block, and have enacted a self-denying ordinance that digging around in the Hansard Klondike is for the afternoon. So, from just under two year ago, The Privatisation of War:


That's what the UN thinks might be happening, and it does not like it at all with Jose Del Prado, Chairman of the working group on the use of mercenaries, putting it thus:

"Since the Working Group’s first report, it had called the Assembly’s attention to the impunity with which the military and private security companies operated, which violated human rights. In zones of armed or post-conflict, the outsourcing of military functions and the supplying of military and security services by transnational companies would lead to the privatization of war. The monopoly on the use of force by the State had been at the basis of national sovereignty for centuries".

As a sidebar, it notes the following, "The visits to various countries had allowed the Working Group to study the emerging manifestations and trends among mercenaries. Those indicated bad working conditions for the mercenaries, including working excess hours, mistreatment and isolation". Erm, I would not have expected a unionised workforce with coffee breaks and so forth, frankly.

Anyway, I would think that full-scale privatisation of warfare would end up with there being rather less of it, and it being a good deal less expensive in terms of life, limb and money, and the experience of the last period of private warfare - 15th century Italy - would seem to bear this out:

"...the rich burghers and merchants of medieval Italy were too busy making money and enjoying life to undertake the hardships and dangers of soldiering themselves. So they adopted the practice of hiring mercenaries to do their fighting for them, and, being thrifty, businesslike folk, they dismissed these mercenaries immediately after their services could be dispensed with. Wars were, therefore, fought by armies hired for each campaign. . . . For the first time, soldiering became a reasonable and comparatively harmless profession. The generals of that period manoeuvred against each other, often with consummate skill, but when one had won the advantage, his opponent generally either retreated or surrendered. It was a recognised rule that a town could only be sacked if it offered resistance. Immunity could always he purchased by paying a ransom.... As one natural consequence, no town ever resisted, it being obvious that a government too weak to defend its citizens had forfeited their allegiance. Civilians had little to fear from the dangers of war which were the concern only of professional soldiers." Veale, quoted by Rothbard in 'The Anatomy of the State'.

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The UN learns txt spk

Monday, July 27, 2009
I wish this part of silly week, but it is not.

R2P. What might that be? A car model designation? A type of hard drive?

Nope - 'responsibility to protect' - "The General Assembly debate on protecting civilians from the most serious atrocities continued today as delegates wrestled with the extent to which States should step in to stop -– and ultimately prevent -- genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing...aimed at providing a legal and moral basis for assisting civilians in the event of State failure to do so in the specific context of those four crimes

The speeches from various parties are quite telling:

Cuba - 'State sovereignty could not be disregarded even on a humanitarian basis'. So to Hell with the unfortunate people of Darfur, inter alia.

Algeria - 'the circumstances in which the four core crimes usually unfolded were characterized by extreme poverty, the weakening of democracy and good governance by foreign manipulation, and other social and cultural realities'. In other words, it is all the developed world's fault.

Israel - 'As a people who had experienced perhaps the most serious genocide in history, Israel knew how important it was not to remain silent in the face of such crimes. Too often, a blind eye had been turned to genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Yet those violations did not happen in a vacuum; they were often calculated. It was thus important to address the issue of incitement by remembering the weight of words in carrying out those crimes. After all, they began in the minds of men and resulted in the incitement of blind hatred. Teaching peace and eliminating incitement were critical. Greater investment in education would probably diminish the likelihood of such crimes'. Yup....

China - 'As to its implementation, he said States had the primary responsibility to protect their citizens, while the international community could provide assistance. That was in keeping with the principle of sovereignty. It was important that R2P not contravene principles of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs'. Or ssshh, don't mention Sinkiang or Tibet.

Croatia - 'it could not help but think of all the lives that could have been saved in his country. The civilian tragedy of Vukovar was an important wake-up call for the international community and underscored the importance of preventing the recurrence of such tragedies in the future. It was regrettable that the international community and the United Nations itself had failed to recognize and respond adequately to the ethnically inflammatory rhetoric that had culminated in the Vukovar tragedy. Even after the temporary cessation of hostilities and the creation of United Nations protected areas in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnically-biased killings and ethnic cleansing had occurred'. And not a mumbling word about Operation Storm, in which Croatia achieved the following: "Approximately 150,000 to 200,000 Serbs fled approaching Croat forces to Serb-held parts of Bosnia and Serbia. The European Union Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia Carl Bildt called it on Aug. 7, 1995, "the most efficient ethnic cleansing we've seen in the Balkans".

Turkey - 'Regrettably, however, genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity were still being committed. Indeed, civilian protection was a concern for all'. Admitting the Armenian Genocide would be a start.

Andorra, Monaco and San Marino all had something to say too, doubtless because they will not actually do anything.

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UN follies, part 357

Thursday, July 23, 2009
From the UN press room:

"Presenting Denmark’s seventh periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Vibeke Abel underlined the country’s commitment to fully implement the Convention. Towards that goal, Denmark’s Act on gender equality was continuously being revised -- most recently, in May. The Minister of Gender Equality had also been transferred to the Ministry of Employment to provide a good opportunity to work harder on issues like the gender pay gap and a gender segregated labour market".

Much quizzing from the likes of reps from France, Finland and Slovenia. Fair enough.

However, note this question:

Zohra Rasekh [expert from ...] asked about legislation regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. Also, did Greenland have specific laws against trafficking?

And from which country on the bleeding edge of women's rights does Zohra hail from? Norway? NZ? Canada?

No - Afghanistan. Motes and beams come to mind.

I am NOT making this up.

Meanwhile, some people just do not bother with their homework:

Ms. Belmihoub-Zerdani, expert from Algeria, asked why the numbers for representation from Greenland and the Faroe Island were the way they were and why those representatives could not sit in the European Parliament. Was that due to discrimination on the part of the European Parliament?

Ms. Abel said that the Faroe Islands had two seats in the Danish Parliament. To be a member of the European Parliament, a country had to be a part of the European Union, and Greenland had voted not to join.

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Three cheers for our friends in Sierra Leone

Friday, June 19, 2009
It is time for the annual UN gabfest where the Argentinians moan about the Falklands, and the 'Special Committee on Decolonization recommended today that the General Assembly call for direct negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom over that Non-Self-Governing Territories'.

Prior to throwing in a few quotes, here are some of that committee's members: Cuba, Iran, China and Syria. All splendidly upstanding liberal democracies, I am sure we will all agree.

Firstly, Jorge Taiana, Argentina’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship has hauled out his usual warhorses (the whole discusssion varied little from that last year), including this 'shocker': "The United Kingdom alleged that it would only accept a resumption of negotiations should the inhabitants of the Islands so wish, thereby ignoring the will of United Nations Member States".

And the rebuttal: "Petitioner Richard Stevens, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), said in that regard that it would be unfair to apply sovereignty rights to the Falklands case alone. “Imagine every country complying with these demands with every international border reverting back to how it was in 1833. Would America for example, return part of California to Mexico, or Russia demand Alaska?” That view of territorial integrity would also lead to unbelievable global chaos".

Without spending too long mulling on this one, and pausing only for a quick peer at the 1836 SDUK map of Europe (every home should have one) on the wall next to my desk, only four substantial European counties would find their 2009 borders unchanged in the last 179 years - Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Although the latter is arguable, what with land reclaimation and so on.

Another Falklander gave Argentina both barrels: Another Member of the Legislative Council, Janet Robertson, said there were fundamental reasons why there was “no foreseeable prospect” that the United Kingdom would agree to negotiate. Argentina asserted that the principle of self-determination was not applicable due to the pre-existing sovereignty dispute, and that the principle of territorial integrity was of superior validity to that of self-determination. Annexation by the Argentine State was, therefore, the only acceptable solution to the Government of Argentina, a goal enshrined in its Constitution, she said. That pre-determined outcome was wholly contrary to the wishes and interests of the islanders and, consequently, unacceptable to the United Kingdom. A resumption of negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom, without the participation and agreement of the islanders, could not, by definition, lead to a peaceful solution".

Anyway, the LatAm countries lined up with Argentina, as per usual, and do not really merit quoting, so on to our friends from Freetown:

"Victoria Sulimani (Sierra Leone) reaffirmed her delegation’s commitment to the principle of self-determination of all peoples, noting that colonialism in all its forms and manifestations was incompatible with the principles of the Charter, Chapter 11 of which ensured the responsibility of administrating Powers to promote the well-being of the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories. It was in that spirit that Sierra Leone supported the position that the population of the Falkland Islands should be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination.

Not quite as good as this one from SL in last year's debate:

"his delegation had repeatedly maintained that the rights of the islanders who had lived on the Territory for 175 years should be paramount in any negotiated settlement. Subjecting people to alien domination constituted a violation of their right to freely determine their political status and pursue development. There was no dispute that the people were the holders of the right to self-determination".

Now if only the Falklands, Gib, Ascension, Pitcairn etc had an MP in Westminster we could make the UN shove it.

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Black hats, white hats and no hats at all

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
From the UN press site:

"The 18 newly elected members of the Human Rights Council would need to prove themselves by implementing the international human rights agenda at home and abroad, Craig Mokhiber, Deputy Director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said during a Headquarters news conference this afternoon...“We would like to get away from the idea that there are good guys and bad guys. Today, there were 18 human rights violators elected to the Human Rights Council”, he said, stressing that all 192 United Nations Member States had serious human rights problems".

Over to you, readers, for any attempts to sort sheep from goats:

"The new Council members, elected by secret ballot, include: five African countries (Cameroon, Djibouti, Mauritius, Nigeria and Senegal); four (sic) Asian States (Bangladesh, China, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia); two Eastern European countries (Hungary and Russian Federation); three Latin American and Caribbean countries (Cuba, Mexico and Uruguay); and three Western European and Other States (Belgium, Norway and the United States) for three-year terms.

What, no DPRK?

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Prepare for some head shaking

Friday, April 24, 2009
Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, fresh from his remarkably brief publicity stunt hunger strike, would look to be adopting a sort of secular Jainism:

"As the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed [22 April (#1)] International Mother Earth Day, Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma applauded the Members of the world body who had “taken a historic stand for Mother Earth” by acknowledging humanity’s common interest in the protection of the planet and its environment.

[Several cubic yards of hot air excised]

Some 60 years after activists had fought so hard to win acknowledgement of human rights worldwide, including social, economic, political and cultural rights, Mother Earth was now having her rights recognized, he continued. Indeed, animals and plants -- all living creatures and beings -- had rights that deserved to be respected and protected. Those that had supported the text in the Assembly would be heralded for their historic action, he said, expressing the hope that, as the twentieth century had been called “the century of human rights”, this new era would be known as the “century of the rights of Mother Earth”. Continuing, President Morales said that, by proclaiming the International Day, United Nations Member States now had the opportunity to begin laying out a Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth. Such a Charter must enshrine the right to life for all living things; right to regeneration of the planet’s biocapacity; right to a clean life -- for Mother Earth to live free of contamination and pollution; and the right to harmony and balance among and between all things....He urged listening to the voices of indigenous people, who, despite all odds, had sustained their profound links with nature. He urged support for the world’s small farmers and food producers, who, with sustainable farming methods, could provide us with healthy food, while not being driven into poverty by unfair trade policies and the actions of rapacious agro-industries. “Our decision today marks one more symbolic step in changing the dominant mindset that has brought us so close to self-destruction,” he said.

Doubtless Morales will be closing down the Bolivian oil and gas industries, inter alia, and I do wonder how he squares the right to life of all living things with the plant deaths that do seem to be an unavoidable part of the process of non-fruit plant cultivation. I imagine that even if he can square that particular circle, there is then the problem of pesticides, inter alia. And to think that this guff, or at least the mother earth bit is 'supported by over 50 Member States'. Sigh.

#1 - IMED shares the date with both Administrative Professionals and jelly beans, which is nice.

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The United Nations to discuss Battlestar Galactica

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I am not making this up, the link is right here.

"Through its newly established Creative Community Outreach Initiative, the United Nations Department of Public Information and the SCI FI Channel will co-host a panel discussion in connection with the final episode of the Battlestar Galactica television series at 7 p.m., tomorrow, 17 March in the Economic and Social Council Chamber. The discussion will explore some of the themes that are of importance to both the United Nations and the critically acclaimed television show: human rights; terrorism; children and armed conflict; and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faiths.

The panel will be moderated by...Whoopi Goldberg. [...]Mary McDonnell, ...Edward James Olmos, and Battlestar Galactica creators and executive producers...will participate in the panel. Also participating will be Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; Craig Mokhiber, Deputy Director, New York Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning, Executive Office of the Secretary-General; and Famatta Rose Osode, Minister and Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations".

Can't say I have ever seen it, but the original film was utter dreck.

Maybe the EU will be taking pointers from 'Futurama' next, or Parliament can get carried away over 'Life on Mars'. Could be entertaining.

I suppose the thespians get to polish up their slightly tarnished sense of self-importance, while the UN bods get to hang out with some rather unfashionable C-list actors.

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posted by Croydonian

The UN talks parking tickets

Friday, March 13, 2009
Yes, it just has. (Insert metaphor involving a city aflame and the playing of a stringed instrument here)

"The Committee on Relations with the Host Country today considered, among other things, an alleged increase in the number of parking tickets issued to diplomatic vehicles and special airport screening procedures for some diplomats".

And some choice quotes:

"The representative of France said his country’s Mission had been receiving more tickets because the driver picking up the Permanent Representative at his Park Avenue residence often had to wait “a couple of minutes”, with the motor running, in a traffic lane next to parked cars. Since other Missions had also seen an increase in the number of tickets issued, the matter could be viewed as a form of harassment. A possible solution would be to establish diplomatic parking spaces close to the residence of Permanent Representatives".

And there's more:

"the representative of Cyprus said her Permanent Representative also lived on Park Avenue and the tickets were often issued by the same officer, who seemed to wait for the moment when the diplomatic car pulled up to the residence. The officer refused to talk to the driver or listen to any explanation, a form of treatment that was “inappropriate”.

Is your heart bleeding yet?

"Also raising complaints were the representatives of Bulgaria and Mongolia, who questioned the legality of mailing the tickets to their respective Permanent Missions, noting that the practice particularly hampered the functioning of small Missions".

And an unexpected outbreak of worldliness:

"The representative of the Russian Federation added that, according to local media, the problem did not concern diplomats alone, but the entire population of New York City."

Couldn't be the New York Post, could it?

And the pay off:

"In his response, the representative of the United States cautioned delegates against placing too much credibility in certain newspapers, and categorically rejected claims that officers were issuing more tickets in order to generate income for the city. The New York City Commissioner for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol had assured the United States Mission that the matter would be examined carefully".

If their minds were not addled from overdoing it on the Ferrero Rochers, maybe the diplomats would have the sense to move elsewhere and / or hire taxis....

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posted by Croydonian

Let's see the marching classes protest this

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
From the UN via Ha'aretz:

"United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Chief John Holmes blasted Hamas Tuesday for its "cynical" use of civilian facilities during recent hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

The reckless and cynical use of civilian installations by Hamas and indiscriminate firing of rockets against civilian populations are clear violations of international humanitarian law," Holmes told the UN Security Council".

I am sure the usual suspects will call a march to protest this, won't they?

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posted by Croydonian

Ban Ki-Moon's super powers

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Apparently. As God is my witness, I am *not* making this up.

"[Film director] Mr. Sciora is showcasing the work of the United Nations in other ways, too. His non-governmental organization, United Media, has collaborated with Marvel Enterprises on a comic book about us that will be launched in September....Imagine how satisfying it must be for him to have made it possible for his favourite Marvel characters to tell the story of how the United Nations fights poverty, disease and conflict worldwide".

I look forward to the hapless Mr Ban appearing in a comic strip averring "My UN-senses are tingling" or "Its Peacekeeping time!". Presumably he gained his supperpowers from exposure to radiation of some sort, or swallowing an AA battery.

Script suggestions from anyone with a more detailed knowledge of the sayings of Marvel superheroes are welcome.

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posted by Croydonian

Great jobs of our time.

Friday, November 07, 2008
Exciting news from the UN:

"The Trusteeship Council held a brief organizational meeting this afternoon to elect Jean-Pierre Lacroix of France as its President and Karen Pierce of the United Kingdom as its Vice-President.

Both candidates were elected by acclamation after being nominated on the basis of consultations among Council members. Following the election, incoming President Lacroix thanked Council members for the trust (rimshot...) they had placed in him. Outgoing President and new Vice-President Pierce congratulated Mr. Lacroix in the course of conducting the meeting".

One small problem - "The Council suspended operations when the last United Nations Trust Territory, Palau, attained independence in 1994".

However, "The Council’s future role is under consideration as part of the broader reform of the United Nations and the Security Council".

And to think that there are people who do not think much of the governance of the UN.


I think I'd make a really good head of the Warsaw Pact.

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posted by Croydonian