UN – Pike & Hurricane

YNTR – April 2020: Forest fires in Chernobyl, new fask force in Sahel, Maduro accused of drug trafficking, and more

EditorChief — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 08:50:27 +0000

Ukraine. Forest fires near the defunct nuclear plant of Chernobyl caused radation in the area to rise 16 times above the normal level. Police arrested a suspect who is accused of causing the fires that started in early April by setting grass and rubbish on fire. While the fires increased the level of air pollution in Kiev – located around 90km south of Chernobyl – making them the worst in the world, authorities claimed there was no rise in radiation levels in the Ukrainian capital. While reports said the fires were getting dangerously close to the nuclear power plant and waste storage facilities, the government assured that the fires were contained and under control.

Sahel. Eleven European states have formed a new task force, named “Takuba”, to fight terrorism in Mali and the Sahel. The states supporting the project are Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. The French-led task force is also supposed to support the French “Barkhane” mission in the Sahel as well as the joint troops of five Sahel states.

Venezuela. The United States are accusing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as well as other high-ranking politicians of drug trafficking and narco terrorism and offered a bounty of $15 million for the arrest of Maduro. According to US federal authorities, Maduro cooperated with dissident FARC members to “flood” the US with cocaine. The US government, which supports Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guidó, already imposed sanctions against Venezuela under Maduro for human rights abuses and argues that Maduro is responsibile for Venezuela’s economic and political crisis.

WHO. US President Donald Trump has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) and European states of knowingly allowing covid-19 to spread beyond China. Consequently, hesuspended funding for the WHO. The UN agency had declared a global health emergency on Janaury 30. The day after, Trump announced a ban on all foreign nationals entering the US from China. He said: “Tragically other nations put their trust in the WHO and they didn’t do any form of ban and you see what happened to Italy […]”. Meanwhile, New York Times data suggests that almost 40 000 Americans and authorised travellers were able to enter the US from China since the travel ban was put into action on February 4 whereas Italy introduced a complete ban on all people travelling from China on January 31. The WHO criticised Trump’s travel ban for “increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit”, and Democrats and disease experts claim that the travel ban has little effect as the coronavirus had already started to spread within the US as well as internationally.

WFP. Due to fundig shortfall the World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to reduce their support for refugees in Uganda by 30% and for Yemen by 50%. In Uganda, 1.4 million refugees rely on food rations distributed by the WFP. Activists fear that these cuts will make refugees’ lives in midst the nationwide shutdown due to the coronavirus even more complicated. A speaker of the WFP said that due to a critical lack of finances they had no other option but to reduce their aid for Yemen by half, despite the humanitarian crisis in the country. According to the UN, about 80% of the Yemini population is dependent on aid. Starting in mid-April they will receive support every second month as opposed to every month.

Syria. For the first time, the UN’s Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) explicitly names the Assad regime as those responsible for the poison gas attacks of 2017. They accuse the Syrian air force to have used sarin and chlorine gas in attacks on Syrian cities in late March 2017. Human rights organisations see the OPCW’s report as a milestone in the investigation of war crimes.

Israel. On the way of forming a new government, opposition leader Benny Gantz, who holds the mandate to form a government, has been asking for more time. This was denied to him by President Rivlin. The possibility of a unity coalition that was in sight is slipping away. Since no party has a clear majority, the mandate goes back to the parliament and a fourth election round in Israel could be the consequence.

USA. Senator Bernie Sanders ended his campaign for the nomination as presidential candidate, saying “the path toward victory is virtually impossible.” Thus, Joe Biden is the only remaining candidate of the Democrats. Sanders wants to leave his name in the ballot, but assured that he is supporting Biden in the political fight against Donald Trump. Sanders is known to not only run a presidential campaign, but to mobilise the US American progressive left and to have created a movement concerned with social and environmental justice.

Photo Credits

pi-IMG_5623, zhrefch, CC0 1.0

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Keeping International Law Grey

Diego Annys — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 17:51:30 +0000

The grey zones between UN Charter goals

1945. The United Nations is full of hope.

We fast-forward through time. Countries invaded. Human rights violated. Territories occupied. Peaceful demonstrations knocked down. People in despair. Where is the UN, the marvelous international society with all of its principles, the world wonders?

That is where the problem begins—all of its principles. The UN has quite a few of them. But the UN’s principles are not a problem, you respond. Because who would argue against human rights? I reckon that no sane human would. Who would dispute the right to self-defense? Perhaps only imperialist warmongers. Then what exactly is this problem?

Grey zones. The place where no one is sure what is allowed, and more importantly, not allowed. International law by itself is already a grey zone. Is it truly law? Or merely standards, norms, and principles? In the UN, these grey zones come in the shape of the goals and values written in the UN Charter, which lays out the core of the whole organisation. Many of the articles in the Charter conflict with one another, causing situations where you cannot honour both at the same time. Which article overrules the other, which is more important? Let us answer that question with an example. When your mom used to say you can only have one cookie a day, but also that you should not waste food and the pack of cookies expires tomorrow. Then what? Easy. You have another cookie, or five, making sure they are not wasted. You pick the value which is in your best interest.

However, the best interest of one is often not the best interest of another. Where you enjoyed the benefit of a lot of cookies, your mom faces the disadvantage you not hungry while she made dinner. There is however an advantage to having no clear boundaries: more freedom to act. When the UN is stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare of inaction, the grey zones in the Charter can be used to undertake action. Or they can also be abused. What is permitted, tolerated, frowned upon, protested against, forbidden? There is no black and white.

Self-defense vs non-intervention

The United Nations consists of, no surprise, nations. An important principle to states is sovereignty, having been added to the Charter in several ways, including the right to self-defense (article 51) and the right to non-intervention (article 2.4). When your state is attacked by another, you can defend yourself against it, even when this means breaking the UN’s non-aggression rule. Similarly, another state does not have the right to intervene in your state’s affairs to begin with.

Sounds clear cut? Unfortunately not. Remember when the United States and its allies invaded Iraq? They did so by claiming Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which could be a threat to their national security. So they felt the need for self-defense, and invaded. Preemptive self-defense, but nonetheless, self-defense—going directly against Iraq’s right to non-intervention.

Self-defense vs individual human rights

Even in war, human rights need to be safeguarded. While Security Council resolutions often mention the need for human rights, and the Secretary General and the General Assembly argue for them in a persistent manner, reality is that legal reasonings are being put forward to justify human rights violations.

In his book ‘The UN and Changing World Politics’, Thomas G. Weiss argues that in the case of severe safety threats and war, as part of self-defense, human rights can justifiably be violated. When a plane, containing 110 people, was supposedly hijacked and considered a threat to thousands attending the Sochi Winter Olympics Games in 2014, permission was given to have it shot down. In the War on Terror, prisoners were tortured as part of the interrogations.

Many would disagree with the claim that war is a valid reason to violate human rights, but also in this case a defense to continue harming them is shaped. Even if not in self-defense, they would argue it is illegal for others to intervene in the sovereignty of the state, even a state using torture. Yet the protection of human rights is evermore seen as a prerequisite for a state to earn their sovereignty, and the Responsibility to Protect hangs over their head.

However, law has grey zones. By using these grey zones, attempts are made not to make torture legal, but at least to make it not illegal.

The ever-lasting self-determination dispute

The 2005 UN World Summit agreed to “condemn terrorism in all forms”. Yet, this does not resolve the question of what constitutes terrorism. The reason why this was left undefined is quickly found. The UN Charter mentions “the principle of […] self-determination of peoples” (article 1.2).

Some consider that there are justifiable motives for the use of terrorism, such as in the process of liberation from foreign occupation. Examples include the independence of many states, from the Eastern Bloc to the decolonised Africa. The liberated people might see the terrorising moves as heroic but the story must be different for those that witnessed violent self-determination movements within their territory. To them, recognising that they themselves are to blame for terrorist activities being undertaken against them, is completely unacceptable.

Self-determination can also go against UN Charter right to territorial integrity (article 2.4). One can argue the Catalans have the right to self-determination, but at the same time that Spain has the right to territorial integrity. Both have a valid point in their reasoning.

Fighting for values, one shade of grey at a time

The United Nations was made by states to improve the world, without them agreeing on what is an improvement. So the grey zones were made, to make sure the UN could at the least protect some of its core values. Now the grey zones are kept, so the states can pick and choose their values. The UN is caught in a grey web of bright global goals and dark national realities. So we are left wondering, between hope and fear: just as the UN was founded after the scourge of war, do we have to again go through the dark night before we can greet the sunrise.

The UN is full of doubt.

By Diego Annys

Image by Harshil Shah, Geneva – United Nations logo, Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

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Leaders of today: Hannah Stanton on sustainable development and the power of youth

Ida Scharla Løjmand — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:05:33 +0000

In November, the Association of Foreign Affairs at Malmö University had the pleasure of hosting a lecture with Hannah Stanton, programme director of TheGoals.org, an online learning platform for creating awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

Hannah Stanton, 2016

Hannah Stanton has previously led the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) delegation to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Agenda 2030 negotiations. Currently, she focuses on her work in the UN Major Group for Children and Youth and as director of TheGoals.org.

TheGoals.org is an interactive web app created to educate young people in the age of 14 to 30 years about the SDG’s. The aim is to inspire the users to take action against climate change, gender inequality, and hunger or in other ways work to fulfill UN’s 17 SDG’s. The philosophy of TheGoals.org is that education can appear in various forms and forums different from traditional school. And according to Hannah Stanton, such a platform connects young people pursuing a more sustainable world and shapes the future decisionmakers.

A world of unlocked potential

Hannah Stanton gained her own leadership skills and experience working with young people through the girl scout movement. She has attended various international events, meeting scouts from all over the world and she strongly believes the young generation has the power to push for a more sustainable world.

The sustainable development goals projected on the UN headquarters, New York 2015

One may wonder what a teenager can do to stop climate change or what difference a student from the far North can make for women in Zambia. When asked why it even matters to involve young people who are not influential decision-makers, Hannah Stanton answers resolutely:

“The unlocked youth potential is the biggest driving force of making a change. We are dealing with the most growing generation – look at a country like Jordan where 65 percent of the population are under 30. Not using this group would be a huge loss. Youth is often disregarded and not included. If we can affect this, the decision-makers cannot neglect the youth anymore.”

She also stresses the importance of influencing the young generation from the beginning:

“Young people are still learning and if we can shape their behavior to be sustainable from the start they do not have to relearn anything. The older people, including ourselves, have to learn a lot of new things. If we give the young people a good start, they can be responsible adults from the beginning.”

Hannah Stanton at Malmö University 2017

Different kinds of change

So according to Hannah Stanton, we are dealing with a huge generation – as more than half of the world’s 7 billion population is under 30 years – of potential to change, just waiting to be realised. And even though the background and resources of those young people vary, she believes that the young generation can make much more of a difference than some people might assume.

“What exactly young people can do depends on where they come from and what kind of agency they have,” she says and brings up an example from her work as UN Major Group for Children and Youth Global Focal Point for SDG 14 (Conservation and sustainable use of the oceans):

“Look at the small island states – or large ocean states as I think they should be called – for example. Here we need to bridge the gap of understanding between young people in the islands and in other landlocked countries. Government indicators may not be the best tool for this purpose. The young people in landlocked countries need to understand how our consumption behaviours and climate change impact put these islands at risk, and how we can change and stop that to save our ocean and the islands.”

Young participants at the UN Ocean Conference, June 2017

She admits that there is a difference between the youth and the older decision-makers who set the indicators for sustainable development. However, according to Hannah Stanton, this is not an obstacle for younger people to contribute to change.

“For me, the focus here is understanding the global context and what I can contribute with and not so much thinking ‘I need to ensure sustainable fisheries in the small island states’,” she says and turns her eyes towards the ceiling with a grimace. “I mean, that can be overwhelming or just too far from home for some. Now, if you are into marine biology or work in an environmental group, that will be closer to home and will be your focus. But for me, at this stage the most important part is that young people globally understand the significant impact our lives and lifestyles have on the ocean and the significant impact the ocean has and will have on our lives.”

So, what should the young people do once they achieve this understanding? According to Hannah Stanton, this is again a matter of context.

“In this part of the world [the West/Nordic countries, ed.], we must change our consumption patterns and transport manners and lead by example. I think those tasks are the easiest for us to fulfill, for instance here in Malmö,” she says. “For other parts of the world, I think the issue is to not develop like a developed country but to be sustainable from the beginning and not fall into the trap of seeing owning 50 types of the latest car model as a status symbol. To make sure to recycle, not burn the plastic, and so on.”

Hopes to inspire

To think less materialistically seems easy for a well-educated woman living in Sweden, one of the world’s most affluent and gender equal countries. Young people from a poor country, who compare their life to the ideal presented in the media, might find it easier to relate to the strive for owning a car than for conserving the oceans. But this manner of thinking is also a thing Hannah Stanton aims to address with TheGoals.org.

Hannah Stanton, 2016

“We are hoping that this materialistic aspiration is just not encouraged by the way we educate [on TheGoals.org, ed.], for example by providing realisations like that you need to wear a piece of clothing 80 times in order for it to be sustainable,” she explains. “If we succeed, we will have the first sustainable generation. And I hope – well, i am sure – that we can do that.”

The belief in the power of the youth is crystal clear when Hannah Stanton talks. Despite global differences, she firmly maintains her trust in the people’s ability to make a change already while they are young.

“I hate – with passion – the notion of ‘leaders of tomorrow’,” she says. “We are all leaders of our lives today. The choice I make today has an impact today and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and so on. I am not the leader of tomorrow, I am very much the leader of today.”

By Ida Scharla Løjmand

Photo Credit:

SDG Media Zone by United Nations Photo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Hannah Stanton by United Nations Development Programme, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

UN Headquarters by United Nations Photo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

UN Ocean Conference by United Nations Photo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Hannah Stanton by by United Nations Development Programme, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Stuart Cosgrave — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 09:47:19 +0000

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country whose past is steeped in violence, conflict, internal strife and an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Throughout its history, this country has gone through numerous changes of name and regime. In recent years, it has become the location of one of the United Nation’s longest ongoing peacekeeping operations. Due to civil wars and natural disasters, over 2 million of the country’s 79 million inhabitants are internally displaced, one of the highest levels of internal displacement worldwide. A recent UN report states that over 180,000 civilians have been displaced between July and September of this year alone. Since 2009, over 60 percent of the people who were forced to abandon their homes were under the age of eighteen. These numbers do not even take into account the Congolese who are living as refugees in neighbouring countries.

As well as displacement of their own population, the DRC hosts 120,000 refugees from its neighbouring countries of the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi and others. In addition to those who are without a permanent place to live, a huge portion of the population is food insecure with some estimates putting the number at seven million. This food insecurity again affects children, with the UN finding that three million children are malnourished in the DRC. This malnutrition crisis, as well as diseases such as measles and cholera, means that the DRC has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. In 2015, UNICEF estimated that the number of children per 1000 of the population dying under the age of five could be as high as 129, though this number has been decreasing consistently over the last few decades.

The UN operation has received criticism in the past for being too passive in their actions. One such incidence occurred in 2014 where peacekeepers ignored pleas for help from local villagers. The village of Mutarule in DRC’s South Kivu province was attacked and at least 30 civilians were killed. Despite being informed that there were armed assailants attacking the village, the UN forces chose not to take action. Whether the UN’s efforts in the DRC can be viewed as successful is up for debate, but there is certainly no lacking of manpower on the ground. It’s biggest peacekeeping operation by personnel. The UN has 22,498 people stationed in the country as of 2016. As well as the highest number of personnel, the UN’s mission in the DRC also has the highest budget with 1,235,723,100 US Dollars being pledged for use from July 2016 to July 2017. Even, democracy is questioned as a contentious election draws near. Delayed elections coupled with violence across the country, where 34 people were killed by militia this past November in eastern part of the country, it remains to be seen whether or not the crisis will improve in the near future. The question is whether the UN can deliver peace?

Stuart Cosgrave

Photo by CIAT

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