Category Archives: UN way

United Nations

Recognizing the importance of a strong library to support the work of an international organization and to serve as “a centre of international research and an instrument of international understanding,” “Junior” (John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) donated USD 2 million in 1927 for the construction and endowment of the Library of the League of Nations, which became the Library of the UN Office at Geneva in 1946.
Through negotiations by his son Nelson, in 1946 he bought for $8.5 million – from the major New York real estate developer William Zeckendorf – and then donated the land along the East River in Manhattan upon which the United Nations headquarters was built. This was after he had vetoed the family estate at Pocantico as a prospective site for the headquarters.

Cindy Folkers

To help ensure that the IAEA’s objective of promoting atomic energy does not interfere with the valuable work of WHO on Chernobyl and other radiation and health studies; and to bring this agreement in line with our current knowledge of radiation and health damage, we ask that WHA 12.40 be amended as follows:

  1. Remove the requirement that any WHO program on the health effects of nuclear energy must first be discussed with and agreed to by the IAEA.
  2. The provision safeguarding confidential information (article 3, para. 1) be amended to allow for nondisclosure of only such information which has no bearing on health or environmental risks of nuclear energy.

It is not the mandate of the IAEA to assume primacy over studies which research the health and environmental effects of ionizing radiation released from routine operation or accident. It is scientifically irresponsible and in no one’s best interest to limit, by assumption, the kinds of diseases which may be caused by lower-dose, long-term ionizing radiation. And because the IAEA has such a blatant objective to promote atomic energy, they should under no circumstances be allowed to assess its health and environmental effects. This is wholly outside their jurisdiction and creates mistrust among the world’s people.

Associated Press

AmbassadorTorsellaThe United States thinks the United Nations has a drinking problem.
Ambassador Joseph M. Torsella, who represents the U.S. on the U.N.’s budget committee, said Monday that the tense process of negotiating the world body’s annual budget is made more complicated by the number of diplomats who turn up drunk.
The U.N. budget is finalized in December, when holiday parties apparently lead to some revelry spilling over into budget negotiations.
The U.S. is making “the modest proposal that the negotiating rooms should in future be an inebriation-free zone,” Torsella said during a private meeting of the budget committee. The U.S. mission released a transcript of his remarks.
Some tipsy negotiating partners have left the U.S. “truly grateful for the strategic opportunities,” he said.
But Torsella said the committee should “save the champagne for toasting the successful end of the session.”

Xenia Avezov

SIPRI-UNThe Brazilian-proposed concept of responsibility while protecting (RWP) has polarized opinion on how the international community should respond when civilian populations are targeted. RWP’s supporters claim it would make civilian protection interventions, especially military ones, more accountable and proportionate and rein in perceived misuse of the internationally accepted responsibility to protect (R2P). Some of RWP’s opponents see it as a deliberate ploy by states aligned with China and Russia to impede intervention. In reality, this debate is a distraction from less comfortable truths about R2P.

Alain Jourdan

topelementIsraël était appelé à rendre des comptes devant le Conseil des droits de l’homme dans le cadre de l’examen périodique universel (EPU). Son siège est resté vide. Depuis mars 2012, L’Etat hébreu boycotte cette instance.
La rupture a été consommée lorsque le Conseil des droits de l’homme a lancé la première mission d’enquête internationale indépendante sur les conséquences de la colonisation en «territoire palestinien occupé, y compris Jérusalem-Est». S’estimant trop souvent pris pour cible et déplorant «la politisation» de cette enceinte, Israël s’en est éloigné.

UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network

The United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network consists of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and a number of interrregional and regional institutes around the world, as well as specialized centres. The network has been developed to assist the international community in strengthening co-operation in the crucial area of crime prevention and criminal justice. Its components provide a variety of services, including exchange of information, research, training and public education.

The UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network Institutes (PNI):

  • UNICRI – United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institutes; Turin, Italy
  • UNAFEI – United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders; Tokyo, Japan
  • ILANUD – United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders; San José, Costa Rica
  • HEUNI – European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations; Helsinki, Finland
  • UNAFRI – United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders; Kampala, Uganda.
  • NAUSS – Naif Arab University for Security Sciences; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • AIC – Australian Institute of Criminology; Canberra, Australia
  • ICCLR & CJP – International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy; Vancouver, Canada
  • ISISC – International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences; Siracusa, Italy
  • NIJ – National Institute of Justice; Washington D.C., USA
  • RWI – Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law; Lund, Sweden
  • ISPAC – International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme; Milan, Italy
  • ICPC – International Centre for the Prevention of Crime; Montreal, Canada
  • ISS – Institute for Security Studies; Pretoria, South Africa
  • KIC – Korean Institute of Criminology; Seoul, Korea
  • The Basel Institute on Governance – (International Center for Asset Recovery)
  • College for Criminal Law Science (CCLS): Beijing, China
  • UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Vienna, Austria

国連アジア極東犯罪防止研修所(アジ研; UNAFEI), 法務総合研究所国際連合研修協力部

アジ研は国際社会における正義の実現に貢献しています

UNAFEI国連アジア極東犯罪防止研修所(略称「アジ研」又は「UNAFEI(ユナフェイ)」)は,国連と日本国政府との協定 (PDF ファイル) に基づいて設立された国連の地域研修所です。アジ研は,国連の政策と取組に沿いつつ,アジア太平洋地域を始めとする各国の刑事司法の健全な発展と相互協力の強化に努めています。
The United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) was established in 1962 with the aim of promoting the sound development of criminal justice systems and mutual cooperation mainly in the Asia and Pacific Region.

国際連合研修協力部はアジ研を運営するために法務総合研究所に設置されました

法務省法務総合研究所国際連合研修協力部は,日本国政府と国際連合との合意に基づいて日本国内に設置された国連アジア極東犯罪防止研修所(略称「UNAFEI=ユナフェイ」又は「アジ研」)を運営するために法務総合研究所の一組織として設置されたものです。このため,同研修協力部の部長がアジ研の所長に任命されています。また,同部に配属された検察,裁判,矯正,更生保護の各分野からの教官と,事務スタッフが国際研修・セミナーの実施を柱とするアジ研の各種事業の企画・運営に当たっています。

United Nations

    Scale of assessments (Japan)
    日本の国連分担率の推移

1998-2000
2001-2003
2004-2006
2007-2009
2010-2012
2013-2015
       
       
       
       
       
       
20.573%
19.669%
19.468%
16.624%
12.530%
10.833%

黒羽夏彦

人道的介入には、以下の要件が必要とされる。

  1. 極度の人権侵害状況が見られること。
  2. 他の平和的手段を尽くした上で、最後の手段としての武力行使であること。
  3. 人権抑圧の停止が目的で、国益追求など他の政治目的を含めないこと。
  4. 状況の深刻さに比例した手段を取り、期間も最小限にすること。
  5. 相応の結果が期待できること。
  6. 国連安全保障理事会の承認があること。
  7. 個別の国よりも地域的国際機関が、地域的国際機関よりも国連が主導するものを優先させること。

国連憲章では武力不行使が原則とされるが、例外が二つある。第一に自衛権。第二に、国連自身が強制執行する際に武力行使も含まれる。ただし、現時点において国連軍は存在しないため、加盟国に委任する形で人道的介入は行なわれることになる。
とはいえ、人道的介入の原則が確立しているわけではない。歴史的にみても他の政治目的が絡む場合が大半で、純粋な人道目的はまれである。それこそ、ヒトラーはズデーテン地方併合に際してドイツ人が迫害されているという口実をもとにしたように、人道目的・平和目的を建前としつつ国益追求の戦争をふっかける可能性は常にある。教条的な平和主義はもちろん論外であるが、他方で武力介入はじめにありきの議論も避けなければならない。

最上敏樹

31643315湾岸戦争この方、バブルのようにくり広げられてきた「正義」の横行を、一度見直すベき時が来たのではないか。肥大した正義は問題の解決にならない。しかもその正義が第三者の判定を受けないなら、多国間の秩序は一層不安定になるだろう。そこにおいて、国連平和体制の基本原理であったはずの多国間主義も、「帝国」の行動を掣肘するような原理として働くとは限らないことが明らかになりつつある。残された希望は、それでも多国間の枠組みを活用して無益な戦争を避けようとする国々と、公式の多国間枠組みの外で戦争反対を唱える人々である。国際社会の「多数意思」は、いまや公式の多国間枠組みを見ただけでは判断できなくなっているのだ。

U Thant

thantpencil-mediumEvery human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.

Wars begin in the minds of men, and in those minds, love and compassion would have built the defenses of peace.

Dag Hammarskjöld

dag-hammarskjold-portraitTo be free, to be able to stand up and leave everything behind – without looking back. To say Yes. … To say Yes to life is at one and the same time to say Yes to oneself.
Yes, even to that element in one which is most unwilling to let itself be transformed from a temptation into a strength.
If only I may grow : firmer, simpler – quieter, warmer. The humility which comes from others having faith in you.

League of Nations

Trafficking refugee Conflict
Two young girls sold to a licensed house in Bagdad and delivered by the Committee. Camp of Greek Refugees in Athens. Map of “A” Mandates.
Economy2 Economy スクリーンショット 2012-12-29 0.40.13
Fall and Stabilisation of the Austrian Crown. The sudden turn came on the day the League took up the matter. Guaranteed Austrian Loan (Chart showing percentage contributed by the various States and the amount in dollars). Building of the League in Aleppo for the care of Refugees.

Ireneo Namboka

IreneoNambokaA mother is the role model for all UN staff members. A mother is the one who stays up all night when her child is sick. A mother does anything unconditionally to protect her child. A mother doesn’t ask for overtime pay. A mother doesn’t ask for a promotion either.
… And the UN staff members. Why can’t they do the same … for people worldwide who need their help? Why do they talk about their promotion all the time? Why can’t they just think about the people?

Kofi Annan

KofiOur people, as we often say, are our principal asset.  Yet we don’t invest in them or support them properly.  These are people from many lands, and from diverse cultures and traditions, who represent 80 per cent of the Organization’s resources; who give the world their remarkable skills; who are infused with the ideals of public service; and who are proud to live and breathe the global mission of this Organization.

Ban Ki-moon

photo-26… the universality of music reminds us in a profound way of our common humanity. All civilizations since the dawn of history have embraced music and venerated musicians, for love of music is a love of life – and as Rubinstein said, “if you love life, life will love you back.”
The United Nations is, ultimately, about love – love for one’s sisters and brothers, and an enduring commitment to reduce suffering and improve the well-being of the most vulnerable. Our organization may not be perfect, but its ideals are.

International Civil Service Commission

1.A. Administrative specialists
1.B. Architects, engineers
1.C. Archivists, curators, information specialists and librarians
1.D. Artists
1.E. Economists

1.F. Education specialists
1.G. Jurists
1.H. Life scientists
1.
1.I. Dental, nutrition, medical, nursing and veterinary specialists
1.J. Physical scientists
1.K. Sales and marketing specialists
1.L. Social scientists
1.M. Statisticians and mathematicians
1.N. Transportation specialists
1.O. Writers, translators, interpreters
1.P. Professional, managerial and technical specialists for which no job family exists
1.Q. Postal services specialists
1.R. Environmental specialists
1.S. Relief specialists
1.T. Electronic communications specialists
1.U. Cultural development specialists

Голос России

Бурные дискуссии относительно поведения председателя Генеральной ассамблеи ООН, бывшего министра иностранных дел Сербии Вука Еремича вызвало его сообщение в Твиттере о том, как он отметил в Нью-Йорке победу теннесиста Новака Джоковича на итоговом чемпионате АТР в Лондоне.
На своей странице Еремич минувшей ночью написал: «Перевернули столы в кафе, Новак чемпион мира!».
На комментарии других пользователей о том, что такое поведение недостойно главы Генассамблеи, он ответил, что такие прецеденты уже были.
Например, и ранее успехи Джоковича на турнире «Мастерс» он также отметил переворачиванием столов в другом баре. Причем в этом действе, по словам Еремича, участвовали «хозяин заведения и еще десяток послов в ООН, в том числе двое европейских».
Такое объяснение еще больше раззадорило сербских пользователей «Твиттера», которые до глубокой ночи продолжали битву с генсеком в комментариях.
Многие стали напоминать Еремичу, что его главная задача в Нью-Йорке — защита интересов Сербии, а не устраивание дебошей в барах, и что его пребывание там оплачивают из своих налогов граждане страны.
Вук Еремич также является президентом Теннисного союза Сербии.

Шиничи Кушима

Журавлики также помогли навести мосты между ООН и японскими гражданами.
Для меня, японца, очень важно, что ООН проявляет участие к нам.

Wikipedia

The premises of dependency theory are that:

  • Poor nations provide natural resources, cheap labor, a destination for obsolete technology, and markets for developed nations, without which the latter could not have the standard of living they enjoy.
  • Wealthy nations actively perpetuate a state of dependence by various means. This influence may be multifaceted, involving economics, media control, politics, banking and finance, education, culture, sport, and all aspects of human resource development (including recruitment and training of workers).
  • Wealthy nations actively counter attempts by dependent nations to resist their influences by means of economic sanctions and/or the use of military force.

Dependency theory states that the poverty of the countries in the periphery is not because they are not integrated into the world system, or not ‘fully’ integrated as is often argued by free market economists, but because of how they are integrated into the system.

United Nations

Contributions by Member States to the United Nations regular budget for the year 2011

Member State Scale of assessments (percentage)
United States of America 22.000
Japan 12.530
Germany  8.018
United Kingdom  6.604
France  6.123
Italy  4.999
Canada  3.207
China  3.189
Spain  3.177
Mexico  2.356
Republic of Korea  2.260
Australia  1.933
Netherlands  1.855
Brazil  1.611
Russian Federation  1.602

United Nations

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948 sets a common standard to ensure that all human beings are treated equally. The United Nations has advanced and supported democracy and democractic goverance through electoral assistance provided to over 50 countries since 2010 alone. The UN has assisted in milestone elections in many countries, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nepal, Sierra Leone, the Sudan, and Timor-Leste. The United Nations has formulated more than 80 treaties and declarations protecting and promoting human rights, for example, banning the participation of children under 18 in armed conflict and prohibiting the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

>Greening the Blue

>During 2011,  the United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ) in New York consumed 10,077 cartons of paper, each approximately10 inches tall.. If we were to stack all that paper up, it would build a structure 8,397 feet tall, or over 15 times the height of the Secretariat Building (544 feet).
Printing is not just about paper either, but also about the ink, which not only has environmental but also financial consequences. In 2011, UNHQ in New York spent approximately $1.2 million on toners/cartridges. 60% of that spend was on colour cartridges. Do we really need it? Go easy on the colour.
Less is more, both for the environment and for our budget!

>Susan Candiotti, Mick Krever

>More than 35 pounds of cocaine was discovered in at least one bag that turned up at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The narcotics were uncovered on January 16 inside hollowed-out books that had been shipped from Mexico City in a bag made to look like a diplomatic pouch.
The bag was being screened at the United Nations’ postal receiving center when the cocaine was discovered.
It lacked a destination address and was without a return address.
Authorities have not located the intended recipient, he said.

>Ban Ki-moon

>At this time of economic uncertainty and transition, the demands on our Organization continue to grow.  That places immense responsibility on us all.  I thank you, once again, for the commitment and sense of high purpose that you bring to our work each and every day.
Despite these tough times, the true nature of our calling unites us: to help people in need and make the world a better place.  That is the compact that underpins our work — a compact between one another, between Member States and the Secretariat, and between the Organization and the world’s people.
Looking ahead, I pledge to stand by you to create the good working conditions that are so necessary for us to succeed in our mission.  Your commitment, creativity and hard work shape all that we do, and I am proud to serve alongside you.

United Nations

The General Assembly closed its main session midday Saturday with the adoption of a $5.15 billion United Nations budget for the 2012-2013 biennium and an unexpected intervention by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who commended Member States for having risen to that challenge with “energy, creativity and an indispensable willingness to make the hard choices”.
In a “collective achievement”, United Nations Member States “found savings, while protecting the Organization’s ability to “get the job done”, the Secretary-General said.  “We worked together and made history,” he declared, by approving a budget by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) that was lower than the one for the previous biennium.
“All budgets are tough, but this year was particularly difficult, as Governments and peoples everywhere are struggling in this time of financial austerity,” he said, praising the “compact” between Member States and the United Nations Secretariat and all United Nations staff.  Today, member nations kept their promises — to each other and to the world’s people.  In turn, he gave his pledge, and he would instruct all his managers to do the same, to do more and better with less, to make the most of “our precious resources”.
He would ensure that Member States contributions, and that all mandates given to the Secretariat, were fully and efficiently delivered and at a savings.  “You can count on my commitment,” he said, concluding with his best wishes for a “Merry Christmas and a very healthy and happy New Year” for all.

>Colum Lynch

>The 10 worst U.N. Security Council resolutions ever

  1. The Somalia Swan Song Resolution: 1863
  2. The Condi & Sergei Do-Nothing Iran Resolution: 1835
  3. The “We Command You to Stop Killing Your People … Please” Resolution: 1706
  4. The Pick Your Terrorist Resolution: 1530
  5. The “Trust Me, He’s a Terrorist” Resolutions: 1267 and 1390
  6. The Genocide Rescue Brigade That Never Was Resolution: 912
  7. The Bosnian Unsafe Haven Resolution:  819
  8. The Iraqi Collateral Damage Resolutions: 661 and 687
  9. The “You Say Territories I Say Des Territoires” Resolution: 242
  10. The “What’s Bad For the Bolsheviks, Is Bad For the Yanks” Resolution: 82

>Matthew Russell Lee

>As the UN budget fight whimpered past 5 am on Christmas Eve, the heralded US drive for reform and transparency came down to a desire to cut $7 million rather than $5 million from the budget of the UN Mission in the Ivory Coast, UNOCI …
Some diplomats lay sleeping on couches on the first and second floors of the North Lawn building; the UN staff required to formalize the votes on Christmas eve waited over cold pizza and hot water without tea bags.
Recorded votes were predicted on the Responsibility to Protect, and the Myanmar item left over from the Third Committee due to Program Budget Implications. “Our colleagues left us the Law of the Sea too,” a representative said, predicting a General Assembly vote by 8 am. Others said noon. We’ll see.

>International Criminal Court

>The International Criminal Court (ICC), governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system.

>ECOSOC HL Panel

>

  • There is increasing public dissatisfaction with the institutions of global governance
  • There is increasing public disenchantment with traditional democracy
  • The power and confidence of Southern voices have risen dramatically
  • The major conferences have begun to level the North-South playing field
  • Southern Civil Society Organizations gain protection from the UN in criticizing their governments
  • Various new roles offered within the UN system have helped expand Civil Society Organization horizons
  • The new political divides are very different from the old

>Say NO – UNiTE

>Please help us make the world a safer place for women and girls by sending a donation today. The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, managed by UN Women, supports initiatives around the world to bring about real change in the lives of women, girls and their communities. …

Grantees of the UN Trust Fund work to address various forms of violence against women and girls, ensure access to safety and services for survivors, and empower women and girls especially at risk of violence, including adolescent girls, minority and indigenous women. Much has been achieved, but much more needs to be done, and demand far outstrips the funding available: in 2011, the Fund received grant requests totaling USD 1.2 billion, but could offer only USD 17.1 million in grants to 22 initiatives in 34 countries. …

Every gift counts. In Africa and Asia, $10 can help 6 women survivors of violence reeceive counseling! Donate online or if you are in the United States text UNITE to 27722 from your cell phone to give $10.*

>Nicole Kidman

>

We all know in our heads and our hearts that every woman is entitled to a life free of violence. Let’s make that a reality. Please give as generously as you can to the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, managed by UN Women. Show that ending violence against women is possible by contributing to Trust Fund-supported projects around the world that break the silence, promote accountability and provide critical services to women and girls. Please get involved. We need your support.

>Jason Ditz

>

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been hyping an impending release of “evidence” of a clandestine nuclear weapons program in Iran for awhile, but now diplomats are leaking parts of the evidence to the media in an effort to get people talking.
This is a particularly bad time for major “evidence” to come to light, as Israeli and US officials are once again in one of their periods of hyping a possible impending attack on Iran, and it will only fuel that speculation.
But the reality is, the “evidence” leaked so far appears fairly minimal even as it is being touted as particualrly damning. Reports will allege that Iran has conducted some computer simulations of nuclear explosions.

>Kaveh L Afrasiabi

>

The head of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, confirmed recent allegations on WikiLeaks of his intense loyalty to the United States, by traveling to Washington ahead of the much-anticipated release of his new report on Iran.
While the details of Amano’s consultation with Washington higher-ups remain confidential, the avalanche of media speculation regarding the content of his upcoming November 9 report, including details of an appendix suggesting Iran’s proliferation activity at a military complex in Tehran, leave no doubt that the United Nations’ atomic agency is fully in league with the United States and its Western and Israeli allies’ intention to ratchet up pressure on Tehran to relent on its current nuclear activities, or face dire consequences.

>John Baird

>

North Korea is simply not a credible chair of a disarmament body. The regime is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons and its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations goes against the fundamental principles of this committee. This undermines the integrity of both the disarmament framework and the UN. Canada will not be party to that.

>Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

>

And what are we paying for? A UN Human Rights Council that includes such gross human rights violators as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and its vice-chair, Cuba.
We’re paying for the Durban process, which has been hijacked to spread anti-Israel and anti-Semitic venom. Then there’s the UN Conference on Disarmament, recently chaired by North Korea. So serial proliferator North Korea presided over the UN’s disarmament body, and Iran, a regime which stones women to death, is a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
We’re paying for a UN that just appointed as the head of its Kosovo mission an individual involved with the infamous Oil-for-Food scandal, and a UN that goes after whistleblowers while protecting the corrupt.
Why do we bear the financial burden for this? Every year, scores of member countries that contribute almost nothing to the UN vote together to pass the budget. Then they pass the costs on to big donors like the U.S., which is assessed a whopping 22 percent.

>Jamey Keaten

>

Palestinian efforts to join U.N. agencies beyond its cultural arm are “not beneficial for anybody” and could lead to cuts in funding sure to affect millions of people, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warned.
“I believe this is not beneficial for Palestine and not beneficial for anybody,” he said, noting that U.N. agencies need both financial and political support.
“This will have implications for all the agencies of the United Nations,” Ban said. The UNESCO admission means Palestinians could automatically gain membership in the U.N. Industrial Development Organization, which aims to lower poverty and help the environment, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, he said.
Ban said he was also concerned about the possible impact of lower funding for the U.N. trade organization, UNCTAD, if Palestinians gain membership there too.
“When an organization is not properly functioning because of a lack of resources, you have to think about the millions and millions of people who are being impacted and affected,” he said.
Ban said he was “asking and urging member states” to make up for the shortfall in funding for UNESCO and other agencies.
One top Palestinian leader shot back at Ban, suggesting the U.N chief should lean on U.S. lawmakers.
“I think it would be easier for Mr. Ban Ki-Moon to ask the Congress to change their laws,” Saeb Erekat said. “I don’t think Palestine’s admittance to any of these agencies will bring harm.”

Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil- for-Food Programme

Under the management of Organization of the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP),
Contracts Processing and Monitoring Division (CPMD) processed applications received from permanent and observer missions in accordance with Resolution 986, an approved distribution plan, and the 661 Committee Procedires. CPMD also supervised the independent inspection agents (Lloyd’s. Cotecna) and was responsible for authenticating the delivery of humanitarian goods into Iraq. CPMD was managed by a director, namely John Almstrom (1998-2000) and Farid Zarif (2000-2004).

>Réalité-EU

>

On the eve of International Women’s Day, and just days after the suspension of Libya from the UN Human Rights Council, Iran has officially become a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Although Iranian women are subjected to blatant discrimination and oppression, the Islamic Republic will now help set UN policies on the advancement of women.
At the same time, Iranian opposition activists have urged supporters to take to the streets again today, International Women’s Day, to demand gender equality and to protest the arrest of opposition leaders Mir Houssein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives.
Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi has said in a statement: “March 8th 2011 is a special day. On this day, besides the equal rights of women, the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people will also be demanded. We, as women though, should be vigilant, ensuring that in the midst of political upheaval and political developments, we do not forget about our long time demand for equal rights”.

>Jonathan Wachtel

>

Despite numerous breaches of arms embargoes and continued threats to expand its nuclear weapons program, North Korea has assumed the presidency of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. In a speech to the 65-nation arms control forum in Geneva, the newly-appointed president, North Korean Ambassador So Se Pyong, said he was “very much committed to the Conference.”
Appointing a North Korean to chair the UN’s only multilateral disarmament forum is like “asking the fox to guard the chickens,” says Hillel Neuer, of the UN watchdog organization UN Watch. Neuer is calling on the U.S. and European governments to protest the appointment, which he says, “damages the UN’s credibility.”
The diplomat, who requested that he remain anonymous added, “It is normal for my nation, just as any nation, to become president of a UN conference.”

>Keith Porter

>

Meaningful numbers on the U.N. budget are hard to come by because spending and funding is spread over a variety of agencies and member states. Less than $2 billion is spent each year for U.N. operations at its headquarters and regional offices. Around $4.5 billion is spent each year on peacekeeping operations.
U.N. supporters like to point out that the U.N. annual operating budget is smaller than that of the Tokyo fire department or a single major American university.

>Ian Martin

>

On Sunday, I had the great privilege of representing the Secretary-General at Libya’s declaration of liberation in Benghazi, the city where the popular movement had begun on February 17. A peaceful movement, sparked on that day by the demand of families to know the fate of their loved ones who had disappeared in a notorious prison massacre, was met with lethal repression, and civilians across Libya took up arms in a revolution to end decades of denial of political freedoms, human rights violations, corruption and social inequality.
The declaration brings to a close a long and painful chapter in the history of Libya. Four decades of brutal dictatorship and autocratic government have tragically wasted the potential of an entire generation as well as immense opportunities and resources that could have been invested in creating a prosperous, modern nation-State.
The declaration thus marks a new beginning for the people of Libya. While expectations must be managed, the aspirations of its youth and the sacrifices they have made must guide the next phase of Libya’s transformation.

>Alvaro de Soto

>

Palestinians do not expect much from the UN bid, but armed resistance has had its day and negotiations are in a deep rut. The Palestinians have suffered displacement, disappointment, and discrimination for generations. Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasir Arafat’s 1988 declaration of independence barely merits a footnote today. At Oslo, the PLO took part in a political process that was meant to build confidence and lead to independence, but it unwittingly reinvigorated the Israeli settler movement, which greatly expanded its presence in the West Bank in the following years. To make matters worse, Palestinian leaders have been erratic. In their struggle for liberation, they have often resorted to, or at least tolerated, brutal acts of terror that have greatly damaged their cause.

>Sergei N. Martynov

>

There was a pervasive feeling that chaos was engulfing the planet: one global crisis followed the next; international law was being shamelessly trampled; and a growing number of people were suffering. We need a global strategy against chaos. It must be built on strengthening international law, establishing global partnerships and revitalizing the United Nations.
Let us be frank. Everyone bears grudges against the United Nations. In recent years, the United Nations appeared to have merely survived various crises, rather than solved or prevented them.

>Mahmoud Abbas

>

The suffering of the Palestinian people as a result of Israel’s colonial occupation is crystal clear to the world, since the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including East Jerusalem, in 1967, Israel continues with its settlement policy on the Palestinian land, especially in Jerusalem, where it is currently being accelerated through various means, including the seizure of the homes of Palestinian inhabitants in the City and the imposition of restrictions and even preventing Palestinians from building and sometimes from repairing their homes, while new settlement neighborhoods are being established and Jerusalem is being completely isolated from its surroundings because of the illegal settlements and the apartheid Wall.

>Desmond Parker

>

An episode occurred last year, at the height of the General Debate, when electric power in the North Lawn building failed for several hours, which produced a strange blend of frustration and amusement.
(At the time, the Secretary-General was holding a series of bilateral meetings with Heads of State and Government.) It was indeed very interesting to see several Heads of State and Government, and their entourages, climb four levels of stairs to the Secretary-General’s Conference Room.
(Such events cannot be predicted, and it is the job of Protocol staff to be able to react quickly to smooth things over as much as possible.) It is Murphy’s Law that things will go wrong, but we try to prevent Murphy’s Law from being legal.

>Julian Borger, Georgina Smith

>

New evidence has emerged in one of the most enduring mysteries of United Nations and African history, suggesting that the plane carrying the UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld was shot down over Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) 50 years ago, and the murder was covered up by British colonial authorities.
At the end of his investigation Björkdahl is still not sure who killed Hammarskjöld, but he is fairly certain why he was killed: “It’s clear there were a lot of circumstances pointing to possible involvement by western powers. The motive was there – the threat to the west’s interests in Congo’s huge mineral deposits. And this was the time of black African liberation, and you had whites who were desperate to cling on.

>Göran Björkdahl

>

The cables and also Hammarskjöld’s private letters depict a strong UN leader guided by the UN charter, with a strong sympathy for the emerging new nations – as well as a dislike of the big powers’ arrogance and hypocrisy. He won diplomatic victories over France and the UK in the Suez crisis in 1957 and over France in the Bizerte crisis in 1961 and he gave moral support to newly independent Guinea. After this, President Charles de Gaulle withdrew France’s support for the UN Congo operation, boycotted the security council meetings and even encouraged French mercenaries to join the Katanga forces.
My own conclusion, after adding the new witnesses’ statements and the archive information to previously published documents, is that Hammarskjöld’s DC6 was brought down and that the motive was to maintain the west’s control over Katanga minerals. It is significant that the UN, after Hammarskjöld’s death, has become less of a challenge to the big powers.

>Barak Ravid

>Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, sent a classified cable to the Foreign Ministry last week, stating that Israel stands no chance of rallying a substantial number of states to oppose a resolution at the UN General Assembly recognizing a Palestinian state in September.

Under the headline “Report from the frontline at the UN,” Prosor – considered one of the most experienced and senior Israeli diplomats – offered a very pessimistic estimate as to Israel’s ability to significantly affect the results of the vote. Even though he did not state so explicitly, Prosor implies that Israel will sustain a diplomatic defeat.

“The maximum that we can hope to gain [at the UN vote] is for a group of states who will abstain or be absent during the vote,” Prosor wrote, adding that his comments are based on more than 60 meetings he held during the past few weeks with his counterparts at the UN. “Only a few countries will vote against the Palestinian initiative,” he wrote.

>李连杰

>

我会尽我所能,服务全世界,因为我是世界公民,因为我是中国制造。
我将把我的知识,我的心,我的爱,尽我所能,奉献给我的家庭,全球的家庭,奉献给全世界,因为我是世界公民,因为我是中国制造。

>OIOS

>

Risks in the United Nations context are normally referred to as programmatic and operational areas that have the greatest exposure to inefficiencies, ineffectiveness, fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement. Areas with the most significant risks in the UN environment are defined as those that are insufficiently addressed by existing controls and checks.