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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on September 17th, 2008 EU facing ’slow motion crisis’ in UN. http://euobserver.com/9/26757/?rk=1 The EU is losing its ability to push through human rights projects at the UN, with Islamic, African and Latin American states increasingly alienated from Europe while Russia and China play a more assertive role, a new study says.
Russia and China’s doctrine of non-interference in sovereign states has also attracted support in the UN security council, leading to EU setbacks on Sudan, Burma and Zimbabwe in the past year. {we wonder about this conclusion whenviewing Russia’s actions in Georgia, and China’s “resource colonialism” in Africa.}
“If Europe can no longer win support at the UN for international action on human rights and justice, overriding national sovereignty in extreme cases, it will have been defeated over one of its deepest convictions about international politics as a whole,” the study says. At the UN level, the ECFR links the problem to confrontations between Europe and the Bush-era US as well as growing EU introversion, with European diplomats in New York holding over 1,000 internal meetings a year instead of focusing on outward diplomacy. Looking beyond the UN, the think-tank points to EU foreign and immigration policies as bigger stumbling blocks, with Afghanistan, Bosnia and Turkey the only Muslim-majority states which still vote with the EU. “This reflects not only disputes over the Middle East, but a fundamental clash over cultural and religious values,” the ECFR says. “The EU needs an engagement strategy to win back the support of the African and Latin American countries that it has lost, and win over more moderate members of the Islamic bloc.” It also pushes for the appointment of two or three new EU officials to co-ordinate UN diplomacy with third countries, backed up by a panel of “senior Europeans” to draft and review strategies. The EU’s Cotonou Agreement - a long-standing development accord with African and Caribbean countries - should be used to expand coalitions on the model of old French and UK colonial ties, while moderate Islamic states such as Jordan and Senegal could help build new relationships in the Muslim bloc. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 27th, 2008 From: Jeremy.Houssin at erm.com ERM and UNEP organise a training workshop in Dakar, Senegal, from the 8th to 12th of September 2008, to help African project sponsors. You will find below and attached to the mail a call for CDM projects and projects in the Voluntary Market.
A Call for CDM projects and projects in the Voluntary Carbon Market for project sponsors in Senegal who want to participate in a Capacity Building workshop. Types of projects eligible: Workshop financing: For the project sponsors who are already registered by the UNEP for the Africa Carbon Forum, please indicate your UNEP registration number. Pilot projects and case studies in asset classes such as plantation forestry, agro forestry, and bio fuels will open up opportunities for African participation in the CDM and the voluntary carbon markets. In addition, the project will facilitate the establishment of a stakeholder network for technical cooperation and linkages between carbon buyers and sellers. The programme’s findings will also serve to contribute to the policy debate towards a post-2012 climate regime, casting light on key issues such as eligibility of avoided deforestation and land degradation projects in CDM-type initiatives. CASCADe Project in Senegal and Benin: For more information : Houssin Jérémy Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 9th, 2008 Global Markets - latest news No formal greenhouse targets at G8 summit. By William L. Watts & Chris Oliver, MarketWatch. a Wall Street Journal Blog. LONDON (MarketWatch) — Leaders of 16 nations at a multilateral gathering in Japan agreed to back a plan for making long-term reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, although the deal fell short of establishing formal reduction targets. “We, the leaders of the world’s major economies, both developed and developing, commit to combat climate change in accordance with our common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities,” the nations said Wednesday in a communiqué at the Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido. The G8 nations include the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy Canada and Russia. Backers included Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico and South Africa, in addition to the G8. But the joint statement didn’t include language from Tuesday’s statement issued by the G8 leaders, in which they said they shared a vision to cut greenhouse emissions in half by 2050. See full story. Only three of the non-G8 countries in attendance — South Korea, Australia and Indonesia — backed the 50% reduction, Reuters reported, and this prevented inclusion of the language in Wednesday’s statement. Leaders of emerging economies have argued that developed countries should first spell out their own goals for emissions reductions. All the same, President Bush hailed the final statement as a sign of “significant progress.” In the end, Wednesday’s statement said the leaders shared a vision for “long-term cooperative action, including a long-term global goal for emission reductions that assures growth, prosperity, and other aspects of sustainable development, including major efforts towards sustainable consumption and production, all aimed at achieving a low-carbon society.” William L. Watts is a reporter for MarketWatch in London. So both gentlemen were not in Hokkaido - their reporting is based on material they read on the web - Did the WSJ really see it like we did - that this G8 exercize, under Japan leadership subservient to the US wishes, will not come up with real and meaningful results? —————— If it was a G8 meeting - why not take as final decision what was decided already on Friday without the participation of the other 8? Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa - the remaining 5 out of the additional 8 - plain and simple said that they do not participate in games when the G8 do not have the stomach for real figures put down in real time. By saying that they want first to see a real offer from the G8, before putting on the record their own participation in emissions reduction, they are actually in full rights and have done nothing worse then pointing flashlights at the meager document of the G8. As we said already in another posting today, it was the Bush, Harper Fukuda position that doomed these 2008 G8 meetings under Japan leadership. President Bush won this battle. Our only remaining question is - why did Fukuda invite the other 8 to participate? Had the G8 met in their own closed cocoon and come up with a final declaration, was that not expected to be better then having a bigger show with folks to be held later as responsible for this failure? What does now Fukuda frame next to his Prime Minister chair in order to say that the meeting he chaired was a success? —————– And the previous article - a day earlier - that was referenced in the July 9, 2008 article - The VISION thing that came to nothing a day later: G8 leaders share ‘vision’ on emission cuts. LONDON (MarketWatch) - Leaders of the Group of Eight wealthy nations on Tuesday said they shared a “vision” to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050. In a joint statement on the environment and climate change, the G8 leaders said they “seek to share” with all parties involved in U.N.-brokered talks “the vision of … the goal of achieving at least 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050, recognizing that this global challenge can only be met by a global response.” Japan and the European Union are seeking to formalized emission-reduction targets, building on last year’s general agreement among the G-8 nations to “consider seriously” the reductions. The U.S. and several other developed countries { read here Canada and Japan } have said they will not enter an agreement to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions which does not include binding commitments by growing industrial powers such as China and India to cut carbon. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was pleased with progress made toward climate change and other issues following a morning meeting with President Bush. “As always, we’ve had a very interesting exchange of view, very intensive exchange of view, and let me tell you that I’m very satisfied with the work that has gone on, on the G8 documents, as regards progress on the issue of climate change, cooperation in the area of food and oil,” Merkel said at a photo opportunity with Bush. This year’s summit, held at a lakeside resort on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, brought together leaders from 22 nations, including the top G8 officials. { 8+8+5 - the last five are Africans in need and they were not even deemed a reference in the article the following day that speaks of 16 - so, our question is even more to the point - if you had no intention in bringing these other 13 into the decision making process, except for eventually blaming the first 5 from among the second group of 8 for the failure, who needed here also the second group of five that did not even get invited to dinner? All of this is part of our various postings these last few days. We predicted disaster - and here it is starring at us } Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 29th, 2008 Let Us Look Closely At Some Of The UN DAILY NEWS from the UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE But Mr. Ziegler of the UN “Right to Food” Program just shoots his mouth at the US and at the EU for trying to decrease their dependence on imported oil by emulating the great Brazilian experience with biofuels. Rather then being helpful, Mr. Ziegler calls for a moratorium that could only benefit his Arab friends. Mr. Ban Ki-moon visits now the economic offices of the UN in Vienna and Geneva, and speaks up about the real World needs. He will then meet high level UN officials from Economic and Human Rights offices. He will also meet the foreign ministers of Austria and Slovenia, and the President of Switzerland. Our main attention is drawn to this last meeting and we think that the best reason for his trip could come true if he were to negotiate with the Swiss President’s removing Mr. Ziegler from his UN related functions, as he did enough damage by now. Also, perhaps, if needed, Switzerland could take over from South Africa the hosting of that Durban II event. By bringing the hotheads of that planned disaster to their senses, Switzerland could have the chance to redeem itself from all these other problems that its citizen, Ziegler, managed to create on the world stage. We really do not want to see that the Swiss flag will remain stained for any further length of time. Further, While in Vienna, in his meetings there, Mr. Ban could obtain further information about farm policy and biofuels. The Austrians were very good at that. When “Gemma Brott Verbrennen” was the anti-ethanol call that was all over the frontpage of the daily “Kurrier” - the Austrians moved to the production of biodiesel made from oil of the ricinus plant in order to avoid the Food-for-fuel misrepresentation of the European agriculture. The Slovenians think in this respect like the Austrians. UN TO ASSIST AFRICAN FARMERS THREATENED BY CLIMATE CHANGE Some 10,000 farmers in five African countries, where crops are expected to be badly affected by climate change, are to receive help from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the form of low-cost rain gauge equipment and roving seminars provided by agricultural experts. The goal of the roving seminars is to support farmers’ self-reliance by supplying them with information on weather and climate risk management. In West Africa, the area suitable for agriculture, the length of the growing season, and crop yields, especially along the margins of arid and semi-arid areas, are all expected to decrease, according to projections by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In some African countries, yield from rain-fed farming could be reduced by up to 50 per cent by 2020. The assistance plan was announced on Friday after a meeting in Niamey, Niger, which was organized by WMO and the State Meteorological Agency of Spain. * * * BIOFUEL PRODUCTION IS ‘CRIMINAL PATH’ LEADING TO GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS – UN EXPERT The United States and the European Union have taken a “criminal path” by contributing to an explosive rise in global food prices through using food crops to produce biofuels, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food. Speaking at a press conference today in Geneva, Jean Ziegler said that fuel policies pursued by the US and the EU were one of the main causes of the current worldwide food crisis. Mr. Ziegler said that last year the US used a third of its corn crop to create biofuels, while the European Union is planning to have 10 per cent of its petrol supplied by biofuels. The Special Rapporteur has called for a five-year moratorium on the production of biofuels. Mr. Ziegler also said that speculation on international markets was behind 30 per cent of the increase in food prices. He said that companies such as Cargill, which controls a quarter of all cereal production, have enormous power over the market. He added that hedge funds are also making huge profits from raw materials markets, and called for new financial regulations to prevent such speculation. Andrew Thorne-Lyman said that even temporarily depriving children of the nutrients they need to grow and thrive can leave permanent scars in terms of stunting their physical growth and intellectual potential. He said that families in the developing world are “finding their buying power has been slashed by food price rises, meaning that they can buy less food or food which isn’t as nutritious.” * * * SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN CHAIRS MEETING OF TOP OFFICIALS FROM ACROSS THE UN The current global food crisis triggered by soaring prices, the safety and security of United Nations personnel and climate change dominated talks today involving Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior officials from the world body. The topics were discussed at the spring session of the Chief Executives Board, which brings together the heads of the world body’s various entities for regular meetings, in Bern, the Swiss capital, where Mr. Ban is on an official visit. At a panel in Vienna last Friday, the Secretary-General stressed the urgency of tackling the food issue, noting that it is “very closely interlinked with development issues, climate change, food prices, our fight against disease and other equally important areas.” He noted that the food crisis has hurt the world’s poorest and pushed 100 million people further into poverty, impeding the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight targets to slash a host of social ills by 2015. “This has been a global challenge, so we need to address it in a collective way – globally,” Mr. Ban said in his remarks to a forum entitled “The United Nations and the European Union: Joining Forces for the Challenges of the 21st Century.” Also participating in the events were Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik of Austria and Dimitrij Rupel, Foreign Minister of Slovenia, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency. Speaking to reporters in Vienna, the Secretary-General said that as a short-run response to the food crises, all humanitarian crises must be addressed. “In the longer term, the international community, particularly the leaders of the international community, should sit down together on an urgent basis and address how we can, first of all, improve these economic systems, distributions systems, as well as how we can promote the improved production of agricultural products,” he added. Later today, Mr. Ban is scheduled to meet with Pascal Couchepin, the President of Switzerland. * * * Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 14th, 2008 Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 9th, 2008 EU aid chief says rising food prices risk African ‘humanitarian tsunami:’ As food riots sweep the developing world, the EU’s foreign aid chief has warned that sky-rocketing food price rises threaten a “humanitarian tsunami” in Africa, and has promised a boost in aid to support food security.
The last two days have seen food riots in Egypt over a doubling of the price of staple food items in the past year. Some 40 people died in similar riots in Cameroon in February, with violent demonstrations also recently taking place in Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Mauritania. Less deadly protests in the last week have also occurred in Cambodia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Bolivia. In the last week in Haiti, five people have been killed in riots over price rises for rice, beans and fruit, with protesters attempting to storm the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday (8 April), while UN staff in Jordan have gone on a one-day strike this week asking for a pay rise to deal with the 50 percent increase in prices. Elsewhere, China, Vietnam, India and Pakistan are introducing restrictions on rice exports. “The security implications [of the food crisis] should also not be underestimated as food riots are already being reported across the globe,” said Mr Holmes, speaking at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development (DIHAD) Conference, according to the Guardian. “Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity,” he added. Kanayo Nwanza, vice president of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said on Tuesday: “Escalating social unrest as we have seen in Cameroon, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and in Senegal could spread to other countries,” reports AFP. African finance ministers met last week in Addis Ababa to consider the food crisis. In a statement, the ministers warned that food price rises “pose significant threats to Africa’s growth, peace and security.” Last month, the head of the UN World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran, said that high oil prices, low food stocks, growing demand from China and the push for biofuels are causing a food crisis around the world. “We are seeing a new face of hunger,” she said. “We are seeing more urban hunger than ever before. We are seeing food on the shelves but people being unable to afford it.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on March 19th, 2008 UN Human Rights Council, 7th Session UN Watch Statement Delivered by Hillel Neuer, March 13, 2008 Thank you, Mr. President. The nations represented here gather at a momentous time — the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In what manner can we pay tribute? We can pay tribute by protecting the most fundamental of all human rights — the right to life. Mr. President, nowhere is this right being violated more than in Darfur — as well as every other right guaranteed in the Declaration — and by no one more than the government of Sudan. In Senegal there is now a critical summit underway to address Darfur. But yesterday U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and African, U.S. and European diplomats were kept waiting for hours with no sign of Sudan’s President Bashir. In a phone call to the president of Senegal, President Bashir said he “had a headache.” Mr. President, who will tell the victims of Darfur that their suffering will be prolonged because the president said he “had a headache”? To make ending the massive crimes in Darfur one of its top priorities; To push for the fastest and fullest deployment of the peacekeeping force authorized by the U.N. Security Council in July; To pressure contributing nations to fully and immediately meet their pledges of troops, funding, equipment, and logistical support; To ensure the Sudanese government’s full participation in a just and inclusive peace process, and to overcome any attempts to obstruct or delay the protection of civilians or the peace process; To increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for its safe delivery. Mr. President, this Council must send a powerful message to Sudan that the killings, the burnings, the rape of its own citizens — all of this must end. We ask Sudan: For how long will “headaches” and other excuses continue to afflict the lives of the men, women, and children of Darfur? Mr. President, we need action. If not from the highest forum of human rights, then from who? If not now, when? Thank you, Mr. President. Sudan Responds: UN Watch director “lives in a world Thank you Mr. President. I’d like to comment on the statement of United Nations Watch. I think the representative of this organization is continuing to live in a world of media exaggeration on the subject of Darfur, where the sufferings of people are exploited for an agenda which has nothing to do with Darfur. The government knows that the armed rebellion is the primary party responsible for suffering in Darfur. The rebels have caused many people to leave their villages. The government of Sudan has done a lot of humanitarian work in order to reduce the sufferings of persons, and has allowed all necessary facilities. The government at the same time realizes that it is only a political solution which will put an end to all these sufferings. Accordingly, the government has been working very hard to deal with the rebels. It signed the Abuja agreement with some of them. But certain others refuse because they were given support by countries giving shelter to them. These countries seem to be nevertheless expressing sympathy for people in Darfur. The government, however, has continued to work for a solution that will restore peace and stability in that region, and calls upon the international community to assume its obligations against those who refuse solutions, and notes that countries give media coverage to this situation while refusing to sit down to work on a peaceful agreement to this situation. Thank you. ——————— And the UN Secretary-General probably was the subject of a UN press release saying how great his achievements were in his trip to Dakar, Senegal, to meet there with the Organization of Islamic Countries’ Leadership. This must have created Sudan’s headache. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on March 14th, 2008 The intenational press was made to believe that the Dakar Summit was called in order to talk down Israel and to talk about the state of Muslim Immigrants to Europe. But see - there are other real problems that have to be looked at. IOM - International Organization for Migration - Press Briefing Notes from: unobserver at iom.int … Friday 14 March 2008, Spokesperson: Jemini Pandya Migration and its consequences are top policy issues for the Islamic world and IOM in recent years has made a broad and concerted effort at close cooperation with OIC member states and its Secretariat. IOM has operational agreements with the OIC and with several of its constituent bodies such as the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). In his statement to the OIC summit, McKinley expressed his concern that migrants from Muslim countries are often at the receiving end of anti-Islamic sentiments in destination countries where stereotyping can lead to social exclusion. McKinley also expressed support for an initiative of President Wade to organize a global conference promoting inter-religious dialogue to enhance greater understanding among different faiths and communities as a way of helping migrant integration. The two-day summit, which began yesterday and which is attended by heads of state and representatives from the 57-member organization is looking at how to combat ‘Islamaphobia’ in the West as one of the key issues to be addressed.
“The increase in representation of OIC countries within IOM membership during the past few years from all parts of the world is a reflection of the successful relations and cooperation that have been established with this important group,” said McKinley. IOM has been active in assisting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to improve the system of overseas contract work that is of great importance to many developing countries, OIC member states among them. “The OIC and its member states can count on IOM for continued support in the many tasks they must accomplish to make migration and overseas work an engine for prosperity and better international relations,” McKinley added.
For further information, please contact Abye Makkonnen, IOM Dakar, Tel: +221 33 8696200, email: amakkonnen at iom.int For more information please contact Public Information Officer Angela Sherwood at asherwood at iom.int or +670 723 1576, or Counter-Trafficking Project Manager Heather Komenda at hkomenda at iom.int or +670.723.0810. USA |