Monthly Archives: August 2010
SG Calls on DRC to Investigate Deadly Attack against Peacekeepers; GA Prepares for Pakistan Meeting Tomorrow
MONUC: in response to a deadly attack this morning which killed three UN Peacekeepers serving with MONUSCO in the DRC, the SG has called on the Government of the DRC to launch in immediate investigation. The attack comes on the eve of World Humanitarian Day (Aug 19), which is also the seven year anniversary of the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, which claimed the lives of 22 UN staff in 2003. Ambassador Rice issued this
Pakistan Can’t Get No Relief
The finance minister of Afghanistan handed over a $1 million check to the Pakistani Ambassador yesterday. For the record, that makes Afghanistan a larger donor to Pakistan flood relief efforts than France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, and Estonia (among others). Not to judge, but is $917,431 for flood relief all that France can really afford right now?
Commissions of Inquiry, the Human Rights Council and the ICC
Colum Lynch reports that the United States is ready to support a “commission of inquiry” into alleged crimes against humanity in Burma. The move, he says, comes as the Obama administration recognizes that a policy of engagement is not working.
Uncommited Pledges on Pakistan
Al Jazeera captures a great quote that speaks to some of the frustrations felt by the first responders to Pakistan’s massive floods:
“We cannot spend pledges. We cannot buy purification tablets, we cannot support Pakistan with pledges,” Daniel Toole, the South Asia regional director for the UN’s children fund, Unicef, said on Tuesday. “I urge the international community to urgently change pledges into cheques.”
Secretary Clinton on the Global Health Initiative and “Filling the Gaps” on the MDGs
Secretary Clinton gave a big speech at Johns Hopkins University on the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative yesterday. The GHI, as it is known, is a six year, $63 billion plan to improve public health in the developing world. The program builds on some George W. Bush administration successes, like PEPFAR and the President’s Malaria Initiative, to support partner country efforts at building capacity in their public health sectors.
Trading Democracy for Elections in Sudan?
When the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed by South Sudanese rebels and the central government, there were hopes that it could transform the political landscape of Khartoum. The CPA, as it is known, brought southern leaders into the central government in Khartoum and mandated the country’s first national elections in twenty years.
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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