UB Group visiting the UN for Briefings

On December 1, 2011, 22 students in the MA in Global Development and Peace at University of Bridgeport visited the United Nations in New York for a day of briefings and a tour. Briefings were given by three leading experts: Mr. Renato Mariani (Conflict Resolution), Mr. Matthias Stausberg (The Global Compact), and Mr. John Solecki (Refugees). Each expert covered a number of technical areas critical to the work of the United Nations in protecting the world’s most vulnerable people, and in pursuit of peace and development. The students were accompanied by Dr. Dave Benjamin, Associate Professor of Global Development. 

The Human Rights Students in a UN Hallway

A group of UB students in the International Human Rights course attended briefings at the United Nations in New York on Friday November 4, 2011. The briefings were coordinated by the Group Programmes Unit, and the speakers were Ms. Renata Sivacolundhu from the Human Rights Council, Mr. Adrian Morrice from Department of Humanitarian Affairs, and Dr. Jason Abrams from the International Law Department.  The briefings were: Recent Developments in the Human Rights Council, The Peacebuilding Commission, and International Law and Transitional Justice. The students were accompanied by Dr. Dave Benjamin from the International College.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (left) submits application to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

On October 31, UNESCO granted Palestine full membership with a vote of 107 for, 14 against, and 52 abstentions. UNESCO took this vote knowing full well that UNESCO might suffer financially as a result of reduced US support. The United States and Israel both oppose the UN creation of a Palestinian state, and the United States is the largest financial supporter of UNESCO. However,  United Nations Resolution 181, adopted November 29, 1947, divided British-controlled Palestine into two “independent Arab and Jewish States.” The UN is acting in accord with this resolution.

After Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application to become a UN member state on September 23, 2011, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon forwarded the application to the UN Security Council, in line with provisions of the UN Charter.  The Security Council decides whether to recommend admission of a member to the General Assembly. The Security Council has since held six meetings on the question, but not taken any action.

UNESCO’s decision was independent of admission to the General Assembly. Ban expressed concern that practical solutions to preserve UNESCO funding would be necessary. The US put a hold on sending funds to UNESCO almost immediately after the vote. For the membership to take effect, Palestine must sign and ratify UNESCO’s constitution. The key point for a member state is to support the following declaration:

… the States Parties to this Constitution, believing in full and equal opportunities for education for all, in the unrestricted pursuit of objective truth, and in the free exchange of ideas and knowledge, are agreed and determined to develop and to increase the means of communication between their peoples and to employ these means for the purposes of mutual understanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of each other’s lives.

Cuba Seeks US Trade through UN Resolution

On October 25, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the end to an economic embargo of Cuba. The embargo has been in effect for over 50 years, since the communist revolution in Cuba seized property owned by US and Cuban citizens, causing thousands of Cuban leaders to flee to the US. There is still a strong anti-Castro lobby among those emigrants in Florida seeking redress.

The Resolution, adopted with 186 votes for and 2 against (the US and Israel) called for free trade and navigation. While speakers denounced the embargo as “a Cold-War toll of coercion,” the General Assembly itself has previously asked for embargoes (e.g. GA Resolution 1761 in response to racist policies in South Africa). This is the 20th time such a resolution has been passed.

Despite the official rhetoric, travel and trade has been quietly increasing between the two countries and last week both Delta and United airlines announced that the would begin regular weekly “charter” flights to Cuba (as opposed to commercial flights which are embargoed). As in the case of Taiwan and China, while old wounds based on murder, property seizures, and human rights violations die hard, later generations, seeking to put the constraints of the past behind, tend to seek more normal relations.

South Sudan Celebrates Independence July 9

Just five days after gaining independence on July 9, 2011, South Sudan became a member of the United Nations.

The United Nations and its peacekeepers had worked hard to end the civil war and genocide in Sudan going on for decades, and urged a referendum by South Sudan on secession and the creation of a new state.

On July 13, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon addressed the Security Council saying the new country ranked near the bottom of all human development indicators and needed continued UN help. Without a vote, the Security Council adopted a resolution to recommend South Sudan for UN membership. On July 14th, the General Assembly adopted the new state by acclamation.

UB Students get briefed at the United Nations

On Friday April 15, 2011, forty undergraduate and graduate students from University of Bridgeport attended a day of briefings at the United Nations, facilitated by the Group Programs Unit.

The briefings were given by Mr. Matthias Stausberg (Spokesperson for the Global Compact), Mr. Geoff Shaw (Representative of the IAEA Director General to the United Nations), and Mr. Arnold Pronto (Senior Legal Officer at the International Law Commission).  Mr. Stausberg addressed the role of the Global Compact in facilitating the dialog about corporate responsibility among the private, non-governmental, and state sectors.  Mr. Shaw spoke to the broad remit of the IAEA, especially in augmenting safety in the use of nuclear power, and pursuing non-proliferation.  Of special emphasis was the collaborative work the IAEA is doing with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the transfer of nuclear-based medical diagnosis and treatment technology to developing countries, especially given the exponential increase in the incidence of cancer.  Mr. Pronto addressed, very crucially, the emerging norm of responsibility of states to each other and to peoples, in the broader context of the revolution in international criminal and humanitarian law since the end of the Second World War.

Geoff Shaw of the IAEA discusses saftey of nuclear power

The students were from PSCI 209 UN Studies, and the MA in Global Development and Peace.

—Report by Dave Benjamin

Traditional Medicines

Traditional medicine and a lot of other personal initiatives related to self-sustainability are under threat by large corporations that seek to control markets, and patent products that people have been using for hundreds of years. The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has recently expressed alarm that pharmaceutical companies are patenting medicines that have been traditionally used for centuries, or obtaining laws that attempt to force people to buy industrially produced drugs at inflated prices.

In a meeting in New Delhi, other countries discussed emulating India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a database that documents traditional medicine treatments. While treatments cataloged this way could be protected, other treatments are still at risk.

Parallel problems exist with organic farmers and traditional farmers being sued by Monsanto for using seeds from cross-fertilized crops Monsanto has patented.  In this case traditional methods of farming are at peril due to no fault of a farmer using methods hundreds or thousands of years old.

The theory behind patents is to encourage innovation, not theft of existing technologies. Patents were originally designed for individuals, not multi-national corporations who want to monopolize health treatments and use patents to fight competitors. Perhaps the concept of patents needs reexamination so that governments can protect economic activities that existed before a patented activity.

Libyan refugees stream into Egypt and Tunisia

Libya’s revolution, initially full of hope like in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, where dictators stepped down, has turned ugly as Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi has turned his military against the population in an effort to control power. Now refugees are streaming over the borders of Libya into both neighbors that yet have to put new governments into place.

This situation is causing more demand for international humanitarian aid in a continent riddled by anarchy and civil strife. On March 16, Ban Ki-moon called on the Libyian leader to cease his assault on civilians to put down a revolution by ordinary civilians. As some of the military has refused to fire on civilians Colonel Al-Qadhafi has resorted to killing such soldiers to make an example of them, and employing mercenary and foreign soldiers. This has led to brutal repression of the civilian population.

As the tide of war turned ugly, the international community has hesitated to act, even with the urging of the Arab League to impose a no fly zone against the Libyan air force. Citizens in Benghazi grew frustrated as the United Nations and United States condemned the regimes’ repression with words but offerd no support. “What is the purpose of the UN if it won’t protect innocent civilians?” they asked.

UNHCR’s Andrew Purvis, on the Libyan border in Tunisia, reported that everyone is standing in long lines for something in a refugee camp, that were largely self-organized by the vast multinational community leaving Libya with the help of Tunisians and international NGOs. However he also reported ethnic discrimination against blacks for sub-Saharan Africa. One reason is that black Africans are being hired as mercenaries by Col. Qadhafi. Marauding gangs in Libya beat blacks and steal what they have.

Walking through the camp Purvis observed:

Nationalities are sticking together, though they may have not known each other before, forming committees, making sure each other is informed about tents, knows meal times. I wander over to the Eritrean area, underneath the gum tree and just down from the Tunisian military hospital. The Ghanaians are now over there, beyond the UNICEF latrines. The sifting by nationality is quite natural and driven in part by interests: the Bangladeshis all want to go home, now; the Somalis are desperate not to… Ghanaians want to help their brothers in Tripoli who have been stuck there for weeks. Somalis corralled a power outlet near the Tunisian military hospital and were selling it Bangladeshis for a fee.

Victims killed in Our Lady of Salvation church mourned by other church members

The new Iraq government promises to bring normalization, but treating the regime as instantly normalized is causing new problems for the fragile government. To the dismay of the UN, Sweden decided to forcibly return 20 Iraqis, five of whom are Christian, to Iraq. Yet the new regime is failing to adequately protect Christians and other minorities in the new Muslim state.

Christians have been urged not to worship openly or put up Christmas displays as Christmas approaches after 52 people were killed when security forces stormed Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church in Baghdad after militants connected to al Qaeda took hostages during a Sunday Mass on October 31. Several Christians have also been killed in targeted attacks in Mosul.

A rising number of Christians are reported fleeing Baghdad and Mosul to other regions of Iraq  and to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

The Iraqi Government has reiterated its commitment to protecting all citizens, including minorities, but the tradition of religious freedom and tolerance is weak in the Iraqi culture. Thus, forcible repatriation of Christians to Iraq could be subjecting them to danger.

Sec.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Vice Pres. Biden at the Security Council Meeting that ended sanctions

The United Nations Security Council ended mandates and sanctions on Iraq today after it adopted its new constitution and is embarked on a path to normality.

The new constitution bans weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and thus measures passed after the 1990 Iraq invasion of Kuwait imposing sanctions until UN inspections could verify the absence of WMDs have been dropped. The Security Council also ended Resolution 1483, the oil-for-food program that was administered by the Secretary General.

While the new government in Iraq faces high unemployment and many other challenges to political stability, these moves by the United Nations show its support for the new government and its hopes that Iraq will adopt a role as a normal state in the global community. Ban concluded his remarks, addressing the people of Iraq:

You have suffered too much for too long. I pay tribute to your resilience. There will be more hurdles ahead. But you have the wisdom and the capacity to overcome. You are now in the lead in your quest for a better life. The United Nations will continue to stand with you as an impartial partner. We are determined to fulfil that mandate, and help you find, once and for all, the path of prosperity and peace.