#un secretariat

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The United Nations Secretariat building, 1955.

Photo: André Kertész via the Bruce Silverstein Gallery

[unpublicserviceday]

30th anniversary of the United Nations Global Service Centre.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I am proud to join you in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Global Service Centre. This Centre is a beacon of service in a troubled world. And we see example after example of this spirit of service in action. In the five years since my last visit, the dedicated staff here — and in Valencia —have continued to support peacekeeping operations in challenging circumstances. You ensured business continuity for the UN during the COVID-19 pandemic — while supporting over 300 medical evacuations by air and contributing to the deployment of vaccines to 73 countries around the world. You provided lifesaving supplies to people facing disasters and conflicts — from the earthquakes in Türkiye, Syria and Morocco, to the devastating conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and elsewhere. You’ve helped carry out the effective drawdown and closure of large UN missions — including in Darfur and Mali — and supported the UN agencies that continue to maintain a presence there. The technical advice, mapping services, innovative health delivery, and data analysis you enable also support the UN system’s broader development efforts. And you continue to lead the way on green solutions and operations.  I salute your achievement of operating on 100 per cent renewable energy sources. At every step, you’re building on this legacy of leadership and results with more investments in innovation, data, information and communication technologies, and supply chain and logistical improvements. And critically, this Centre is an example of the “One UN” approach — bringing together multiple UN organizations under one roof, and expanding ties with key partners like the African Union, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Global challenges demand global solidarity. This Centre represents the very best of this spirit. We will continue to rely on your services and expertise as we move forward on key initiatives, like the New Agenda for Peace, and support new approaches to peace operations.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, The world is not standing still. But neither are the women and men of the United Nations. Never forget that the work that you do here is having a lifesaving impact in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous places. You’re making the world a better place. And you’re demonstrating the fundamental values of action and results through solidarity and collaboration. Thank you all for building on the incredible 30-year legacy of this service centre. And thanks again to Brindisi and Italy for hosting us, and for being steadfast friends and allies of the United Nations.

Grazie mille.

[arunswild]

opinion: the sole purpose of the UN is to make itself look stupid and naïve.

[emaadsidiki]

United Nations Day [24 October]

May Peace Prevail on Earth. ~ Masahisa Goi

[russianlanguageday]

Updates on the UN Interpreters' work in Russian.

Russian is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Every year on 6 June, the United Nations entities marks Russian Language Day. Follow the UnitedNationsRU for updates on the Organization’s work in Russian.

[papuapost]

MSG SECRETARIAT REITERATES SUPPORT FOR FLNKS AT C-24

PORT VILA, VANUATU (25 May 2023): The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat has reiterated its support for the call by the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) on the Administering power to return to the spirit of the Noumea Accord, in the negotiations post-Referendums, which has resulted in the peaceful co-existence of all stakeholders in New Caledonia. Director General…

[batnomadblog]

Time Square - New York

Time Square – New York

What could more epitomise New York than Time Square. The previous night I didn’t do my usual planning for the following day, causing a late start to the day. Time Square was the only thing I had decided on. I’d walk there and take in the city on my feet. I did a few other things I won’t cover in this post. Like, finding an electronics shop to buy a new Kindle…mine had broken months previous. The…

[chaithetics]

ICJ, Security Council and What the ICJ Ruling Means

I want to start by saying that the recent ICJ ruling isn’t enforceable, but we can make it useful if we choose to. It’s a landmark decision in international law that we can mobilise for our activism. We’ve now seen Britain resume funding of UNRWA. And this ruling is something that is much more tangible for trying to convince governments to place diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel, demanding ceasefires, recognising Palestine etc. 

More on that below but I’m now going to explain a bit more about that and some of the UN bodies/structure stuff as I saw a couple of reblogs on this post have questions about what this means and what the ICJ’s powers really are. (This post responding to a question about the original post has some information as a much shorter read)

There’s a lot of flaws with the United Nations System (the General Assembly, Security Council, UN Secretariat, International Court of Justice, Trusteeship Council, and the Economic and Social Council), it acts as a tool of neocolonialism for the interests of the global powers, especially the Western powers, its binding/enforcement status makes it superficial, is often arguably undemocratic, and has a poor separation of powers. In this long read (I’m sorry) I’m mainly going to be talking about the Security Council and International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

The Security Council technically has greater enforcement powers than the ICJ and can technically apply them to ICJ rulings if they’re taken to the Security Council. But the five permanent members of the UN Security Council USA, UK, China, France, and Russia have veto powers. 

This has been justified for reasons like maintaining international political stability and to ironically prevent US domination but it has been understandably criticised for being undemocratic and also for preventing action to stop crimes against humanity and war crimes as this veto means that the UN can’t take action against these permanent members and their allies. 

Nicaragua v. United States of America [1986] was one of the biggest ICJ cases. It ruled that the US has violated international law by supporting the Contras (right-wing rebellion group) in their rebellion against the Nicaraguan government and mining of the Nicaraguan harbours. The ICJ ordered the US to pay reparations to Nicaragua, which the US refused to do. Nicaragua then took their case to the Security Council to try and make them enforce the ICJ’s ruling. To no one’s surprise, the US used their veto powers and vetoed this at the Security Council. It then went to the UN General Assembly and passed as a non-binding resolution urging US to follow the rulings. 

Recently, we saw the US use their veto power earlier in the year to block immediate ceasefire resolutions from other countries.

The ongoing case South Africa v. Israel with South Africa accusing Israel of being in violation with the Genocide Convention. The Genocide Convention is an international treaty that basically says as a state, you have obligations to prevent, stop, and not commit genocides and if you do, there are consequences. The Genocide Convention was born from the atrocities that happened during World War II with the Holocaust, Armenian Genocide etc. Genocide became a crime against international law in 1946 and the Genocide Convention was signed in 1948 but became effective in 1951. 

The scope of the Genocide Convention has been raised as an issue in a few cases. And cases of genocide taken to the ICJ are pretty complicated with the findings. It’s something they find very hard to find a state guilty of and are hesitant to do. There’s a few different reasons for that but this post is already super long and I’m trying to keep it short. One of the first cases that was submitted to the UN as an alleged violation of the Genocide Convention was the ‘We Charge Genocide’ paper written by the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), which accused the United States of America of genocide against black Americans under the genocide convention, the CRC paper cited lynching, police brutality, inequalities in health, disenfranchisement of black people in the south (it was over a decade after this paper did black women get the right to vote in 1965), and legal discrimination. It was rejected by the UN for being a misuse and was laughed at by the US government and Press, accusing it of being exaggerated and even as an attempt to advance communism. It’s a paper that’s worth a read and also has an interesting history and legacy worth looking into. The US was never a really big fan of the Genocide Convention, they signed 30+ years later and have since withdrawn. 

 In Bosnia and Herzegovnia v Serbia and the Montenegro [2007], the ICJ found that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide but the ICJ did not find that the Serbian government was responsible or complicit in the genocide. They were still found in breach of the convention though for not cooperating with UN bodies and for failing to prevent the genocide and acquitted Serbia. The ICJ rejected Bosnia’s request for reparation repayments. 

These two papers/cases are some of the bigger ones that I think show how the ICJ is hesitant to and struggles to define and hold states accountable with violations of the Genocide Convention. 

The findings of the recent ICJ ruling and their ordering of Israel to return land, leave settlements and remove settlers, are not binding. Israel does not need to comply! And with a refusal of this, the ICJ ruling could potentially be taken to the Security Council to try and make it more enforceable, but it is likely that if that situation happened, the US would veto that resolution.  

This current ICJ ruling is still a landmark for International Law and carries political weight. Since this ruling we’ve seen the British government say they will resume funding to UNRWA (they stopped this after Oct 7th). 

I said it before but the ruling isn’t enforceable but we can still make it useful. It carries the political weight of

We need to continue advocating so that there is a free Palestine in the lifetime of every single living Palestinian, they deserve it and we owe it to them. 

Israel and its supporters now have international law saying that what they’re doing is wrong, they can no longer hide behind grey legal matter. This is political and justice ammunition that we can mobilise for activism to put pressure on our governments, especially those of us with western governments, governments who have been complicit, tried to play both sides etc. We need to use this to pressure out governments, contact our head of governments, different representatives and ministers to place economic and diplomatic/political sanctions on Israel, recognise the state of Palestine, withdraw recognition of the state of Israel, demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, create and approve Palestinian visas, increase Palestinian aid funding etc. 

The west no longer has grey legal matter to continue what they’re doing, especially with plausible deniability and the narrative they’ve been subscribing to. They can’t hide behind this grey area as what they’re doing directly contradicts and violates international law. 

Thanks for reading this far if you made it, I will answer genuine questions but I will delete, report and block any comments and asks that are anti-Arab, zionist, Islamophobic, racist, and/or antisemitic.

[serenpedac]

The Depiction of Motherhood and Fatherhood in Remembrance of Earth’s Past

Or: a defence of Jin and Raj

There are many posts online on how feminity is seen as soft and weak in Liu Cixin’s writing, while masculinity means being able to make those hard decisions, but I haven’t seen anyone focus on motherhood and fatherhood specifically, so I decided to write my own post about that. The points made here are similar, but the approach is slightly different.

This post is a blend of things happening in the books and the Netflix adaptation, so spoiler warning for both. For anyone who is unfamiliar with either, Cheng Xin is Jin Cheng, and Zhang Beihai is Raj Varma. In the books, these two characters never meet, but in the adaptation, they not only meet, but they start out by being in a relationship. The ending of the first season hints that they will be running into each other in the future as well.

At first, it seemed to me the adaptation mainly did this to let the characters have some kind of connection, as both of them will be very influential in the future. They may have though it better to introduce characters that are connected, rather than isolated. This is likely to be a reason as well (and I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad one, tbh, though I can understand criticism of this choice). However, as I was writing down some thoughts regarding the depiction of motherhood versus fatherhood in the books, I realised that it are exactly these two characters who came up the most.

Death’s End casts Cheng Xin several times in the role of a mother to the humans on Earth. When she becomes Swordholder, the image of her protectively holding a baby appears several times, an actual baby is even pushed into her arms at one point. Then, the droplets attack and she has to make the choice to send the deterrence signal, but “she was a protector, not a destroyer; she was a woman, not a warrior.” She feels the weight of life on Earth and is unable to destroy that.

She dooms humanity here, and later on when Wade wakes her from hibernation and she has to choose whether to continue research on lightspeed travel. The thought of the war this may cause and its casualties lead her to put a stop to it. Again, she chooses to protect the existing life.

No matter how much she might wish to protect life and act out of love and care, she cannot protect humanity, because she feels a mother would feel about her children. 

Perhaps surprisingly, but Ye Wenjie does a similar thing with her own daughter, Yang Dong. She decided to keep her unaware of the ETO and Trisolaris. This led to Yang Dong finding out by herself and eventually committing suicide. Would she have done so if Ye Wenjie had been open about it? Possibly, but her life might have also taken a completely different route. I’m not 100% sure if the books say Ye Wenjie kept it from her because she wanted to protect her, but the adaptation does, and it seems like a reasonable motivation for her in the book as well. Again, the need to protect leads to death.

Back to Cheng Xin, the idea of her being a mother also goes the other way: humanity sees her as a mother as well, see for example this moment when the people of the Gravity and Blue Space see a picture of her holding a baby:

“Cheng Xin stood in front of the UN Secretariat Building, holding a baby. Her picture had been blown up to be as large as the “brush” bristles, and the contrast between the two images could not be sharper. The basic color scheme of space was black and silver—the depth of space and the cold light of the stars. But Cheng Xin resembled a Madonna from the East. A warm, golden glow bathed her and the baby, giving all those present the feeling of being close to the sun, a sensation they had missed for half a century.”

Cheng Xin’s motherly warmth contrasts the cold of space. Space that has become the (temporary) home of those aboard those two ships because of Zhang Beihai.

Going back two pages, the description of the people lining up in Blue Space’s great hall to discuss what to do after the droplet attack on Earth compares these two moments:

“Sixty years ago, the officers and enlisted men of this ship had also lines up here to accept Zhang Beihai’s command, and most of them were still there.”

Like Cheng Xin is mentioned to be a figurative mother, Zhang Beihai is seen as being a figurative father. He’s a father of these Galactic humans, but also for Dongfang Yanxu, the captain of the Natural Selection. During the time that he is assigned to monitoring her actions, and also later, when they have escaped, it’s said that she sees him as the father figure that she never had.

Zhang Beihai’s own father also plays a small, but important role. When he is sitting at his father’s death bed, Zhang Beihai asks him what he should do. His father tells him to (paraphrasing, because I already returned the book to the library) “think about it, and then think some more”. This is enough for Zhang Beihai to conclude what he should do.

Later on, in a section on the Natural Selection, he also says how he can still feel his father’s presence, watching his actions. That presence is what gives him strength to do what he must.

Now, what is interesting to me is that both Zhang Beihai and his father die, leaving their child(ren) to carry on their vision. Unlike Cheng Xin’s all-controlling actions, these two fathers let go. And it is in this letting go, in Zhang Beihai’s father dying, giving him those final words, in Zhang Beihai being killed by one of the other ships, that their descendants change, develop, continue.

Fatherhood is seen as giving strength, as taking actions, as letting go to let your descendants move forward.

Another thing that the amazing @onewomancitadel made me think about (go read their Three Body Problem posts, they are very insightful!), is that Cheng Xin is entirely passive to her circumstances. And I think this is also reflected in the idea of motherhood in these books: she gets handed this responsibility, this baby. Similarly, her mother found her as a baby, and decided to raise her. Motherhood is not written as an active decision, but rather as something passive that happens to women.

Compare this to Zhang Beihai, who thinks and plans and makes sure those plans come to fruition. 

Finally, I gave this post the subtitle “A defence of Jin and Raj”, because I think it’s a very interesting choice of the adaptation to link these two characters more closely. In the books, Wade acts as a narrative foil to Cheng Xin, but I would argue that Zhang Beihai is even more her foil. Zhang Beihai and Cheng Xin share the same goal: for humanity to survive, but their ways of thinking are completely different. They show two different paths, whereas Wade yields control to Cheng Xin in the end.

By making Jin and Raj know each other, the series has a perfect set up to expand on their differences, and to show how one of them becomes the father of the Galactic humans, while the other is the mother of the Solar System humans.

Pfffew, that was it! 

(A personal note: I think Jin and Raj make for quite a bad couple. They both seem more invested in their work/personal goals than in their relationship, so I’m going to be really, really disappointed if their previous romantic involvement will play a role in the future through something like jealousy or wanting to get back together. They just didn’t seem to care enough about each other for that.)

[yasminewestbank]

all movie asks answers from the ask meme post bc it was fun

Your favorite movie released this year DIDNT WATCH ANY 2023 MOVIES YET.. CRIES

A movie you think is underrated - obliged to say An Elephant Sitting Still by hu bo bc i can never find it in dvd stores and i unfortunately honestly dont know if i will find a screening of it in a cinema available to me ever again but i dream of it

A movie you think is overrated - going to put two, one new and one classic. first one is parasite. im bitter abt this movie bc it was advertised like crazy and the reviews were so hyping and then i went and it was average. its not a bad movie but not only doesnt deserve the hype the hype ruined it for me bc if i went with the proper expectations i wouldnt have gotten so disappointed. a classic is alphaville of godard... obviously its a good movie and im sure it was groundbreaking at the time but by now the story doesnt feel as sophisticated bc this genre of story is at this point.. i wouldnt say overdone bc its still a great genre but its not fresh or suprising by now without making it more complex. this movie felt like a blueprint to the 1984 book soviet dystopia genre so it didnt keep up with the times. many classic movies are still exciting and fresh just like when they came out including other movies of godard but this isn't one of them. but i can also see how it was probably one of godard's top commercial movies, bc it was easier to digest and more basic than his other work

A movie you like but wouldn't recommend - stalker of tarkovsky and tarkovsky movies in general bc i think it would probs be boring to most ppl (its slow and not much plot) + tarkovsky movies r slow and the kind of movies u have to watch in the movie theater

A movie musical you like - annette of leox carax. and its not only a good movie the music is so good too

A horror movie you like - audition by takashi miike . love japanese violence

A sci-fi movie you like - high life by claire denis. AND it has robert pattinson in it!!!!!!!111 and hes amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A fantasy movie you like

A movie in your native language you like - Life According to Agfa by Assi Dayan. one of the only good israeli movies that exist bc i didnt see so far any good, worthwhile or complex israeli movie besides this one (not including documentaries).

A foreign-language movie you like - (i put a bunch already so ill do one in a language i didnt put yet) tori and lokita by the dardenne brothers. takes place in belgium in french about a young refugee woman and a refugee child from africa who pose as brother and sister. this is going to destroy you but its such a good movie i cant recommend it enough but i still cant recover

A movie you wish you could un-watch - the disney secretariat movie. it was so bad oh my god it was so fucking bad im in pain. i want disney to give me back the braincells i lost. this actor horse deserves so much better

A performance you think is underrated - Vicenç Altaió (yeah had to google this one) in story of my death by albert serra. his acting was insane. probably one of the best acting perfomances ive ever seen, specifically the toilet scene stuck with me. so it's a period movie about casanova. there a scene in the movie that all of it is just him taking a shit. and of course it sounds goofy but it was actually a really human and sensitive depiction and his acting was so natural i completely forgot i was watching a movie. he really made this scene what it is. and tbh i think even from those other photos u can see what i mean on him

A performance you think is overrated

A movie made better by the ending - only thing that comes up in my mind is barton fink of joel coen.. i can barely remember this movie bc i watched it years ago but (spoilers) i can just remember there was a twist in the middle that flipped the whole movie on its head and it was super enjoyable. besides this i cant think of anything

A movie ruined by the ending - the holy mountain of jodorowsky... at the time i watched it i was so disappointed by the ending it was so anticlimactic. i think he thought he did something but it just didnt work. (might be spoilers) same vibes when a story pulls "and then he found out it was all a dream". like.. in this case it just didnt feel fitting it was disappointing. but i watched it years ago so i wonder if i would feel the same now

A trilogy/franchise you like cant think of anything

A movie you never get tired of talking about - drive my car by ryusuke hamaguchi. its fun to talk abt this movie bc even tho there are a lot of themes and details that make it what it is, its not too complex to not be able to grasp and pinpoint them. so its complex enough to be a good movie but not too complex to not be able to talk abt it, both abt the good and bad things (bc there r also choices the director made that i dont like). and there's also so much to talk abt that stems from this movie not only in the movie itself but also what it shows abt japanese cinema, contemporary japanese cinema/this generation of japanese directors versus the previous generations. also i love this director in general i recc all his movies

A movie you never wanna hear about again - if i hear one more thing abt any marvel movie im going to kill myself

A movie you look forward to watching (could be an upcoming release or not) - aki karutismaki's fallen leaves that came out this year

A movie you think looks beautiful - red desert of antonioni. i adore the aesthetic of this movie. tbh its probably my favorite movie visuals wise. i just cant stop adding photos from google bc i love everything slkfdsflsfgds

A director you think is underrated - tbh hard to think of anyone.. i think any director i like got some kind of recognition, and if i think ok which one doesnt get mainstream recognition it would be basically most of them. so im trying to think.. who do i rlly think doesnt get recognition. maybe the crown should go to the photographer petra collins who actually directed the first season of euphoria before sam levinson kicked her out and claimed he did it and stole all her work

A director you think is overrated - HITCHCOCK!!!!!!! HES NOT THAT GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HES TRULY NOT THAT GOOD!!!!!!!!!!! I COULD PULL UP 10 DIRECTORS FROM HIS TIME AND BEFORE HIM THAT ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN HE IS THAT ARENT AS HYPED UP. godard and kurosawa made movies so much better and decades before him so the reason hes hyped cant even be that what he made was groundbreaking for the time. hitchcock is MID

An animated movie you like - the cowboy bebop movie... its so fun and satisfying to watch i watched it so many times dsfdf

A silent movie you like cant think of anything

Your favorite movie - possession by andrej zulawski. im speechless abt it. dont read a summery go into this blind. its such an insane experience (sin look my fav movie is a polish movie)

Your least favorite movie i dont rlly have one i have a whole bunch of movies i dont like but i dont have THE hated movie

[toscanoirriverente]

CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said

China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday.

At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is through the “secret conditionality” of its donations to the governing body, Reilly wrote.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) “imposes a secret conditionality across UN agencies that the monies so provided may not be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan,” she said.

“Essentially, the PRC instumentalises the UN to increase pressure on” small island developing states and least developed countries, “which account for a majority of states that still have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, to transfer their allegiance to the PRC,” she said.

The “Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch in OHCHR, a French national, was secretly providing the PRC with advance information on which human rights activists planned to attend the Human Rights Council,” Reilly wrote.

That information included British citizens and residents, she added.

The families of non-governmental organization (NGO) delegates were visited by Chinese police and “forced to phone them to tell them to stop their advocacy, arbitrarily arrested, placed under house arrest for the period of the meeting, disappeared, sentenced to long prison terms without cause, tortured, or, as regards Uyghurs, put in concentration camps,” she said.

Some individuals had died in detention, and “in at least one case, the Chinese government issued an Interpol red notice against an NGO delegate,” she said.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Reilly said that WHO and UN Environment Programme reports on the origins of COVID-19 “were edited to reduce references to the possibility of a laboratory leak.”

She also included in her “written evidence” a British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office report that said that China is working to “shape the multilateral system to align more with a state-centric, authoritarian world view.”

Tuesday’s inquiry aimed to follow up on a 2021 report by the committee, which concluded that autocratic states were attempting to aggressively co-opt strategically important multilateral organizations and to fundamentally redefine their founding principles.

In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked Reilly for speaking out.

“Thank you, @EmmaReillyTweet, for speaking out on how the #PRC corrupts the @UN& the rules-based order. #Taiwan is a known victim of #China’s wrongdoing, but in reality the whole world suffers. We need this brought up in the #G7, #EU & other bodies to counter this evil empire,” it wrote on X.

[thenuclearmallard]

Forced mobilization in Russia among indigenous peoples for the war in Ukraine. Open letter for UN

To whom:

UN Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres

UN Human Rights High Commissioner, Mr. Volker Türk

UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia

UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, Mr. Francisco Calí Tzay

Members of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Members of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Copy:

Council of Europe Secretary General Ms. Marija Pejčinović Burić

President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Mr. Tiny Kox

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Dunja Mijatović

European Commission against Racism and Intolerance Chair Ms. Marouda Maria Daniella

Secretariat of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

Since September 21, 2022, in Russia there has been taking place a massive mobilization among the civilian population for the war against Ukraine. We, the representatives of indigenous peoples, speak against this inhuman war unleashed by the Putin regime, and we call on UN bodies, international organizations and states to take all measures to help stop the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the mass mobilization carried out among the Russian population.

During the mobilization, the Russian authorities are committing massive human rights violations, undermining the right to freedom of movement, the right to freedom of expression, and others. In many cases, mobilization in Russia is carried out by violent methods, against the will of the persons enrolled for military service. The indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation also got drafted.

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. The right to life is an inalienable right of every human being. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of life.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, one of whose goals is to overcome historical injustices that have resulted in indigenous peoples becoming victims of colonization, losing their lands, territories and resources, establishes additional guarantees for the protection of the rights of these peoples.

The Declaration states that persons belonging to indigenous peoples have the right to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person, that indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and must not be subjected to any acts of violence. It also points out that states should consult in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned, through their representative institutions, in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent, before taking and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.

However, the ongoing mobilization activities among indigenous peoples in Russia massively violate their individual and collective rights.

Numerous evidence and analysis confirm that mobilization in Russia is most active in rural areas and in poor regions of the country. This is happening because the authorities are afraid of the growth of protest moods in major cities, and the development of corruption in Russia makes it possible for wealthier citizens to pay a bribe that allows them to evade the draft.

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of the indigenous peoples of Russia live in rural areas. Indigenous peoples continue to be one of the most socially vulnerable groups in the population. With the exception of some oil and gas producing regions, indigenous peoples, in general, live in the most economically disadvantaged areas of the countries.

Small communities of indigenous peoples are generally located in remote areas, with undeveloped infrastructure, communications and a low level of education. In these areas, indigenous peoples face considerable difficulties in accessing alternative information, being subject to informational influence by state authorities.

In recent years, Russian authorities have been particularly aggressive in their harassment of human rights organizations, including indigenous human rights organizations that have previously helped indigenous communities defend their rights.

As a result, this led to a disproportionately high rate of conscripts among Russia’s indigenous peoples. While the Russian authorities claim that no more than 1% of the number of those liable for military service in the country will be called up for military service, in some villages of the Russian Arctic, Siberia and the Far East, where indigenous peoples live, more than 20% of the male working-age population was mobilized.

In particular, there were reports that 181 people were mobilized from the village of Bogorodsk in the Komi Republic, out of a total population of about 700 people, which is 26% of the population of the village. In the village of Olenek in the Olenek national district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), 50 people were to be mobilized, that is 39% of masculine population of the village aged 18 to 35 years. Due to the lack of stationary medical facilities in hard-to-reach northern settlements, cases of mobilization of people with chronic diseases without a medical examination have become more frequent. Fathers with many children are also mobilized, which puts their families living in harsh climatic conditions on the brink of survival.

There are known cases of mobilization of representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North engaged in reindeer herding and horse breeding. Such cases were recorded in the settlements of Andryushkino, Kolymskoye, Sangar, Verkhoyansk and Topolinoye in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which are places of compact residence of Evens, Yukaghirs, Chukchis, and Sakha. Mobilization took place in all regions of the republic, where Sakha and other northern Indigenous people live.

The male population among indigenous peoples is quite often the main guardian of the traditional way of life. In many northern regions, traditional activities such as reindeer herding, fishing and hunting are under threat of extinction, so the recruitment of young men can cause irreparable damage to the traditional way of life, economy and culture of the indigenous population. In some settlements where a mixed population lives, more than half of those mobilized are representatives of indigenous peoples.

There are already numerous testimonies of the deaths of representatives of indigenous peoples involved in the war with Ukraine. The police, the Russian Guard and the Russian intelligence agencies are persecuting indigenous activists and indigenous human rights activists who speak out against the war with Ukraine and mobilization. Aggressive state propaganda does not provide an opportunity to convey an alternative point of view to remote communities, which cannot but resemble a difficult colonial past, through which the indigenous peoples had to go.

In addition, despite the numerous recommendations of UN bodies to the Russian Federation, there are no statistics in the country that would take into account the data, how many representatives of indigenous peoples were mobilized for the war.

On October 31, President Putin announced the end of mobilization in Russia. However, no official document on the end of the mobilization was issued, and numerous testimonies show that Russian authorities continue to draft soldiers secretly, including among Russian prison inmates, students, and other population categories.

Considering that many indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic, Siberia and the Far East are extremely small in number, and some of these peoples number only a few hundred people, mobilization carried out without any prior consultation threatens the very physical existence of the indigenous peoples of Russia, violates their rights enshrined in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In connection with the above, we ask you:

1. To help end the war unleashed by President Putin against Ukraine, withdraw the Russian army from Ukrainian territory and restore Ukraine’s state borders in accordance with the 1991 international agreements.

2. To pay close attention to the problems of violation of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Russia, occurring in the course of mass mobilization.

3. To address the Russian Federation with a demand to stop mass violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in the context of ongoing mobilization.

4. To address the leadership of Russia with a demand to stop mobilization for the war with Ukraine among the indigenous peoples of Russia

5. To contact the Russian Federation with a request to provide statistics on how many representatives of indigenous peoples were involved in the war, how many representatives of indigenous peoples died and how many people from among the indigenous peoples were injured.

6. To create a separate commission to study the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on indigenous peoples.

7. To prepare a separate report on the impact of the war on the indigenous peoples of Ukraine and Russia.

Signatures

[horsesarecreatures]

Feeling very tired this week. I was lucky enough to be able to attend as an observer the resumed 5th Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction at the UN Headquarters in NY this week and last week, minus yesterday because of the snow, with a professor who is a member of the IUCN (NGOs are allowed to attend). The proposed BBNJ Treaty primarily deals with 4 things: marine genetic resources (MGRS), area-based management tools (ABMTs) including marine protected areas (MPAs), environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and capacity building and the transfer of marine technology (CB&TT). These are things that have been largely neglected by UNCLOS, and with climate change, proposed deep seabed mining, and decreasing marine stocks globally it is essential that they be added to it. 

Attempts to do so have been ongoing for years. The first working group was established in 2004, and the first ICG meeting was in 2018. The fourth ICG meeting in 2022, which was delayed due to the pandemic, was when delegations submitted textual proposals contributing to the draft text. The fifth meeting was the closest the parties ever came to reaching a consensus, and it resumed this month. I went into it very optimistic, but then basically nothing got done the first week because no one could come to agreement about any of the remaining issues.

But then this week, a lot of people were galvanized by the time running out, and rapid progress was made. However, the member states are still really gridlocking on Marine genetic Resources - particularly, intellectual property rights and tracking collection and utilization. And right now my gut feeling is that if significant leeway on those issues is not reached by tomorrow, there will not be a final draft of the BBNJ for Friday when meeting concludes.

Since I'm just an observer, I’ve only been attending informal informals or “pre-meetings” where the member states make proposals (NGOS can’t make suggestions while there, but they can take notes and draft proposals to submit to the secretariat later). And some of the issues the members will debate for hours are so frustrating. For example, this week hours were spent discussing whether the word “indigenous” should be capitalized in the treaty, with no conclusion. Meanwhile the members of indigenous groups who attended did not care; their main priority was ensuring that they’re in the treaty managing MPAs, having their traditional knowledge included as ABMTS, and not having their access to MGRS cut off. And of course those concerns all got put to the side while capitalization was debated. Which I'm sure was the intent of the member states that kept it going. 

[rabbitcruiser]

World Wildlife Day

The World is full of amazing creatures from every possible medium. From the birds of the air to the majestic whales of the sea, wildlife abounds in the most unusual and unexpected places. Wildlife benefits us in many ways and has since timed out of mind. World Wildlife Day is a day to remind us of our responsibilities to our world and the lifeforms we share it with.

Even though we might like to think so sometimes, humans aren’t the only living things on Earth. In fact, we’re far outnumbered by other living things, from animals and plants to fungi and bacteria. Wildlife isn’t just something that we passively observe; it’s part of our world, and something we need to care for. World Wildlife Day is your chance to celebrate all wildlife, from the smallest insect to blue whales. No matter what you love about wildlife, you can spend the day taking action to help protect it.

This day is all about raising awareness of wild flora and fauna across the world. Whether you love animals, you’re passionate about plants, or you’re concerned about climate change, it’s the day that you can use to educate yourself or others. You can celebrate the incredible biodiversity across the world and perhaps get out there to explore the huge range of flora and fauna the world has to offer. Celebrating World Wildlife Day is a must for anyone who loves our planet.

History of World Wildlife Day

On March 3rd, 1973 the United Nations General Assembly took a stand to protect Endangered Species throughout the world. Whether plant or animal, the importance of these species in every area of human life, from culinary to medical, could not be understated. At this time hundreds of endangered species were being threatened every year, and extinction was at a staggeringly high rate. CITES was put into place (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) to ensure that the world did not continue to hemorrhage species that would never be seen from again.

On December 20th, 2013 another step was taken to help spread awareness of the fragility of endangered species in the world. At its 68th session, the UN declared that each year World Wildlife Day would be dedicated to a new purpose and idea to help keep people abreast of the changing nature of our world, and the treasures we stand to lose from the animal and plant kingdom if we don’t take care.

Sometimes the day highlights an endangered animal or group of animals, while in other years, it has focused on a specific issue affecting the world of wildlife. Previous themes have included getting serious about wildlife crime and listening to young voices. World Wildlife Day is implemented by the CITES Secretariat, working together with relevant UN organizations. The day might not have been around for long compared to some others, but it’s already made a big impact. If you are passionate about the Earth and everything on it, celebrating is a must.

World Wildlife Day Timeline

1900 First wildlife conservation act is passed in the US

The Lacey Game and Wild Birds Preservation and Disposition Act is passed by Congress, which is the first legislation of its kind in the United States.

1948 International Union for Conservation of Nature begins

This is the first effort toward conservation that is supported by governments and societal organizations globally and its purpose is to encourage cooperation and the sharing of resources regarding conservation.

1961 World Wildlife Federation is established

A group of individuals who are passionate about protecting endangered species and places bands together to secure funding to this end.

1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Negotiated in Washington DC, CITES is an international agreement between governments to protect the survival of various wild species by ensuring that trade does not threaten them. The signing takes place on March 3.

2013 First World Wildlife Day is celebrated

At its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declares March 3 as the day to raise awareness and and celebrate the wild animals all over the world.

How to Celebrate World Wildlife Day

You can celebrate World Wildlife Day on your own or with others, whether you just want to spend some time contemplating the majesty of nature or you want to spread the word about just how amazing the world’s wildlife is and how we can protect it.

The first thing that always comes to mind when we think about World Wildlife Day is heading out to our local zoo or botanical conservatory and reminding ourselves of the vast variety of life our world offers. If you have children, this can be one of the best ways to really introduce them to the wonders of the animal and plant kingdom. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, an outdoor excursion with a book of local flora and fauna (That’s plants and animals) can help make that connection come even closer to home.

You could also spend the day spreading the word about the importance of our wildlife. If you love our planet, what better way to celebrate everything on it than to encourage other people to care about it too? You might create an event, get people to sponsor you or create some education materials. Choose a cause that matters to you, whether it is a local one or an international wildlife issue that you want to highlight.

Another way you can get involved is finding out what this year’s theme is by stopping by www.wildlifeday.org and finding ways to get involved. The website has a map of events that you can search to discover things to do near you, or you could add your own event to encourage others to get involved too. You can find a range of useful materials on the site too, including posters, logos, a social media kit, and a special action card that you can use to take photos. You can find suggestions for World Wildlife Day hashtags to use on social media or any materials that you create for your event too. Some of their suggestions for getting involved include running a competition, engaging with influencers, celebrities and politicians, and showing your appreciation for those who help to conserve wildlife every day.

There are few things as important as making sure that the world’s biosphere remains healthy, every time we lose a plant or animal, we have no way of knowing if a cure for a disease or some new medical breakthrough was lost with them. World Wildlife Day is your opportunity to do your part in preserving our world.

Source

[mariacallous]

The Greek Coast Guard on Wednesday stated that at least 78 migrants have been found dead after a fishing boat was wrecked off Pylos, Peloponnese. So far, 104 migrants have been rescued.

A rescue operation took place in the early hours of the morning in international waters 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos.

Italian authorities informed the Greek authorities about the boat, which was carrying a large number of migrants. The Greek media reported that about 400 people were on board. Other reports have put the number as high as 750.

The boat had been deported from Libya, bound for Italy. The migrants were not wearing life jackets.

The survivors have been taken to the port of Kalamata, in the Peloponnese, where a reception centre with first aid has been organized in collaboration with the General Secretariat of Civil Protection.

The fishing vessel was spotted on Tuesday by a EU border protection agency FRONTEX aerial vehicle and by two ships. A Greek boat sailed to the spot, while a helicopter took off at the same time.

In successive telephone calls to the fishing vessel, offering assistance, they received a negative response, stating the vessel’s desire to continue the voyage to Italy.

The boat later capsized and sank. Two patrol boats, a coast guard’s lifeboats, a frigate of the navy, seven ships sailing alongside, a helicopter of the navy, and an unnamed aerial vehicle are operating at the site of the investigations.

Six such shipwrecks with migrant victims have occurred in the first six months or so of 2023.

More than 70,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe’s frontline countries this year, with the majority landing in Italy, according to UN data, the BBC reported Wednesday.

The European Court of Human Rights condemned Greece in July 2022 for violating the European Convention of Human Rights over the sinking of a migrant boat in 2014 in which 11 asylum seekers, among them eight children, lost their lives.

CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour asked Greek ex-PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis if he will order a full and independent investigation into a New York Times video allegedly showing Greek authorities illegally setting adrift some migrants in the Aegean. “I have already done so, Christiane. I take this incident very seriously. It is already being investigated by my government,” said Mitsotakis.

On 5 June, MEPs in the LIBE committee debated the situation in Greece with home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson.

The European Union submitted an official request to Greece for an independent investigation into the pushbacks of refugees-immigrants after The New York Times video document.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil Is Very Behind in Climate Change Adaptation Measures, Experts Say

According to experts, preventive measures against extreme events are few, while the impact can already be felt in the country

The tragedy that hit the northern coast of São Paulo after an unprecedented volume of rainfall has raised discussions about the absence of preventive measures against extreme climate events. These phenomena are already more frequent and intense, according to the UN climate intergovernmental panel (IPCC), and show a lack of preparation for dealing with the climate crisis.

Experts heard by Folha have pointed out that Brazil is very behind in this area, that the national plan designed to deal with the issue has never been put into practice and that very few cities have local policies to minimize the impact of extreme climate events. "We are very behind, really very behind," says Ana Toni, who will occupy the head of the National Secretariat for Climate Change of the MMA (Ministry of Environment and Climate Change).

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