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July 24, 2004
Posted 1:36 PM
by Mary
UN Wire: An Independent News Briefing About the UN: "Zimbabwe To Ban International Rights Groups Under New Bill
Friday, July 23, 2004
The government of Zimbabwe plans to ban international human rights groups from the country and cut foreign funding to local organizations that promote human rights, according to a draft bill obtained by Agence France-Presse.
The bill would establish a council with members appointed by Zimbabwe's social welfare minister to regulate the activities of foreign and local aid groups.
'No foreign nongovernmental organization shall be registered if its sole or principal objects involve or include issues of governance,' the draft says, defining 'issues of governance' as 'the promotion and protection of human rights and political governance issues.'
Under the bill, local NGOs promoting human rights and political work will be prohibited from receiving money from abroad.
Zimbabwe has long accused aid organizations of interfering in its internal affairs and has made repeated threats to restrict their activities. President Robert Mugabe has even labeled some NGOs 'Trojan horses' that receive money from abroad 'to be used against us' (AFP/Yahoo! News, July 23)."
July 21, 2004
Posted 10:59 PM
by Mary
Chinadaily.com
"Israel shows contempt for international opinion
Wu Yixue
2004-07-22 06:18
A resolution, a breach, then a new resolution.
That seems to be the unbreakable cycle in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
In this seemingly endless process, helpless Palestinians have never given up hope on United Nations resolutions to end their suffering, though the resolutions have rarely improved their situation.
As the stronger side, Israel has gained a reputation in the international community for not putting much stock in UN resolutions.
Tuesday was another inspiring date for most Palestinians. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding Israel comply with a world court ruling to tear down the West Bank 'security barrier' being built deep into Palestinian territory.
Palestinians have reason to cheer because the 150-6 vote in the 191-member world body shows that international sympathy is overwhelming on their side.
Just as Palestinian UN observer Nasser Al-Kidwa said, the resolution could be the most important one since 1947, when the General Assembly passed Resolution 181 for the creation of independent Jewish and Arab states in the British-ruled Palestinian territory.
The latest resolution was the world body's order for Israel to 'cease and desist' building the barrier, which Israel claims is aimed at protecting Israelis from suicide bombings by Palestinian militants.
But construction of the barrier has caused extreme hardships and inconvenience to the normal lives of Palestinians.
On July 9 the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top UN legal body, ruled the barrier was illegal. It demanded Israel dismantle the barrier and pay reparations to Palestinians harmed by its construction.
However, the UN resolution, like the ICJ ruling, could not effectively st"
July 20, 2004
Posted 10:38 PM
by Mary
UN Demands Israel Scrap Barrier BBC News
Tuesday 20 July 2004
The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding that Israel comply with a world court ruling to dismantle its West Bank barrier.
The vote was passed with 150 in favour, 6 opposed and 10 abstentions.
All EU countries voted in support after agreeing changes to the text with Arab states, but the US opposed it.
The resolution, which is non-binding, was drafted after the International Court of Justice ruled the barrier illegally cut into Palestinian land.
'Perversion of justice' The 191-nation General Assembly has no power to force countries to act on its recommendations, but the issue could then go to the Security Council which theoretically has the power to impose economic sanctions.
However, the US has spoken out against the ICJ's advisory ruling and the new resolution, and wields a veto in the Security Council.
BBC UN correspondent Susannah Price says the resolution is an attempt to put moral pressure on Israel.
Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman described it as a " target=_blank
"It is simply outrageous to respond with such vigour to a measure that saves lives and responds with such casual indifference and apathy to the ongoing campaign of Palestinian terrorism that takes lives," he said.
But Palestinian representative Nasser al-Kidwa said it was time for Israel to comply - and for "additional measures" at a later stage, if it does not.
The Palestinian Authority has said it will delay pushing for a Security Council resolution until after the US presidential elections in November.
Israel has insisted it needs the barrier to stop Palestinian suicide bombers.
Opponents say the barrier, which juts into the West Bank, is a ploy to seize land and complicates moves to create a Palestinian state.
Israel says it will comply with an Israeli Supreme Court ruling ordering the 640 km (400 mile) barrier to be re-routed around Jerusalem, but has vowed to continue to press on with construction.
US Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham said that the resolution was unbalanced.
"The United States remains convinced that the focus must remain on President Bush's vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side," he said.
Israel, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau also opposed the resolution.
In a statement, the European Union underlined that Israel had the right to self-defence and that it was troubled by some sections of the world court ruling, which is also non-binding.
Truthout.org
July 17, 2004
Posted 5:24 PM
by Mary
UNFPA: News: "UNFPA Regrets U. S. Administration's Decision Not to Restore Funding
16 July 2004
UNITED NATIONS, New York - The U.S. administration?s decision not to release $34 million appropriated by Congress for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is regrettable, UNFPA said today. The money is urgently needed to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS, prevent maternal deaths, provide family planning and reduce recourse to abortion.
The administration?s stated reason for continuing to withhold funding for a third year, an assertion that UNFPA supports coerced abortions in China, is baseless, the Fund added.
?The United States? contribution could have saved thousands of lives,? said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA?s Executive Director,
With over 1 billion adolescents entering their reproductive years and demand for reproductive health services increasing all over the world, each dollar makes a difference. UNFPA estimates that the withheld $34 million could have helped prevent as many as 2 million unwanted pregnancies and nearly 800,000 abortions; 4,700 maternal deaths and over 77,000 infant and child deaths in many countries. The funds could also have been used to scale up promising maternal health and HIV-prevention efforts.
?Historically, the United States has been a world leader in promoting reproductive health and family planning and we hope it will take up that role again,? said Ms. Obaid. ?Promoting global health and alleviating poverty are urgent tasks that require strong partnerships and international cooperation.?
UNFPA works in nearly 140 countries to increase access to reproductive health services, including family planning, to promote safe motherhood, and to prevent unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, including among adolescents.
In withholding the"
Posted 3:39 PM
by Mary
UNGA to discuss Arab draft resolution calling on Israel to remove separation wall: "UNGA to discuss Arab draft resolution calling on Israel to remove separation wall
Palestine-UN, Politics, 7/17/2004
UN General Assembly yesterday held an open extraordinary session for discussing an Arab draft resolution calling on Israel to commit itself to the latest ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on illegitimacy of the separation wall which is set up by Israel in the West Bank and called for its removal.
As Arab delegates to the United Nations intensified meetings with the EU states representatives in the context of efforts for garnering support for the Arab draft resolution, United Nations diplomats expected that the draft resolution which is not expected to be voted on before Monday, will get approval by the majority of the General Assembly members even without counting EU votes.
However, Arab countries want to minimize the number of abstensions and opposers to the minimum so that they may be capable of getting support for imposing sanctions on Israel later.
European diplomats had criticized the draft resolution saying it did not refer to Israel's security needs or the mediation by the Quartet. The Arab draft resolution reiterates inadmissibility of acquiring land by force or threats. The draft calls on Israel to respect its legal obligations under the ICJ ruling."
Posted 3:36 PM
by Mary
Boston.com / News / Nation / Washington / US again denies money to population fund: "US again denies money to population fund
Chinese practices on abortion cited
By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | July 17, 2004
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration announced yesterday that it is withholding the United States' contribution to the UN Population Fund for the third straight year, once again accusing the family-planning organization of supporting coercive abortion in China.
The decision to withhold $34 million -- about 10 percent of the fund's total budget -- from the world's largest international source of funding for family planning came on the last day of the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, where US officials emphasized abstinence as an important way to combat AIDS.
In Washington, family-planning activists and some members of Congress said the decision was a political move to curry favor with conservative voters who want to restrict family-planning practices worldwide. Some cited a 2002 investigation by a State Department team and a 2003 State Department human rights report, which both said that the fund was working to combat coercive family-planning practices in China.
''Our own State Department gave the UNFPA a clean bill of health,' US Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, a New York Democrat, told reporters. ''Once again, President Bush right before an election is appealing to a conservative base. They are putting millions of women and children at risk with this decision.'
But the Bush administration said the fund's cooperation with Chinese government programs amounted to support of the country's coercive practices, which it said include forced sterilization and abortion."
July 16, 2004
Posted 9:55 PM
by Mary
t r u t h o u t - Bush Administration Stonewalling U.N. Auditors on Iraq No-Bid Contracts: "Go to Original
U.S. Won't Turn Over Data for Iraq Audits
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post
Friday 16 July 2004
United Nations - The Bush administration is withholding information from U.N.-sanctioned auditors examining more than $1 billion in contracts awarded to Halliburton Co. and other companies in Iraq without competitive bidding, the head of the international auditing board said Thursday.
Jean-Pierre Halbwachs, the U.N. representative to the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB), said that the United States has repeatedly rebuffed his requests since March to turn over internal audits, including one that covered three contracts valued at $1.4 billion that were awarded to Halliburton, a Texas-based oil services firm. It has also failed to produced a list of other companies that have obtained contracts without having to compete.
The Security Council established the IAMB, which includes representatives from the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in May 2003 to ensure that Iraq's oil revenue would be managed responsibly during the U.S. occupation. The council extended its mandate in July so it could continue to monitor the use of Iraq's oil revenue after the United States transferred political authority to the Iraqis in June.
The dispute comes as the board released an initial audit by the accounting firm KPMG on Thursday that sharply criticized the U.S.-led coalition's management of billions of dollars in Iraqi oil revenue. The audit also raised concerns about lax financial controls in some Iraqi ministries, citing poor bookkeeping and duplicate payments of salaries to government employees.
The Pentagon did not specifically answer questions about withholding in"
July 14, 2004
Posted 9:38 PM
by Mary
UN Wire: An Independent News Briefing About the UN: "Red Cross Suspects U.S. Is Hiding Detainees Worldwide
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
The International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday it suspects the United States is secretly holding detainees in prisons around the world, since alleged terrorists mentioned by the FBI have not turned up in known detention centers and Washington has failed to provide a complete list of the people it is holding.
'These people are, as far as we can tell, detained in locations that are undisclosed not only to us but also to the rest of the world,' said ICRC spokeswoman Antonella Notari.
Some individuals whose arrests have been reported in the media and whom the FBI announced it has arrested have not been seen in ICRC prison visits, Notari said. Some media reports have said detainees are being held at the British-controlled Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, where the United States has a military base, but the ICRC has not been notified of prisoners there, she said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday he is looking into the allegation. 'We do work closely with the Red Cross on all detainee issues,' he said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, 'The International Committee of the Red Cross has access to all Defense Department detention operations.'
Notari said that 'for humanitarian reasons' the ICRC should be told about all detainees, but that the organization '[hasn't] had a satisfactory reply' to a request made by ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger in January that the United States notify the humanitarian organization of everyone it is holding (Naomi Koppel, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, July 13).
Last month, Human Rights First said it believed the United States was secretly holding detainees at v"
July 13, 2004
Posted 7:39 AM
by Mary
CBC News:AIDS leaving 'tidal wave' of orphans: UN: "AIDS leaving 'tidal wave' of orphans: UN
Last Updated Tue, 13 Jul 2004 7:29:02
BANGKOK - Within six years, sub-Saharan Africa will be home to 18.4 million children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.
INDEPTH: Aids
The report, co-written by the children's agency UNICEF and the U.S. Agency for International Development and released at the Bangkok AIDS conference, warns that the situation will create a 'tidal wave' of death affecting children worldwide unless urgent measures are taken to treat adults with the disease.
Currently, 12.3 million children in the region most affected by the pandemic have lost one or both parents, says the report, called Children on the Brink 2004.
In sub-Saharan Africa alone, more than 25 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS, and more than 8,000 people die each day.
Health officials attending the conference were also told on Tuesday that the World Health Organization's plan to supply anti-retroviral drugs to three million people living with HIV and AIDS in the developing world by 2005 is far behind schedule.
WHO launched the plan, dubbed 'Three by Five,' in December 2003.
However, the United Nations agency failed to meet its July 2004 target of supplying the life-extending medicines to 500,000 people. It blamed a lack of money for the first part of the year.
Canada stepped in to pledge $100 million to the plan, which will cost $7.25 billion to carry out. "
July 11, 2004
Posted 12:07 PM
by Mary
Yahoo! News - US women with AIDS show sharp increase amid mixed messages over sex: UN: "US women with AIDS show sharp increase amid mixed messages over sex: UN
Fri Jul 9, 4:38 AM ETAdd U.S. National - AFP to My Yahoo!
BANGKOK, (AFP) - The burden of HIV (news - web sites) is shifting to the female population in the United States at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world amid a bombardment of cultural messages that 'sex is cool', the UN has warned.
AFP/Getty Images/File Photo
Changing sexual behaviour and pressure on women to have sex without condoms has contributed to the proportion of women among Americans with HIV and AIDS (news - web sites) rising from 20 to 25 percent, the United Nations (news - web sites) Development Fund for Women said.
UNIFEM said the trend was a reflection of the 'feminisation' of AIDS around the globe, with women comprising 48 percent of the estimated 35.7 million adults living with HIV and AIDS and the proportion is rising.
However, the greatest crisis remains in sub-Saharan Africa where nearly 60 percent of people living with the virus are women.
Stephanie Urdang, an adviser for UNIFEM, said the epidemic was thought to be under control in the US where antiretroviral drugs were widely available but the number of women with HIV/AIDS leapt from 180,000 in 2001 to 240,000 two years later.
'A one third rise is very dramatic,' she told AFP ahead "
July 10, 2004
Posted 10:04 PM
by Mary
Reuters AlertNet - US House panel stops UN family planning funds again: "US House panel stops UN family planning funds again
09 Jul 2004 23:42:17 GMT
By Anna Willard
WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives panel backed a $19.4 billion foreign aid bill on Friday but defeated a Democratic bid to win funding for a U.N. family planning agency opposed by anti-abortion groups.
The House Appropriations Committee approved the foreign operations bill by voice vote but voted 26-32 against sending $25 million to the United Nations Population Fund.
The family planning money is provided in the bill but President George W. Bush has halted it each year since taking office, arguing that by working in China, the fund sustains Beijing's policy of forced abortion to maintain its goal of one child per family.
'This funding will help build maternity wards in Iraq, reduce the rate of maternal mortality in Afghanistan, and prevent HIV/AIDS in Kenya,' said New York Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey, who authored the defeated amendment.
The measure would have allowed the money to go to six countries -- but not China -- even if Bush blocked its release. Lawmakers opposed to the amendment argued there was no way to track where the money went after arriving in U.N. coffers, so some could still end up in China.
The bill provides $2.2 billion to fight AIDS, which critics called inadequate compared to larger sums for Iraq and military spending for the war on terror.
It also sets aside $2.2 billion for military assistance for Israel, $300 million for Pakistan and $66 million for Poland.
The panel dealt a blow to Bush's plan to reward countries for economic and political reforms, halving the $2.5 billion he sought. Republican lawmakers say a spending squeeze this year has meant that the bill did not include enoug"
July 5, 2004
Posted 11:55 AM
by Mary
UN Wire: An Independent News Briefing About the UN: "U.S. Seeking To Isolate UNFPA, Critics Warn
Monday, June 21, 2004
After withdrawing support from the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) two years ago, the United States is now seeking to isolate the agency from other U.N. bodies and nongovernmental groups, according to the New York Times.
Diplomats and U.N. officials say the Bush administration, under pressure from anti-abortionists, has been warning other groups that their funding will be cut if they insist on working with the population agency. At an informal meeting of the UNICEF executive board and donors this month, the administration said it could no longer support joint programs with UNFPA because of worries that the money could not be kept separate.
In April the government pulled its share of funding from an international conference on health issues at which speakers from UNFPA and the International Planned Parenthood Federation were scheduled to appear. The administration is also hoping to persuade Latin American U.N. states to alter a declaration adopted in March on reproductive rights that could be interpreted as promoting abortion.
The Bush administration's efforts are part of an attempt to ensure that international agencies and private groups do not promote abortions abroad. After coming into office, the Bush administration renewed a policy referred to by critics as the 'global gag rule' that denies money to groups that discuss abortion as an option, except in life-threatening cases or those involving rape or incest."
Posted 10:49 AM
by Mary
Iraq
Iraqi official in charge of investigation into alleged U.N. oil for food scandal killed
Associated Press, 03 July 2004
An Iraqi official killed this week in a car bombing was in charge of the Iraqi investigation into allegations that the ousted regime siphoned billions from the U.N. oil-for-food program, an official of an Iraqi political party said Saturday.
Ehsan Karim, head of the Finance Ministry's audit board, died Thursday of injuries suffered that day when a bomb exploded as he was heading for work. His driver and bodyguard were also killed.
As head of the ministry audit board, Karim was in charge of the Iraqi probe into the oil-for-food scandal, Entifadh Qanbar, spokesman of Iraqi National Congress, told The Associated Press.
"It's possible that he was killed because of the investigation, which is a serious issue," Qanbar said. However, Qanbar said it was too early to say whether he was targeted because of the investigation.
The leader of the INC, Ahmad Chalabi, was instrumental in drawing international attention to alleged corruption in the U.N. program, under which Iraq was permitted to sell limited amounts of oil to ease the burden on the public despite U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.
The audit board has been given responsibility in March for the Iraqi investigation by the former U.S. governor, L. Paul Bremer. Karim had taken charge of more than 20,000 files from Saddam's regime related to the oil-for-food
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"War does not determine who is right--only who is left." - Bertrand Russell
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