North Korea ‘will pay’ over tests

North Korea will “pay a price” for the nuclear and missile tests it has carried out in recent days, the US ambassador to the UN has said.

Susan Rice said international pressure on North Korea would increase, until it realized the tests had left it “further isolated and further debilitated”. Read more

Beware of a stampede to war

The UN may send more troops to Congo. Would they do any good?

WHEN elephants fight, goes a Swahili saying, it’s the grass that suffers. And so it is in eastern Congo, where civilians are being trampled in a terrible way in fighting involving Congolese troops, followers of the rebel leader, Laurent Nkunda, and an assortment of nasty militias. Some 250,000 people have been displaced. Reports of massacres, rape, cholera and hunger are multiplying. [ read more ]

From The Economist online | 13 November 2008

West African Floods Spark Warning

United Nations relief officials warned today that heavy rains across West Africa have brought renewed flooding to the region, threatening the homes and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people and jeopardizing the already fragile food security situation.

More than 50,000 people in seven West African countries have been affected by floods so far, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Read more

UN Agency Welcomes New Law On Combating Terrorism

A new anti-terrorism law in Afghanistan has been welcomed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which says the legislation brings the country in line with international conventions.

“The enactment of the new law is a major step towards bringing to justice those who have committed, attempted to commit, or plan to commit terrorist acts. It is an important part of an effective and comprehensive anti-terrorism strategy,” Christina Gynna Oguz, UNODC Representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

The new Combat against Terrorism Offences legislation ensures the human rights of suspects and accused, according to UNODC. It requires that all protections in the country’s Constitution and criminal procedure laws apply in terrorism cases.

“This law now brings Afghanistan’s penal legislation in accordance with the 13 international conventions on terrorism,” Ms. Oguz said, while she also urged the drafting of regulations to safeguard privacy rights by
controlling law enforcement monitoring of communications, after court approval.

UNODC has worked closely with the legislation department of the Afghan Ministry of Justice and has provided technical advice by leading weekly meetings, training workshops and drafting sessions.

The UN agency says that Afghanistan faces serious terrorism problems threatening its stability, prosperity and good governance, as well as the human rights of its citizens.

In a related development, UNODC held a training workshop this week for Afghanistan’s Central Prison Department on new regulations for prisons in the country.

“The obligation to treat persons deprived of their liberty with dignity and humanity is a fundamental and universally applicable rule – and not dependent on the material resources available,” Ms. Oguz said.

The new regulations are designed to enhance the protection of prisoners and detainees across the country and to support proper management of prisons. Further trainings are planned for all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

UN Nuclear Watchdog Approves India Safeguards Agreement

The United Nations atomic watchdog today approved an agreement to extend nuclear safeguards over India’s civilian nuclear reactors.

The 22-page framework calls on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify that certain declared Indian nuclear material and facilities are used only for peaceful purposes.

In his address to the Board of Governors, the Director General of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei said the agency would begin to implement the new safeguards agreement in 2009, with the aim of bringing a total of 14 Indian reactors under agency safeguards by 2014. The IAEA currently applies safeguards to six Indian nuclear reactors under existing agreements.

“The ‘umbrella’ nature of this agreement provides a more efficient mechanism for ensuring that safeguards requirements can be met. It satisfies India’s needs while maintaining all the agency’s legal
requirements,” Dr. ElBaradei

The text of the safeguards agreement was finalized after several rounds of consultations between India and the IAEA which began in November 2007.

Last year Dr. ElBaradei welcomed an announcement that India – which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – and the United States had reached a deal on nuclear cooperation.

Brown backs India UN council bid

Europe – Asked about India’s bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Mr. Brown said: “India is the biggest democracy in the world, it is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and making a huge contribution to the economic prosperity of the whole world.

“I believe that India should assume its rightful place in the deliberations of the world including membership of the UN Security Council.” [to read more]

by BBC NEWS| Published: 21/01/2008

Secretary-General Shocked by deadly violence in Post-Election KENYA

International News | UN – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his shock at the deadly outburst of violence that has gripped Kenya following the announcement of election results last week and has reportedly claimed the lives of 300 civilians, including dozens who were burned to death inside a church.

A statement issued by his spokesperson said Mr. Ban is “increasingly troubled” by the escalating tensions and violence in the aftermath of last week’s polls.

“He is shocked by reports that dozens of civilians were burned to death in a church in Eldoret, and that 300 people have now been reported killed in this deplorable outburst of violence,” it added.

Strongly urging the authorities to do all they can to prevent any further violence, Mr. Ban “reminds the Government, as well as the political and religious leaders of Kenya of their legal and moral responsibility to protect the lives of innocent people, regardless of their racial, religious or ethnic origin.”

The Secretary-General is in touch with the leadership in Kenya, the African Union and other concerned parties on how to address the current crisis.

Drawing attention to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the East African nation, Mr. Ban called for safe access for relief workers assisting those affected by the violence, including the large number of displaced people.

Humanitarian access has become a major problem, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which reported that the Nairobi-Nakuru road is currently being blocked by vigilante groups.

In addition, the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) reports that transport corridors from the Port of Mombasa through Kenya have been restricted, disrupting supply chains to humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in areas such as Southern Sudan, Uganda and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Nairobi office has also highlighted disturbing reports of sexual abuse and assault against women and children. It is concerned that slum populations in cities are critically short of food and other essential items.

For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it is ready to help up to 85,000 people with shelter and basic supplies, and has already pre-positioned 13,000 family kits – which contain blankets, tarpaulins, cooking sets, soap and jerry cans – with a further 2,000 kits in the pipeline.

At the same time, the UN refugee agency has sent a team to the Kenya-Uganda border, following reports that 600 Kenyans have arrived there.

The UN system in Kenya has appealed to the Kenyan Government and security forces to establish safe corridors for public transport, ensure that ongoing humanitarian operations are not disrupted and initiate a national reconciliation process at the earliest possible opportunity, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

Meanwhile, the UN’s Disaster Management Team in the country is meeting today with the Kenyan Red Cross to assess humanitarian needs and determine how it can best help alleviate the current crisis.