Tag: United Nations

Ambassador Haley on the United States Negotiating a Significant Reduction in the UN Budget

December 24, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today, the United Nations agreed on a budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. ‎Among a host of other successes, the United States negotiated a reduction of over $285 million off the 2016-2017 final budget. In addition to these significant cost savings, we reduced the UN’s bloated management and support functions, bolstered support for key U.S. priorities throughout the world, and instilled more discipline and accountability throughout the UN system.

“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known. We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked. This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN – is a big step in the right direction. While we are pleased with the results of this year’s budget negotiations, you can be sure we’ll continue to look at ways to increase the UN’s efficiency while protecting our interests,” said Ambassador Haley.

Cornel West & Alan Dershowitz Debate BDS Movement’s Call for Boycott Against Israel

On December 24, 2017, The Jerusalem Post reported:

The organizers of international pop star Lorde’s planned concert in Israel have announced that her performance scheduled for June has been canceled.

In an email, the organizers said the New Zealand born singer would explain the reason for her cancellation shortly on Twitter.

Last week it was reported that may be considering canceling hershow in Tel Aviv – just a few days after it was announced — because of requests by BDS activists.

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What is BDS?

According to https://bdsmovement.net/

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.

OVERVIEW

“Israel overtly uses culture as a form of propaganda to whitewash or justify its regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid over the Palestinian people. Just as South African anti-apartheid activists had called on international artists, writers and cultural institutions to culturally boycott South Africa, PACBI urges international cultural workers and cultural organizations, including unions and associations, to boycott and/or work towards the cancellation of events, activities, agreements, or projects involving Israel, its lobby groups or its cultural institutions. International venues and festivals are asked to reject funding and any form of sponsorship from the Israeli government. Thousands of artists across the world now refuse to perform in Israel, including a host of global superstars such as Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, Lauryn Hill and Chuck D.”

WHY?

The case for a cultural boycott of Israel

“Israeli government officials have summed up how Israel instrumentalizes culture to cover up its grave violations of international law. “We are seeing culture as a hasbara [propaganda] tool of the first rank,” one official admitted, “and I do not differentiate between hasbara and culture.” The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs provides funding to Israeli artists and writers with the condition that they as “service providers” should “promote the policy interests” of Israel. Many Israeli artists act as “cultural ambassadors” for the state. When international artists perform at Israeli cultural venues and institutions, they help to create the false impression that Israel is a “normal” country like any other. The absolute majority of Palestinian writers, artists and cultural centers have endorsed the cultural boycott of Israel, and there is a growing number of anti-colonial Israelis who support BDS, including the cultural boycott of Israel.”

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Cornel West and Alan Dershowitz participated in a debate concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically, whether the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) will help bring about an end to the conflict. The movement is a global campaign that aims to increase economic and political pressure on Israel over its activities against Palestinians. At the end of the debate, the audience is polled on approval or disapproval of the resolution. The full debate is available here:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?437547-1/cornel-west-alan-dershowitz-mideast-debate

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Palestinians Welcome Resounding Trump & Israel Failure at the UN

December 21, 2017

By

Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC)

Palestinian Civil Society Calls For Sanctions on Israel to Stop Far-Right Israeli-Trump Alliance That Undermines Palestinian Rights and International Law

Any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.  — UNGA, December 21, 2017

December 21, 2017 — Today, in an emergency session, the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations at the UN General Assembly voted 128-9 in favor of a resolution calling on the United States to overturn its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

This “collective act of defiance” took place despite threats from Trump’s ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, to “take names” of countries voting against the United States and Israel, and threats by Trump to cut US aid to those countries.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN accused the world body’s members of being “puppets” to the “Palestinian puppet masters”, following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s description of the UN as a “house of lies.”

The resounding failure by Israel and the US administration to thwart the pro-Palestinian vote at the UN General Assembly follows a similarly embarrassing UN Security Council vote on Monday which also rejected the US-Israeli position 14-1.

Omar Barghouti, speaking on behalf of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society, responded by saying:

This vote is further proof that the far-right Israeli-Trump alliance is more isolated than ever as the overwhelming majority of nations are finally recognizing its fatal attempt to undermine both Palestinian rights and the very rule of international law. Holding Israel accountable for its egregious, decades-old human rights violations is crucial to upholding both.

To defend the UN against this thuggery by Israel and the Trump administration, the BDS movement calls for meaningful sanctions, especially a military embargo and intensified boycott and divestment measures against Israel’s regime of oppression. BDS today is not only crucial for realizing Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. It is also critical to stopping Trump, Netanyahu and other leaders of the international far-right who are threatening world peace and global justice like never before.

All European states, with a few exceptions that abstained, voted in favor of the Palestinian position on occupied Jerusalem, and so did Japan, China, India, Nigeria, Brazil, Korea, Russia, and South Africa, among many others.

Favoring concrete sanctions to merely symbolic gestures of solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) at its general conference yesterday unanimously adopted downgrading diplomatic ties with Israel. “[It] sends a clear message to Israel that there is a price to pay for its human rights abuses and violations of international law,” the ANC said in a statement.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights. Visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BDSmovement.

Israel Publishes BDS Blacklist; BDS Explained

Nikki Haley: The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack

Weapons of Mass Destruction Charge in Australia: Man Brokering with North Korea

AFP investigation uncovers alleged breaches of UN Sanctions and Weapons of Mass Destruction Act in Australia

Op Byahaut arrest 2
Publish date:Sunday, 17 December 2017, Publish time:12:01pm

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has arrested a 59-year-old Sydney man for allegedly acting as an economic agent for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Government (North Korea) in Australia, in breach of both United Nations (UN) and Australian sanctions. Notably, the man has also been charged with brokering sales and discussing the supply of weapons of mass destruction.

This is the first time a person has been charged under the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (Cth) in Australia.

Operation BYAHAUT commenced earlier this year when a 59-year-old man from Eastwood, NSW, was identified as a person of interest to the AFP.

As a result of extensive investigations, the AFP alleges the man was acting as an economic agent of North Korea through his facilitation of various exports from North Korea.

The AFP believes the man was generating income for the North Korean Government, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth) and the Commonwealth Regulations relating to sanctions against North Korea.

Specifically, it will be alleged in court the man was involved in:

  • brokering the sale of missiles and missile componentry and expertise from North Korea to other international entities; and
  • attempting to transfer coal from North Korea to entities in Indonesia and Vietnam.

The AFP will allege the missile componentry identified could contribute to the delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction.

AFP officers conducted search warrants in Sydney yesterday, Saturday, 16 December 2017), and the man was subsequently arrested.

He has been charged with acts under the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth); the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (Cth) and the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth), and will appear before Parramatta Local Court today. The maximum penalty for these offences is 10 years’ imprisonment.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan, National Manager Organised Crime and Cyber, said investigators carefully and methodically investigated the actions of this individual over a period of months.

“This case is like nothing we have ever seen on Australian soil. This is the first time charges have been laid under the Commonwealth Weapons of Mass Destruction Act in Australia, and the first time we have laid charges specifically for alleged breaches of UN sanctions against North Korea,” Assistant Commissioner Gaughan said.

“The Australian public should be assured that police have acted to ensure no direct risk to our community. The AFP endeavours to support international efforts to maintain peace and security.”

“Any individual who attempts to fly in the face of sanctions cannot and will not go unnoticed in Australia.”

Investigations are continuing and further charges against the man have not been ruled out.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

Nationality:

  • The alleged offender is a naturalised Australian citizen, of Korean descent.

What are United Nations and Australian sanctions with respect to North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -DPRK)?

 

What are the specific charges against this man?

The AFP will allege that:

WMD Act offences (two charges)

  • The man provided services, being brokering services, that would or may assist a weapons of mass destruction program, and the provision of the services was not authorised by a permit or written notice, contrary to s 11 of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act 1995 (Cth) (Law Part Code: 91754).

UN Act offences (two charges)

  • The man  engaged in conduct that contravened a United Nations sanction enforcement law, namely the provision of brokering services for the sale of missiles and related expertise from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, contrary to s 27(1) of the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth) with reg 11(2) of the Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations 2008 (Cth) (Law Part Code: 88348).

Autonomous Sanctions Act offences (two charges)

  • The man engaged in conduct that contravened a sanction law, namely the provision to a person or entity of a brokering service for the sale of coal from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), that assisted with or was provided in relation to an extractive or related industry in the DPRK, contrary to s 16(1) of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth) with regulation 13(1) of the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 (Cth) (Law Part Code: 91757).

What actions have prompted these charges?

  • We will allege that the man provided services to a Weapons of Mass Destruction Program and discussed the sale of specialist services and ballistic missile technology, with a view to generating income for the North Korean regime.
  • We will further allege those discussions have included the establishment of a ballistic missile production facility, the supply of missile construction plans and the provision of North Korean technical specialists for training and development outside of North Korea.
  • We will also allege he discussed the possible sale of missile guidance systems in an effort to generate further income for North Korea.

 

N. Korea agrees to communicate regularly with U.N. at various levels

2017/12/09

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) — North Korea has agreed to communicate regularly with the United Nations at various levels, Pyongyang’s state media said Saturday, following a visit by a senior U.N. official.

North Korea said that the visit of Jeffrey Feltman, the undersecretary general for political affairs at the U.N., helped the communist nation and U.N. understand each other deeply, and the two sides agreed to have regular communications at various levels, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Feltman arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday for a four-day visit. He met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and visited U.N. project sites amid heightened tensions sparked by the North’s Nov. 29 test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile that it claims is capable of striking anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The KCNA reported that North Korea told U.N. officials that current situation on the Korean Peninsula is due to the United States’ threat and its wish to launch a nuclear attack against North Korea first.

The U.N. officials responded that they will help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula by following the U.N. Charter, which states the organization’s mission of maintaining international peace and security, the KCNA added.

According to the KCNA, Feltman recognized international sanctions against North Korea are having a negative influence on humanitarian aid there. He visited a children’s food factory and a hospital in Pyongyang on Thursday.

Feltman was expected to leave Pyongyang on a North Korean Air Koryo passenger jet to land in Beijing on Saturday.

Jeffrey Feltman (C), U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, holds talks with North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-guk in Pyongyang on Dec. 6, 2017, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)Jeffrey Feltman (C), U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, holds talks with North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-guk in Pyongyang on Dec. 6, 2017, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)

Senior U.N. official to visit North Korea: First time in six years

It would mark the first high-ranking visit by a U.N. official to North Korea since his predecessor Lynn Pascoe traveled to the North in February 2010 and former U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos went there in October 2011.

NEW YORK/SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — A senior United Nations official will visit North Korea this week for “wide-ranging” discussions, a spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions over the regime’s latest missile test.

Jeffrey Feltman, undersecretary general for political affairs, will travel to Pyongyang Tuesday to discuss “issues of mutual interest and concern” with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and others, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He plans to stay for four days.

“The visit is in response to a longstanding invitation from the authorities in Pyongyang for policy dialogue with the U.N.,” he told reporters, according to multiple news reports. “It will be a wide-ranging discussion.”

Feltman’s visit will come a week after North Korea test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile apparently capable of striking anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The North declared that it has completed its “state nuclear force” with the latest Hwasong-15 test.

He will meet with North Korean government officials, U.N. officials and the diplomatic corps there, the spokesman said.

This photo, taken by AFP on Dec. 4, 2017, shows Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, who will visit North Korea this week. (Yonhap)

This photo, taken by AFP on Dec. 4, 2017, shows Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, who will visit North Korea this week. (Yonhap)

It would mark the first high-ranking visit by a U.N. official to North Korea since his predecessor Lynn Pascoe traveled to the North in February 2010 and former U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos went there in October 2011.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon planned to visit the now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong in May 2015, but the North abruptly canceled its approval for the trip.

Experts expect that Feltman’s visit may set the tone for Pyongyang to come to the negotiation table.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his willingness to serve as a mediator to resolve the problem of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea’s unification ministry also voiced hope that Feltman’s trip could help the North change its course.

“We hope that the visit can pave the way for North Korea to come to dialogue,” said a ministry official said, asking not to be named.

Resolution on Human Rights in the DPRK, co-tabled by Japan & European Union (EU)

Adoption of the Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the Third Committee of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
(Statement by Foreign Minister Taro Kono of japan)

  1. 1. Japan welcomes the fact that on November 15, 2017 (November 14 local time), at the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly currently being held in New York, the Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK, co-tabled by Japan and the European Union (EU), was adopted by consensus (The resolution has been adopted for 13 consecutive years).

    2. Based on last year’s United Nations General Assembly resolution reflecting the final report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK presented in February 2014 (PDF), the resolution this year condemns the North Korea’s systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, and urges the North Korea to urgently take measures to end all human rights violations. In addition, the resolution underscores very serious concerns regarding reports of torture, summary executions, arbitrary detention, abductions and other forms of human rights violations and abuses that North Korea commits against citizens from other countries within and outside of its territory. The resolution also condemns North Korea for diverting its resources into pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles over the welfare of its people. Furthermore, the resolution encourages the United Nations Security Council to take appropriate actions, including through consideration of referral of the situation in the DPRK to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and consideration of the further development of sanctions.

    3. The consensus adoption of the resolution demonstrates the international community’s grave concerns about human rights violations in North Korea, including the abductions issue. Japan continues to strongly urge North Korea to sincerely accept the views of the international community expressed in this resolution and take concrete action towards improving the situation of human rights including the early resolution of the abductions issue and cooperation with the international community.