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SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

This report is for the media and the general public.

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
• The SMM saw damage from shelling to two residential properties and fresh craters in Nova Marivka, as well as damage to a house in Travneve and craters near a gas pipeline near Novoluhanske.
• The Mission recorded ceasefire violations and observed an extended trench inside the Zolote disengagement area.
• The SMM saw a surface-to-air missile system in violation of withdrawal lines in Khreshchatytske.
• It saw pieces of unexploded ordnance for the first time in Popasna and Hruzko-Lomivka.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and the operation of critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line.
• Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere.

Ceasefire violations[1]

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, however, a similar number of explosions (about 110), compared with the previous reporting period. The majority of ceasefire violations were recorded at easterly and southerly directions of Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), at southerly directions of Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol and at easterly directions of Hnutove (government-controlled, 20km north-east of Mariupol).

In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 310), compared with the previous reporting period (about 130 explosions). Almost all ceasefire violations, including about 290 explosions, were recorded in areas east-south-east and north-north-east of Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk).

Fresh damage to residential properties in Nova Marivka

On 12 June, at a one-storey house at 20 Tsentralna Street in Nova Marivka (non-government-controlled, 64km south of Donetsk), the SMM saw that part of a concrete outer west-facing wall had collapsed, slates were completely missing from the west-facing side of the roof and a west-facing door had been dislodged. About 10m north of the house, the SMM saw a shed with only its outer south-facing wall and doorway intact, and its outer north-facing wall partially intact, with the rest of the shed and its roof completely destroyed, and debris on the ground. The SMM saw a fuse, assessed as from a 122mm or 152mm artillery round, near the shed. The SMM assessed that all abovementioned damage was fresh and caused by rounds of an undetermined weapon. A resident of the house (woman, 40-50 years old) told the SMM that while inside her house, she had heard three explosions nearby on the evening and night of 8-9 June. 

About 50m west of the house, in the south-facing outer wall of a one storey house at 22 Tsentralna Street, the SMM saw about 25 fresh shrapnel holes, three shattered windows and concrete dislodged from around one window frame, as well as cement roof panels missing from the roof on the same side. The SMM saw a partially collapsed west-facing outer wall of the house and an inner west-facing wall with about ten shrapnel holes, as well as cement roof sheeting missing from the roof on the same side. The SMM saw a fresh crater about 2m in diameter and 1m in depth, about 3m south of the house, and assessed the crater and all abovementioned damage as caused by a round of an undetermined weapon. About 20m south-east of the latter house, the SMM saw a fresh crater, 2.5m in diameter and 1.1m in depth, in a field about 5m north of a road, assessed to have been caused by an artillery round (122mm or 152mm). The SMM assessed damage and craters at all above locations were caused by fire from a south-westerly direction.

While attempting to follow up on reports of the abovementioned damage, the SMM observed a previously reported fallen tree partially blocking the road to Nova Marivka, with a white board with “Stop! Mines” written on it in Russian, which forced the SMM to take an alternate route.

Damage to a house in Travneve

On 12 June, an SMM mid-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted roof slates missing on the north-western corner of a roof and dislodged window lintels on a north-facing wall of an uninhabited two-storey house at 2 Tsentralna Street in Travneve (government-controlled, 51km north-east of Donetsk) (not seen on imagery from 16 April 2019). The SMM assessed that the damage was caused by a probable mortar round.

Craters near Novoluhanske

On 12 June, an SMM mid-range UAV spotted two craters in a field, assessed as caused by 122mm artillery rounds fired from a south-easterly direction, about 140m west of an elevated gas pipeline close to the Bakhmut Agrarian Union's pig farm near Novoluhanske (government-controlled, 53km north-east of Donetsk).

Disengagement areas[2]

In the early morning hours of 13 June, the SMM camera in Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) recorded three projectiles in flight, at an assessed range of 2-4km south-east, assessed as inside the disengagement area, and two projectiles in flight at an assessed range of 1-2km east-south-east, which were unable to be assessed as inside or outside the disengagement area.

Aerial imagery available to the SMM revealed on 11 June a 5m-long extension of a trench running from east to west inside the Zolote disengagement area, west of road T1316 and next to the railway bridge close to previously observed positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The same imagery revealed new material, assessed as probable sandbags and equipment used to build a defensive position, about 500m east of the area’s western edge and about 430m north of its southern edge, close to previously observed positions of the armed formations. The imagery also revealed two craters about 250m west of road T1316 and about 700m north of the area’s southern edge (all were not seen in imagery from 27 May 2019.)

During the day on 13 June, positioned inside the disengagement area near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk) and close to the disengagement area near Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), the SMM observed a calm situation.[3]

Withdrawal of weapons

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Memorandum and the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

In violation of withdrawal lines

Non-government-controlled areas

12 June

An SMM long-range UAV spotted a surface-to-air missile system (9K35 Strela-10) in Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske, 86km south of Donetsk), in a zone within which deployment of heavy armament and military equipment is further proscribed according to Point 5 of the Memorandum of 19 September 2014.

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside of designated storage sites:

Government-controlled areas

13 June

The SMM saw:

• a tank (T-72) near Illinka (37km west of Donetsk) and
• a tank (T-64) near Dachenske (49km north-west of Donetsk).

Non-government-controlled areas

12 June

An SMM mid-range UAV spotted 13 tanks (nine T-72, three T-64 and one T-55) in a training area near Pokrovka (36km east of Donetsk) (for previous observations see SMM Daily Report 25 May 2019).

Indications of military and military-type presence in the security zone[4]

Government-controlled areas

12 June

An SMM mini-UAV spotted three infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (two BMD variants and one BMD-1) and two armoured personnel carriers (APC) (Saxon) in Voitove (33km north-west of Luhansk).

An SMM long-range UAV spotted:

• an APC (BTR-80) near Pyshchevyk; and
• an APC (BTR-80) near Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk).

The SMM saw:

• a trench digger fastened to a military truck near Verkhnotoretske (23km north-east of Donetsk).

13 June

The SMM saw an IFV (BTR-4) near Novobakhmutivka (28km north of Donetsk).

Non-government-controlled areas

13 June

The SMM saw:

• two APCs (BTR-60) on the north-western outskirts of Luhansk city and
• an IFV (BMP-1) in Horlivka (39km north-east of Donetsk). 

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Popasna, Hruzko-Lomivka and Ilovaisk

At a checkpoint on the eastern edge of Popasna, on a road used regularly by the SMM, the Mission saw two tailfins for the first time in the middle of the road, assessed as from rounds of a rocket propelled grenade launcher: one between the checkpoint’s concrete barricades, along with cartridge cases from grenade launchers and small-arms nearby, and the other about 15m south-east of the barricades. 

North-east of Hruzko-Lomivka (non-government-controlled, 25km south-east of Donetsk), on the eastern edge of the road, the SMM saw for the first time a piece of UXO, assessed as a  projectile from a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) (BM-27 Uragan, 220mm), embedded in the ground.

In Ilovaisk, (non-government-controlled, 30km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw that a previously observed projectile from an MLRS (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) had been removed from the sidewalk. Also in Ilovaisk the SMM saw that two previously observed pieces of UXO, assessed as probable projectiles from an MLRS rocket (Grad-type, 122mm), embedded in the eastern and western edges of a road on the southern outskirts of the city are still present.

SMM facilitation of repairs to civilian infrastructure

The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk), to a water pipeline between Zolote-3/Stakhanovets (government-controlled, 61km west of Luhansk) and Popasna, and to high voltage power lines in Kruta Balka (non-government-controlled, 16km north of Donetsk).

The SMM facilitated the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) and continued to monitor the security situation in the area of the pumping station near Vasylivka (non-government-controlled, 20km north of Donetsk).

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Odessa, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.

*Restrictions of the SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, UXO and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations. They have also agreed that the Joint Centre on Control and Co-ordination should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government (for example, SMM Daily Report 12 June 2019). The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Regular restrictions related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The sides continued to deny the SMM full access to the three disengagement areas, as well as the ability to travel certain roads previously identified as important for effective monitoring by the Mission and for civilians’ movement, through failure to conduct comprehensive clearance of mines and UXO.

Other impediments:

• On 13 June, an SMM mid-range UAV experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as due to probable jamming, while flying near Lebedynske (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Mariupol).[5]
• On the evening and night of 12-13 June, an SMM long-range UAV experienced GPS signal interference, assessed as due to jamming, while flying over government and non-government controlled areas of Donetsk region.

[1] For a complete breakdown of ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.

[2]Disengagement is foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016.

[3] Due to the presence of mines, including a road between Bohdanivka and Petrivske, the SMM’s access to its camera in Petrivske remains limited, and thus the SMM has not been able to access observations from the camera since 22 June 2018.

[4] The hardware mentioned in this section is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[5] The interference could have originated from anywhere within a radius of kilometres from the UAVs’ positions.

Sie zogen im Mai alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich. Die 12'000 Chinesen, die auf Einladung ihres Arbeitgebers die Schweiz bereisten, liessen bei ihrer Heimreise am Flughafen Zürich noch einmal kräftig Geld liegen.

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Babos Tímea három játszmában kikapott a második helyen kiemelt amerikai Madison Brengle-től a manchesteri 100 ezer dollár összdíjazású füvespályás női tenisztorna nyolcaddöntőjében.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Bratislava, 14 June 2019 - Following a meeting with President Zelensky on 13 June, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák calls on the international community to support the Ukrainian President's constructive steps towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis in and around Ukraine. He also offers the full support of the Slovak Chairmanship in this endeavour.

In view of the strong mandate given to President Zelensky through his unambiguous electoral victory, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Lajčák and President Zelensky discussed a comprehensive set of actions proposed by the President and aimed at uniting the country for the benefit of all its citizens. Lajčák and the Ukrainian President also discussed concrete steps to ease the tensions in and around Ukraine, which would send a clear signal of readiness to seek a peaceful solution of the crisis. These include measures such as the overall improvement of living conditions on both sides along the line of contact, the urgent repair of the bridge in Stanytsa Luhanska, military disengagement and steps towards an exchange of detainees. Both agreed on the absolute necessity of a cessation of hostilities, the establishment of a permanent ceasefire and the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

Presenting a series of proposed confidence-building measures, Chairperson-in-Office Lajčák stressed the commitment of the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship to helping to improve conditions for people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine and to focusing on addressing their humanitarian situation.

While in Kyiv, the OSCE Chair also congratulated the former president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, on his appointment as Ukraine´s representative to the Trilateral Contact Group and expressed his support to his work.

L'Indien Kumar Santosh condamné à 18 mois d'emprisonnement vient d'épuiser sa peine. Selon l'information livrée par Frissons Radio, il est sorti de prison ce vendredi vers 15h, après avoir purger la totalité de sa peine.
L'Indien et plusieurs autres personnes sont impliquées dans l'affaire faux médicaments, qui a bouleversé le système de distribution des produits pharmaceutiques au Bénin. Cette affaire a conduit plusieurs personnes en prison dont l'ex député Mohamed Hinnouho Atao.
G.A.

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Heliane Canepa (71), die ehemalige Spitzen-Managerin und heutige «First Lady» beim FCZ, redet über Männer, Frauen und Karriere-Chancen.

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Michael Klafsky (33) wartet in Olten SO auf den Zug und will sich einen Kebab bestellen. Da sieht er, wie zwei Männer eine Frau angreifen, die um Hilfe schreit. Klafsky greift ein – und wird selbst zum Opfer.

Souhaitant se rapprocher du terrain, le Haut-Commissariat de l'ONU pour les réfugiés poursuit la décentralisation de son personnel.

Given the far-reaching benefits and rising practical feasibility of renewables, it is likely that the global community is heading for a future that embraces clean power sources. Photo: SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP

By Tarannum Sahar
Jun 14 2019 (IPS-Partners)

With the advent of the 21st century, there has been a steady rise in energy access all around the globe. For the first time ever, the total number of people without access to electricity fell below 1 billion in 2017 according to the International Energy Agency. Despite the increase in the pace of electrification, 13 percent of the global population, mostly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, still lack critical access to electricity—a factor linked closely with productivity, health and safety, gender equality and education. Without much greater ambition and more intensified efforts, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 that has an objective of “ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” will be impossible to attain by 2030.

At the same time, as the global community faces the persistent and pervasive challenge of energy poverty, it also needs to address the intensifying human-driven climate disruption and the widespread displacement of people as a result of war, persecution and natural disaster. These critically important crises—energy poverty, climate disruption and displacement—are inexorably linked through the strong overlap in the populations affected by all three predicaments.

There is an unprecedented 68.5 million people forcibly displaced across the world. Many of them end in relief camps, where approximately 90 percent do not have energy access as stated by the Center for Resource Solutions. In addition to refugees and internally displaced persons, majority of the people lacking the most basic of electricity services also count amongst the population most vulnerable to the disastrous consequences of climate change. Mass migration ensuing from the dramatic shifts in our environment has the potential of fuelling political unrests and exacerbating conflict. The communities at risk often lack both the political and economic resources that are essential in maintaining stability through strengthening climate resilience and adaptive capacity. As a consequence, many countries with significant energy poverty will bear the worst effects of global warming despite having contributed very little to the historical build-up of greenhouse gas emissions.

Taking constructive steps towards climate change mitigation and achieving universal energy access supposedly seem to be in conflict. The reasoning behind this sceptical notion is the assumption that more people getting access to electricity will require further investment in carbon-intensive power systems and greater exploitation of fossil fuels which largely contribute to the vast majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, with rapid advancement in alternative energy technologies primarily in areas of efficiency and cost-reduction, it is no longer required to address one crisis at the cost of the other. In the current scenario, communities enduring extreme cases of energy poverty often depend on biomass burning to meet basic energy needs. Replacing biomass with clean sources of energy will significantly bring down deforestation, a step that is vital for climate mitigation and adaptation. Renewables like solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines are less expensive than newly installed fossil-based power plants in many regions of the world and in some, it is even less expensive than using existing, traditional power plants.

Communities in remote, rural areas or refugee camps located near borders and inhospitable regions of the world are usually situated far away from traditional transmission lines. Installation of capital-intense grid network is economically unviable as reaching an affordable scale in these places is nearly impossible. In recent decades, decentralised energy solution is becoming an increasingly important factor for expediting electricity access. Deployment of distributed infrastructures is powering a disruptive transformation in the energy sector like never seen before. Through the latest policy brief for SDG 7, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs emphasised that for over 70 percent of those without access in rural areas, decentralised systems based on renewable energy will be the most cost-effective solution.

The new paradigm demands that decision makers think beyond the “grid versus off-grid” dichotomy and recognise the extensive value of autonomous mini-grids and distributed energy services that utilise local resources and effectively serve specific, regional needs. Reducing dependence on centralised generation further democratises the electricity distribution allowing for local ownership of energy services and increased support for alternative energy. Widespread adaptation of distributed systems based on renewables will put a check on the global demand for oil, ease the power struggle over resource-rich areas and cut down energy dominance in political negotiations. Such a transition will help nation states in reducing vulnerability to conflict, and strengthening socio-political stability.

Given the far-reaching benefits and rising practical feasibility of renewables, it is likely that the global community is heading for a future that embraces clean power sources. However, the ultimate question is, will the transition be fast enough to limit global warming to a safe level? The special report on Global Warming of 1.5 degree Celsius published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that increase in temperature beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels will lead to severe environmental catastrophes and the international community has 12 years to limit that.

As the 25th session of the Conference of Parties (COP25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change draws near, it is critical that governments, negotiators, and other stakeholders not only consider a rapid shift towards a clean energy future, but also a transition that is just and inclusive of unserved and underserved communities. While international support is certainly essential in achieving SDG 7, real and lasting progress will also require participation at the national as well as local and regional levels. With the emergence of decentralisation in electrification, the energy sector can greatly benefit from polycentrism—the contribution of multiple stakeholders from numerous spheres.

The present day is a unique moment in the history of energy access expansion, as distributed networks can viably reach the furthest corners of the globe. It’s critical to make the best use of this opportunity and drive action towards an energy system that will sustain the earth for future generations, while also stepping up electrification and promoting regional stability.

Tarannum Sahar is studying Economics and Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Energy Transition and Technology Development at Cornell University, USA.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

The post At the intersection of conflict, climate change and energy access appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The efforts to sway the mood - and the votes - of EU citizens was more targeted and nuanced, and not only restricted to Russian sources. The EU wants online platforms to do more.

Pour le 17e vendredi consécutif, la rue, pour exprimer leur refus catégorique en disant ainsi non à Bensalah et non à Gaid Salah, plus que jamais indésirables. Les manifestants ont scandé des slogans anti-Gaid Salah insistant sur un Etat civil et non militaire.

The post Grande mobilisation populaire à Tizi Ouzou pour le 17e vendredi de manifestation ! appeared first on .

Les ministres européens des Finances ont trouvé un accord sur un  budget de la zone euro, mais son envergure est bien en deçà des attentes françaises et presque tous les aspects de ce dossier, y compris la source de financement, continent de diviser.