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Regional organizations have been playing increasingly important roles in the maintenance of international peace and security in recent years. In parallel, their interactions with the UN Security Council have grown, presenting new opportunities and challenges for collaboration in advancing peace. How can the Security Council and regional organizations work together more effectively?

As organizations try to keep pace with rapidly evolving international peace and security dynamics, this meeting note offers a practical understanding of the nature of cooperation between the Security Council and regional organizations, such as the African Union, the European Union, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Focusing on the areas of conflict prevention, peace operations, counterterrorism, and humanitarian crises, it provides ideas for enhanced cooperation on different issues relating to international peace and security.

The report stems from the fifth annual Istanbul Retreat of the UN Security Council, convened by the government of Turkey, which council members attended from April 11 to 13, 2014. The Istanbul retreat seeks to provide an informal forum for Security Council members to discuss topics on the agenda of the council.

The following are among the ideas for improving collaboration between the council and regional organizations that emerged from the discussions:

• Conflict Prevention: Produce a comprehensive overview of the council, UN, and regional organizations’ roles and responsibilities and enhance their joint early-warning efforts and information sharing. Support and develop the conflict prevention role of existing UN bodies, such as the Mediation Support Unit, the Peacebuilding Support Office, before creating alternative bodies.
• Peace Operations: Rethink funding structures and capacity-building mechanisms to more adequately and sustainably support regional organizations in peace operations, including security sector reform and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes.
• Counterterrorism and Sanctions: Build new partnerships between the council and regional actors in counterterrorism, as most current efforts are state-centric. Develop strategies for peace operations that incorporate the interconnectedness of conflict and terrorism when necessary (e.g., AMISOM in Somalia).
• Humanitarian Crises: Review refugee policy options and develop strategies with neighboring countries, host governments, and regional organizations for a coherent response to inflows of refugees, including capacity development of the host community.

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Source : © Union européenne, 2015 - PE

Tony Blair nem szólal fel egy stockholmi, az élelmezésügyi, elsősorban az éhezésnek szentelt világtalálkozón, a szervezők ugyanis sokallták az általa kért 450 ezer eurós honoráriumot. A volt brit kormányfő ennyit kért egy 20 perces beszédért, azaz másodpercenként 380 eurót.

Megkezdődött a 15. Pécsi Országos Színházi Találkozó (POSZT). Hoppál Péter kultúráért felelős államtitkár a tíznapos eseménysorozat megnyitóján azt mondta: kezdeményezte, hogy a vidéki kulturális fesztiválok támogatása külön soron szerepeljen a jövő évi költségvetésben.

 

The School of International Service Building at American University, Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: Jeff Watts

By Jeremy Taylor

In 2009, President Obama outlined a vision of sending 100,000 Americans to China for study abroad programs by 2014. This vision would require a robust public-private exchange between the United States and Chinese governments, in concert with nongovernmental organizations. Six years later, the 100,000 Strong Education Initiative has evolved into a fully operational and independent non-profit known as the 100,000 Strong Foundation. The organization has surpassed its goal of sending 100,000 students and continues to experience five percent year-over-year growth in the number of students being sent to and from China.

Behind this success story of international education exchange is the Department of State’s Office of Global Partnership (S/GP). The S/GP exists simply to further diplomacy and development through public-private partnerships (PPPs). It claims to be the “entry point for collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, the public and private sectors, and civil society.” The purpose of having just one single entrance point is to provide sufficient resources and political support while maintaining a narrow scope for each project.

Such collaboration and reliance on the non-government sectors is critical according to Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of the New America Foundation and former State Department official. She suggests,

Governments will be in the business of negotiating agreements, resolving crises and solving problems with one another for a long time to come, but top-down efforts cannot stimulate the widespread behavioral change that is required to address social and economic challenges.

From a social science perspective, there tend to be three broad categories for PPP that are determined by the amount and type of engagement between stakeholders. First, philanthropic partnerships (e.g., charitable trusts), exemplify the least amount of engagement and typically occur when an entity donates something out of charity. Second, transactional partnerships are those that build mutually beneficial business relationships such as international shipping services. Third, transformational partnerships are those relationships which tend to be the most complex and resource intensive, and usually result in the closest relationships. Under the transformational model, the level of engagement, strategic value, and scope of activities all tend to be much higher than philanthropic and transactional models.

The 100,000 Strong Education Initiative represents a transformational partnership since both the U.S. and China remain committed to the project’s goal of sending and receiving students for language, cultural, and academic exchanges. The transformational aspects of the initiative are most apparently visible in the role of American University (a private university) as host of the 100,000 Strong Foundation on its campus. In serving as a hub of engagement between the United States and China, the university’s School of International Service receives and sends some of the most talented and ambitious students in hopes of expanding U.S.-China educational exchanges.

The relationship is mutually beneficial. In exchange for providing a well-established platform and furthering the White House initiative of sending U.S. students to China, American University is bolstered by the government’s backing. As an associate dean at the university’s School of International Service says, “The partnership with SIS is a natural fit. The school was founded on a commitment to wage peace around the world and collaborations like the one with 100,000 Strong Foundation honor that. It’s with that knowledge that we’re involved in these types of public-private partnerships.”

The initiative’s transformational outcomes, however, may not be witnessed until participating students enter the workforce with the unique skills acquired abroad. From this perspective, 100,000 Strong views itself as a broker of goodwill, personal diplomacy, and a professional developer for the U.S. government and U.S. companies.

Operating as a nonprofit organization under the assumption that that the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the 100,000 Strong Initiative also relies on the private sector for donations to expand America’s collective understanding through study abroad, language, and cultural programs. However, financial independence from the government can certainly present its own set of challenges. Having moved out from under the umbrella of the State Department, the initiative must be savvy in drawing donations and participation in a highly competitive environment.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reasons that PPPs such as the 100,000 Strong Initiative can be “game-changing mechanisms” for solving development problems by introducing market-based solutions. However, these PPPs must be established in ways that allow for fluidity in the decision making process. The fact that this office has reports directly to the Secretary of State is a positive sign of future accountability. But for partnerships to be game-changers, true collaboration must take place utilizing the expertise of those on the ground, like the partnered U.S. and Chinese universities.

For the 100,000 Strong Initiative, it is not entirely clear how the State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships retains influence over the program that it envisioned, funded and implemented. While the office may be the entry point for academic exchanges such as the 100,000 Strong Initiative, it will be necessary for it to define transitional and exit points along the way to success in further diplomacy and development.

PPPs like the 100,000 Strong Education Initiative undoubtedly play, and will continue to play, an indispensable role in U.S. foreign policy. The challenge for building on this success will be continuing this focus in the next administration. As Secretary Kerry recently said, “While government has a clear role to play in confronting them, the best way to promote development and economic growth and security is with an approach that puts partnerships at the absolute center.”

Jeremy Taylor is a fellow at Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. He serves as a public sector strategist for the federal government and is a Pacific Forum Young Leader with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of their employer or Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

Szokásunkkal szakítva legújabb könyvkritikánkban nem a múltba, hanem a jelenbe tekintünk, és Dr. Rainer Hermann Az Iszlám Állam: A világi állam kudarca az arab világban c. könyvét vettük szemügyre.

A téma aktualitását a külpolitika iránt érdeklődők számára nem kell bemutatni: az Iszlám Állam nevű csoport tavaly júniusi előretörésével a híroldalak és a nyomtatott sajtó kiemelt figyelmét kivívó jelenséggé emelkedett. De a hírek viharában eltűnt sok fontos részlet a csoport felemelkedésével és a kialakult körülményekkel kapcsolatban, amelyek ezt a baljóslatú szárnyalást lehetővé tették. Erre válaszul a szerző, aki a Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung újságírója, és 1990 óta tudósít különböző helyszínekről a Közel-Kelet eseményeiről, kísérletet tett arra, hogy összefoglalja az Arab Tavasz megindulását követő folyamatokat és a nyugati országok reakcióit.

[...] Bővebben!

Nemzeti összetartozását ünnepelte csütörtökön a magyarság mindenütt a Kárpát-medencében és mindenütt a világban, ahol magyarok élnek. Megemlékezéseket tartottak a trianoni békeszerződés aláírásához kötődő napon a magyarországi és a határon túli magyar pártok is. Semjén Zsolt nemzetpolitikáért felelős miniszterelnök-helyettes a budapesti Magyarság Házában mondott beszédet, Kövér László házelnök a hatvani megemlékezésen szólalt fel.

Minimalista megállapodás felé tartanak a hitelezők és a görögök, amiről előreláthatóan már a jövő héten nyélbe üthetik az alkut. Athén annak ismeretében, hogy az euróövezet nagyjai között politikai konszenzus alakult ki az ország benntartásáról, nyeregben érzi magát, sőt Ciprasz kormányfő szerdai brüsszeli tárgyalásán még új követeléssel is előállt.

Sárközi Mátyás József Attila-díjas író beszédével nyílt meg a 86. Ünnepi Könyvhét és 14. Gyermeknapok Vörösmarty téri központi rendezvénye csütörtök délután Budapesten.

Gyermekeknek, kisebbeknek és nagyobbaknak, minden napra kijárna a jókedv. Ha hiszik, ha nem, nincs ehhez feltétlenül szükség finom fagyira vagy csokira: a jókedv, a vidámság bebiztosításának tudjuk itt a Zenetérben egy bombabiztos módját: ez az éneklés. És ha történetesen többen énekelnek együtţ csa...

Közel kétszáz fős tömeg emlékezett meg a magyarság gyásznapjára, a trianoni békediktátum aláírásának évfordulójára Sepsiszentgyörgyön.
Kategória: Aktuális/Háromszék

Ilija Maravić, a városi képviselő-testület elnöke július 19-re írta ki Szabadka területére a helyi közösségi választásokat. A döntés megjelent a város Hivatalos Lapjában is, ami azt jelenti, hogy a választással kapcsolatos határidőket tegnaptól számolják.

A választásokat a városi választási bizottság bonyolítja majd le, amely kidolgozza a szabályzatot, amelynek alapján azokat megtartják, meghatározza az űrlapok formáját és tartalmát, valamint a határidőket.

A legutóbbi helyi közösségi választásokat több mint négy évvel ezelőtt tartották, azok mielőbbi kiírását nemrégiben a VMSZ városi szervezete követelte.

 

photo NATO 19 May 2015 by NATO NATO will continue the process of testing and refinement of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force ( VJTF ) during part two of Exercise NOBLE JUMP, from 9 to 19 June 2015 in Zagan, Poland. A media day will be held on 18...

Le pr�sident nig�rien a assur� mercredi vouloir des �lections pr�sidentielle et l�gislatives "transparentes" en 2016. De son c�t�, l'opposition accuse la Cour constitutionnelle, charg�e de valider les candidatures, d'avoir fait "all�geance" au pouvoir en place.

Bertrand, Fillon, Juppé et Le Maire pressent Sarkozy d'accélérer les travaux d'organisation du scrutin de novembre 2016.

A nemzeti összetartozás jegyében székesfehérvári és gyergyószentmiklósi diákok koszorúzták meg a Gac-oldali emlékművet csütörtökön. A második világháborúban meggyilkolt magyar kadétokra emlékeztek. Most először említést tettek egy túlélőről is. 
Kategória: Aktuális/Gyergyószék

Négy évvel azt követően, hogy a Korrupcióellenes Ügynökség kidolgozta a tervezetet, holnap hatályba lép a közérdekű ügyekben bejelentést tevők (wistleblower) védelméről szóló törvény. Szerbia egyike annak az öt európai országnak, ahol jogszabállyal védik azokat, akiknek van merszük bejelenteni a különböző visszásságokat. Az Európa Tanács értékelése szerint a szerbiai törvény egyike a legjobbaknak. A közérdekű ügyekben bejelentést tevőket a szakirodalom és a sajtó leggyakrabban közérdekvédőknek nevezi.

Such statement was made by Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. He also stressed that the implementation of the Minsk agreement is a key priority to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

BELGRADE, 4 June 2015 –OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić today condemned the latest surge in violence in eastern Ukraine, and called on all parties to return to the negotiating table, pursue a political solution to the conflict through the Trilateral Contact Group and its working groups, as well as to fully respect the Minsk Agreements. “This is the only way to bring suffering of innocent civilians to an end,” said Dačić.

“The use of force is unacceptable.  I am particularly concerned about the use of proscribed heavy weapons, as well as the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, which is a gross violation of the Minsk Agreements,” he said.

“All sides must refrain from the use of force, and strictly adhere to the ceasefire and other provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including the immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons.”

The Chairperson-in-Office also emphasized the importance of the safety and security of monitors from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM).  “Continued restrictions on the freedom of movement of monitors are inexcusable. They are a serious obstacle to the implementation and monitoring of a sustainable ceasefire,” Dačić said.

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Le député du Nord et son collègue des Yvelines, Henri Guaino, doivent présenter les conclusions de leur travail sur « l'islam de France » fin juin-début juillet à Nicolas Sarkozy.