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EU leaders are expected to decide further measures to reinforce  EU action against terrorism and discuss migration topics, the Five presidents' report on the Economic and Monetary Union, the completion of the single market and a forward-looking climate policy following a historic climate deal at the COP21 in Paris. The European Council also discusses the state of play on the referendum in the UK over EU membership and is expected to adopt conclusions on Syria.

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Will UN deal end years of chaos and conflict?

By Valentina Ieri
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 17 2015 (IPS)

The United Nations is convinced the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by world leaders last September, can be successfully implemented only with the inclusion of all segments of society, including governments, civil society organisations (CSOs), women, youth, indigenous people and the private sector.

David Le Blanc, Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the U.N. Department for Social and Economic Affairs (UN/DESA) pointed out that the word “inclusive” is mentioned in five out of the 17 SDGs targets, and 22 times overall in the agenda.

Speaking during a UN panel discussion on ‘Exploring Inclusiveness in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, on December 14, Le Blanc added: “It means reaching the “furthest behind first […] including all sections of the society as it would be very hard to defend a society where some do not have access to basic necessity, such as shelter, health services, income, discrimination of women, or lack of opportunities.”

Setting the tone at the opening of the U.N. Summit for the 2030 Development Agenda last September, the Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said SDGs will leave “no one behind”:

“The new agenda is a promise by leaders to all people everywhere. It is a universal, integrated and transformative vision for a better world…for people, to end poverty in all its forms.”

The panel discussion, organised by the Mission of South Korea, in collaboration with the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), focused specifically on the concept of inclusiveness.

Ambassador Choong-hee Hahn, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea and chairman of the 47th session of the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), said : “Three key words relate to inclusiveness: people, justice and dignity. Dignity should be our ultimate goal for achieving inclusiveness, as people need to be aware of their rights and privileges, in order to change current inequalities and injustice,” socially, economically and politically.

Therefore, – continued Ambassador Hahn – in order to create a safe, and sustainable framework for economic and human development, the world needs to achieve global citizenship through education, gender equality and women empowerment.

Lakshmi Puri, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships, and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women said without half of humanity realising their rights, sustainable development will not be achieved.

‘Therefore inclusiveness is about policies implementation, but also about driving a global movement for a structural transformation for people at the citizenship level,” added Puri.

But how can “inclusiveness” be implemented in real terms?

Only through a well-designed joint action between the private sector, good governance, and the rule of law.

“Examples of inclusive business” – said Ambassador Hahn – “are long term contracts between companies and small-medium manufacturing companies in developing countries. In this way, the supply and the demand can be sustainable.”

“Inclusive entrepreneurship” – continued the Korean Ambassador- “Is about training and teaching students of the developing countries so that they can open a business in a sustainable way,” along with inclusive knowledge-sharing, through communication technologies in developing economies.

The innovative aspect of inclusive business is that the role of the private and public sector in boosting sustainable development must not be conceived purely in terms of income growth.

Taffere Tesfachew, Director, Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes at UNCTAD, said: “Eradicating poverty by 2030, means eradication to zero, everywhere. This means a 4-5 times increase gross national income (GNI) per capita, that is inclusive, if we are going to achieve it. But first, we must recognise that [previous] growth and development strategies were not inclusive.”

He said about 450,000 million people are currently living, below the poverty line of 1.25 dollars per day in 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). 34 out of 48 LDCs are in Africa, where the daily consumption is around 20-25 cents a day, Tesfachew said.

“We always believed that economic growth is the key to development, in terms of rising incomes, industrialisation and poverty reduction…But we know that all this has not happened. What drives growth, matters. But if growth is not originating where the poorest live and work (in rural areas), then there is no way to bring inclusiveness,” he argued.

Growth is about investing in people, said Tesfachew. “Inclusiveness cannot be solved by transfer of income, but only by creating jobs, which is the most effective and dignified way to reduce poverty,” he continued.

“That is why the private sector is very critical in creating jobs and opportunities. The challenge of the 2030 SDGs is to lead growth by creating jobs and bringing more income, consumption and demand for investments. Inclusiveness should benefit everyone, and hence, the idea of leaving no one behind.”

(End)

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 17 2015 (IPS)

The United Nations has failed to appropriately respond to cases of sexual violence committed by peacekeeping forces in the Central African Republic, a new report revealed.

The report, an Independent Review on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by International Peacekeeping Forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) commissioned by the Secretary-General, has exposed significant flaws in the UN’s response to sexual abuse allegations in the conflict ridden country.

“The Report depicts a United Nations that failed to respond meaningfully when faced with information about reprehensible crimes against vulnerable children,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon upon receiving the report on 17 Dec.

“I express my profound regret that these children were betrayed by the very people sent to protect them,” he continued.

In the spring of 2014, claims surfaced that international troops serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) sexually abused young children from the M’Poko displacement camp in exchange for food or money.

Though the alleged perpetrators, largely from a French military force known as the Sangaris Forces, were not under UN command, the report reveals the UN failed to thoroughly investigate and report on the cases.

For instance, the Human Rights and Justice Section (HRJS) of MINUSCA did not conduct an in-depth examination of the allegations and deliberately did not follow-up with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and/or the French government on the cases.

The UN’s children’s agency UNICEF and UN human rights staff in the country also failed to ensure that children received adequate medical attention and assistance and neglected to protect other potential victims.

“Instead, information about the allegations was passed from desk to desk, inbox to inbox, across multiple UN offices, with no one willing to take responsibility to address the serious human rights violations,” the report stated.

The review, conducted by a panel chaired by former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Marie Deschamps, also found that numerous UN officials failed to act when provided information on the accusations.

Officials include Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for MINUSCA Babacar Gaye, who resigned in August 2015 at the request of the Secretary-General, and SRSG for Children in Armed Conflict (CAAC) Leila Zerrougui.

Commenting on the review, both Gaye and Zerrougui denied they received verified information, and that they responded inappropriately to the cases.

“If the SRSG CAAC had received verified information on the violations through the appropriate formal channels, or was alerted by any entities that the violations were ongoing at any point in the intervening period, she would have followed up with the Country Task Force and with the French authorities to discuss further follow up options,” Zerrougui remarked.

In order to rebuild the trust of victims, local populations and the international community, the UN and troop-contributing countries (TCCs) must take immediate action, the panel stated.

One such action is the acknowledgement that sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers, whether or not they are under UN command, must be treated as a serious human rights violation that can be met with criminal prosecution.

Among its other recommendations, the panel also called for the creation of a coordination unit in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to monitor, report and follow-up on sexual abuse allegations; a mandatory and immediate reporting policy; establish a Trust Fund to provide specialized services to victims of conflict-related sexual violence and; negotiate with TCCs to screen troops and prosecute crimes of sexual violence.

While accepting the report’s findings, the UN Chief stated he intends to act “without delay” to address the systemic issues, fragmentation and other problems concerning sexual abuse by peacekeepers.

“Victims do not care what colour helmet or uniform is worn by those who come to protect them,” Ban remarked.

“Sexual exploitation and abuse of power has no place in the United Nations or in the world of dignity for all that we are striving to build,” he concluded.

Since the early 1990s, there have been sexual abuse cases committed by UN peacekeepers around the world from Haiti to Kosovo to Cambodia.

Though a zero-tolerance policy was implemented by the Secretary-General in 2003 and was reiterated in 2015, it has had little effect.

In 2014 alone, there were 79 cases of sexual exploitation and abuse, 51 of which were in peacekeeping missions and special political missions.

Given the flaws around investigation and reporting of sexual abuse cases, the review panel notes that it is likely that incidence of such cases are vastly under-reported.

(End)

The European Union welcomes the signature of the Libya Political Agreement, and pledges support to the upcoming Government of National Accord. 

A historic step has been taken today towards restoring peace and stability for the Libyan people. The signature of the Libya Political Agreement by representatives of the members of the House of Representatives and General National Congress, Independents, Municipalities, political parties and civil society paves the way to a peaceful solution to a terrible crisis that has divided, impoverished, and inflicted so much suffering on the Libyan people, and which poses a growing threat not just to Libya itself but also its neighbours, including the EU. 

The EU pledges its support to the upcoming Government of National Accord, and will no longer have official contacts with individuals claiming to be part of institutions which are not validated by the Libya political agreement. 

The EU stands ready to offer immediate and substantial support in a number of different areas that will be prioritised together with the Libyan authorities: a 100 million euro aid package is already available including for the delivery of services the Libyan population urgently needs. 

The EU underlines the Libyan ownership of this process and the importance of continuing to keep it open and inclusive. The responsibility lies with the Libyans for the successful implementation of the agreement and the EU, and the international community stand ready to support them in this endeavour. The EU expresses its gratitude to UNSMIL and the UNSGSR Martin Kobler for the dedication and skill they have shown in bringing Libyan parties together for this important step.

Nincs kilátás a török kormányhoz fűződő kapcsolatok javítására, Törökország "lopakodó iszlamizációja" pedig Oroszország nemzetbiztonságát fenyegeti - közölte Vlagyimir Putyin orosz elnök csütörtökön, a több mint háromórás évértékelő moszkvai nemzetközi sajtótájékoztatóján. Az államfő szerint a szíriai válságot kizárólag politikai eszközökkel lehet rendezni, de Moszkva sosem fog beleegyezni abba, hogy külső erő döntse el, ki vezesse az arab országot.

Un rapport, publié jeudi par des experts indépendants, accable la gestion par les Nations unies des accusations de viols d'enfants en Centrafrique par des soldats français, équato-guinéens et tchadiens.

OPINION on the prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Charles Tannock

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

OPINION on Private sector and development
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Sabine Lösing

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

OPINION on the recommendations to the European Commission on the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Francisco José Millán Mon

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Nem üzleti hitelt testesít meg az orosz nemzeti vagyonalap birtokában lévő 3 milliárd dollár ukrán kötvény - írja a Nemzetközi Valutaalap (IMF) szerdán este kiadott közleménye. Az IMF igazgatóságának döntése szerint az Ukrajna által 2013. december 24-én 3 milliárd dollár névértékben kibocsátott és az orosz nemzeti vagyonalap (National Wealth Fund, NWF) birtokában lévő kötvény nem magánjellegű kereskedelmi, hanem kormányközi megállapodáson alapuló hitel.

La filiale de l'Agence française de développement annonce avoir acquis 15 % de Ciel Healthcare Limited, filiale hospitalière du groupe mauricien Ciel, active à Maurice et en Ouganda.

Cet article Proparco entre au capital de la branche hospitalière du mauricien Ciel est apparu en premier sur JeuneAfrique.com.

OPINION on the European Energy Security Strategy
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Arne Lietz

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1215/2009 introducing exceptional trade measures for countries and territories participating in or linked to the European Union's Stabilisation and Association process and suspending its application with regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Cristian Dan Preda

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

OPINION on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council providing macro-financial assistance to Ukraine
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP