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The Sudanese government’s persistent indiscriminate air attacks in the Nuba Mountains area of Southern Kordofan are killing and maiming children.

(Nairobi) – The Sudanese government’s persistent indiscriminate air attacks in the Nuba Mountains area of Southern Kordofan are killing and maiming children. An aid blockade is causing a health and education crisis in the conflict-affected region.

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Opinión - 7/5/2015
Ignacio Molina
Cualquiera de las combinaciones de gobierno resultantes de las elecciones puede llevar a que, bien desde Downing Street o desde una oposición jaleada por parte de la opinión pública, se enconen aún más las relaciones entre Reino Unido y UE.

Opinión - 7/5/2015
Ignacio Molina
Cualquiera de las combinaciones de gobierno resultantes de las elecciones puede llevar a que, bien desde Downing Street o desde una oposición jaleada por parte de la opinión pública, se enconen aún más las relaciones entre Reino Unido y UE.

Conflict and poverty have a circular relation: violence negatively affects development and vice versa – poverty is often one of the root causes of conflict. The EU has long recognised the need for conflict prevention, resolution and peace building, as well as for addressing the root causes of conflict, which include poverty, weak governance and human rights abuses. The EU increasingly works to better harmonise its security and development objectives, as well as to coordinate its external policy tools in a 'comprehensive approach'. The European Parliament (EP) has welcomed this coordination, while also asking that anti-poverty objectives not be marginalised, and that humanitarian aid not serve political ends. The EU has dedicated financial instruments for promoting peace; they include the African Peace Facility and the Instrument contributing to Security and Peace. The EP has also underscored the need for a long-term engagement with fragile states and for ensuring that women participate in resolving conflicts and building democracy.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

(Own report) - German foreign policy experts are calling for a "renaissance" of the transatlantic alliance to defend Western global hegemony. According to the strategy paper written by two German authors, published recently by the think tank of the European People's Party (EPP), the EU must strengthen its cooperation with the United States in spite of certain controversies. The experts write that the "global liberal order," which had secured a global hegemony for Western countries since the end of the Cold War, can only be maintained if Europe and North America enhance their economic, political, and military cooperation. All efforts aimed at improving cooperation with Russia should be halted. To enhance influence, the focus should, instead, be shifted to engaging NGOs and East European religious communities in pro-western activities. A new consensus within the EU must be established and pro-Russian "disinformation" must be systematically "exposed." One of the authors even calls for the nuclear rearmament of Europe, claiming "we" must be "willing to go to war."

Conflict and poverty have a circular relation: violence negatively affects development and vice versa – poverty is often one of the root causes of conflict. The EU has long recognised the need for conflict prevention, resolution and peace building, as well as for addressing the root causes of conflict, which include poverty, weak governance and human rights abuses. The EU increasingly works to better harmonise its security and development objectives, as well as to coordinate its external policy tools in a 'comprehensive approach'. The European Parliament (EP) has welcomed this coordination, while also asking that anti-poverty objectives not be marginalised, and that humanitarian aid not serve political ends. The EU has dedicated financial instruments for promoting peace; they include the African Peace Facility and the Instrument contributing to Security and Peace. The EP has also underscored the need for a long-term engagement with fragile states and for ensuring that women participate in resolving conflicts and building democracy.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Conflict and poverty have a circular relation: violence negatively affects development and vice versa – poverty is often one of the root causes of conflict. The EU has long recognised the need for conflict prevention, resolution and peace building, as well as for addressing the root causes of conflict, which include poverty, weak governance and human rights abuses. The EU increasingly works to better harmonise its security and development objectives, as well as to coordinate its external policy tools in a 'comprehensive approach'. The European Parliament (EP) has welcomed this coordination, while also asking that anti-poverty objectives not be marginalised, and that humanitarian aid not serve political ends. The EU has dedicated financial instruments for promoting peace; they include the African Peace Facility and the Instrument contributing to Security and Peace. The EP has also underscored the need for a long-term engagement with fragile states and for ensuring that women participate in resolving conflicts and building democracy.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

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High-level UN humanitarian officials say that violence and instability make Somalia one of the most challenging environments when it comes to delivering aid, a reality that, however, does not question the laudable level of resilience demonstrated by Somalis over the years.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UN humanitarian and resident coordinator for Somalia, and Edem Wosornu, the head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the country, spoke at IPI on May 6th of the high barriers that humanitarians encounter when assisting Somali civilians, all the while praising the perseverance of Somalis in their desire to restore political order in the country.

“Somalia is one of the most difficult contexts to deliver any type of assistance,” Mr. Lazzarini said. “It’s a very complex and fluid situation, and we have to admit that we will never completely grasp its reality.”

The East African country is currently undergoing a process of political and social restoration known as Vision 2016 which is poised to see Somalis holding democratic elections by September 2016, laying the foundations for a democratic, federal state.

Somalia has been in turmoil for the past 25 years, including a period from 1991 to 2012 with no central government. Recently, terrorist attacks by extremists from the al-Shabaab group have further exacerbated the security climate in the country, challenging both Somalis’ reconstruction efforts as well as international humanitarian aid delivery.

According to Ms. Wosornu, there are more than three million Somalis in need of humanitarian assistance, amounting to about a quarter of Somalia’s total population. Of the over 200,000 malnourished Somali children living in the country, Ms. Wosornu said that about 40,000 require medical attention in order to survive.

That said, both UN officials praised the high degree of resilience shown by Somalis in dealing with their situation over the years and praised their determination to build a stable and durable state. But this resilience, they said, needs to be accompanied by support from the international community, particularly in terms of funding for humanitarian programs.

Ms. Wosornu cited numbers from recent years, noting that humanitarian pledges are usually at least partially met. “This shows that people do care about Somalia, [whether it’s] the donor community, member states, or Somalis,” she said. “The key challenge… is to sustain attention” to the response.

The OCHA official also said that as challenges in the country change, so does the humanitarian effort. She recalled a recent episode in which helicopters had to rush assistance goods to an area that had only recently opened up, drawing some criticism for possibly violating humanitarian standards.

“We [knew] that the 30,000 children there [had] not been assisted; you know that they haven’t received polio vaccinations, so why wait and count them?” she said. “We found creative ways of delivering aid in Somalia without breaching or disrespecting our principles.”

But as humanitarian assistance adjusts, it needs to do so within certain boundaries, Mr. Lazzarini said. He mentioned the increasingly larger role played by NGOs and private actors, which are becoming more active when it comes to humanitarian assistance in Somalia, but sometimes pose problems of coordination. This is not a negative development in itself, he said, but it needs to be assessed cautiously.

“We have to make sure that the shift from agency-funded programs to international NGOs is based only on efficiency,” he warned, “and not on the fact that donors or member states do not want to cover some of the costs related to the safety of staff.”

Mr. Lazzarini and Ms. Wosornu also discussed the role played by African Union forces in stabilizing Somalia as well as the effects of regional conflicts on humanitarian delivery in the country.

The conversation was moderated by IPI Senior Adviser John Hirsch.

Watch event:

Az Afrikát figyelők, sorsáért aggódók az elmúlt időszakban ismét növekvő aggodalommal fordulhattak a kontinens felé, hiszen egyre-másra feszült gócpontok ütik fel fejüket különböző országokban – Togóban, Burundiban, Mozambikban vagy éppen a Dél-afrikai Köztársaságban, bár a mai posztban egy olyan országról lesz szó, ahol mondjuk Burundihoz hasonló módon eléggé várható volt a társadalmi-politikai helyzet ilyen alakulása. Guineáról van szó, ahol az elmúlt hetek véres erőszakba torkolló tüntetései bizonyítják a Mindennapiafrikán korábban már feszegetett alaptézist, azaz kommunikáció nélkül a kormányzat bukásra, az ország pedig belső feszültségekből fakadó erőszakra van ítélve.

Legutóbb tegnapelőtt (május 4.) vonult az utcára szerte az országban az ellenzék, hogy a helyi választások megtartását követelje a sokadik alkalommal elhalasztott elnökválasztás előtt, amely papíron valamikor októberben kerül majd megrendezésre. A főként a fővárost, Conakryt megbénítő megmozdulás során a főként fiatal elégedetlenkedők több városnegyedben összecsaptak a rendőrökkel, a város gazdasági élete pedig teljesen megbénult, még a híres Madina-piac is egész nap zárva volt. Az ellenzék követelései alapvetően egyszerűek, a nemzetközi közösség segítségével mielőbb le kell bonyolítani a helyi voksolást és ezt mindenképpen az elnökválasztás előtt kell megtenni, ellenkező esetben ugyanis arra számítanak az ellenzékiek, hogy a különleges kormánymegbízottak az önkormányzatokban befolyásolhatják az elnöki voksolás végkimenetelét. Az ellenzék szerint a technikai feltételek is adottak ehhez, bár ezt a kormányzat cáfolja.

Az április végén tartott hasonló megmozdulások egyébként a mostaninál is erőszakosabbra sikerültek, akkor Labéban meg is halt egy ember, akit szemtanúk szerint a rendőrökök gumibotokkal vertek halálra, de érkeztek jelentések éles lőszerrel meglőtt felvonulókról is. Az Alpha Condé vezette kormány kitart korábbi elképzelése mellett a választások megtartását illetően, rámutatva, hogy az időpontokat a független választási bizottság határozta meg, amelyben egyenlő arányban képviselteti magát az ellenzék és a kormány is. Valószínűsíthető azonban, hogy a mostani, a helyi választások okán tetőző feszültség csak az utolsó csepp volt a pohárban, hiszen jelentős feszültségeket gerjesztenek Guineában az Ebola-járványhoz kapcsolódó vádaskodások, a katonaság és rendőrség soraiban fejét felütő elégedetlenség, a feléjük irányuló gyűlölet és az etnikai ellentétek is.

Alpha Condé 2010-es elnökké választása óta (ami szintén elég vitatott volt) folyamatosan erőszakos események jellemzik a guineai politikai életet, a 2013. szeptemberében tartott választások előtt több tucatnyian meghaltak a mostanihoz hasonló tüntetések és összecsapások során, de úgy tűnik a választási bizottság bejelentése, miszerint csak 2016. márciusában, már az elnökválasztás után lesznek helyi voksolások, elviselhetetlen gondolatnak tűnik a lakosság jelentős része számára – akiket egyébként az ellenzéki pártok igyekeznek aktivizálni, azok a pártok, amelyeket ráadásul a kormány nem is próbál meg párbeszéddel nyugalomra bírni. Amúgy a kormány nem jár el helytelenül hivatalosan, hiszen az ország alkotmánya szerint ha két választás ugyanarra az időpontra esik, akkor a “fontosabbat, erősebbet” kell előbb megtartani – az ellenzék viszont tart attól, hogy az önkormányzati különleges megbízottak befolyásolni fogják az elnökválasztás kimenetelét.

Az ellenzéki Egyesült Köztársasági Erők pártjának elnöke, Sidya Touré kijelentette, semmiféle egyezkedésre nem hajlandóak, amíg nem lesz változás a választási naptárban, folyamatosan az utcán lesznek híveik (bár hallani olyan ígéreteket is az elmúlt órákból, hogy mégis lesz valamiféle tárgyalás a felek között). Ami biztató, hogy a legutóbbi tüntetés sem volt igazából annyira hatalmas, mint azt előzetesen gondolták sokan, érezhető, hogy a guineai emberek nagyobb része már belefáradt az erőszakba és inkább békét, nyugalmat szeretne – látható volt, hogy főként munkanélküli, frusztrált fiatalok ugráltak a barikádokon és gyújtogattak gumikat. És persze ahogy mindig lenni szokott, azok járnak a legrosszabbul, akik csak élni szeretnének, hiszen az iskolákat az Ebola-járvány utáni megnyitás után ismét be kellett zárni, a boltok sem nyithattak ki, tehát a politikai szembenállás és patthelyzet senkinek sem jó.

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5 ember kedveli ezt a posztot.Tetszett az írás.Tetszett az írás.

A lively debate on the proposal for “reformed system” to resolve disputes between foreign investors and states in the Transatlantic Trade and investment partnership (TTIP) deal, currently being negotiated between the EU and the United states, took place between Trade Committee MEPs and EU Trade Commissioner Malmström on Wednesday afternoon.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

A lively debate on the proposal for “reformed system” to resolve disputes between foreign investors and states in the Transatlantic Trade and investment partnership (TTIP) deal, currently being negotiated between the EU and the United states, took place between Trade Committee MEPs and EU Trade Commissioner Malmström on Wednesday afternoon.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

A lively debate on the proposal for “reformed system” to resolve disputes between foreign investors and states in the Transatlantic Trade and investment partnership (TTIP) deal, currently being negotiated between the EU and the United states, took place between Trade Committee MEPs and EU Trade Commissioner Malmström on Wednesday afternoon.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

As global negotiations fail on emissions reductions, scientific advisers need to resist pressure to...

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On May 6-7, the International Peace Institute organized the 45th annual Vienna Seminar. The conference debated the fitness of the United Nations at 70 and discussed ways to enhance multilateralism and attracted over one hundred diplomats, military officers, representatives of inter-governmental organizations, students, academics, journalists and representatives of civil society who took part in six sessions on a wide range of topics connected to the theme of how to make the UN more “fit for purpose.”

The seminar began by highlighting that the UN was established in a different era, one that was facing a different set of challenges than exist today. Furthermore, the number of member states has almost quadrupled since 1945, creating greater diversity and complexity. Another major difference is that in the past, most threats to international peace and security came from states, whereas today many challenges stem from non-state actors, transnational networks, or flows (such as money, people, diseases, cybercrime) that do not respect borders.

A wide range of threats and challenges were highlighted, including pandemics, inequality, urbanization, climate change, resource depletion, forced migration, terrorism and organized crime. It was observed that successfully meeting these complex and often inter-related challenges requires states to work together. “There is no alternative to multilateralism,” said one participant.

At the same time, it was noted that the international system–particularly the UN–has not been able to adapt fast enough to the changes brought about by globalization. Nor has it been able to bring peace to a number of countries including Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Ways were discussed on how to improve global governance, humanitarian responses to crises, and peacekeeping.

Concerning health and humanitarian issues, it was observed that it is essential to break down silos, improve coordination, and focus on long-term structural reforms that strengthen national capacity and resilience rather than focusing mostly on short-term, international crisis responses.

It was stressed that issues should not be looked at in isolation. Examples given included the link between weak governance and poor health care (as in the case of Ebola) or the nexus between energy, water and food security.

There was a lively discussion on the risk posed by radicalized youth, and by the Islamic State (also know as Daesh), and why young people join such extremist movements.

The tragedy of forced displacement was a particularly hot topic of debate. According to the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, there are now a record-high number of some 52 million refugees worldwide, many of them children living in refugee camps. A warning was given that if their needs are not addressed soon, they will be a lost generation. The specific problem of dealing more effectively with forced displacement across the Mediterranean was also discussed.

A session was devoted to the topic of conflict prevention and crisis management. It was noted that despite the fact that the UN was established, as it says in the charter, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” insufficient attention and resources are devoted to preventing and preparing for crises. The precedent of the UN Preventive Development Force (UNPREDEP) was recalled, and a plea was made for more preventive deployments.

Peacekeeping–a traditional theme of IPI Vienna Seminars–was debated, with a particular focus on how to deal with armed non-state actors, how to make more effective use of technology, the strengths and weaknesses of hybrid missions, as well as the legitimate and appropriate use of force.

Institutional change was also discussed. One participant suggested that Security Council reform should be approached in a more radical way, namely to create regional Security Councils. Another, from the Elders, suggested a more transparent and representative method for choosing future Secretaries-General. Several participants cautioned that it will be hard to enhance multilateralism at a time of serious geo-political rivalries, for example in relation to the Middle East, South China Sea, and Ukraine.

It was also stressed that the United Nations tends to be reactive and that more needs to be done to anticipate and adapt to change.

Some participants cautioned that perhaps we expect too much from the UN. It was also pointed out that there is a serious mismatch between the increased tasks that the UN is expected to carry out, and the pressures for zero growth by some member states.

Carrying on a 45-year tradition, the meeting was co-hosted by IPI together with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence and Sports. In addition to marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, this year is also the 60th anniversary of Austria’s active engagement in the UN. The seminar took place in the historic Marble Hall of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Integration, Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Watch the high-level panel, “Is the UN Fit for Purpose?”:

Related coverage:
The U.N. at 70: Is It Still Fit for the Purpose? (Inter Press Service, May 14, 2015)