New World Spring 2008.Pdf

news and comment on the United nations and UnA-UK Spring 2008 | £3.00 NE W WORLD

SHIRLEY WILLIAMS on the new push to rid the world of nuclear weapons The Beginning of The end?

AND Foreign Secretary David Miliband speaks to YPN page 27

The global food crisis page 9

Join the debate on climate change page 2

Combat child The US-Un The right to trafﬁcking relationship water

page 16 page 10 page 14

PLUS groundbreaking disability treaty page 5 The responsibility to protect page 7 oil-for-food page 10 Parliament and the Un page 18 david hannay’s new book page 20 UnA-UK 63rd Annual Conference page 22 new Youth Council page 30

UNA-UK UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF THE UK | 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL | www.una.org.uk UNA-UK What is the role of the United Nations in finding solutions to climate change and building CLIMATE CHANGE resilience to its impacts? CONFERENCE SERIES Is the UK government doing enough to build 2008-09 a low-carbon economy?

What can you do as an individual ?

An upcoming series of one-day conferences on climate change, to be held by UNA-UK in 2008-2009 in different cities around the UK, will be tackling these questions. The first conference of the series will be held in Birmingham on Saturday, 7 June 2008. The second will be held in Belfast on Thursday, 6 November 2008. Two further events are being planned for the autumn of 2008 and early 2009 – one in Wales and the other in Scotland.

These one-day conferences are free and open to all, subject to capacity. You can register for the Birmingham and Belfast conferences by signing up at www.una.org.uk/climate, calling 020 7766 3448, or writing to Climate Change, UNA-UK, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL.

UNA-UK has produced a set of briefings to complement the conference series. These background papers, written by climate change expert Alex Evans, cover these topics:

Climate change: an introduction International climate change architecture UK climate change policy How climate links to other issues UNA-UK What individuals can do

The briefings are available to download at www.una.org.uk/climate. UNA-UK is grateful to the Foreign & Commonwealth To order hard copies, e-mail [email protected], call 020 7766 3448, Office for its financial support for this initiative. or write to Climate Change, UNA-UK, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL. Contents Turkish Cypriot area NEW WORLD NICOSIA

Greek Cypriot DIRECTORY 4 area Letter from the Editor Welcome to Rich Nelmes 4 Cyprus A final Can we rid the world of nuclear weapons? Yes, according to UN MISCELLANY 5 opportunity to the American foreign policy heavyweights who form the so- heal one of the called Hoover Group. Including the likes of Henry Kissinger, DISPATCHES last open wounds the group has proposed concrete steps for revitalising multi - Cyprus: Once more into the breach 6 in Europe lateral nuclear disarmament. In this issue’s Essay, Shirley David Hannay Williams calls on political leaders to give the Hoover Group The United Nations tackles the 7 their full support, arguing that ‘the potential benefit to hu - responsibility to protect manity…is without comparison’. Ed Luck p.6 High food prices, which are threatening to push up the How to respond to soaring 9 number of hungry people worldwide, have featured promi - food prices nently in recent headlines. In Dispatches Jacques Diouf, the Jacques Diouf head of the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization, explains the origins of the crisis and says how the international com - UPDATES munity should respond. Oil-for-Food 10 Over a million children are victims of trafficking each year. The US-UN relationship 10 Oil-for-Food One way you can support action to protect them is to ask Now that the dust your MP to sign EDM 172 on child victims of trafficking. ESSAY has settled, the See pages 16-17 for more information. Resurrecting Reykjavik: a new 12 culprits become evident opportunity for nuclear disarmament and Veronica Lie, Editor non-proliferation Shirley Williams

From the archive – 26 years ago BRIEFING p.10 Access to clean water and 14 sanitation: cutting across development, human rights and security Mark Rusling

DO SOMETHING No more Child victims of trafficking 16 nukes? Shirley Williams revisits Reykjavik PARLIAMENT 18 and explores new opportunities for RESOURCES disarmament Books 19 The UN online 20

LETTERS 21 p.12

UNA-UK UNA-UK 63rd Annual Conference 22 Listings 24 Bruce Robertson retires 26 The membership at work 26 ‘Struck YPN 27 by their David Miliband addresses YPN 27 idealism . . .” – The Foreign and blogs about it Secretary blogs The YPN interview: Dr Cathy 28 about the Young Gorman-Heenan Professionals Network UNYSA 30 From New World , November/December 1982 Your new Youth Council 30 p.27 UNYSA 2008 Annual Conference 31

Contents | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 3 UNA-UK A warm welcome to Rich Nelmes, UNA-UK’s new Membership & Fundraising 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL www.una.org.uk Administration Officer

EXECUTIVE OFFICE We are delighted to an - Executive Director nounce that Rich Nelmes Sam Daws 020 7766 3457 has been appointed to this [email protected] crucial position at UNA-UK. He brings with him prodi - Executive Assistant gious experience in member - Natalie Samarasinghe 020 7766 3457 ship support, administration [email protected] and development, having worked as Senior Membership MEMBERSHIP & FINANCE Officer at the Evangelical Finance Manager Ajay Vasa Alliance, and Membership 020 7766 3454 Development Manager at the [email protected] Institute of Advanced Motorists. In his previous posts, Rich played a key Membership & Fundraising Administration Officer role in streamlining procedures and in Rich Nelmes 020 7766 3456 developing and implementing strate - [email protected] gies to increase membership. As UNA-UK Membership & POLICY & ADVOCACY Fundraising Adminstration Officer, Rich will be given ambitious growth and rev - Deputy Executive Director (Head of Policy & Advocacy) Veronica Lie enue targets. He has also been tasked with overseeing the upgrade of the or - 020 7766 3451 ganisation’s database and professionalising our membership administration sys - [email protected] tems. Rich is excited about taking on these challenges: ‘I look forward to support - Campaigns & Education Officer Mark Rusling ing the UNA-UK Board of Directors’ new strategic approach to developing 020 7766 3459 UNA-UK’s membership and supporter base.’ [email protected]

John Bright Peace & Security Programme Officer Tim Kellow Join us . . . 020 7766 3446 [email protected] The United Nations Association of the UK (UNA-UK) is the UK's leading independent Communications Interns policy authority on the UN and a UK-wide grassroots membership organisation cam - Cynthia Park paigning for a strong, credible and effective United Nations. 020 7766 3467 [email protected] Every member of UNA-UK receives a free subscription to New World, containing John Phillips news and comment on the UN. By joining you will also be invited to take part in 020 7766 3459 campaigns and to attend conferences, seminars and other events. [email protected]

This issue of New World is printed using vegetable- UNA Wales | CCU Cymru based inks on 80 per cent recycled chlorine- and acid- free paper from sustainable sources. The Temple of Peace/Y Deml Heddwch Cathays Park/Parc Cathays, Cardiff/Caerdydd CF10 3AP When you are done with the magazine, please www.wcia.org.uk/unawales recycle it or, better yet, pass it on to a friend.

OFFICERS/SWYDDOGION Secretary/Ysgrifennydd New World is published by To advertise please call Subscription: UNA-UK Veronica Lie on 020 7766 3451 Copies of New World are Stephen Thomas 3 Whitehall Court included in the membership 02920 228 549 London SW1A 2EL The deadline for submission fee for UNA-UK www.una.org.uk of material for the next issue [email protected] of New World is noon on The United Nations Editor: 2 June 2008 Association of Great Britain Veronica Lie, [email protected] and Northern Ireland is a Assistant Secretary/Ysgritennydd Cynorthwyol The next issue will cover the company limited by Tamara Gervasoni Research, drafting period 1 July to guarantee (registered and copy-editing: 30 September 2008 no. 2885557) 02920 821 057 Tim Kellow [email protected] Cynthia Park All submissions should be typed Designed by John Phillips and sent by e-mail where possible SoapBox Mark Rusling to [email protected]. Photos should www.soapboxcommunications.co.uk Natalie Samarasinghe ideally be 300 dpi resolution 020 7766 3462

4 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | UnA-UK To help find short- and longer-term solu - The UN to stay put in Kosovo tions to this crisis, a global task force is being after all set up under UN auspices. To be chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the As expected, Kosovo declared its independ - group will also include the heads of key UN ence from Serbia in early 2008, on 17 agencies and the World Bank. February. Serbia reacted by rejecting the The use of agricultural land to produce declaration and denouncing the US, which biofuels is among the factors pushing up had promptly recognised the region’s inde - prices. In 2007, a fifth of the US’s corn crop pendence, for helping to create a ‘false state’. was used to produce biofuels; the EU is Russia, Serbia’s Security Council ally, called planning to source 10 per cent of its petrol for the UN to proclaim the declaration ille - and diesel from biofuels by 2020. British gal. Violence erupted in Serb areas of Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged Kosovo; one UN police officer was killed. to examine the impact of biofuel production The UN’s planned hand-over to a on food prices, and if necessary push for a Kosovo government under the supervision change in EU policy. of an EU mission now looks in doubt. The EU deployment, condemned by Kosovo UN human rights regime Serbs and Belgrade to be illegal, could be UN Miscellany strengthened by new treaty delayed or hampered by an unclear man - date, which could undermine Kosovo’s sta - The UN Convention on the Rights of bility. The head of the UN Mission in Persons with Disabilities entered into force Kosovo (UNMIK), Joachim Rücker, has Gaza situation ‘at worst point on 3 May, one month after Ecuador became said that he expects UNMIK to stay and since 1967’ the 20th country to ratify it. It fills an im - that the UN mission and the EU deploy - portant protection gap in human rights legis - ment would need to work together to In a report published in March, a coalition lation and affects an estimated 650 million avoid duplication. Mr Rücker stated, ‘As of UK-based NGOs said that the Israeli people – about 10 per cent of the global long as [UN Security Council] resolution blockade of Gaza had created the worst hu - population. 1244 is in place, we will always have a UN manitarian crisis in the Strip since it was first The convention affirms for disabled per - responsibility for Kosovo.’ occupied in 1967. The report argued that sons the right to education, health, work, ad - the restrictions had both failed to increase equate living conditions, freedom of move - Scant progress in Darfur as Israel’s security and precipitated a humanitar - ment, freedom from exploitation, and equal civilians continue to die ian disaster for 1,500,000 Palestinians. recognition before the law. The convention Eighty per cent of families in Gaza rely also features an optional protocol allowing In April, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed on humanitarian assistance. Three quar - for the right to individual petition. Salim, respectively the UN and AU envoys ters of the population are recipients of The UK signed the convention on 30 to Darfur, met with Sudanese government food aid. Unemployment is close to 40 March 2007 but has delayed ratification. officials as well as members of rebel move - per cent, and most businesses have shut According to the Office for Disability Issues, ments which had refused to sign previous down. Household monthly incomes are the UK will ratify when ‘[its] laws, policies, peace accords. The envoys emphasised that shrinking as food prices rise. Almost 2,000 practices and procedures are compatible with reducing violence was a prerequisite for children have dropped out of school this the convention's obligations either as they achieving any political progess. The visit academic year. Hospitals lack power for stand or as modified (so far as is possible) by followed the agreement of a non-aggression 8-12 hours per day. any reservations which the UK makes’. pact between the governments of Chad UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Sudan that is viewed as a crucial step chaired a meeting of the Quartet in London Louise Arbour to step down as towards achieving a durable solution. at the beginning of May. The objective of human rights chief The joint AU-UN peacekeeping mission the meeting was to assess progress made in (UNAMID) is seriously under-staffed; the Middle East peace process since negotia - Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner comprising only 10,600 personnel, it is at tions were launched at Annapolis in for Human Rights, has announced that she less than half its target strength of 26,000. November 2007. will not seek a second term when her man - The mission is also being held back by the date expires at the end of June 2008. international community's failure to supply UN sets up task force Arbour, who was previously Chief helicopters and other vital equipment. on food crisis Prosecutor for the International Criminal Speaking to the UN Security Council in Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and April, John Holmes, the UN’s humanitarian Over the last year the average price of food Rwanda, has held the position since 2004. coordinator, warned that the number of peo - has shot up by 56 per cent, with wheat rising Ms Arbour cited personal reasons for step - ple who have died as a result of the conflict by 92 per cent and rice – the staple of half ping down and denied claims that she was in Darfur could be 50 per cent higher than the world – by 96 per cent. This sharp esca - quitting because of tensions with certain previously thought. Mr Holmes said that vi - lation, according to the World Food countries. ‘It would be surprising or olence, disease and malnutrition may have Programme, is threatening to add another unimaginable to do this work for four years claimed up to 300,000 lives. He stressed 100 million to the number of hungry people and to depart with unanimous accolades,’ that the revised figure was an extrapolation around the world. Food riots have occurred she said. ‘You would have to wonder about from earlier estimates, and was not based on in Haiti, Egypt and elsewhere. the quality of work.’ new research.

Un Miscellany | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 5 dispatches

has ever been agreed. So some caution needs As to the negotia - to be mixed with the enthusiasm expressed tions themselves, they should not be by the international community at recent rushed. Artificial deadlines have not developments. No one has ever yet lost worked in the past, and will not do so now. money by betting against the prospect of a Linking transitional elements of any settle - Cyprus settlement. ment – for instance the withdrawal of the One thing is sure. The UN has to be at last Turkish troops from the island – to the Cyprus: Once more the centre of any new negotiating effort. date of Turkey’s own accession to the EU There is simply no alternative. The parties could prove sensible. Looking for ways in into the breach themselves need a facilitator, a midwife, if which unpalatable aspects of earlier solutions they are to succeed. The European Union, could be sweetened for one side without with Greece and Cyprus already members, damaging the other is essential; the zero-sum cannot play that role, although it needs to mentality throughout the island needs to be be part of the negotiations, to help ease the an early casualty. And the unremitting mega - david hannay path of the Turkish Cypriots into the EU phone diplomacy which has accompanied and to provide the financial underpinning every previous negotiating round should be for a settlement. avoided. Both peoples need to be prepared The Cyprus problem, one of the for a compromise settlement, not fed a rich long est-running international disputes on diet of unrealisable aspirations. the UN’s agenda and the source of endless ‘This could be the Above all, everyone concerned needs to frustration to a succession of Secretaries- final realistic be aware that this could be the final realistic General and Special Representatives, has opportunity to heal one of the last open suddenly awoken like Sleeping Beauty, opportunity to heal wounds in Europe, not just the one in from a four-year slumber. one of the last open Cyprus itself, but between Greece and In the first round of the recent presiden - Turkey too. A Cyprus settlement is a politi - tial election, two thirds of Greek Cypriots wounds in Europe’ cal, if not a legal, necessity for Turkey’s EU voted for candidates who promised to re - accession; but Turkey’s accession is a neces - sume the negotiations for the reunification Other outsiders need to stand farther sity for a Cyprus settlement. There is a lot of the island, and rejected the incumbent back than they have done from earlier at - riding on this negotiation. president, Tassos Papadopoulos, who they tempts at negotiation, leaving more space knew from past experience would never do for the Cypriots to take possession of what - anything about it. Since then the new presi - ever emerges from the latest round. But Lord Hannay of Chiswick was the British dent, Dimitris Christofias, has met with his those outsiders will need to be there, hope - Special Representative for Cyprus from Turkish Cypriot opposite number, Mehmet fully this time unified in their support for 1996 to 2003. He is the author of Ali Talat, and agreed to resume the search the UN and ready to provide a Security Cyprus: The Search for a Solution for a settlement. They have also opened up Council guarantee of a settlement, the lack the Ledra street crossing point in the old of which, thanks to a city of Nicosia, thus removing one of the Russian veto, was a most blatant vestiges of the separation of key element in the the two communities. 2004 debacle. It is easy enough, of course, to give a cyni - cal shrug and say ‘What’s new?’. There have been plenty of false dawns before, which Turkish Cypriot have led to dead-ends at the negotiating area table, or to rejection at the ballot box – most recently in 2004 when three quarters of NICOSIA Greek Cypriots voted to reject the Annan Plan, which proposed a federal Cypriot state. The two sides distrust each other profoundly Greek Cypriot and haggle over the smallest detail. Public area support for a settlement, judging by recent opinion polling, has waned. It is more than 30 years since Archbishop Makarios and Rauf Denktaş committed themselves to the UN Buffer Zone basis of forming a bi-communal, bi-zonal UK Base federation, and no single detail of that plan

6 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | dispatches consistent voice for operationalising the how the UN’s diverse efforts on the responsibility to protect. He under - ground could be better integrated and stands that it would be neither morally directed. acceptable nor sound public policy to be R2P prevention and protection efforts The United Nations left with the stark choice of looking rest on four pillars, each with their own tackles the away or intervening militarily in the face political and policy challenges: 1) capaci - of imminent or unfolding atrocities. He ty-building and rebuilding torn societies; responsibility recognises, as well, the need to develop a 2) early warning and assessment; 3) wide range of tools to enhance preven - rapid response, often combining civilian to protect tion and protection. The UN’s first goal and military elements; and 4) collabora - should be to help states to succeed, not tion with regional and sub-regional just to respond to failures of their will or arrangements. R2P capacity-building is capacity. likely to be politically easy, but intellec - This will not, of course, be a simple tually difficult for the reasons noted ed Luck task. Conditions vary from place to above; early warning and assessment place, and predicting how societies will quite the opposite. The UN has far respond to stress – most recently in more information assets in the field – At the 2005 UN World Summit, the Kenya – has been far more an uncertain human rights, humanitarian, peacekeep - largest ever gathering of world leaders art than a science. ing, and political – and in more places did something quite remarkable. They than ever before. What the organisation acknowledged that each ‘state has the re - has had great trouble doing, however, for sponsibility to protect its populations ‘R2P cannot protect both political and bureaucratic reasons, from genocide, war crimes, ethnic is bringing these diverse strands of infor - cleansing and crimes against humanity’, peoples from all of mation together in a cross-cutting under - and they pledged to prevent such the world’s ills. But standing of the patterns developing with - crimes, including their incitement. in complex societies. Beyond this largely Second, in an innovative step, they un - if we can keep its Secretariat function, rapid response may, derlined the international community’s scope focused on the in extreme cases, entail Security Council responsibility to assist states in meeting four crimes and authorisation of coercive military inter - these fundamental obligations. And vention under Chapter VII of the UN third, should a state manifestly fail in violations addressed Charter. Far more often, however, it is these obligations, they underscored their by the Summit – likely to involve earlier and less divisive readiness to take collective action, under civilian-led action under Chapters VI or the UN Charter, to help protect popula - genocide, war VIII. For example, investigations by the tions from these four crimes. crimes, ethnic Security Council under Article 34 need Some critics, noting that these protec - not be restricted to situations posing a tion obligations are well-anchored in ex - cleansing, and direct threat to international peace and isting international humanitarian and crimes against security. Finally, the UN works best human rights law, have questioned humanity – then its when it can enlist local partners, whether whether the responsibility to protect – in Africa, Asia, Central America, or the or ‘R2P’ – qualifies as a historic break - grand words could Balkans. Given the sensitivities and di - through. But the universal commitment indeed assume versity of R2P situations, this fourth pil - to these standards at the highest levels, lar could prove indispensable as the prin - including by many countries that are historic proportions ’ ciple moves from promise to practice. not states parties to the relevant conven - This is an ambitious and deep agenda, tions, offers stunning testimony to their with historic aspirations. Those advo - political power, as well as to their world - Researchers tell us, however, that the cates who seek to apply R2P to a much wide public appeal. The third set of global incidence of genocide has wider set of policy challenges are doing commitments, on the collective response dropped markedly over the past two the concept and its potential a great dis - Turkish Cypriot to cases of manifest failure by states to decades, despite the persistence of mass service. R2P cannot protect peoples area protect their populations, has generated violence against civilians, particularly from all of the world’s ills. But if we much of the public commentary, as well women and children, in Darfur and can keep its scope focused on the four NICOSIA as understandable trepidations in some elsewhere. It appears that the collabora - crimes and violations addressed by the capitals. Yet it may well be in the often tive efforts of the UN, regional and sub- Summit – genocide, war crimes, ethnic overlooked second set of commitments, regional organisations, donors, neigh - cleansing, and crimes against humanity Greek Cypriot on international assistance to states seek - bours and civil society to heal and re - – then its grand words could indeed as - area ing to avoid stumbling down the path to build troubled societies, to prevent and sume historic proportions. domestic upheaval and mass atrocities, mediate conflict, and to promote sus - that the UN will have the most to con - tainable development are making a dif - tribute to the realisation of R2P princi - ference in many places. So, in several Dr Edward C. Luck is Special Adviser to UN Buffer Zone ples on the ground. ways, operationalising R2P will entail the UN Secretary-General on the UK Base UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon building on strands of ongoing work, Responsibility to Protect. has emerged as the strongest and most while providing a fresh lens for seeing

dispatches | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 7

port supplies, and increased demand in deficit countries. Private food importers emerging economies. are sometimes unable to secure adequate Unusual climate has played a role in trade financing because of credit ceilings hampering food production. Last year, and the perception of high risk. unfavourable weather hit major food Fourth, strengthen safety nets for the crops in several key exporting countries, poor and the most vulnerable people. such as Australia and Ukraine. Examples are conditional and uncondi - How to respond to Rising petroleum and gas prices are tional cash transfers, nutrition pro - pushing up the costs of fertiliser and grammes such as school meals, and assis - soaring food prices freight, and encouraging more and more tance for special vulnerable groups. agricultural land to be planted for biofu - Such schemes need to be intensified to els, not food. The decline in the value of stop hunger and poverty from worsen - the US dollar, the currency used in the ing. international trade of most commodities, Fifth, complement these initiatives by Jacques diouf relative to most other major currencies reviewing measures that were put in has prompted many producers to increase place to deal with low commodity prices to make up for exchange losses. prices. Policies will need to be revisited Soaring food prices are threatening Growing demand from more affluent to address the new economic situation, to increase the number of hungry people people in rapidly developing Asian coun - in which so much agricultural land is in the world, at 862 million an already tries is also a factor. A continuation of being used for non-food purposes. unacceptably high figure. According to this trend, plus unknown future impacts These steps are prerequisites for deal - the UN Food and Agriculture of global warming, has potentially grave ing with soaring food prices. But the ef - Organization (FAO), the Food Price implications for global food security. fects of climate change, the increased Index shot up by 47 per cent during the Paradoxically, rising food prices offer use of food commodities to produce year ending in January 2008. This steep the best hope for increasing food produc - biofuels, and the clearing of precious increase threatens the world’s most vul - tion. However, for that to happen where forests for new farmland present murki - nerable people with the spectre of hunger it is most needed – in the poorest devel - er problems – ones which require urgent and malnutrition. It also threatens the oping countries – fundamental economic scientific and economic consideration. rest of us. High food prices eat away at and trade choices, including more invest - The FAO will host a ‘High-level our living standards in a world already ment in agriculture and rural infrastruc - Conference on World Food Security and reeling from economic uncertainty. tures, will need to be made. the Challenges of Climate Change and The FAO has been warning about Developed countries will have to do Bioenergy’ from 3 to 5 June this year, to these threats since June 2007. Now, fol - more to reduce distorting agricultural determine the likely impacts of these lowing growing civil disturbances caused subsidies, so that poor farmers in the de - factors on agriculture, and to identify by high food prices, the issue has finally veloping world can trade on a level play - ways of meeting any threats to food se - bubbled to the top of the global agenda. ing field. Developing countries will need curity. By nature, I am an optimist. I want to to remove institutional and financial con - Even with bold action, high food stress that there are actions we can take to straints that limit production and private prices and market volatility could be - stop food prices from further endanger - investment in the agriculture sector. come more the norm than an exception ing the lives of the world’s poorest peo - There are five immediate steps the as the global population swells: it is pro - ple. But we must act now if we are to FAO believes should be part of an inte - jected to reach 9 billion by 2050 – a 50 reach the shared objective of the World grated and comprehensive response to ris - per cent increase in the number of peo - Food Summit and the first Millennium ing food prices: ple to feed. The FAO is dedicated to Development Goal: to cut hunger by half First, translate higher prices into in - finding ways to prevent high food prices by the year 2015. creased agricultural productivity and pro - from increasing the number of hungry Sustainable growth and investment in duction, through better access to inputs people in the world, thus keeping alive agriculture is critical for hunger reduc - and improved services, new technologies the hope that we can fulfil the promises tion. Some 70 per cent of the poor in de - and rural infrastructures. Government of the World Food Summit and the veloping countries live in rural areas and policies should support the development of Millennium Development Goals. depend in one way or another on agricul - knowledge and human capital and should ture for their livelihoods. So, if we want be favourable to private investment. to reduce poverty and accelerate develop - Second, improve farm-to-market infra - Dr Jacques Diouf is Director-General of the ment, we must first reduce hunger and structure, marketing services and regula - United Nations Food and Agriculture improve the nutrition of poor rural peo - tions, and agricultural institutions. Such Organization (FAO). ple. Hunger is a consequence and a cause measures would increase farmers’ incen - of poverty. It negatively affects health, tives to produce, while simultaneously in - labour productivity and investment creasing opportunities to access new mar - The FAO, with 191 member states, one choices, thus perpetuating poverty across kets. member organisation and one associate generations. Third, facilitate financing of food im - member, aims to raise levels of nutrition, International prices for basic staples – ports to poor countries. International fi - improve agricultural productivity, better like wheat, maize and rice – have all risen nancing and guarantee mechanisms could the lives of rural populations and con - tribute to the growth of the world to near record levels for several reasons, help address this problem and the bal - economy: www.fao.org including depleted world stocks, tight ex - ance of payments of low-income food-

dispatches | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 9 Updates current issues in the spotlight

Oil-for-Food Who dunnit? Now that the dust has settled, the culprits become evident

much vitriol, particularly in the US. One Most countries – including Russia, which American senator described the scheme as profited significantly from the oil deals – t n

e the ‘biggest financial scandal ever’. have ignored the findings. m n r

e An independent investigation was In a handful of countries – the US, v o G

l launched. Headed by Paul Volcker, the France, Australia, the UK, Germany and a r e d

e former Chairman of the US Federal Switzerland – investigations are underway. F

S U Reserve, the inquiry panel found that Many of the companies named in the re - ©

o t

o 2,253 firms had made illegal payments to port are household names: Chevron in the h P the Iraqi regime totalling $1.8 billion – less US, Total in France and GlaxoSmithKline The UN Oil-for-Food Programme than 2 per cent of the $100 billion in oil and AstraZeneca in the UK. Chevron has was set up by the Security Council in April sales and humanitarian purchases which agreed to forfeit $30 million in restitution. 1995 to provide humanitarian assistance took place under the programme. Individuals to be charged include business - to the Iraqi people, under duress from in - Mr Volcker and his colleagues identified men, lobbyists, a former French ambassa - ternational sanctions imposed against the serious lapses in UN management, but did dor to the UN and the former head of the Saddam Hussein regime. The programme not uncover the rampant corruption al - French foreign ministry. The seven people funded $31 billion worth of humanitarian leged by some. Only two UN officials have convicted worldwide were all prosecuted supplies and equipment between 1997 been convicted of oil-for-food offences: in the US. and 2003, and succeeded in halving mal - Benon Sevan, who ran the programme The Oil-for-Food Programme was not nutrition rates among children under five and is hiding out in his native Cyrpus; and a crime perpetrated by the UN; if any - between 1996 and 2002. Alexander Yakolev, a UN procurement of - thing, it was a crime of fraud against the However, the programme also gave the ficial who is awaiting sentence in the US. UN. Indeed, as The Economist has argued, Iraqi regime and others the opportunity to Very few of the countries, firms and in - ‘the real culprits at the UN were not its of - enrich themselves through manipulating dividuals exposed by the Volcker report ficials but the Security Council, whose five the supervised sale of oil. The UN’s repu - have been prosecuted. Of the 52 countries permanent members invented a scheme tation suffered, and Kofi Annan, then named, only 28 have asked to consult the that was wide open to abuse but who Secretary-General, became the target of documents assembled by the investigation. failed to impose the necessary safeguards’.

The US-UN relationship The next chapter All three presidential candidates offer hope for multilaterlism

The Democratic candidates, Barack body’s ‘universal-membership system’, Obama and Hillary Clinton, both empha - Mr McCain propounds a worldwide sise the dangers of overstretch in UN ‘League of Democracies’, composed of peacekeeping operations, as well as the ‘like-minded nations working together o t

o need to open UN decision-making bodies for peace and liberty’. He explains that h P k

c to newly emerging powers such as India. this ‘would not supplant the UN … o t S i

o t o

h the reputation of the UN and the interna - Whereas Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton P tional human rights regime by a Human stress the need for sanctions against The relationship of the UN with the Rights Council which focuses dispropor - Iran to be agreed by the UN Security Bush administration has been rocky. The tionately on Israel in the face of large-scale Council, Mr McCain argues that the failure to get UN endorsement for the abuses such as in Darfur. But Mr Obama US should go it alone on sanctions war in Iraq prompted Americans to look and Mrs Clinton agree about the need for should the UN prove ‘unwilling to act’. elsewhere for foreign policy tools, and an effective UN, and support constructive The Democratic candidates’ foreign John Bolton’s stint as Ambassador to the US engagement with the organisation. Mr policy vision seems to be more unam - UN served to ratchet up tensions. With Obama has written that the need for UN biguously supportive of the UN than the appointments of Ban Ki-moon as reform will not ‘be solved unless America that which can be inferred from the Secretary-General of the UN and rededicates itself to the organisation and its presumptive Republican nominee. Zalmay Khalilzad as Bolton’s successor, mission’. Likewise, Mrs Clinton pledges But, from the stated positions of all things have improved somewhat. How that she would make ‘international institu - three candidates, there may be justifi - much we can expect this improvement to tions work, and work through them when cation in anticipating a less troubled continue will depend, at least in part, on possible’. relationship between the UN and the the outcome of the presidential elections John McCain’s support for the UN is US – which is good news for multilat - in November. more hedged. Critical of the world eralism.

10 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | Updates Developing and inspiring tomorrow’s leaders

UNA-UK’s Online Guide to Model United Nations is a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about running or participating in Model UN events, including the nuts-and-bolts of Model UN procedure as well as over a thousand links to useful resources on key world issues visit www.una.org.uk/mun or call 020 7766 3459 essay

Help from high places

Yet a growing chorus of voices from around the globe and across the political spectrum is suggesting that we now have a unique op - Resurrecting Reykjavik: portunity not only to avert nuclear disaster, but to make comprehensive, multilateral nu - a new opportunity for clear disarmament an achievable objective. In a letter to the Wall Street Journal in nuclear disarmament and January 2007, former US Secretaries of non-proliferation State George Schultz and Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Defence William Perry and former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sam Nunn (two of them Republicans, two Democrats) an - nounced a bold vision: ‘We endorse setting Shirley Williams the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and working energetically on the actions re - Reykjavik, and the record since The imperative for action quired to achieve that goal.’ Later that same month, also in the Wall Di sarmament negotiations between the The US and Russia still maintain several Street Journal , Mikhail Gorbachev declared United States and Soviet Union were crucial thousand nuclear missiles each, many on his support for this aim: ‘As someone who to the peaceful resolution of the Cold War. hair-trigger alert. Russia’s outgoing presi - signed the first treaties on real reductions in The meeting of individuals at the highest dent, Vladimir Putin, recently announced nuclear weapons, I feel it is my duty to sup - diplomatic and scientific levels on a regular that Russia had recommenced regular long- port their call for urgent action.’ And then basis was in a sense more important than the range bomber flights, and that its weapons in January 2008 a third article appeared, modest decreases in weaponry that their ne - were once again aimed at European cities. this time endorsed by a formidable cohort gotiations achieved. This regular discourse In February, Mr Putin warned of ‘a new of former and current politicians, cabinet on disarmament created an atmosphere phase in the arms race…unfolding in the members, presidential advisers, ambassa - where, in 1986 at a meeting in Reykjavik, world’. North Korea has illustrated in re - dors, scientists and academics. Iceland, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail cent years that producing a crude nuclear These individuals, collectively known as Gorbachev were able to discuss a timetable capability results not in regime change, but the ‘Hoover Group’, echoed the call for a for the total and final elimination of nuclear in concessions from the international com - world free of nuclear weapons. They were, weapons. munity. Instability in Pakistan raises the as I have been, encouraged by the support The Reykjavik meeting was ultimately alarming possibility of a nuclear-armed their ambitious proposal has generated. unsuccessful; and the following two decades failed state. The framework of internation - In June 2007, Margaret Beckett, Britain’s demonstrated a huge missed opportunity. al non-proliferation agreements has never then Foreign Secretary, gave a remarkable Both bilateral and multilateral discussions seemed more fragile and a moment of po - speech in New York at the Carnegie about disarmament slipped down the agen - tential crisis is approaching. The US unilat - Endowment for International Peace. She da of international priorities. But it is impor - erally pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic argued, ‘What we need is both a vision – a tant to recognise that some progress was Missile Treaty in June 2002 in order to pur - scenario for a world free of nuclear weapons made. There are currently about 31,000 nu - sue its missile defence ambitions. Russia has – and action – progressive steps to reduce clear warheads deployed or in reserve, down threatened to abandon the Intermediate- warhead numbers and to limit the role of from some 70,000 in the mid-1980s. The Range Nuclear Forces Treaty if missile de - nuclear weapons in security policy.’ The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), fence systems are deployed in Eastern British Defence Secretary, Des Browne, re - negotiated in 1968, has proved remarkably Europe. cently announced funding for a report ex - effective at preventing the spread of nuclear The state of the non-proliferation regime amining the political and technical require - weapons. The NPT recognised the five nu - will be evaluated at the next NPT Review ments for ridding the world of nuclear clear-armed states which existed at the time; Conference, to take place in 2010. Failure to weapons, and has offered to host a techni - today the number with such capacity has produce results could precipitate a nuclear cal conference on the verification of nuclear grown only to nine. This is an impressive arms race across the world, as scores of coun - disarmament before the 2010 NPT Review achievement given the relative simplicity of tries with the wealth and scientific capability Conference. the science involved, and the political moti - rush to develop a nuclear deterrent. Such an Concrete proposals are being developed vation for states to acquire nuclear deter - outcome is too terrifying to contemplate but to make a nuclear-free world a genuinely rents. remains an all too realistic possibility. feasible objective. A meeting held at

12 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | essay Stanford University in October 2007 to build upon the legacy of the 1986 Reykjavik summit was presented with ‘a The Hoover Group road map to reaching zero’. The Nuclear Threat Initiative, working out of Named after the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, the ‘Hoover Group’ was Washington, has proposed a nuclear fuel founded by former US Secretaries of State George Schultz and Henry Kissinger, for - bank, funded in part by the philanthropist mer Secretary of Defense William Perry, and former Chairman of the Senate Armed Warren Buffett, which would provide Services Committee Sam Nunn. stockpiles of low-grade nuclear material for In their January 2007 article in the Wall Street Journal , the group recommended any state wishing to develop nuclear power the following concrete steps to achieve a nuclear-free world: stations and seeking secure supplies of nu - clear fuel. Work intensively with leaders of nuclear-weapon states to turn the goal of a world without nuclear weapons into a joint enterprise. The need for leadership and a Halt the Cold War posture of deployed nuclear weapons to reduce the danger of common goal their accidental or unauthorised use. Continue to reduce substantially the size of nuclear forces in all states that pos - The obstacles to making the world safe sess them. from the existential threat of nuclear Eliminate short-range or ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons designed to be forward- weapons remain huge. Relations between deployed. Russia and the West, in particular Britain, Initiate a bipartisan process with the US Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Test are worse than at any time since the Cold Ban Treaty and work to secure ratification by other key states. War. President Bush’s determination to Provide the highest possible standards of security for global stocks of weapons, place missile defence facilities in Eastern weapons-usable plutonium, and highly enriched uranium. Europe, despite increasingly vocal protests Control the uranium enrichment process, combined with the guaranteed provi - from politicians and the publics of the sion of uranium for nuclear power reactors from controlled international re - Czech Republic and Poland, has done little serves under the supervision of the IAEA. to reassure Russia and others of American Halt the production of fissile material for weapons globally, phase out the use of goodwill. China seems determined to use highly enriched uranium in civil commerce, and remove weapons-usable uranium some of its vast new wealth to develop its from research facilities around the world. conventional and strategic military capabil - Redouble efforts to resolve regional confrontations and conflicts that give rise to ity. Britain, while preparing to reduce the new nuclear powers. capacity of its Trident nuclear submarines, nevertheless insists on maintaining the de - terrent, inconsistent with the professed commitment by Margaret Beckett and Des Browne to global de-nuclearisation. The barriers are real and formidable, but the potential benefit to humanity if we suc - ceed is without comparison. The first step must be a clear statement of our ultimate objective. I hope that our political leaders in Asia, Europe, the US and the UN, both those in government and those in opposi - tion (and particularly those competing for the American presidency), will commit themselves to the goal of a nuclear-free world. It will take a long time to get there, but the direction and the momentum gen - erated by committing to such a goal would dispel the long shadow cast over the world by nuclear obliteration. These will be the men and women tasked with the review of the NPT in 2010. It is they who will pos - sess a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure global peace. They must provide the leadership that the world needs, and we must support them every step of the way.

Baroness Williams is a member of the Board of Directors of the Nuclear Threat President Ronald Reagan meets with General Secretary Gorbachev in Geneva in 1985 and again in Reykjavik in 1986. Photos courtesy of White House Photo Office Initiative.

essay | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 13 Briefing Prepared by Mark Rusling, Campaigns & Education Officer

MIDDLE EAST Too many people, too little water

The Middle East has only 1 per cent of global fresh water, but 5 per cent of the world’s pop - ulation. Water is an important strategic issue, Access to clean water and sanitation: particularly in the Levant. Both Israel and Jordan rely on the Jordan River, which is con - cutting across development, trolled by Israel. Israel threatened military ac - tion in 2002 when Lebanon opened a new human rights and security pumping station to take water from a river feeding the Jordan. The Golan Heights con - tributes a third of Israel’s annual water con - sumption, providing a motivation for the con - tinuation of the Israeli occupation. Water is THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS call for the halving also an important issue in the Israeli-Palestinian of the proportion of people living without access to safe conflict – Ariel Sharon has been quoted as say - drinking water or basic sanitation by 2015. UN Secretary- ing that water was one of the causes of the General Ban Ki-moon noted in his message on World Water 1967 Six-Day War. Day on 22 March that the world is nowhere near achieving that goal. At the present rate, Mr Ban estimates that sub- Saharan Africa will not reach the target until 2076. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a combination of poor sanitation, DARFUR a lack of safe drinking water and inadequate hygiene. Tribal conflict aggravated by Lack of access to sanitation and clean water forces children water scarcity to stay away from school and prevents adults from engaging in productive work. The UN estimates that every dollar in - During the mid-1980s, western Sudan suffered an extended drought, with accompanying de - vested in developing sanitation and clean water capacity sertification. Poor management of the region’s yields a seven-dollar increase in productivity, thereby cutting dwindling water reserves, together with a grow - poverty and raising living standards. ing population, exacerbated traditional tensions Access to sanitation and clean water is not only a develop - between the cattle-herding tribes of north ment issue. The UN General Assembly has declared access to Darfur and the settled arable-farming tribes of clean water to be a fundamental human right. As the UN south Darfur over water and sustainable arable Development Programme has noted, lack of access to sanita - land. These disputes contributed to an offensive tion and clean water is primarily due to exclusion and neg - against the Khartoum government in 2003, and to campaigns against the rebels by the govern - lect of the poor, rather than a dearth of water resources or ment and government-backed militias. The con - insufficient technical capacity. Competition for scarce water flict has in turn further constrained Darfuris’ ac - resources can also lead to violent conflict. cess to clean water and sanitation.

ETHIOPIA Water scarcity threatens women’s rights

Less than one third of Ethiopians have access to safe water. Collecting water generally falls to women and girls, who spend an estimated 26 per cent of their time performing this task – time which could be spent in school or on income-generating activities. Their health is also compromised – through the physical stress of carrying heavy water containers or through exposure to contaminated water. Even walking to the sources can be dangerous, with women facing sexual violence en route. But women are not only the most affected by water issues; they are also often leaders in the struggle to ensure good use of water resources by their communities, such as by teaching hygiene habits to their families.

14 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | Briefing Prepared by Mark Rusling, Campaigns & Education Officer

AFGHANISTAN INDIA Environmental damage limits clean water access The right to life encompasses the right to water Environmental damage in rural Afghanistan, caused in part through war damage, deforestation and over-exploitation, has had a signifi - In India, federal and state courts have interpreted arti - cant impact on access to clean drinking water, leading to health cle 21 of the country’s constitution – the right to life – problems, particularly among children. Eighty per cent of rural as encompassing the right to safe and sufficient water Afghans do not have access to clean water sources and only one in and sanitation. In 1990, petitioners in Kerala claimed 10 has access to adequate sanitation. This has led to rapid urbanisa - that a scheme to pump up ground water would upset tion, intensifying pressure on water sources in Afghan towns and the fresh water equilibrium, leading to salinity in the cities, where over half of residents have no access to clean water remaining water resources. The Kerala High Court and only one in three benefits from safe sanitation. The health recognised that the ‘right to sweet water and the right problems associated with water scarcity in rural areas, combined to free air are attributes of the right to life, for these with increased urbanisation, have reduced agricultural productivity, are the basic elements which sustain life itself’. compromising food security and further hurting the poor.

MALDIVES Despite clean water, problems remain

For the Maldives – in common with many island nations – groundwater is a scarce resource. The inhabitants of Male’, the largest island, ob - tain their water through desalination. Though this secures access to safe drinking water for 100 per cent of the island’s population, the process of making the water potable throws up other problems. Desalinated water is produced by burning diesel oil, which is mostly import - ed, raising concerns over energy security and contributing to environmental degradation through greenhouse gas emissions.

Briefing | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 15 Do something.

Ask your MP to sign EDM 172 on child victims of trafficking

‘That this House acknowledges ECPAT UK and UNICEF's concern that child victims of trafficking, even after they are identified and placed in care, remain a highly vulnerable group within our society, highlighted in the recent report, Rights Here, Rights Now: recommendations for protecting trafficked children ; congratulates the Three Small Steps campaign to Support Child Victims of Trafficking; and calls upon the government to withdraw the UK’s general reservation on immigration and nationality to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to ratify the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings without delay and, in order to ensure monitoring and accountability to Parliament, to appoint an independent child trafficking rapporteur.’

Visit www.una.org.uk/dosomething or call 020 7766 3459

Photo © Getty Images Do something.

Ask your MP to sign EDM 172 on child victims of trafficking

Visit www.una.org.uk/dosomething or call 020 7766 3459 Parliament

Lord Hannay questions UNA-UK submits evidence on UNA-UK fed its views government on Burma in the the UN’s role in international into this process, welcoming House of Lords public health plans to extend parliamentary oversight while raising concerns about the poten - UNA-UK’s Chair, Lord Hannay, has ques - The first inquiry of the House of Lords tial impact on the UK’s support for UN tioned the government about prospects for Ad Hoc Committee on peace operations. meaningful dialogue between the govern - Intergovernmental Organisations is eval - On 25 March, Jack Straw, the Justice ment and opposition in Burma over consti - uating the effectiveness of intergovern - Secretary, released a white paper outlin - tutional reform. Lord Bach, replying for mental organisations’ efforts to control ing the government’s position. It argues the government, said that the military communicable diseases. for a House of Commons resolution set - regime had thus far resisted the UN In its submission to the committee, ting out the processes Parliament should Security Council’s call for such dialogue. UNA-UK described infectious disease as follow in approving any deployment. Arguing that the regime’s engagement a ‘problem without a passport’ and high - Exceptions to the requirement for with UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari lighted the work of the World Health prospective or retrospective parliamen - was ‘little more than a sham designed to Organization, UNAIDS, the UN tary consent would exist to allow forces gain time while the regime rams through Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN to respond to an emergency or to carry its own constitution’, Lord Hannay asked Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The submis - out an operation in secrecy. The Prime what further steps could be taken, beyond sion argued that, as ‘the only organisa - Minister would decide on the timing of humanitarian aid and targeted sanctions. tion with a truly global reach, the seeking parliamentary approval. The In his reply, Lord Bach stressed that the UN…is best equipped to meet such per - white paper does not put forward any UN should continue to play a leading vasive threats to international public special arrangement for UK contribu - role, and praised the personal engagement health’. tions to UN peace operations. of the UN Secretary-General, saying that To view UNA-UK’s submission, visit To view the white paper, visit he had ‘the support of the entire Security www.una.org.uk/parliament www.justice.gov.uk Council and the wider international com - munity in taking forward his good offices MPs urged to join All-Party Climate Change Bill mission’. Group on the United Nations strengthened The Burmese regime has announced that a national referendum will be held on 10 A motion passed by UNA-UK Annual Introduced in Parliament on 14 May to approve a draft constitution. It was Conference in March urges all UNA November 2007, the Climate Change drafted with no input from the pro-democ - branches to contact their MPs to ensure Bill has completed its passage through racy opposition and effectively disqualifies that they are, or will become, members the House of Lords. It will shortly go to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the House of Commons for considera - holding office. The regime has pledged to the UN. The group – for which UNA- tion. Royal Assent is expected by sum - hold multiparty elections by 2010. UK acts as the secretariat – aims to raise mer 2008. The House of Lords Hansard can be accessed at awareness among MPs and peers about In February, Environment Secretary www.parliament.uk the UN and its contributions across the Hilary Benn announced amendments to

o areas of peace and security, development the bill. The revised bill subjects the t o h

P and human rights. Please note that, al - government’s CO 2 emissions target – a k c o t S i

though any MP or Peer may join an all- cut of at least 60 per cent by 2050 – to © o t party group, government ministers and statutory review, leaving open the possi - o h P shadow ministers are often reluctant to bility that the target will be made more join because of time constraints or other ambitious. Environmental campaigners concerns. If your local MP is a minister argue that a decrease of at least 80 per or shadow minister, you should still cent by 2050 is needed. make sure they know about UNA-UK. The government’s amendments also in - For more information contact Mark Rusling clude an ‘indicative annual range’ for car - on 020 7766 3459 or [email protected] bon emissions. The bill sets five-year budget periods for carbon accounting. Government publishes draft The annual range, according to DEFRA, war powers bill will help ‘ensure that the government can be held to account for progress during In July 2007, the government initiated a each year of the budget period’. consultation on the role of Parliament in For further information o n the bill visit deciding whether to deploy British www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ Burma: what further steps can be taken? troops to fight in a conflict abroad. climatechange/uk

18 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | Parliament Resources

Books Raphael Lemkin a range of international institutions and and the Struggle for examines and compares relevant rules and Law and Practice the Genocide practices. The analysis focuses in particu - of the United Convention lar on the legal basis for NGO involve - Nations: John Cooper ment, forms of involvement, NGO par - Documents and Palgrave Macmillan ticipatory rights, applicable accreditation Commentary January 2008 criteria and procedures, and rules on sub - Simon Chesterman, This is the first comprehensive biogra - sequent monitoring of accredited NGOs. Thomas Franck and phy of Raphael Lemkin, the man who www.biicl.org David Malone invented the word genocide and cam - Oxford University Press paigned relentlessly for the 1948 UN December 2007 convention. The book describes A Billion Lives: An Combining primary materials and ex - Lemkin’s campaign, showing how his Eyewitness Report pert commentary, this book demon - ideas were formed in the midst of eth - from the Frontlines of strates the interaction between law nic strife in Eastern Europe. Humanity and practice in the UN, and high - www.palgrave.com Jan Egeland lights the possibilities and limitations Simon & Schuster of multilateral institutions. Each chap - March 2008 ter begins with a short introductory Chasing the Flame: As Under-Secretary-General for essay by the authors that describes Sergio Vieira de Mello Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland over - how the documents that follow illus - and the Fight to Save saw the coordination of the UN’s human - trate a set of legal, institutional, and the World itarian work for three and a half years. political issues relevant to the practice Samantha Power The book gives an account of Egeland’s of diplomacy and the development Allen Lane experiences of the war in Iraq and the of public international law through March 2008 strife in Darfur, as well as of the Indian the UN. Chasing the Flame tells the life story of Ocean tsunami and the South Asian www.oup.com Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Brazilian head earthquake. A close adviser of former of the UN Mission to Iraq who was killed Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Egeland in 2003 in a terrorist attack on the world served at the top levels of the UN at a Gendered Peace: body’s Baghdad headquarters. De Mello particularly difficult period in its history, Women's worked for the United Nations for nearly when the organisation suffered the divi - Struggles for four decades. He served in Lebanon in sive aftermath of the Iraq war, the Oil-for- Post-War Justice the aftermath of Israel’s 1982 invasion; in Food scandal, and terrorist attacks against and Reconciliation Cambodia in the early 1990s, negotiating its personnel. Donna with the Khmer Rouge and repatriating www.simonsays.com Pankhurst (ed.) refugees; in Bosnia, helping to end the Routledge slaughter; and in Kosovo and East Timor, October 2007 contributing to efforts to build nations A No-Nonsense This volume contributes to the out of war-torn societies. Guide to the growing literature on women, www.penguin.co.uk United Nations conflict and peacebuilding, focusing Maggie Black on the moments after the end of a New Internationalist conflict, often characterised by NGO Involvement in June 2007 violence and insecurity for women. International This slim volume, part of the New Gendered Peace traces the Organizations: A Internationalist ’s No-Nonsense series, ex - development of international legal Legal Analysis plains in accessible and lively language advances for women, and contrasts Sergey Ripinsky and how the UN system works. On UN re - this success with the actual Peter Van den Bossche form, the author departs from conven - experience of women in places like British Institute of tional wisdom, arguing that the current Sierra Leone, Rwanda, South Africa, International and push for ‘system-wide coherence’ at the Afghanistan, Bangladesh, East Timor, Comparative Law UN is misguided. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Peru, Central America and the December 2007 a former British ambassador to the UN, Balkans. This book investigates the arrangements wrote the foreword. www.routledge.com for NGO involvement in the activities of www.nononsenseguides.org

Resources | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 19 New World Disorder is an invaluable source of information for anyone New World seeking to understand the current structures, dynamics and trends of world Disorder: The politics. It is also a compelling account of one of the great turning points in world history, as seen from inside the eye of the storm. UN after the Cold War – ‘An eloquent account of the drama and turbulence An Insider’s which buffeted the United Nations at the end of the Cold War. David Hannay was an adept and skil - View ful diplomat: he uses his insider knowledge to de - David Hannay scribe the workings of the UN and the world of high diplomacy with style and grace. A wonderful The end of the Cold War trig - resource for all those who want to understand how gered an historic shift in world politics, and nowhere was this the United Nations works and why it remains the more keenly felt than in the world’s indispensable institution.’ United Nations. In New World Disorder , David Hannay – who, as Britain’s Kofi Annan , United Nations Secretary-General, 1997-2006 ambassador to the UN, sat in the Security Council from the time of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait until the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia – gives a first-hand view of events as they unfolded. Lord Hannay of Chiswick was a diplomat for 36 years. Between Just weeks after George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev’s historic 1990 and 1995, he was Britain's ambassador to the UN. handshake, the UN was being asked to repel the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, to Following his retirement from diplomatic service, he served as wind up a string of Third World proxy wars, and to find a solution to the British Special Representative to Cyprus and was a member of the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change. At first, the UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges five permanent members of the Security Council worked together to an un - and Change. He has been Chair of UNA-UK since 2006 and is the precedented extent, with notable success. But as Hannay shows, little was author of Cyprus: The Search for a Solution. done to prepare for the problems of state failure – in Somalia, in the former Yugoslavia, in Rwanda and in Afghanistan – which proved beyond the UN’s capacity to handle and which frayed the solidarity of the main powers. You can order New World Disorder at After retiring from diplomatic service, Hannay was appointed by then www.ibtauris.com/promotions Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, set up to identify ways of making the UN better or by calling 01256 302 699. equipped to deal with the range of challenges facing humanity. He re - counts here with insight and candour why this programme – the most am - UNA-UK members are entitled to a 35 per cent discount bitious attempt at reform of the organisation since it was founded in 1945 (normal retail price £25). The promotional code is X48. – came to be derailed.

The UN Online

UN Radio Classics is an online archive of ‘UN Peace Operations: Year in Review 2007’ Nations procedures to protect their human documentary and dramatic programmes, provides an overview of the UN’s peace - rights. starring the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Kirk keeping activities and a summary of www.ohchr.org Douglas and Bing Crosby, which offers a changes to its work in this area, both at unique way of experiencing key moments in headquarters and in the field. One in three women in the world is likely to the UN’s history. www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko be subjected to violence in her lifetime. The www.un.org/radio/library/classics Secretary-General has launched a campaign UNEP has launched the Climate Neutral to end violence against women, in conjunc - The UN Statistics Division has created a sin - Network to bring together states, local tion with the opening of the 52nd session of gle entry point for 14 databases and six authorities and companies engaged in the Commission on the Status of Women. glossaries containing statistics from member the effort to bring about zero emissions www.un.org/women/endviolence states on a range of topics, including popu - economies, communities and lation, energy and trade. businesses. The UN has launched a new website on re - http://data.un.org www.climateneutral.unep.org form. The site brings together key docu - ments on UN reform as well as information Visit this website to download campaign The Office of the UN High Commissioner about initiatives to strengthen the world materials to help you commemorate the for Human Rights has a new-look website, body’s capacity to deliver in the areas of de - 60th anniversary of the Universal featuring recent speeches and op eds by velopment, peace and security, human Declaration of Human Rights. the High Commissioner, pithy factsheets on rights, humanitarian assistance and man - www.un.org/events/humanrights different human rights issues, and guides agement. /udhr60 for helping vulnerable groups use United www.un.org/reform

20 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | Resources send your letters to : Veronica Lie , UnA-UK, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2eL Letters e-mail: [email protected]

Know your enemy UK’s ‘tenuous claim to permanent out exception – is that America’s National member status’ involved ‘constantly Rifle Association (the NRA) is an accred - It may seem extraordinary for a UNA- abasing itself before the G-77’. ited United Nations NGO. UK member to recommend Surrender is Britain gets off lightly compared to Not an Option: Defending America at the the UN itself. According to Bolton, the Chris Dickenson United Nations and Abroad . Its author, General Assembly is a complete waste East Gloucestershire John Bolton, is not a critical friend of of time, though he concedes grudgingly the UN. He is just critical. that the Security Council ‘actually Visit www.una.org.uk/resources.html His combativeness ensured he was the worked halfway decently from time to for a review of this book by Sir Brian US’s ambassador to the UN for just 500 time’. For Secretary-General Kofi Urquhart, former United Nations days in 2005-2006. Now that he has Annan and his chef de cabinet Mark Under-Secretary-General. gone why should we care about his ret - Malloch Brown (now Lord Malloch- rospective polemic? Two reasons. First, Brown in our Foreign Office) there is he could easily return if there is another little appreciation. Annan’s wide-rang - World Press Freedom Day Republican presidency – ‘we the peo - ing reform proposals in In Larger ples’ should know our enemy and even Freedom are denigrated as a ‘grab-bag of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration learn from him. Second, the book con - ideas’; the entire project is dismissed as of Human Rights enshrines freedom of tains a number of good examples of ‘in larger Kofi’, passed off as an attempt expression as a fundamental human how the UN, and especially the by Annan to rebuild his reputation after right. This year’s World Press Freedom Security Council, actually operates in a the Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal. If some - Day –marked annually on 3 May – will crisis. one criticises him – even obliquely, as explore how freedom of expression and Bolton sees the UN as ‘a target-rich Malloch Brown did on the selection of access to information feed into the em - environment’. Prominent on his hit-list the new Secretary-General – Bolton powerment of individuals and wider de - are the ‘true believers’ – those who are erupts: Malloch Brown, in Bolton’s velopment objectives. ‘high-minded’ about the UN Charter words, is ‘a petty bureaucrat’ intent on A free and open press is an essential (UNA members?). His British col - assailing the United States. component of a democratic society. I leagues are also savaged, with Jack This book’s style is as angry and believe that we should appreciate the Straw, then Foreign Secretary, and Sir brusque as its author. But if you set that work of the media, especially those who Emyr Jones Parry, the UK’s ambassador aside you could learn an awful lot about are involved in investigative journalism, to the UN at the time, getting a past - how the UN functions. One little snip - because the journalists sometimes ex - ing. Bolton speculates that the Foreign pet that will alarm many NGO members pose issues which our politicians and Office strategy for dealing with the – and Bolton hates NGOs almost with - leaders would like to cover up. An ex - ample of this was the media’s role in uncovering the flawed information used to justify the war in Iraq. Very often journalists put themselves at great per - sonal risk: 171 journalists were killed in 2007. These unconscionable acts vio - late the human rights of individuals and undermine democracy by compromising the flow of information. Another fundamental human right is that to privacy. In my opinion, the UK has become a surveillance society. Confidential information about mil - lions of people has recently been lost. I believe that these incidents may not have come to light if it had not been for the vigilance, openness and freedom of our press. On 3 May, therefore, we should support the media and acknowl - edge the role of journalists in upholding human rights.

David J. Thomas John Bolton defending American interests in the Security Council Photo courtesy of the US Department of State Porthcawl Mid Glamorgan

Letters | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 21 I am delighted to announce that up a UNYSA if one does not already exist. UNA-UK has received a significant in - Or, if you know an enterprising student crease in funding from the FCO for 2008- who could be encouraged to establish a 2009: £104,000 towards an agreed pro - group, please pass this resource on. The gramme of seminars, conferences and re - UNYSA guide is the first of a plethora of ports on the UN’s work. resources UNA-UK will be producing for Part of this money will go to organising use by members in their campaigning and one major conference on climate change in educational work. New membership re - A financial boost each nation of the UK. See page 2 for de - cruitment material is also in the works. tails. If your region or branch would like A warm welcome to Rich Nelmes, UNA- from the FCO to hold its own climate change event UK’s new Membership & Fundraising UNA-UK can supply you with an excel - Officer (see page 3). I know members will lent set of background papers. make him feel at home. Sam daws Members will find in this issue of New I would also like to pay tribute to UNA-UK Executive World a brand new UNA-UK publication Bruce Robertson for his wonderful serv - Director – The Guide to UNYSA . If you are at uni - ice to UNA-UK. We wish him well on versity or at school, use this to help you set his retirement.

UNA-UK 63rd Annual Conference

Over the weekend of 28-30 March 2008, Exeter University became a centre for debate about the role of the UN in the international system. UNA-UK members and

K supporters from around the UK threw themselves into Conference’s key task: agreeing a set of policy recommenda - tions for the year ahead. See opposite page to find out how you can get your copy of the 2008 policy document. K U

U The keynote speech was delivered on Sunday

e morning via live video link by Lord Malloch-Brown, cur -

h rently FCO Minister for the UN and former Deputy t

f Secretary-General of the UN. Lord Malloch-Brown empha - - o

sised the centrality of the UN to the UK’s foreign policy, and

n talked about the differences between his current position and o

i his service at the UN. He praised the Prime Minister’s en - t

a gagement in UN reform, and gave an overview of the FCO’s i

c new strategic framework under Foreign Secretary David

o Miliband, in which the strengthening of international insti - s A s tutions has become a main policy goal. A

See opposite page for details of how to order a free DVD of Lord

s Malloch-Brown’s speech to Annual Conference. n o i

t Another high point of Conference was the ‘UN quiz’ a staged after dinner on Saturday night. Intended as light en - n

n tertainment, the quiz precipitated fierce competition, and d culminated in a tense tie-breaker. Expect this to become a e t

i new Annual Conference tradition!

n See opposite page to find out how you can take the UN quiz yourself. U

e h T U s n o s r a P

t c i d e n e B / K U - A N U

s o t o h UNA-UK P

22 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | UnA-UK Annual Conference Quotes from Conference resources LORD HANNAY OF CHISWICK, UNA-UK CHAIR TOWARDS A Report to UNA-UK Annual Conference by the Chair of the Board of Directors STRONG, CREDIBLE For UNA-UK it has, I believe, been a year of considerable achievement, one in which all of our small AND EFFECTIVE headquarters staff have been extremely active, one in which we have increased both the scope and effectiveness of our advocacy work, one in which we have strengthened our governance, and one in UNITED NATIONS: which all parts of the Association – the general membership, the Young Professionals Network and POLICY DOCUMENT our network of UNYSAs – have managed to expand. That is a record of which we can all be proud. 2008 If you are a member, LORD MALLOCH-BROWN, FCO MINISTER FOR THE UN your copy of the policy Keynote speech document will be enclosed with this issue of If you look at what the Prime Minister has been saying about the UN, you might think that Sam Daws New World. Otherwise you can download has a secret desk at Number 10. In January, Gordon Brown gave a major speech that an - nounced his vision of the new rules that embrace a new sovereignty for an independent world with it at www.una.org.uk/annualconference. international institutions forged in the 1940s renewed for our times and re-tooled for the new chal - html or request a hard copy from Rich lenges ahead. Nelmes, UNA-UK’s Membership & We are lucky at the moment in that we have a government which really is devoted to this idea, Fundraising Officer, on 020 7766 3456 or derived not from sentimentality, but out of a clear-headed view that a strong UN fronting a strong [email protected] multilateral system is the best stage for Britain to play on.

KEYNOTE SPEECH BY BAN KI-MOON, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL Annual message of support to Conference LORD MALLOCH- As one of the United Nations’ most dynamic civil society partners, UNA-UK continues to raise aware - BROWN ness of the United Nations and its goals and achievements, to stimulate thought and debate about UNA-UK has produced how best to strengthen the UN’s institutions, and to build support in the UK for progressive leader - a DVD of the Annual ship by the British government at the United Nations. Conference 2008 keynote speech, given GORDON BROWN, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM by Lord Malloch- Annual message of support to Conference I am delighted to have the opportunity to express my appreciation for the work of UNA-UK over the Brown. This includes footage of the ques - past year. I especially welcome UNA-UK’s outreach projects with youth and student networks, tion-and-answer session, as well as a selec - through which you have helped to foster a better understanding of the role of the UN in an ever tion of photos showing UNA members in changing world. action. The DVD is available for free to UNA DAVID CAMERON, LEADER OF THE BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY members. To obtain a copy contact Natalie Annual message of support to Conference Samarasinghe on 020 7766 3457 or The work and role of the UN continues to dominate international discussion, and UNA-UK is at the heart of this debate in this country. Your contribution to the Conservative Party’s policy review, for [email protected] example, was greatly appreciated.

UN QUIZ NICK CLEGG, LEADER OF THE BRITISH LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY The UN quiz held at Annual message of support to Conference Annual Conference can I fully support the work of UNA-UK in promoting the valuable work of the UN. The Liberal be downloaded at Democrats share the goals of UNA-UK to campaign for a strong, credible and effective UN. Strong www.una.org.uk/ international institutions underpinned by international law are the best way to ensure that countries work together to tackle common problems. annualconference.html. You can request a hard copy from Rich Nelmes, UNA-UK’s Membership & Fundraising Annual Conference calls on government to ban cluster munitions Officer, on 020 7766 3456 or This year’s Annual Conference issued a robust condemnation of cluster munitions, calling for an inter - [email protected] national treaty banning their production and use to be concluded by the end of 2008. Lord Hannay, UNA-UK’s Chair, has written to the Foreign Secretary to communicate Conference’s position and to THE PEACEKEEPERS urge the government to cease to distinguish between different categories of cluster munitions. The acclaimed docu - In the letter, Lord Hannay writes: mentary ‘The Peacekeepers’ was We are aware that the government has hitherto defended the proposition that only what screened at Annual are called ‘dumb’ cluster munitions should be banned while what are (wrongly in our view) Conference. Branches called ‘smart’ munitions should not. It is becoming clear now…that the failure rate of these are encouraged to so-called smart munitions to self-destruct is much higher than is generally admitted, and also

s borrow a copy for use that all these munitions are totally unsuited and disproportionate for use in present-day n o s r

a in local activities. This double DVD warfare, inflicting, as they do, horrendous injuries on innocent civilians. P t c i

d edition comes with a study guide. e n e B

/ To request a copy contact Mark The final meeting of the Oslo Process a series of conferences aimed at achieving an international

K – U -

A Rusling on 020 7766 3459 or ban on cluster bombs is taking place in Dublin in May.

N – U

UnA-UK | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 23 Listings

tled ‘Bali: what can the UN really 3, 10, 17 and 24 June London WC2N 5DP), by kind do about climate change?’. The UNA MERTON permission of Her Excellency Dr event will begin at 11am, with Alison Williams will be conduct - Lindiwe Mabuza, the South coffee available from 10.30am, ing a series of workshops about African High Commissioner. The UNA events, and will take place at Parkhurst the UN Global Compact. The theme of this meeting is ‘The Hall (behind Sackville Road workshops will run twice a day Universal Declaration of Human campaigns & Methodist Church, Bexhill); enter on the above dates, from Rights: The Way Forward’. through the door in Parkhurst 12.30pm to 2.30pm and from Contact: Neville Grant initiatives Road. 8pm to 10pm. All will be held on 020 8858 8489 or Contact: Allan Bula at 11 Wilberforce House, [email protected] on 01424 210 410 119 Worple Road, London 12 May SW20 8ET. UNA OXFORD UNA LEWISHAM 22 May Contact: Alison Williams Dr Peter Carey will give a talk After a brief AGM, Claude UNA WESTMINSTER on 020 8944 0574 or entitled ‘Win some, lose some: Moraes, MEP for London, will give The branch will hold its fifth annu - [email protected] reflections on the struggle for a talk entitled ‘Human Trafficking al conference to mark the human rights and justice in is the Worst Form of Slavery’. This International Day of UN 11 June Burma and East Timor, 1975 to event will take place at 7.30pm at Peacekeepers. The event will take UNA EXETER present’. This event will take Lewisham Town Hall in Catford. place from 10am to 5pm at the The branch is hosting a question place at the Friends’ Meeting Entertainment and a light meal Royal United Services Institute, time on international affairs. House (43 St Giles, Oxford) from will be provided. All are welcome. Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET. The The speaker will be Professor 3pm to 5pm. Contact: David Hamilton on 020 keynote speaker will be General Neil Armstrong, Deputy Vice Contact: Neville Shepherd on 8690 5108 Patrick Cammaert, former com - Chancellor of the University of 01865 761 630 or mander of UN forces in the DRC. Exeter. The event will take place [email protected] 14 May At 1pm there will be a wreath-lay - in the Music Room, Exeter UNA EXETER ing ceremony at the Cenotaph. Central Library, at 7pm for This branch meeting will take place Contact: David Wardrop 7.30pm. UNA-UK branches, regions and at Exeter Friends’ Meeting House, on 020 7385 6738 or Contact: Noel Harrower nations wishing to publicise Wynards Lane at 7pm for 7.30pm. [email protected] on 01395 271 731 or events in New World should All members are welcome. [email protected] ensure that the information Contact: Noel Harrower 26 May submitted is accurate, clear on 01395 271 731 or UNA BEXHILL & HASTINGS 14 June and complete. Events listings [email protected] A coffee morning, featuring an UNA NORWICH & DISTRICT must include the following open organic fruit and vegetable Norwich & District branch will points of information: 16 May garden, will take place from 10am celebrate its 60th birthday with UNA NORWICH & DISTRICT to 12pm at 13 Thornbank an anniversary lunch at the • Title/purpose of the event From 1pm in the Friends' Crescent, Bexhill-on-Sea TN39 Norfolk Club, 17 Upper King • Start and end times Meeting House (Upper Goat 3ND. The entrance fee of £1.50 Street, Norwich. The guest of • Venue details Lane, Norwich) John and Hazel includes coffee and home-made honour will be Lord Hannay of • Contact point (full name, Cribb will speak about their ex - biscuits. Chiswick, UNA-UK’s Chair. telephone number, e-mail periences of the West Bank. You Contact: Allan Bula Tickets must be booked in address and, where applica - are welcome to arrive at any on 01424 210 410 advance. ble, web address) time from 12.15pm and to bring Contact: David Roberts a packed lunch. Hot drinks and 27 May on 01603 435 790 or Events listings should be sent biscuits will be included in the UNA OXFORD [email protected] to [email protected] or cover charge of £2. Dr Rana Mitter will give a talk en - UNA-UK, Contact: David Roberts titled ‘How China’s past is shaping 28 June 3 Whitehall Court on 01603 435 790 or its present and future’. The event UNA LONDON & London SW1A 2EL. [email protected] will take place at the Friends’ SE REGION Meeting House (43 St Giles) from The region’s Summer Council UNA-UK takes no responsibility 17 May 5.30pm to 6.45pm. meeting will take place from for the events and/or UNA BEXHILL & HASTINGS Contact: Neville Shepherd on 12.45pm to 4.30pm in the campaigns organised by Hazel Dawe, Chair of the Kent 01865 761 630 or Kinema, South African High UNA-UK branches, regions Green Party, will give a talk enti - [email protected] Commission (Trafalgar Square, or nations.

24 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | UnA-UK Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th anniversary concert On 4 July UNA Westminster will host a concert to mark UDHR60 at St John’s, Smith Square, consid - ered one of London’s finest concert venues and a masterpiece of the English Baroque. Exciting young pianist Libor Novacek will play music by Haydn, Brahms and Liszt, and acclaimed acapella octet Voices8 will sing works by composers ranging from Orlando Gibbons to George Gershwin. The event will also feature a specially commissioned 15-minute play. ‘How the Universal Declaration was won’ imagines a chance encounter between Eleanor Roosevelt, René Cassin and former colleagues six years after the Declaration’s adoption in 1948. McCarthyism and the Cold War have led to stalemate at the UN and have frustrated the Declaration’s implementation. Prices range from £8 to £15 (concessions £6). Booking opens on 2 June. You will be able to book online; by telephone, post or fax; or in per - son at the St John’s, Smith Square box office. More information about booking can be found on the St John’s, Smith Square website (www.sjss.org.uk) or by calling the box office on 020 7222 1061. For more information about this event, contact David Wardrop on 020 7385 6738 or [email protected]

16 May Harvard University and the UN will give a talk entitled 'People LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL Secretary-General’s Special on the Move: The Challenges RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CLUB Representative on Human Rights of Displacement in the 21st Annual Careers Conference and Business. Century'. The event will take This event is an opportunity to For more details visit place from 7pm at the Royal meet business leaders and learn www.cliffordchance.com/ Geographical Society, 1 What else is how their careers have become expertise/events Kensington Gore (Exhibition increasingly focused on issues of Road entrance), London SW7 going on? responsibility and sustainability. 18 May 2AR. Tickets to the lecture Participating organisations in - JUBILEE DEBT CAMPAIGN cost £15 (concessions £8); for clude Accenture, Cadbury- Journey to Justice £30 you can attend both the 12 May Schweppes, HSBC, the UN In May 1998, 70,000 people lecture and the post-lecture OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT Development Programme and formed a human chain in reception. INSTITUTE Unilever. Birmingham to demand debt For reservations call the IRC-UK The role of the IMF in low-in - For further details and to buy relief by the G8. On 18 May events line on 020 7692 2737 or come countries and the role tickets, please visit 2008 the Jubilee Debt visit www.theirc.org/uk of low-income countries in www.londonresponsible Campaign will pay tribute to the IMF: Time for a change? business.org.uk this day, assess the impact of 16-17 June The speaker is Masood Ahmed, debt cancellation thus far, and SOAS CENTRE FOR Director of the External Relations 16-17 May call for a lasting solution to un - INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Department at the International INTERNATIONAL LAW sustainable and unfair debt. AND DIPLOMACY Monetary Fund and Chair of the ASSOCIATION This major event will take place Third Annual Conference on a IMF Working Group on Low- Does International Law Mean at the International Convention WMD-Free Zone in the Income Countries. The event will Business – A Partnership for Centre in Birmingham, and will Middle East take place from 1pm to 2.15pm, Progress? feature a range of participants, The conference will take place in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis This two-day event – the 2008 including Shahid Malik MP, from 10am on 17 June in the House, Victoria Embankment, annual conference of the British Minister for International Brunei Lecture Theatre at London SW1A 2LW. branch of the International Law Development; Kumi Naidoo, SOAS. Government represen - For more information visit Association – is being hosted by Chair of the Global Call to tatives will outline their posi - www.odi.org.uk/events Clifford Chance. The conference Action Against Poverty; Dr tions on the zone; expert pre - will ask whether we can con - Hany El-Banna, President of sentations will follow. The 15 May ceive of an international legal Islamic Relief; and the Most main conference will be pre - LSE order in which business partici - Reverend Njongonkulu ceded by a keynote speech the AIDS: Exceptionalism Revisited pates as a partner – alongside Ndungane, former Archbishop evening before (16 June) by Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of governments and international of Cape Town and now Ambassador Jayantha UNAIDS, will be speaking be - organisations – in confronting President of African Monitor. Dhanapala, former UN Under- tween 6.30pm and 8pm in the the challenge of moving fragile To find out more, visit Secretary-General for Old Theatre, Old Building, LSE. states and their peoples, www.journeytojustice.org Disarmament Affairs. The The event is free and open to all through sustainable develop - speech, entitled ‘The Urgency with no ticket required. Entry is on ment, to peace, security and 16 June of Disarmament’, will begin at a first-come, first-served basis. prosperity. Keynote speakers will INTERNATIONAL RESCUE 5.15pm, also in the Brunei For more information contact include Paul Collier, Professor of COMMITTEE Lecture Theatre. The event is the LSE Events Office Economics at Oxford University, 2008 Annual Lecture free. on [email protected] and John Ruggie, Professor of António Guterres, UN High To find out more visit or 020 7955 6043. International Relations at Commissioner for Refugees, www.cisd.soas.ac.uk

UnA-UK | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 25 Bruce Robertson retires World Refugee Day 2008: People on the Move Bruce Robertson has retired, after nearly nine years as The refugee challenge in the 21st century London & South-East is changing rapidly. Some 40 million peo - Regional Development ple worldwide are already uprooted by vi - Officer. On 9 April the olence and persecution, and in the future region held a dinner in his it is likely that more people will be on the honour at the Thai Pavilion run as a growing number of push factors in Lambeth. Keith Hindell combine to cause further forced displace - (right) presented Bruce with ment. a copy of Chasing the Today people do not just flee persecu - Flame , a biography of tion and war but also injustice, exclusion, Sergio Vieira de Mello. environmental pressures, competition for Bruce will be missed by scarce resources and all the miserable the region and former col - human consequences of dysfunctional leagues at UNA-UK. We all states. The task facing the international wish him the best in his re - community in this new environment is to tirement! find ways to unlock the potential of refugees who have so much to offer if given the opportunity to regain control Photo © Donald Coker-Gibbs over their lives. World Refugee Day (WRD), celebrated each year on 20 June, is an occasion to focus attention on those tens of millions The Membership at Work . . . of refugees and others who have been forcibly displaced, and to highlight their urgent needs – from water and shelter to UNA Edinburgh tive and stressed their opposition to protection and tolerance. all nuclear weapons. Join UNHCR in marking WRD 2008. Liz Sim reports on the branch’s trust-build - We also discussed areas of mutual Visit www.unhcr.org for more ing work with UNA-Iran. interest and future collaboration. Both information associations undertake notable educa - For three days in January, UNA tional work: UNA Edinburgh runs an Edinburgh was host to an unprece - annual Model UN General Assembly, EILEEN DAFFERN , a long-standing UNA dented event: UNA-Iran’s first visit to while UNA-Iran works with UN agen - member described by Jeremy Paxman as the UK. UNA-Iran was represented by cies in Tehran to teach over 65,000 ‘a force to be reckoned with in the cam - its president, Yadollah Mohammadi, school students and teachers about the paign against nuclear weapons’, has along with Hossein Ahmadyadih and objectives and functions of the UN written an autobiography. Essays on a Mahmood Tavana, both of whom are and its agencies. We proposed an ex - Life: Politics, Peace and the Personal is international lawyers and founding change, with a team from Edinburgh available from www.amazon.co.uk members of the association. participating in a Model UN in Iran, We wanted to come to know and and a team from Iran participating in A review of the book is posted at understand each other better, and to an Edinburgh event. www.una.org.uk/nations regionsbranches consider issues of common interest. The experience of this joint meet - We found our guests to be friendly, ing strengthened our conviction that open, frank and unfailingly courteous, personal encounter and dialogue, in - with a light sense of humour. Each cluding listening with respect to oth - A service of thanksgiving was held on side felt free to question the other, ers’ perspectives, are indispensable for 5 April for Michael Durkin, former often quite bluntly, and responses building improved relationships and a Regional Development Officer for were honest and based on respect. more peaceful world. Central Region. Gillian Briggs spoke Inevitably the ‘hot topic’ of Iran’s at the occasion on behalf of the nuclear programme came up, and it UNA-UK Board of Directors and was very instructive to see this from Central Region.

an Iranian perspective. Our guests h g r u

pointed out that Iran has since 1974 b Ian Gascoigne, a committed member n i d E used the annual meeting of the UN A from UNA Southern Region, has sadly N U

General Assembly to call for the estab - f also died. Fanny Lines has written an o

y s e

lishment of a nuclear-weapons-free t

r obituary. For a copy, contact Rich u o c zone in the Middle East. Both UNAs

o Nelmes on 020 7766 3456 or t o h

agreed to make this a common objec - P [email protected]

26 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | UnA-UK If the first quarter of 2008 is to serve tive to widen and deepen UK corporate as an indication of things to come, YPN participation in the UN Global has an eventful year ahead. We were Compact. privileged to be addressed by Foreign YPN also has a new website! It in - Secretary David Miliband at the formal cludes more information about our launch of our 2008-2009 programme on work, new interactive features, and ad - 12 March. Both the UN & the Law and ditional resources to help you learn the Working for Peace groups have since more about what it takes to get a job at staged successful events. The Business & the UN. A promising start the MDGs team is working on an initia - Let us know what you think!

Richard Broadbent YPN Steering David Miliband addresses YPN Committee On 12 March the Network held a Chair of the YPN Steering Committee, reception in the Locarno Rooms of the concluded with a brief overview of YPN's Foreign & Commonwealth Office to goals for the year ahead. launch its 2008-09 programme of activi - Visit www.una.org.uk/ypn to watch a ties. After opening addresses from Sam video of the event and view more photos Daws (UNA-UK Executive Director) and Paul Johnston (Head of the FCO International Security Directorate), the The Foreign Secretary blogged about British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, the event the following day. delivered remarks to the audience of over Read his comments at www.fco.gov.uk 200 young professionals. Andrew Smith,

k r o s e w a w D

o t o s n h P l a

n ‘I think that it is really tremendous to see so many younger people disprov - o

i ing the simplistic adage that people don’t care about politics, that politics s

s can’t achieve change, that people are more interested in their own lives e P

f than in other people’s lives.

o I take strength from the fact that so many of you have decided to come r

P together in support of the ideals of the UN, and also that you’re trying to

g make a practical difference. It’s one thing to say ‘join an organisation be - n cause you believe in its values’ and another to say ‘join an organisation to u

o deliver some change’. Y Y I think the projects that you’re doing in respect of preventing conflict, the work that you’re doing on corporate social responsibility in the world of business, I think those are ways of engaging not just the heads of peo - ple, but their hearts as well.’ David Miliband MP, Foreign Secretary

YPn | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 27 time in Egypt and the West Bank learning Arabic – although I admit I was never very good at it. My strong accent probably didn’t help!

How did you get to where you are today? By staying at university for what feels like forever! I have an un - dergraduate degree in politics from Queens University, Belfast; an MPhil from Oxford University; and a PhD in history and international affairs from the University of Ulster. I also spent a year as a Kennedy Scholar at the THE YPN INTERVIEW: Kennedy School of Government and Public Policy at Harvard University. This was one of my best years Dr Cathy ever – I learned so much, took classes in negotiation analysis and Arabic, and made some great friends! Gorman-Heenan, I then came back to Northern Ireland to look for Northern Ireland work. I got a job as the researcher on INCORE’s Conflict Data Service, an internet service on peace and conflict issues. I did some teaching while I was in the post, and things just developed from there. What do you do? I am a lecturer at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. I What has been your greatest professional achiev e- teach classes on government and public policy in the UK, but ment to date? my areas of specialism are ethnic conflict, the management of There are many things which I’m proud of in my career but peace processes, state crime, and conducting research in violently the publication of my first book – Political Leadership and the divided societies. I am also an associate of INCORE, a centre for Northern Ireland Peace Process (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) – international conflict research which is a joint initiative of the stands out. My teaching efforts have also resulted in some University of Ulster and the UN University in Tokyo. professional successes over the past two years. In 2006, I won the UK Political Studies Association’s Bernard Crick Award What do you most enjoy about your job? for Outstanding Teaching in the new entrant category. Then, I get great job satisfaction from teaching. I always learn so much in 2007, I was awarded a University of Ulster Distinguished from my students, especially at the INCORE International Teaching Fellowship Award. Summer School – students of at least 20-30 nationalities take part each year! What advice do you have for other young profes - Most of these students have worked ‘in the field’ in a range of sionals wanting to follow a similar path to yours? conflict zones and so the exchange of experiences is always fasci - The very best teachers are those with plenty of field experience. nating. Most of them come to Northern Ireland to understand It’s hard to be passionate about something that you have not ex - more about the peace process here, so we spend a lot of time perienced first hand. There may be many other young profes - comparing cases and trying to draw lessons from them. sionals with similar educational qualifications; your ‘edge’ will al - ways be determined by how much exposure you have had to the What is the greatest challenge that you face very issues that you are researching and teaching. in your role? Apart from balancing my teaching and research commitments, I What do you think of the UN’s role in fostering sus - would say that my biggest challenge is how to engage many of tainable peace? our younger ‘non-specialist’ students in appreciating the rele - The UN primarily considers peacebuilding as an activity vance of world politics. There is huge political apathy among which occurs after preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and young people; the falling turnout at elections in the UK is a stark peacekeeping. But this linear view raises important questions. illustration. When, exactly, is the best time to build peace? After a cessa - Finding the time and space for international field research is tion of physical violence? After a peace accord has been also challenging. Before I had a family, it was relatively easy for signed? At any point in the cycle of conflict? me to hop on a plane to conduct some research in the West Bank The notion that there is a particular time to engage in or Gaza for example. Now there needs to be a lot more planning peacebuilding initiatives is being challenged. Some argue that on my part! the narrow interpretation and operationalisation of peace - building activities in a post-conflict environment fails to ac - What inspires you to do what you do? knowledge the fundamental reality that peacebuilding can I was born and raised in Northern Ireland. I remember that, take place in the absence of any formal peace agreement, or in while I was at university here studying politics, a professor told the event that fledging peace agreements fail. me that the world was a much bigger place than Northern Ireland: if I wanted my opinions on this conflict to be taken seri - ously, I was advised, I would need points of reference from other Any comments on this interview? conflicts around the world. So, I went to Oxford University and Send them to [email protected] took an MPhil in modern Middle Eastern studies. I also spent

28 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | YPn Peace versus Justice – can we have both?

On 16 April, YPN’s UN & the Law initiative collaborated with the Under- 35s Forum of Chatham House to hold its first major event. Juan Méndez, the former Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, gave the main address, highlighting the tension between peace and justice in post-conflict situations but arguing that both were ultimately possible. Alex Loden, a legal adviser and YPN member, then shared his views, K U - A

drawing on his practical experience working on transitional justice initia - N U / e s

tives in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Elizabeth Wilmshurst, head of u o H

www.una.org.uk/ypn/un_andthelaw.htm o t o h P

Controversy about the Congo

On 22 April, Working for Peace was scheduled to hold a screening and discussion of ‘Congo: Children of the Genocide’ – a film about the ongoing ethnic clashes in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Part of the acclaimed Unreported World series, the film traces the origins of the conflict back to the international community’s flawed response to the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and highlights the implications for future interventions aimed at preventing mass civilian killings. Alas a technical problem meant that the film could not be shown! But the event went ahead anyway and was by all accounts marked by intense discussion of the issues raised by the film. The film’s presenter, Sam Kiley, was on hand to share his perspec - tives of the crisis. He was joined by Marie-Claire Faray-Kele, a campaigner for peace and women’s rights in the DRC, as well as Mark Lancaster MP, Shadow Minister for International Development, who has served in peacekeeping missions in both Kosovo and Bosnia.

www.una.org.uk/ypn/work4peace.htm

Getting British companies to mean business

The Business & the MDGs group is leading a YPN initiative to promote wider and deeper commitment to the UN Global Compact among British businesses. The Global Compact is the world's largest global corporate citizenship initiative. It provides a voluntary framework for re - sponsible business practice that not only contributes to broad-based development and sustainable markets, but also encourages the private sector to take action in support of wider UN goals, such as the MDGs. Companies that sign up to the Compact commit to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

www.una.org.uk/ypn/business_mdgs.htm o t o h P k c o t S i

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29 | NEW WORLD | Winter 2008 | YPn YPn | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 29 I hope that your preparations for council for all their hard work, and to wish exams are going smoothly. The last few the incoming group under Marco Moraes months have been busy. In March UNYSA the best of luck. held its annual conference at Birmingham This summer, UNA-UK will, for the sec - University. With speaker and interactive ond year running, team up with Life-Link training sessions and a screening of the ac - Ghana to help organise a major Model UN claimed DVD 'The Peacekeepers', a stimu - initiative in that country. We are looking for In with the new lating time was had by all. UNYSA members with extensive Model UN Delegates also elected a new Youth experience to apply to travel to Ghana during Council for 2008-2009. Brief profiles of the July and August to help with this project, Mark Rusling new members are included below. The which uses Model UN to impart public UNA-UK Campaigns seven members, whose nationalities cover speaking and IT skills. Flights, food and ac - & Education Officer four continents, reflect UNYSA’s wide diver - commodation will be covered. Further details sity. I would like to thank the outgoing are available at www.una.org.uk/youth

Your new Youth Council

Marco Moraes: President Marco hails from São Paulo and is a second-year international relations student at the London School of Economics, where he is President of the UNYSA. He wants to pro - mote the expansion of UNYSA branches throughout the UK and represents UNYSA on the UNA-UK Board.

Marek Zaremba-Pike: Secretary Marek is a Polish-Scottish second-year student of Russian studies and internation - al relations at Birmingham University. He ensures the efficient running of the council and would like UNYSA to develop partnerships with other youth organi - n sations. o i t a A i Avnish Raichura: Education Officer

c Avnish, who grew up in Kenya, is an international relations student at Leeds University o

s and former Chair of Leeds UNYSA. This is his second year as Education Officer: in his s first year he successfully piloted a UNYSA education outreach initiative in Leeds, and A this year hopes to get the programme implemented across most UNYSA branches. t n S

e Tuuli Hongisto: Campaigns Officer d Originally from Helsinki, Tuuli is a final year politics and international relations student at u t the University of Westminster. She would like to inspire and empower all UNYSA mem - S bers to campaign and make a difference in their universities, workplaces and local com - d munities. She is also the UK representative to ‘Making Commitments Matter’, a UN ini - n Y a tiative designed to monitor and evaluate national youth policy.

h t Faizan Bhat: Model UN Officer u

o Faizan is a student of computer engineering and business management at the Y

University of Birmingham. He got involved in Model UN events at Northeastern s University in Boston, USA and hopes to promote the use of Model UN nationwide. n o i n t Luke Harman: Co-opted member a Luke, from the UK, is currently in his final year studying for an MA in international rela - n tions at the University of St Andrews. Last year he served as Youth Council President; d

e this year, as a co-opted member, he hopes to promote greater cohesion and coopera - t

i tion among branches. n U U Noorin Dahya: Co-opted member Noorin is a Canadian-Spanish biochemical engineering student at University College London, with a background in environmental conservation. Her role will involve helping to promote cooperation between branches and the Youth Council.

To contact any member of the Youth Council, e-mail [email protected]

30 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2008 | UnYSA UNYSA 2008 Annual Conference Marek Zaremba-Pike is Secretary of the UNYSA Youth Council

This year’s UNYSA Conference was a fantastic success. Over 80 members from throughout the UK attended the event, held on Saturday, 8 March in Birmingham University’s European Research Institute. UNA-UK provided travel subsidies to all delegates, through funding provided by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The programme featured interesting speakers and covered both sub - stantive and practical topics. Peter Kessler, the UN Refugee Agency’s Senior External Affairs Officer in the UK, told us about the challenges of supporting all aspects of refugee camp life for decades after a crisis has been forgotten by the media. UNA-UK Executive Director Sam Daws, who was previously First Officer in the Executive Office of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, then gave an overview of the different ways of gaining employ - ment with the UN. After lunch, Professor Sir Richard Jolly, a former UNA-UK chair, gave a passionate speech about the Millennium Development Goals. Sir Richard is former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, archi - tect of the Human Development Report and a firm believer in the UN’s potential to build a better world. Fired up with enthusiasm, members were then given tips on campaigning through the media by Linda Jones, author of The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World . UNYSA members then moved onto the business of electing their Youth Council for 2008-2009 – not easy given that the positions were heavily con - tested! The conference ended with a documentary about the Rochdale Peace Parade, an annual event to mark the UN’s International Day of Peace. Delegates left the conference equipped with big ideas to motivate their branches. s n o s

The new members of the Youth Council would like to thank last year’s r a P

t c members for all their hard work. We would also like to thank UNA-UK i d e n for its financial support, as well as Birmingham UNYSA for helping out e B / K U with the organisation of the event. - A N U We look forward to seeing you all again next year! ©

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UN acts to curb ‘leading cause of death of young people’

Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death worldwide for those between the ages of 10 and 24. Almost 1.2 million people are killed each year due to road crashes, with mil - lions more injured or disabled. According to the World Health Organization, if no action is taken, road deaths will rise by 60 per cent by 2020. Following lobbying by the Commission for Global Road Safety, backed by the WHO, the World Bank and celebrities including Michael Schumacher, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on 31 March calling on member states to support efforts by low- and middle-income countries in setting national road traffic casualty reduction targets. The de - bate noted the disproportionate impact of road traffic accidents on poorer social groups, o

and on the young in particular. A UN ministerial summit on global road safety will be held t o h P k

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UnYSA | Spring 2008 | NEW WORLD | 31 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To celebrate, individuals – and not just governments – are being asked to sign up to the goals of the Declaration. By doing so, you will pledge your commitment to upholding human rights principles in your daily life and commu nity. Visit www.una.org.uk/UDHR60 to sign up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Every Human Has Rights is a campaign catalysed by The Elders. www.theelders.org UNA-UK