Outcome Of UN Summit
The 117 heads of state at the big UN reform summit got, on average, a third of a page each in the 35-page Draft Outcome Document of the summit. Some comments follow. Those interested in whether Ambassador Bolton will be able to secure UN reform in the post-Oil-for-Food era should scroll nearly to the bottom and read the section "Strengthening the UN."
The leaders affirmed "our common fundamental values, including freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for all human rights, respect for nature and shared responsibility," in the fourth point, but in the fifth, they applied this in a framework "the right to self-determination of peoples which remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation." The biggest challenge to freedom today comes from within, the hundreds of dictatorial, tyranical state leaders who repress their own people.
Pt. 11 takes this further, saying that "good governance and the rule of law at the national and international levels are essential for sustained economic growth, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger." Not included in the benedfits of good governance and the rule of law is freedom for the repressed population of many states, yet in pt. 13, they say, "We reaffirm the universality, indivisibility, interdependence, and interrelatedness of all human rights." But many signators don't.
Development -- There are separate 51 points on 33 pages covering the broad topic of development, which is UN speak for healthier economies and populations in poorer countries. These are a mish-mash of fine-sounding ideas and calls for more good things, but at its base, it's a repeat of the disasterous-to-date policies of the UN, including:
There are 11 points on terrorism, starting on page 20 with "We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."
The problem will be the definition of "terrorism," just as in Rowanda it was with the definiation of "genocide." I cannot see the UN voting to call Palestinian suicide bombers terrorists, and the same is true of the Sunni and ex-Baathist terrorists in Iraq. The provisions have no teeth today, and won't until the General Assembly implements an anti-terror strategy.
Peacekeeping -- The world leaders urge the passage of resolutions that would address sexual abuse by peacekeepers. But those resolutions can't solve the problem unless nations either give the World Court the power to try and punish abusers, or commit to trying and punishing them at home. Given the record to date, the latter course just may not work.
They established a "Peacebuilding Commission" to address post-conflict "peacebuilding and recovery." A good idea, since war decimates the societal infrastructure of countries, and poor countries often do not have the resources to rebuild this infrastructure -- which can lead to more war.
Human rights and the rule of law -- It's hard to read this section without gagging; thinking of representatives of North Korea, China, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba and a host of other scumbag regimes puffing up and voting "yea." So said, the fact that they agreed that "all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and that all human rights must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis," can't help them hold onto their tyranical power.
Addressing democracy, which is the best route to human rights, the UN pussy-foots:
Strengthening the United Nations -- This is where big reform was going to happen, but as UN Ambassador John Bolton pulls up the the HQ on Monday, he will note that 10 floors have not been removed. For example:
The leaders affirmed "our common fundamental values, including freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for all human rights, respect for nature and shared responsibility," in the fourth point, but in the fifth, they applied this in a framework "the right to self-determination of peoples which remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation." The biggest challenge to freedom today comes from within, the hundreds of dictatorial, tyranical state leaders who repress their own people.
Pt. 11 takes this further, saying that "good governance and the rule of law at the national and international levels are essential for sustained economic growth, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger." Not included in the benedfits of good governance and the rule of law is freedom for the repressed population of many states, yet in pt. 13, they say, "We reaffirm the universality, indivisibility, interdependence, and interrelatedness of all human rights." But many signators don't.
Development -- There are separate 51 points on 33 pages covering the broad topic of development, which is UN speak for healthier economies and populations in poorer countries. These are a mish-mash of fine-sounding ideas and calls for more good things, but at its base, it's a repeat of the disasterous-to-date policies of the UN, including:
- Insufficient financial accountability on borrowing countries, as debt forgiveness and grants are favored over responsible application and spending.
- Continued implementation of the same HIV/AIDS policies, which emphasize condoms and treatment over morality, faithfulness and abstinence -- and hence are doomed to failure.
- A passing of the buck on immigration: "We look forward [to] the General Assembly's high-level dialogue on international migration ... to be held in 2006..."
There are 11 points on terrorism, starting on page 20 with "We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."
The problem will be the definition of "terrorism," just as in Rowanda it was with the definiation of "genocide." I cannot see the UN voting to call Palestinian suicide bombers terrorists, and the same is true of the Sunni and ex-Baathist terrorists in Iraq. The provisions have no teeth today, and won't until the General Assembly implements an anti-terror strategy.
Peacekeeping -- The world leaders urge the passage of resolutions that would address sexual abuse by peacekeepers. But those resolutions can't solve the problem unless nations either give the World Court the power to try and punish abusers, or commit to trying and punishing them at home. Given the record to date, the latter course just may not work.
They established a "Peacebuilding Commission" to address post-conflict "peacebuilding and recovery." A good idea, since war decimates the societal infrastructure of countries, and poor countries often do not have the resources to rebuild this infrastructure -- which can lead to more war.
Human rights and the rule of law -- It's hard to read this section without gagging; thinking of representatives of North Korea, China, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba and a host of other scumbag regimes puffing up and voting "yea." So said, the fact that they agreed that "all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and that all human rights must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis," can't help them hold onto their tyranical power.
Addressing democracy, which is the best route to human rights, the UN pussy-foots:
We reaffirm that democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives. We also reaffirm that while democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy, that it does not belong to any country or region, and reaffirm the necessity of due respect for sovereignty and the right for self-determination. We stress that democracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.Democratic relativism is not democracy.
Strengthening the United Nations -- This is where big reform was going to happen, but as UN Ambassador John Bolton pulls up the the HQ on Monday, he will note that 10 floors have not been removed. For example:
- It supports a larger Security Council, but makes no recommendations regarding how it should be expanded.
- It creates a Human Rights Council to replace the defamed Human Rights Commission, but makes no specific call that its members should not include countries like Libya and Sudan, that are repress, murder and torture their citizens.
- Much of Bolton's work was in the area of accountability of the UN's administration. There are several airy points in this regard. Let's hope that they provide a framework within Bolton can work, because there's little recognition of how bad things are and no clear direction for change spelled out in the points.
- A call that all mandates older than five years need to be reviewed during 2006.
- A provision for a one-time staff buy-out "to improve personnel structure and quality."
- A full review of and additional resources for the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services, the desk that the Oil-for-Food buck did not stop at.
posted by Laer at 10:45 AM
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