ONU (Continuación)

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya looks at papers during the United Nations Security Council meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York City on February 27, 2022. Andrea Renault / AFP

The United Nations General Assembly will hold an Emergency Special Session on the war in Ukraine this week, beginning today. This is potentially a key moment for all members of the UN to condemn Russia’s aggression, call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The General Assembly must send a clear message in support of Ukraine, and African, Asian and Latin American members in particular should make their voices heard.

This week’s General Assembly session follows Russia’s predictable decision to block a Security Council resolution deploring its actions last Friday. On Sunday 27 February, the Council passed a procedural resolution – with eleven votes in favour, three abstentions and Russia’s no-vote (Russia could not veto the text under UN rules) – requesting the General Assembly to meet in line with the long-established but rarely used “Uniting for Peace” formula.…  Seguir leyendo »

An Afghan woman walks on the street during a snowfall in Kabul, Afghanistan, 3 January 2022. REUTERS / Ali Khara

The UN Security Council faces hard choices about the future of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The UN’s role in Afghanistan has grown more important following the Taliban victory in August 2021 and the shuttering of many embassies and international organisations. UNAMA, originally launched in 2002 after the U.S. toppled the first Taliban government, has stayed in place, acting as a point of contact for engagement with the new Taliban authorities. The mission also has the potential to serve as the “eyes and ears” on the ground for outside powers and aid donors, monitoring the human rights situation and coordinating the work of UN agencies in responding to the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis.…  Seguir leyendo »

Diplomats at the United Nations are preparing for an unholy row over Ukraine. As Colum Lynch of Foreign Policy reported this month, the Biden administration “is planning for a high-profile public showdown with Russia” in the Security Council if Moscow launches a new offensive against its neighbor. If hostilities escalate, the United States, its allies, and Ukraine are also likely to push for other U.N. bodies, like the General Assembly and Human Rights Council, to condemn Russia. While Russian diplomats will reject these criticisms out of hand, the crisis could make it harder for Washington and Moscow to compromise over other crises on the U.N.…  Seguir leyendo »

How UN Member States Divided Over Climate Security

On 13 December, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on climate security tabled by Ireland and Niger. This draft resolution was a relatively modest text, focusing on improving the UN’s analysis of the links between climate change and instability in countries and regions on the Council’s agenda, and requesting the Secretary-General to produce a report on these issues by December 2023. Russia argued that there was not enough evidence to justify these links and complained that the Irish and Nigeriens had made insufficient efforts to secure consensus for their initiative. While twelve Council members voted for the resolution, India opposed it on similar grounds to Russia, and China abstained.…  Seguir leyendo »

South Sudanese refugees try to repair their hut in flooded waters from the White Nile at a refugee camp which was inundated after heavy rain near in al-Qanaa in southern Sudan, on 14 September 2021. ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP

The UN Security Council is set to vote on a resolution calling for stepped up international efforts to understand and respond to the implications of climate change for peace and security. Ireland and Niger, two elected members of the body, put the draft “in blue” – meaning the text is in near-final form – late on 6 December. On 9 December, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum will preside over a Council session on climate change and terrorism. A vote on the draft resolution could come as soon as 10 December, or early next week. China and Russia are not supportive, and either could decide to veto.…  Seguir leyendo »

Sobre la base de sus 75 años de historia, la Unesco tiene la responsabilidad y la capacidad de ayudar a resolver los desafíos de este siglo. La revolución digital es uno de ellos. Desde el inicio de mi mandato en 2018, nos llevó a poner en marcha un ambicioso proyecto: dar al mundo un marco ético para el uso de la inteligencia artificial (IA). Muchos pensaron que no sería posible. Tres años después, gracias a la movilización de cientos de expertos de todo el mundo y a intensas negociaciones internacionales, los 193 Estados miembros de la Unesco acaban de adoptar oficialmente este marco ético.…  Seguir leyendo »

Guiados por la diplomacia, el diálogo y el consenso, los 51 países signatarios de la Carta Fundacional de las Naciones Unidas sentaron, en el año 1945, las bases de lo que más tarde se convertiría en uno de los proyectos políticos más trascedentes de la historia contemporánea, al definir los principios básicos de lo que hoy constituyen las relaciones entre los Estados y la comunidad internacional, habiendo servido para preservar la paz y la seguridad mundial.

El mismo no habría sido posible si no se hubiera abordado desde la perspectiva de los derechos humanos, la justicia social y, sobre todo, contando con el talento de mujeres como Eleanor Roosevelt, quien lideró -con la ayuda de otras como Hansa Metha, Minerva Bernardino y Shaista Ikramullah- lo que en aquel entonces ya se calificó como un movimiento en favor del reconocimiento jurídico y político de todas las personas, independientemente de su origen, sexo, raza, religión o cualquier otra condición, para incluirlas en la que sería la ‘Carta Magna Internacional’.…  Seguir leyendo »

Displaced people walk with their belongings in a flooded area after the Nile river overflowed after continuous heavy rain which caused thousands of people to be displaced in Bor, central South Sudan, on 9 August 2020. Akuot Chol / AFP

What are Security Council members negotiating about?

UN Security Council members are discussing a draft resolution on climate security tabled by Ireland and Niger at the end of September. If it passes, it will be the first resolution of its kind, although the Council has held sessions on climate change and its implications for peace and security since 2007. These discussions, which were sporadic at first, have become much more frequent in the last five years. But aside from one statement (which lacks the stature of a resolution) in 2011, the Council has never formally put its concerns about climate change on paper.…  Seguir leyendo »

“Nos enfrentamos a la mayor cascada de crisis de nuestras vidas”, declaró el secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, António Guterres, en su discurso de apertura de la Asamblea General de la ONU. A la hora de debatir sobre las dos principales crisis a las que se enfrenta la humanidad, el cambio climático y la pandemia, fueron los líderes de los países pequeños y en vías de desarrollo, más que los líderes de las principales potencias del mundo, los que transmitieron un sentido de urgencia más auténtico.

El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Níger, Hassoumi Massaoudou, por ejemplo, destacó los “efectos devastadores” del cambio climático en su país.…  Seguir leyendo »

A person in the Congo holds a phone displaying a photo of former WHO doctor Boubacar Diallo, who has been accused of pressuring a woman to have sex with him for a job. (Kudra Maliro/AP)

Last week, an independent panel commissioned by the World Health Organization released a report detailing 83 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse linked to the WHO’s response to the 2018 to 2020 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The alleged perpetrators include drivers, security guards, doctors, consultants and senior staff.

United Nations agencies’ employees have been charged with sexual misconduct repeatedly. With this report, U.N. critics and leaders will again focus on how to respond effectively. But the report will also likely deepen the legitimacy crisis facing the U.N.’s agencies and programs.

What’s in this report?

The report documents a widespread sex-for-jobs scheme, whereby WHO staff coerced women into sex in exchange for promises of getting or keeping jobs.…  Seguir leyendo »

Revitalizar el multilateralismo

El año pasado, Naciones Unidas realizó una consulta mundial, en la que participó más de un millón de personas de 193 países. Las opiniones recabadas permiten señalar diversos hechos importantes a los que la Asamblea General de la ONU de este año debe dar una respuesta, reforzando el multilateralismo basado en reglas.

El primer hallazgo de la consulta fue el asombroso parecido de las expectativas y esperanzas de mujeres, hombres, niñas y niños de todo el mundo. La gente quiere mejor acceso a atención médica básica, saneamiento y educación. También quiere ver más solidaridad con las personas más afectadas por la pandemia y las que viven en la pobreza.…  Seguir leyendo »

The return of diplomats and politicians to midtown Manhattan for the annual September UN General Assembly meeting has been good news for the hotels. But will it justify the journeys?

Last year's General Assembly was not just virtual in attendance. It was also virtual in substance. It showcased the world's problems with beggar-thy-neighbor politics and evidence-light policymaking -- even in the face of Covid-19's historic, and shared, thread. Then-President Donald Trump was not the only guilty party.

The results of this failure to cooperate -- through the UN, other institutions, and in general -- have been clear: Since the start of the pandemic, the number of people globally in need of assistance rose by about 40% -- up to 235 million -- with financial instability, hunger, out-of-school children and gender inequity all on the rise worldwide.…  Seguir leyendo »

The annual U.N. General Assembly meeting kicks off this week with a full meeting agenda on global concerns ranging from climate change to nuclear weapons to covid-19 vaccines and economic recovery from the global pandemic.

One issue that has long had consensus within the U.N. is the need to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But at a June UNGA High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS , Russia refused to support a consensus Political Declaration on ending the AIDS epidemic, forcing the first-ever contested vote on this topic.

What does this swerve toward greater politicization mean for the future of HIV/AIDS and international politics? And are there takeaways on how to address other health crises?…  Seguir leyendo »

Displaced Afghans from the northern provinces arrive at a makeshift camp in Kabul, Afghanistan as the Taliban takes control of the country. Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images.

The international community was ill-prepared for the rapid collapse of the Afghan government, but now international donor governments need to rapidly determine how to respond to the profound economic crisis unfolding in the country.

As 38 million people living in Afghanistan prepare for a long hard winter with massive population displacements within and outside the country, the international community must come together behind the United Nations (UN) to engage with the new administration in Kabul.

The priority tasks to focus on are releasing frozen assets, mobilizing humanitarian assistance, refocusing the UN presence in the country, and setting ground rules for future collaboration in all sectors of the economy.…  Seguir leyendo »

The 1995 World Conference on Women convened by the United Nations was a watershed moment for women's rights, a pivotal event in the movement for global progress toward gender equality. Last week, 26 years later, leaders from government, civil society, philanthropy and the private sector gathered in Paris for the culmination of the Generation Equality Forum, another once-in-a-generation opportunity to support women's rights organizations and feminist movements across the world.

Convened by UN Women, co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France in partnership with youth and civil society, and ongoing since March, the forum was a global gathering to launch a powerful agenda of actions.…  Seguir leyendo »

La competencia entre grandes potencias, el preocupante ascenso del nacionalismo xenófobo, las amenazas ambientales a nuestra existencia y al actual embate del COVID-19 representan importantes retos de gobernanza. Con este telón de fondo, los líderes mundiales encargaron al Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas António Guterres que recomiende pasos para avanzar hacia la concretización de los profundos compromisos de la llamada Declaración UN75, realizada el año pasado, en que la Asamblea General prometió asegurar “el futuro que queremos”.

El muy esperado informe del secretario-general, Nuestra agenda en común, tiene septiembre como plazo de publicación y sería beneficioso contar con un vehículo de seguimiento para ponderar sus recomendaciones y deliberar sobre sus mejores ideas y cómo adoptarlas.…  Seguir leyendo »

UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during a joint press conference with EU Commission president after their bilateral meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on 16 May 2018. JOHN THYS / AFP

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is in Brussels for a rapid round of meetings with European Union (EU) decision-makers on 23 and 24 June. He will lunch with the European commissioners, speak to the European Parliament and meet the leaders gathered for the summer summit of the European Council (Guterres’ native Portugal currently holds the Council’s rotating presidency). The trip comes at a good moment for the secretary-general, who won a second term on 18 June.

Guterres and his European partners will focus on COVID-19 and climate change, but their agenda also includes discussions of security crises including those in Ethiopia and the Middle East.…  Seguir leyendo »

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres at a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

For the first 70 years of its existence, the United Nations selected its top leader, the secretary general, in a process so opaque it was often compared to a papal conclave. But despite recent changes to the rules, incumbent António Guterres is speeding toward a new five-year term, while those who want to run against him lament that the U.N. doesn’t allow the kind of fair competition internally that it advocates around the world.

In 2016, the year after the U.N. passed a resolution providing for a competitive election for the position of world’s most senior diplomat, there were 13 candidates.…  Seguir leyendo »

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres removes his facemask upon arriving at a press conference on 29 April 2021 at the end of a 5+1 Meeting on Cyprus in Geneva. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will make his case for a second five-year term to the UN General Assembly on 7 May. It will largely be a formality. Guterres faces no serious rival for the post, and he is on good terms with all the UN Security Council’s permanent members, although Russia says it is still thinking over his renewal. It is a good moment to reflect on his approach to UN conflict management to date and the challenges he will face in the future.

When Guterres became Secretary-General in 2017, he promised a “surge in diplomacy for peace”. He has found it difficult to deliver, as the UN has been at the centre of few successful peacemaking endeavours during his term to date.…  Seguir leyendo »

Una ONU al estilo europeo

En septiembre pasado, con ocasión del 75 aniversario de las Naciones Unidas, la Asamblea General adoptó una declaración histórica en que se establecía un compromiso con la “movilización de recursos” y “la demostración de una voluntad y liderazgo políticos sin precedentes” para asegurar “el futuro que queremos”. La llamada Declaración UN75 fue una declaración inspiradora. Pero, ¿llevará a un cambio significativo?

La historia sugiere que bien podría ser así. Después de todo, los aniversarios pasados de la fundación de la ONU han dado pie a importantes reformas estructurales. Por ejemplo, en el aniversario 60, los líderes mundiales crearon una Comisión de Paz para ayudar a los países en la transición desde la guerra a la paz, actualizó la Comisión de Derechos Humanos a un más sólido Consejo de Derechos Humanos y adoptó la doctrina de la “Responsabilidad de proteger” para ayudar a salvaguardar a los civiles en zonas de conflicto.…  Seguir leyendo »