Islamic State crucifying, burying children alive in Iraq: UN

GENEVA, Feb 5: Islamic State militants are selling abducted Iraqi children at markets as sex slaves, and killing other youth, including by crucifixion or burying them alive, a United Nations watchdog said on Wednesday.

Iraqi boys aged under 18 are increasingly being used by the militant group as suicide bombers, bomb makers, informants or human shields to protect facilities against US-led air strikes, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said.

"We are really deeply concerned at torture and murder of those children, especially those belonging to minorities, but not only from minorities," committee expert Renate Winter told a news briefing. "The scope of the problem is huge."

Children from the Yazidi sect or Christian communities, but also Shi'ites and Sunnis, have been victims, she said.

"We have had reports of children, especially children who are mentally challenged, who have been used as suicide bombers, most probably without them even understanding," Winter said. "There was a video placed (online) that showed children at a very young age, approximately eight years of age and younger, to be trained already to become child soldiers."

Islamic State is a breakaway al Qaeda group that declared an Islamic caliphate across parts of Syria and Iraq last summer. It has killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, in what the United Nations has called a reign of terror.

On Tuesday, the group, which is also known as ISIL, released a video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burned alive.

The UN body, which reviewed Iraq's record for the first time since 1998, denounced "the systematic killing of children belonging to religious and ethnic minorities by the so-called ISIL, including several cases of mass executions of boys, as well as reports of beheadings, crucifixions of children and burying children alive".

A large number of children have been killed or badly wounded during air strikes or shelling by Iraqi security forces, while others had died of "dehydration, starvation and heat", it said.

ISIL has committed "systematic sexual violence", including "the abduction and sexual enslavement of children", it said.

"Children of minorities have been captured in many places... sold in the market place with tags, price tags on them, they have been sold as slaves," Winter said, giving no details.

The 18 independent experts who worked on the report called on Iraqi authorities to take all necessary measures to "rescue children" under the control of Islamic State and to prosecute perpetrators of crimes.

"There is a duty of a state to protect all its children. The point is just how are they going to do that in such a situation?", Winter said.

UN expresses solidarity with "Million Rally" in Paris

AHMEDABAD, Jan 11: The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, welcomed the march that took place today in Paris in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the city earlier this week, and in solidarity with victims of terrorism across the world. Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, represented the United Nations at the march and joined in expressing the Organization’s revulsion for terrorism.

The Secretary-General renewed his condolences to the families of the victims of the attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine and a kosher supermarket, and of the policewoman who was murdered. He has been deeply moved by the images of today’s march and the displays of global solidarity over the past few days.

He is strongly committed to the essential work of countering extremism, fighting anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, and upholding the rights to freedom of speech and expression.

The Secretary-General calls for heightened efforts to promote tolerance and understanding. In the past week alone, the world has seen horrific bombings and brutality, often with a sectarian dimension. The world must address this violence and division in ways that do not exacerbate the problems and that ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law.

In the aftermath of this week’s events in Paris, he warns in particular against targetting Muslims for reprisals. Such unwarranted bias would only play into the hands of terrorist and contribute to the spiral of violence.

The Secretary-General reiterates his condemnation of terrorism; no cause and no grievance can justify such acts. He calls on the international community to redouble its efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms.

UN chief to stress on inclusive development during India visit

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 6: UN chief Ban Ki-moon will stress on the need to promote inclusive and sustainable development in India and globally during his visit to the country later this week, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

During his India trip from January 10 to 13, the UN Secretary General will address leaders and policymakers at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and is also scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other key Indian leaders when he visits Gujarat and New Delhi.

Ban will travel to Ahmedabad on January 10 and deliver a keynote speech at the Inaugural Session of the 7th Vibrant Gujarat Summit on January 11, the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at his daily press briefing.

"Addressing world leaders, policy makers, and representatives from the business community and academia, the Secretary-General will stress the need to promote inclusive and sustainable development in India and globally," Dujarric said.

While in Gujarat, the Secretary-General is also expected to visit Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram as well as a solar power plant to see the national efforts in India to promote sustainable development.

During the visit, which is Ban's fourth trip to India as the UN Secretary-General, he will also meet Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and UN Goodwill Ambassadors in India.

On January 12, Ban is expected to deliver the 13th Sapru House Lecture, organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs.

He will conclude his visit to India on January 13, following his meetings with UN staff and heads of UN agencies working in India, Dujarric said.

Palestinian statehood resolution fails at UN Security Council

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 31: The UN Security Council has failed to adopt a Palestinian statehood resolution that set a deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories by 2017.

The long-anticipated draft tabled here last night drew the support of eight countries — Argentina, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Luxembourg, Russia — just one shy of the nine needed to pass a resolution in the absence of a veto by any of the Council's five permanent members.

The United States and Australia opposed the resolution while the United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Korea, Rwanda and Lithuania abstained.

The resolution failed to receive the required majority among members, the United States also opposed the text, a move that would have seen the draft fail to pass.

The draft outlined a solution which fulfilled the vision of two independent, democratic and prosperous states —- Israel and a sovereign, contiguous and viable State of Palestine —- living side by side in peace and security in mutually and internationally recognised borders.

It also outlined several parameters for the proposed solution –- with a one-year deadline for negotiations with Israel and a "full and phased withdrawal of Israeli forces" from the West Bank by the end of 2017 – and would have looked forward to welcoming Palestine as a full UN Member State within the 12-month time frame, urging both parties to build trust and negotiate in good faith.

The text also envisaged a "just solution" to the status of Jerusalem as the capital of the two states and to the question of Palestinian refugees as well as to all other outstanding issues, including control of water resources and the fate of prisoners in Israeli jails.

Security arrangements for the transition would have required a "third-party presence".

Following the vote, Permanent Representative of the US to the UN Samantha Power stressed her country's support for new ways to constructively support both parties in achieving a negotiated settlement.

"This resolution is not one of those constructive steps," she said, adding that the draft set the stage for "more division, not compromise."

The vote set-up a "staged confrontation" that did not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question, especially as the text was "deeply imbalanced", establishing "unconstructive deadlines", she said.

UK's representative Mark Lyall Grant said while he supported much of the draft's content, he was disappointed by the lack of negotiation and so had abstained.

UN declares June 21 as 'International Day of Yoga'

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11: The 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly today adopted by acclamation draft Resolution A/69/L.17 with a record number of 175 countries co-sponsoring it. The Resolution establishes the International Day of Yoga for observance by the United Nations on 21st June each year.

The idea for declaring an International Day of Yoga at the United Nations was formally proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his maiden address to the 69th UNGA on September 27.

The Prime Minister had said: “We need to change our lifestyles. Energy not consumed is the cleanest energy. We can achieve the same level of development, prosperity and well being without necessarily going down the path of reckless consumption. It doesn't mean that economies will suffer; it will mean that our economies will take on a different character. For us in India, respect for nature is an integral part of spiritualism.

We treat nature's bounties as sacred. Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”

The Prime Minister had indicated that 21st June, one of the two solstices, which is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, has special significance in many parts of the world, and could be considered for adoption as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations each year.

In order to implement the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s initiative, the Permanent Mission of India in New York convened three rounds of informal consultations with all 193 member states of the United Nations. A final text of the Resolutioin, on which all the participating countries agreed, was reached on October 22.

Following this, the proposed Resolution was circulated by the UN Secretariat as a “L” Document with 130 co-sponsors on November 7. Subsequently, till December 5, another 45 member states have joined as co-sponsors, bringing the number to 175 out of the 193 member states of the United Nations.

The Resolution on International Day of Yoga has been brought about in an unprecedented manner. It is for the first time that such an initiative has been proposed and implemented by any country in the UN General Assembly in less than 90 days.

The Resolution (A/69/L.17), adopted under agenda item 124: Global Health and Foreign Policy, has two unique “firsts” for a UN General Assembly Resolution of such a nature. While its initial official document circulated to the General Assembly (i.e. known as the L document) had the highest ever number of co-sponsors for a L Document (at 129 member states), when it was finally adopted on December 11 in the UNGA, the Resolution had the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA Resolution of such nature (with 175 co-sponsors till December 5).

A noteworthy facet of this exercise has been the sheer diversity of cross regional support that Prime Minister’s initiative has garnered from across the world in a record time with record numbers. Co-sponsors of the proposal include all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, nearly all members from the African continent, Latin America, Europe, most from Asia, the Caribbean Community, and most of the Small Island Developing States including the Pacific island states, who interacted with the Prime Minister at the recent First Meeting of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation.

Both the President of the 69th UN General Assembly Sam Kutesa and UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon issued congratulatory statements on the adoption of the Resolution in the General Assembly. This shows the convergence of views of the leaders of two of the major organs of the United Nations system, the General Assembly and the Secretariat.

Introducing the Resolution, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, thanked each and every member state co-sponsoring the Prime Minister of India’s initiative. He emphasized the significance of the Resolution adopted today in terms of its timing, coming so soon after the presentation of the Synthesis Report of the UN Secretary General, on which the negotiations of the post-2015 Development Agenda will commence in the United Nations from January 2015.

The United Nations in its annual calendar has listed nearly 118 International Days/Years/Anniversaries for observance. The main significance of the UN declaring an International Day is to focus the attention of the international community on the topic of the Day, and to encourage activities among the member states of the United Nations to commemorate the Day. The adoption of the International Day of Yoga does not entail any additional budgetary implications for the UN system. Commemorative activities would be organized through voluntary contributions.

India’s UN resolution on Yoga gets backing of about 130 nations

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14: In an overwhelming response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for commemorating an International Day of Yoga, about 130 countries have joined as co-sponsors to an India-led U.N. General Assembly resolution recognising yoga’s benefits.

The draft resolution for an ‘International Day of Yoga’ was prepared by India and informal consultations were convened last month by the Indian mission in the U.N. General Assembly where views on the topic were expressed by other delegations.

The draft resolution, known as the ‘L Document,’ was finalised with 130 countries co-sponsoring it, an all-time record for a resolution of such kind. The draft resolution, expected to come up for adoption in the General Assembly on December 10, would recognise that.

Modi had asked world leaders to adopt an International Yoga Day, saying that by changing lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. “Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being,” he had said.

The resolution would also proclaim June 21 as the ‘International Day of Yoga’.

It would recognise that wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising yoga would be beneficial for the health of the world population and invite all member and observer states, organisations of the United Nations system and other international and regional bodies to observe the International Day in order to raise awareness of the benefits of practising yoga.

It would also note the importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health.

UK Supports India, 4 Other Nations for UN Permanent SC Seat; Opposes Veto Rights

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 12: While reaffirming its strong commitment to reforming the UN Security Council, Ambassador Lyall Grant of the UK Mission to the UN has reiterated support for new Permanent seat for Brazil, Germany, India, Japan and a permanent African representation. However, he added that the UK does not support the extension of veto rights to new permanent members.

Speaking at an Intervention during General Assembly debate on Security Council Reform, Ambassador Lyall Grant said on Wednesday that the UK also supports a modest expansion in non-permanent seats.

Next year, he said “we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UN and the 10th anniversary of the Summit Declaration. Let us mark these occasions with genuine action on reform.”

Ambassador Grant said “disagreement around whether or not to extend the veto rights has proven one of the key obstacles to making any progress on UN Security Council reform. A priority for all of us must be to ensure that any reform does not reduce the Council’s capacity to effectively deal with threats to international peace and security.”

He said that the UK does not support the extension of veto rights to new permanent members.

Ambassador Grant said “we note with interest the French initiative for voluntary P5 veto restraint and welcome the motives that lie behind this as well as the valuable debate it has sparked. We have been appalled by the cynical way in which the veto has been used since 2011 to enable the perpetuation of mass atrocities and war crimes by the Syrian regime.

“We cannot envisage the circumstances in which the United Kingdom would use its veto to block an appropriate response to a mass atrocity or other major crisis. To be meaningful, this initiative would of course need the united support of all the permanent members of the Council.”

He said it was important that arguments on contentious issues such as the veto were heard, but we also need to be careful to ensure that the range of different and opposing views around the veto should not distract us from the important task of broadening the membership of the Council to ensure it is a better reflection of the modern world.

The Ambassador also reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to improving the UN Security Council’s working methods. Improving the Council’s effectiveness must go hand in hand with any discussion around increasing its size. The United Kingdom works hard to ensure that the Council is continually looking at new ways to improve in efficiency, effectiveness and transparency, including through using technological advancements. We are always open to new practical suggestions for improvement and welcome the constructive spirit in which the ACT group has engaged in discussions on the Council’s working methods.