UN CHIEF WANTS $40.5 MILLION FOR HAITI CHOLERA VICTIMS

UN CHIEF WANTS $40.5 MILLION FOR HAITI CHOLERA VICTIMS

UNITED NATIONS- Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is asking UN member states to transfer $40.5 million in unspent funds from Haiti's peacekeeping mission to help communities and victims of a cholera outbreak that has afflicted over 800,000 people, according to a report released Tuesday.

Guterres said in the report to the Security Council that the money is desperately needed for a trust fund that the UN had hoped would raise $400 million to provide aid to the families of victims and afflicted communities, and to help eradicate the disease.

So far, the report said only $2.67 million has been contributed to the fund from Chile, France, India, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Britain. Canada and Japan have separately contributed $8.5 million to assist Haiti.

The Security Council voted unanimously last month to end the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti in mid-October after 13 years. The peacekeepers helped normalize a country in chaos after political upheaval in 2004, but U.N. troops from Nepal were widely blamed for introducing cholera to Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010. The death toll as of April was over 9,500.

For years the U.N. had denied or been silent on the longstanding allegations that it was responsible for the outbreak, while responding to lawsuits in U.S. courts by claiming diplomatic immunity. Last August, a U.S. appeals court upheld the United Nations' immunity from a lawsuit filed on behalf of 5,000 Haitian cholera victims who blame the U.N. for the epidemic.

After the ruling, then secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said he deeply regretted the suffering that cholera has caused and the U.N. had a moral responsibility to the victims. He later apologized for the U.N. not doing enough to contain the spread of cholera and announced a new U.N. approach to eliminate the disease which sought to raise $400 million.

Guterres asked the 193 U.N. member states to consider voluntarily waiving the return of the $40.5 million balance and credits in the 2015-16 budget for the Haiti peacekeeping mission and put the money in the cholera trust fund.

In a renewed effort to raise voluntary contributions, Guterres said he has also written to every member state and has decided to appoint a high-level envoy "to develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy." He said several countries have responded to his letter "and some additional voluntary contributions are anticipated."

UN chief holds first meeting with US President Donald Trump

UN CHIEF HOLDS FIRST MEETING WITH DONALD TRUMP

United Nations: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday held a brief first meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, ahead of a visit of Security Council ambassadors to Washington next week. Guterres, who took over from Ban Ki-moon in January, also met with the US national security advisor, General H.R. McMaster.

The UN chief had an "interesting and constructive discussion on cooperation between the United States and the United Nations," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Guterres and Trump "agreed to meet again in the near future," he added.

UN Security Council ambassadors will hold a luncheon meeting with Trump on Monday and meet with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Those meetings are likely to focus on North Korea, Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US cuts to UN funding that have raised concerns about the US administration`s support for the world body.

The United States is the biggest contributor to the United Nations, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget. But the Trump administration has cut $32.5 million from the UN Population Fund, which provides family planning in 150 countries, and is seeking to draw down and close peacekeeping missions.

Dujarric declined to give details about discussions about US funding, but stressed the importance of the first high-level exchange with the US administration. "It`s an important relationship and we are very pleased that the meeting happened," the UN spokesman said.

Guterres met with Trump for 15-20 minutes at the Oval Office after holding a longer discussion with McMaster. During his election campaign, Trump dismissed the United Nations as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time." It remains unclear whether Trump will attend the General Assembly high-level debate in September, which would see him deliver his first address at the United Nations.

The United States holds the presidency of the 15-member Security Council for the month of April, providing the new administration with an opportunity to showcase its foreign policy priorities. US Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted Friday that she was looking forward to "taking the members of the Security Council to the White House Monday to have firsthand dialogue with the president."

In the world United Nation has record number of about 118,000 peacekeepers

IN THE WORLD UNITED NATION HAS RECORD NUMBER OF ABOUT 118,000 PEACEKEEPERS

UNITED NATIONS—The U.N peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said Thursday a record number of about 118,000 peacekeepers are currently deployed in 16 missions around the world, and he's hoping that countries withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan will strengthen United Nation forces with their high-tech assets.

peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said a number of countries that left Afghanistan are already back in U.N. peacekeeping, including Ireland in the Golan Heights and the Netherlands and Sweden in Mali.

Ladsous told a news conference on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers that the record figure will increase in the coming months when several thousand additional peacekeepers arrive in South Sudan and the United Nations starts peacekeeping duties in Central African Republic.

The Security Council has authorized 10,000 United Nations troops and 1,800 international police to take over from 5,000 African Union soldiers on Sept. 15 in the Central African Republic, where tensions between Christians and Muslims following the overthrow of a Muslim rebel government by Christian militants in December unleashed a wave of sectarian killings.

Peacekeeping Chief Ladsous said the government "is in a state of virtual nonexistence," with massive killings and human rights violations continuing.

He also said China will be sending a battalion, usually about 850 troops, to join the United Nation peacekeeping force in South Sudan, which the Security Council increased from 7,000 military personnel to 12,500 after ethnically targeted violence broke out in December. Thousands of people have been killed, and more than 1.3 million have fled their homes.

Chief Ladsous said fighting has continued since a second cease-fire was signed on May 9. "The political process is marking time, and we have to keep insisting that this situation has to stop," he said.

China started making significant deployments to United Nations peacekeeping operations in 1992 and currently contributes to 10 peacekeeping operations, far more than the four other permanent members of the Security Council: the U.S., Russia, Britain and France.

In the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo, the Security Council has authorized the use of unarmed drones on a trial basis for intelligence gathering in the conflict-torn east — an example of the technology the U.N. wants.

Chief Ladsous said he would like to deploy drones in countries like Mali, Central African Republic and South Sudan, saying they would make "a big difference" to U.N. operations.

"We cannot afford to continue working with 20th century tools right now in the 21st century," he said. "We have to introduce, among other things, new technology to improve the delivery, make it more effective, and also to reduce in some cases the costs."

Ladsous also joined Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in honoring the 3,200 U.N. peacekeepers who have lost their lives, including 106 in 2013.

Pakistan's 2-year term on UN Security Council ends

PAKISTAN'S 02-YEAR TERM ON UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL ENDS

UNITED NATIONS -Pakistan on Wednesday vacated its seat on the UN Security Council, the world body's power centre, as its two-year term expired along with four other non-permanent members - Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco and Togo. The outgoing members were replaced by Jordan, Lithuania, Chile, Chad, and Nigeria who assumed their seats on New Year day as non-permanent members of the 15-nation council.

The new members, elected by the UN General Assembly in October, will join the five existing non-permanent members - Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rawanda who still have a year on their terms. The seats for the 10 non-permanent members are filled from regional groupings for two-year terms. Five are replaced every year. The remaining five seats belong to the veto-wielding permanent members, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Jordan not only became a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Council, but it also assumed its presidency for the month of January according to the system of alphabetical rotation.

Jordan was elected early December as a replacement for Saudi Arabia after Riyadh turned down the seat in protest at the council's failure to end the Syrian war and act on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other Middle East issues.

During its tenure on the Council, Pakistan made significant contribution towards efforts to forge consensus and bridge differences in the course of deliberations on key issues before the Council.

In September, Pakistan raised the issue of American drone strikes in the tribal region at the Security Council, calling the operations by remotely piloted aircraft a violation of international law.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Masood Khan presided over the Council in January 2013, during which two important open debates were organized - one on counter terrorism and the other on UN peacekeeping operations, in which Pakistan is a leading troop contributor. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened both the debates, which were held at a high level.

After the day-long debate on counter terrorism in which over 50 delegates participated, the Council stressed upon a unanimously agreed presidential statement that terrorism could only be defeated by a “sustained and comprehensive” approach involving the participation and collaboration of all States and international and regional organizations.

At the conclusion of the peacekeeping debate, the Council adopted a resolution - the first of its kind in 10 years that recognized the importance of multidimensional peacekeeping and stressed that peacekeeping activities should be conducted in a manner that facilitated post-conflict peace building, helped prevent a relapse into conflict and assisted progress towards sustainable peace and development.

Jordan, Lithuania, Chile, Chad, and Nigeria join UNSC as non-permanent Members

JORDAN, LITHUANIA, CHILE, CHAD, AND NIGERIA JOIN UNSC AS        NON-PERMANENT MEMBERS

UNITED NATIONS, Jan, 1 (APP): Jordan, Lithuania, Chile, Chad, and Nigeria on Wednesday became non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, the world body’s power centre. The incoming members replaced Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco and Togo, whose two-year terms expired on December, 31.

The new members, elected by the UN General Assembly in October, will join the five existing non-permanent members Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rawanda, who still have a year on their terms. The seats for the 10 non-permanent members are filled from regional groupings for two-year terms. Five are replaced every year.

The remaining five seats belong to the veto-wielding permanent members, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Jordan not only became a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Council, it also assumed its presidency for the month of January according to the system of alphabetical rotation. 

Jordan was elected early December as a replacement for Saudi Arabia after Riyadh turned down the seat in protest at the council’s failure to end the Syrian war and act on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other Middle East issues.

During its tenure on the Council, the Pakistan delegation, led by Ambassador Masood Khan, made significant contribution towards efforts to forge consensus and bridge differences in the course of deliberations on key issues before the Council.

Ambassador Masood Khan presided over the Council in January 2013, during which two important open debates were organized one on counterterrorism and the other on UN peacekeeping operations, in which Pakistan is a leading troop contributor. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened both the debates, which were held at a high level.

After the day-long debate on counterterrorism, in which over 50 delegates participated, the Council stressed in an unanimously agreed presidential statement that terrorism could only be defeated by a “sustained and comprehensive” approach involving the participation and collaboration of all States and international and regional organizations.

At the conclusion of the peacekeeping debate, the Council adopted a resolution the first of its kind in 10 years that recognized the importance of multidimensional peacekeeping and stressed that peacekeeping activities should be conducted in a manner that facilitated post-conflict peace building, helped prevent a relapse into conflict and assisted progress towards sustainable peace and development.

India Sending Official Team to South Sudan

INDIA SENDING OFFICIAL TEAM TO SOUTH SUDAN

Even as two fighting sides in South Sudan are set to begin talks for a likely ceasefire, a team of senior officials will be visiting the world’s youngest country this weekend. The ongoing civil war had cost seven Indians who were among the United Nations peacekeeping force.

Official sources said that the team of senior officials will “assess the political and security situation” in South Sudan. They will review the arrangements for the Indian mission staff in Juba and hold discussions with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. The team will also meet the Indians there.

There are around 2,000 Indian peacekeepers attached to the UNMISS, with the deputy forces commander being Brigadier Asit Mistri from the Indian Army. Government sources said that Brigadier Mistri had been recalled in view of the current situation. After an advisory was issued by Indian embassy in Juba, local Indian community has shrunk from 1,000 on December 15 to just 250, who were working at various commercial enterprises across the country.

Among the 250, 68 Indians, all of them from Tamil Nadu, are working with Dar Petroleum Operating Company, jointly owned by China’s CNPC and Malaysia’s Petronas. They are residing at Palouge in Upper Nile State and are contracted by SUDD Services and Investment Company Limited, Juba.

“The mission is in touch with the Ministry of Petroleum of South Sudan and the CMD of the DPOC who have assured that Indian nationals are safe as there is no conflict there and that they will be evacuated by the company if the situation warrants,” said government sources.

United Nations approves more strength of peacekeepers for South sudan

UNITED NATIONS APPROVES MORE STRENGTH OF PEACEKEEPERS FOR SOUTH SUDAN

The U.N. Security Council approved plans on Tuesday to almost double the number of United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan as soon as possible to protect civilians from worsening violence that has pushed the world's newest state to the verge of civil war.

The 15-member council unanimously authorized a request by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to boost the strength of the U.N. mission in South Sudan to 12,500 troops and 1,323 police, from its previous mandate of 7,000 troops and 900 police.

Violence erupted in South Sudan's capital Juba on Dec. 15 and has spread to oil-producing regions and beyond, dividing the two-year-old land-locked country along ethnic lines. Some 45,000 civilians were seeking protection at U.N. bases.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under a peace deal to end decades of war in what was Africa's biggest state.

Ban has said the additional 5,500 peacekeeping troops and 423 police would be drawn from nearby U.N. and African Union missions in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and the Sudanese regions of Darfur and Abyei.

Ban told the council that five infantry battalions, three attack helicopters, three utility helicopters, one C-130 military transport aircraft and three police units were needed to bolster the U.N. mission in South Sudan.

The resolution adopted by the Security Council asked Ban to initially report back in 15 days on the situation in South Sudan and then every 30 days. The U.N. mission currently has some 6,700 troops and 670 police on the ground.

Western powers and east African states, keen to prevent more chaos in a fragile region, have tried to mediate between President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and rebel leader Riek Machar, a Nuer, who was vice president until Kiir sacked him in July.

The Security Council called "for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the immediate opening of a dialogue."

It also condemned "fighting and targeted violence against civilians and specific ethnic and other communities occurring across the country that have resulted in hundreds of deaths and casualties and tens of thousands of internally displaced."

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said earlier on Tuesday that a mass grave believed to contain the bodies of 75 ethnic Dinka soldiers had been discovered in the rebel-held city of Bentiu, capital of Unity state.

The Security Council condemned "reported human rights violations and abuses by all parties, including armed groups and national security forces, and emphasized that those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be held accountable."

UNITED NATIONS CHIEF BAN KI-MOON SEEKS MORE PAKISTANI TROOPS

UNITED NATIONS CHIEF BAN KI-MOON SEEKS MORE PAKISTANI TROOPS

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has spoken to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and several other leaders as he seeks to bolster the United Nations Force in South Sudan to protect civilians from worsening violence in the country, his spokesman said on Tuesday on 24-12-13.

The United Nations chief has proposed reinforcing the United Nations mission in the Republic of South Sudan with 5,500 more peacekeepers as well as additional assets. The mission currently has 7,000 troops and police in the country.

“On the situation in South Sudan, the secretary general has been speaking to many leaders, reaching out for their support for bolstering the capacity of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country to allow it to do its utmost to protect civilians and for stepping up efforts to find a political solution to the crisis,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Besides the Pakistani leader, Ban has spoken with Chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Dessalegn, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, President of Malawi Joyce Hilda Mtila Banda, President of Tanzania Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister of Nepal Khil Raj Regmi.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the conflict in South Sudan, including some 45,000 now seeking protection at UNMISS bases. Pakistan is the largest troop contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world.