News Analysis India

Tag: United Nations

  • Israel’s FM Calls UN Decision To ‘Blacklist’ Israel’s Military ‘Shameful’ |

    TEL AVIV: Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz slammed the UN Secretary General’s decision to include the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in a blacklist of countries and entities that harm children during conflict, saying Israel rejects this move “with disgust” and calling it “shameful .” Katz pointed out that the decision to include the IDF on the list is entirely up to the UN Secretary General and is “further evidence of his hostility towards Israel and his deliberate disregard, and not for the first time, of the Hamas attack on October 7 and Israel’s right to self-defence. This is the same UN Secretary General who chose to ignore Hamas’ sex crimes, despite the report written on the subject by UN Special Representative Patten.”

    “The Secretary-General’s report regarding Israel and the Palestinians is based on unverified and distorted data, part of an industry of distorted and biased reports by organizations such as OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), which just recently reduced the number of children and women killed in the war in Gaza by half in one day without any explanation and relies on data from the Ministry of Health of Hamas. Israel will expose these distortions of these reports to the world,” said Katz.

    “The IDF is the most moral army in the world – and no fictitious report will change that,” he declared, adding that the move will have “consequences” for Israel’s relations with the UN.

  • As Pakistan Knocks United Nations’ Door Over Ayodhya Ram Temple, Can UN Intervene?

    The dispute over the temple and mosque ended after decades in Ayodhya but Pakistan has formally written a letter to the United Nations (UN) to complain about the temple.

  • Nithyananda’s fictional nation of ‘Kailasa’ worms way into UN panel discussion

    By IANS

    UNITED NATIONS: Representatives of fugitive self-proclaimed godman Swami Nithyananda’s fictional nation of ‘Kailasa’ have wormed their way into a UN committee’s discussion on sustainable development in Geneva thereby creating the false impression that the world organisation has recognised it.

    At a general discussion on Sustainable Development held by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on February 24, two persons spoke during the part of the session open to the public claiming to be from the “United States of Kailasa (USK)”.

    The USK is not among the 193 countries recognised by the UN, which has stringent rules for admission that require the approval of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

    The UN human rights outfits in Geneva are very generous in allowing people to come in and speak at open sessions of their meetings, often drawing charlatans and dubious organisations who make weird claims and the organisations’ open procedures allow them to submit presentations that are included in their archives, which make it seem official.

    Preliminary meeting with the head of KAILASA St Louis, ma Sona Kamat, representatives of KAILASA, and diplomats from Fiji in Geneva#Kailasa #UN #Geneva #Fiji pic.twitter.com/XQkpJ41drR
    — KAILASA’s SPH Nithyananda (@SriNithyananda) February 27, 2023
    Seldom do real countries that are attacked care to respond as it is acknowledged that the participation of the fringe groups is but a circus and engaging with them will only appear to give them legitimacy.

    Charged with rape and abduction and facing a court warrant for his arrest, Nithayananda, fled India in 2019 and later founded what he calls the “nation of Kailasa”, an amorphous entity that may be based on an island off the Pacific coast of Central America claiming to represent 2 billion Hindus.

    The February 24 meeting took a break from evaluating the reports of countries to have the general discussion featuring experts on sustainable development, legal matters, indigenous people, poverty and labour standards speaking about how the covenant applied to these issues.

    The session was chaired by the Committee’s head Mohamed Abdel Moneim, and moderated by member Peter Emuze.

    The two USK representatives appeared to have gotten in by offering to comment on development issues under discussion.

    A woman with heavy make-up wearing a turban, a forehead ornament and necklaces introduced herself with what sounded as Vijayapriya Nithyananda, USK’s representative to the UN.

    She claimed that under “Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism” Nithayananda, “Kailasa has been implementing the ancient Hindu policies and indigenous solutions that are in alignment with a time-tested Hindu principles” for sustainable development”.

    She added that in the make-believe country, “the basic necessities of livelihood which is which are food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, they’re all offered for free to all citizens”.

    Vijayapriya then inserted the propaganda about Nithayananda’s “intense persecution and human rights violation for reviving the indigenous traditions and lifestyle and lifestyle of Hinduism”. “And he was even banned from preaching and exiled from his birth country,” she added, asking the panel what can be done to help him.

    Later a man who identified himself as Ian Kumar claiming to be a small farmer and a USK representative addressed a question to an official panellist, Saima Zia from Pakistan who spoke as an expert on small farmers.

    He did not bring up Nithyananda but only asked her about what can be done about “local legislation that might significantly stifle indigenous groups who want to authentically practice their cultural agricultural traditions” — a problem in the imaginary country.

    He was dressed in a yellow kurta and was flanked by two women, both wearing rudraksh malas and necklaces, one also sporting a turban and a pendant on her forehead, adding to the carnival atmosphere around them.

    One of the women tried futilely to speak.

    None of the panellists responded to their comments or questions.

    The CESCR, which operates under the broad umbrella of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, is a committee of 18 independent experts who monitor the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that enshrines rights to adequate food, adequate housing, education, health, social security, water and sanitation, and work.

    The covenant was adopted by the General Assembly in 1966 and was ratified by India in 1979.

    Earlier this year, USK submitted a response to an open call for inputs by the Rapporteur on the sexual exploitation of children.

    The USK sent in a report about its “Nithyananda Gurukul, the traditional residential education system” which teaches “the 64 vidyas”, which it said was shut down by “deep state elements” in 2010.

    The rapporteur posted the submission along with those of 12 other organisations in preparation for a report to the Human Rights Council next month.

    USK claims the posting is a recognition by the UN of Nithayananda’s “persecution”.

    UNITED NATIONS: Representatives of fugitive self-proclaimed godman Swami Nithyananda’s fictional nation of ‘Kailasa’ have wormed their way into a UN committee’s discussion on sustainable development in Geneva thereby creating the false impression that the world organisation has recognised it.

    At a general discussion on Sustainable Development held by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on February 24, two persons spoke during the part of the session open to the public claiming to be from the “United States of Kailasa (USK)”.

    The USK is not among the 193 countries recognised by the UN, which has stringent rules for admission that require the approval of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    The UN human rights outfits in Geneva are very generous in allowing people to come in and speak at open sessions of their meetings, often drawing charlatans and dubious organisations who make weird claims and the organisations’ open procedures allow them to submit presentations that are included in their archives, which make it seem official.

    Preliminary meeting with the head of KAILASA St Louis, ma Sona Kamat, representatives of KAILASA, and diplomats from Fiji in Geneva#Kailasa #UN #Geneva #Fiji pic.twitter.com/XQkpJ41drR
    — KAILASA’s SPH Nithyananda (@SriNithyananda) February 27, 2023
    Seldom do real countries that are attacked care to respond as it is acknowledged that the participation of the fringe groups is but a circus and engaging with them will only appear to give them legitimacy.

    Charged with rape and abduction and facing a court warrant for his arrest, Nithayananda, fled India in 2019 and later founded what he calls the “nation of Kailasa”, an amorphous entity that may be based on an island off the Pacific coast of Central America claiming to represent 2 billion Hindus.

    The February 24 meeting took a break from evaluating the reports of countries to have the general discussion featuring experts on sustainable development, legal matters, indigenous people, poverty and labour standards speaking about how the covenant applied to these issues.

    The session was chaired by the Committee’s head Mohamed Abdel Moneim, and moderated by member Peter Emuze.

    The two USK representatives appeared to have gotten in by offering to comment on development issues under discussion.

    A woman with heavy make-up wearing a turban, a forehead ornament and necklaces introduced herself with what sounded as Vijayapriya Nithyananda, USK’s representative to the UN.

    She claimed that under “Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism” Nithayananda, “Kailasa has been implementing the ancient Hindu policies and indigenous solutions that are in alignment with a time-tested Hindu principles” for sustainable development”.

    She added that in the make-believe country, “the basic necessities of livelihood which is which are food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, they’re all offered for free to all citizens”.

    Vijayapriya then inserted the propaganda about Nithayananda’s “intense persecution and human rights violation for reviving the indigenous traditions and lifestyle and lifestyle of Hinduism”. “And he was even banned from preaching and exiled from his birth country,” she added, asking the panel what can be done to help him.

    Later a man who identified himself as Ian Kumar claiming to be a small farmer and a USK representative addressed a question to an official panellist, Saima Zia from Pakistan who spoke as an expert on small farmers.

    He did not bring up Nithyananda but only asked her about what can be done about “local legislation that might significantly stifle indigenous groups who want to authentically practice their cultural agricultural traditions” — a problem in the imaginary country.

    He was dressed in a yellow kurta and was flanked by two women, both wearing rudraksh malas and necklaces, one also sporting a turban and a pendant on her forehead, adding to the carnival atmosphere around them.

    One of the women tried futilely to speak.

    None of the panellists responded to their comments or questions.

    The CESCR, which operates under the broad umbrella of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, is a committee of 18 independent experts who monitor the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that enshrines rights to adequate food, adequate housing, education, health, social security, water and sanitation, and work.

    The covenant was adopted by the General Assembly in 1966 and was ratified by India in 1979.

    Earlier this year, USK submitted a response to an open call for inputs by the Rapporteur on the sexual exploitation of children.

    The USK sent in a report about its “Nithyananda Gurukul, the traditional residential education system” which teaches “the 64 vidyas”, which it said was shut down by “deep state elements” in 2010.

    The rapporteur posted the submission along with those of 12 other organisations in preparation for a report to the Human Rights Council next month.

    USK claims the posting is a recognition by the UN of Nithayananda’s “persecution”.

  • Angelina Jolie leaves role as UN refugee agency envoy

    By Associated Press

    UNITED NATIONS: Angelina Jolie and the United Nations’ refugee agency are parting ways after more than two decades.

    In a joint statement issued on Friday, the US actor and the agency announced she was “moving on” from her role as the agency’s special envoy “to engage on a broader set of humanitarian and human rights issues.”

    “I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people,” Jolie was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that she felt it was time “to work differently” by directly engaging with refugees and local organizations.

    Jolie first started working with the UN refugee agency in 2001 and was appointed its special envoy in 2012. The release described the multi-hyphenate as “carrying out more than 60 field missions to bear witness to stories of suffering as well as hope and resilience.”

    “After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was quoted as saying. “I know the refugee cause will remain close to her heart, and I am certain she will bring the same passion and attention to a wider humanitarian portfolio.”

    In an opinion piece published in The Guardian last month, Jolie alluded to frustration with the lack of global progress in ending sexual violence in conflict.

    “We meet and discuss these horrors and agree that they should never be allowed to happen again. We promise to draw — and to hold — that line. But when it comes to hard choices about how to implement these promises, we run into the same problems time and again,” she wrote, specifically calling out U.N. Security Council members for “abusing their veto power.”

    Jolie previously characterized the United Nations as “imperfect” during a 2017 speech in Geneva, but also defended the international body and said it needed to be supported.

    She later pressed the United Nations to create a permanent and independent investigative body to amass and evaluate evidence in cases regarding alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations. While promoting that effort at UN headquarters in 2019, she told the AP that promoting equality for women, combatting injustice, and helping refugees were the most important parts of her life after her children.

    “But in many ways, they go hand in hand,” she said. Jolie has been involved in other advocacy efforts, recently pushing for the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act in the US.

    ALSO READ | Angelina Jolie to play opera legend Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain directorial

    Jolie began visiting refugee camps in 2001 and was appointed as a UNHCR goodwill ambassador that same year. At the time, the then-high commissioner said he hoped the then-26-year-old actress could direct young people’s attention to the plight of refugees.

    Last year, Jolie told The Associated Press in Burkina Faso that she was concerned that increasing displacement across the world would drive more instability — and that governments had to do something to address the conflicts at the root of the issue.

    “Compared to when I began working with UNHCR 20 years ago, it seems like governments have largely given up on diplomacy … countries which have the least are doing the most to support the refugees,” she said.

    Developing countries play host to more than 80 per cent of the world’s refugees, according to UNHCR, which also announced in May that the number of displaced people crossed 100 million for the first time. In August, Grandi praised the European Union’s efforts to aid Ukrainian refugees but implored world leaders to remember the other humanitarian crises for which his agency was fundraising.

    ALSO READ | Angelina Jolie details abuse allegations against Brad Pitt in new court filing 

    “The big problem that we have at the moment is that it tends to marginalize all other crises in which people suffer,” Grandi said of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    UNHCR lists different categories of “prominent supporters” on its website, including goodwill ambassadors like Australian actor Cate Blanchett, British author Neil Gaiman and Pakistani actor Mahira Khan.

    In response to a request for additional comment, a spokesperson for the UN agency declined to offer further details beyond saying that UNHCR “has no intention of appointing anyone else in the role of special envoy.”

    UNITED NATIONS: Angelina Jolie and the United Nations’ refugee agency are parting ways after more than two decades.

    In a joint statement issued on Friday, the US actor and the agency announced she was “moving on” from her role as the agency’s special envoy “to engage on a broader set of humanitarian and human rights issues.”

    “I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people,” Jolie was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that she felt it was time “to work differently” by directly engaging with refugees and local organizations.

    Jolie first started working with the UN refugee agency in 2001 and was appointed its special envoy in 2012. The release described the multi-hyphenate as “carrying out more than 60 field missions to bear witness to stories of suffering as well as hope and resilience.”

    “After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was quoted as saying. “I know the refugee cause will remain close to her heart, and I am certain she will bring the same passion and attention to a wider humanitarian portfolio.”

    In an opinion piece published in The Guardian last month, Jolie alluded to frustration with the lack of global progress in ending sexual violence in conflict.

    “We meet and discuss these horrors and agree that they should never be allowed to happen again. We promise to draw — and to hold — that line. But when it comes to hard choices about how to implement these promises, we run into the same problems time and again,” she wrote, specifically calling out U.N. Security Council members for “abusing their veto power.”

    Jolie previously characterized the United Nations as “imperfect” during a 2017 speech in Geneva, but also defended the international body and said it needed to be supported.

    She later pressed the United Nations to create a permanent and independent investigative body to amass and evaluate evidence in cases regarding alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations. While promoting that effort at UN headquarters in 2019, she told the AP that promoting equality for women, combatting injustice, and helping refugees were the most important parts of her life after her children.

    “But in many ways, they go hand in hand,” she said. Jolie has been involved in other advocacy efforts, recently pushing for the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act in the US.

    ALSO READ | Angelina Jolie to play opera legend Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain directorial

    Jolie began visiting refugee camps in 2001 and was appointed as a UNHCR goodwill ambassador that same year. At the time, the then-high commissioner said he hoped the then-26-year-old actress could direct young people’s attention to the plight of refugees.

    Last year, Jolie told The Associated Press in Burkina Faso that she was concerned that increasing displacement across the world would drive more instability — and that governments had to do something to address the conflicts at the root of the issue.

    “Compared to when I began working with UNHCR 20 years ago, it seems like governments have largely given up on diplomacy … countries which have the least are doing the most to support the refugees,” she said.

    Developing countries play host to more than 80 per cent of the world’s refugees, according to UNHCR, which also announced in May that the number of displaced people crossed 100 million for the first time. In August, Grandi praised the European Union’s efforts to aid Ukrainian refugees but implored world leaders to remember the other humanitarian crises for which his agency was fundraising.

    ALSO READ | Angelina Jolie details abuse allegations against Brad Pitt in new court filing 

    “The big problem that we have at the moment is that it tends to marginalize all other crises in which people suffer,” Grandi said of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    UNHCR lists different categories of “prominent supporters” on its website, including goodwill ambassadors like Australian actor Cate Blanchett, British author Neil Gaiman and Pakistani actor Mahira Khan.

    In response to a request for additional comment, a spokesperson for the UN agency declined to offer further details beyond saying that UNHCR “has no intention of appointing anyone else in the role of special envoy.”

  • India abstains on UNSC resolution exempting humanitarian aid from sanctions

    By PTI

    UNITED NATIONS: India has abstained in the UN Security Council on a resolution establishing humanitarian exemption across all United Nations sanctions regimes, asserting that blacklisted terror groups, including in its neighbourhood, have taken full advantage of such carve-outs and have been able to raise funds and recruit fighters.

    The 15-nation Council, currently being presided over by India, voted on the resolution on Friday that was tabled by the US and Ireland to create a sanctions carve-out that exempted humanitarian efforts, with Washington asserting that the resolution “will save countless lives” after being adopted.

    India was the sole abstention while all other 14 members of the Council voted in favour of the resolution that decided that processing or payment of funds, other financial assets, economic resources, and provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance are permitted and are not a violation of the asset freezes imposed by the Council or its Sanctions Committee.

    Council President and India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, speaking in her national capacity as she delivered the explanation of the vote, said that “our concerns emanate from proven instances of terrorist groups taking full advantage of such humanitarian carve-outs, and making a mockery of sanction regimes, including that of the 1267 Sanctions Committee.”

    Kamboj also made a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan and the terror outfits based on its soil.

    “There have also been several cases of terrorist groups in our neighbourhood, including those listed by this Council, re-incarnating themselves as humanitarian organisations and civil society groups precisely to evade these sanctions,” she said in an apparent reference to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which calls itself a humanitarian charity but is widely seen as a front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET).

    Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity run by terror outfits JuD and LeT, and Al Rehmat Trust, backed by another terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are also based in Pakistan.

    “These terrorist organisations use the umbrella of the humanitarian assistance space to raise funds and recruit fighters,” she said.

    “India will call for caution and due diligence to be exercised while extending humanitarian assistance to proscribed entities under 1267, who continue to thrive with full state hospitality in territories universally acknowledged as terrorist havens by the international community,” she said.

    Kamboj reiterated that under no circumstances, the garb of humanitarian cover, intended to be provided by these exemptions, should be misused by proscribed terrorist groups to expand their terror activities in the region and beyond.

    “More importantly, such exemptions must not facilitate the ‘mainstreaming’ of terror entities in the political space in our region. Due diligence and extreme caution in the implementation of this resolution, therefore is an absolute must,” she said.

    #IndiainUNSC“Due diligence and extreme caution in the implementation of the resolution, therefore is an absolute must..”#India’s Explanation of Vote by Ambassador @RuchiraKamboj at the #UNSC Resolution on Humanitarian Exemption for Sanctions Regimes today pic.twitter.com/LkrYujV9S3

    — India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) December 10, 2022

    Kamboj said that for this very reason, India had sought in the text of the resolution a proactive role for the 1267 Monitoring Team, coupled with robust reporting standards and mechanisms.

    “We regret that these specific concerns were not fully addressed in today’s final text. We hope that this shortcoming will be corrected in the future, as and when we review the implementation and feedback from the Monitoring Team on this resolution.”

    Before the UNSC vote, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “we hope the members of this Council will vote in favour of this resolution, because we must all do everything in our power to help humanitarian partners reach the world’s most vulnerable, regardless of where they live, who they live with, and who controls their territory.”ALSO READ | Nations that aid terror must pay the price, says PM Modi

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying that the Security Council is sending a clear message that sanctions will not impede the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance by reputable humanitarian organisations.

    He added that the resolution includes safeguards against abuse and evasion by sanctioned persons and entities, including establishing reporting requirements to ensure the detection and mitigation of possible aid diversion.

    “By providing exceptions for humanitarian activities across UN sanctions regimes, the Resolution provides much-needed clarity to the international community, humanitarian assistance providers, and critical commercial service providers, which will help facilitate the delivery of aid and goods that are critical to saving lives around the world,” he said.

    Blinken said this goal is more important than ever as the world faces unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, with some 339 million people in need of humanitarian aid and nearly 50 million people on the verge of famine.

    “We are committed to supporting life-saving humanitarian efforts, providing more than USD 17 billion in bilateral humanitarian assistance in FY 2022,” he said.

    Thomas-Greenfield said that while sanctions are an important tool in “our arsenal” and help constrain “bad actors without resorting to violence” and stop terrorists, the humanitarian community feels that some UN sanctions unintentionally make aid more difficult to deliver.ALSO READ | Priority should be given to countering terror financing: NSA Doval

    The Council has dealt with issues of sanctions carve-out for humanitarian aid on a case-by-case basis.

    The US envoy said the humanitarian community asked for the creation of a single, standard carve-out of humanitarian assistance from UN sanctions regimes.

    “Today, we delivered on that request. In unambiguous language, we have exempted critical humanitarian activities from UN sanctions, and in doing so, we have also made our existing UN sanctions more effective and better targeted toward bad actors,” she said.

    Irish Ambassador Fergal Mythen said the resolution, which establishes a humanitarian carve-out across all UN sanctions regimes, has a very clear aim of dealing systematically with the unintended or unintended humanitarian consequences of UN sanctions regimes.

    UNITED NATIONS: India has abstained in the UN Security Council on a resolution establishing humanitarian exemption across all United Nations sanctions regimes, asserting that blacklisted terror groups, including in its neighbourhood, have taken full advantage of such carve-outs and have been able to raise funds and recruit fighters.

    The 15-nation Council, currently being presided over by India, voted on the resolution on Friday that was tabled by the US and Ireland to create a sanctions carve-out that exempted humanitarian efforts, with Washington asserting that the resolution “will save countless lives” after being adopted.

    India was the sole abstention while all other 14 members of the Council voted in favour of the resolution that decided that processing or payment of funds, other financial assets, economic resources, and provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance are permitted and are not a violation of the asset freezes imposed by the Council or its Sanctions Committee.

    Council President and India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, speaking in her national capacity as she delivered the explanation of the vote, said that “our concerns emanate from proven instances of terrorist groups taking full advantage of such humanitarian carve-outs, and making a mockery of sanction regimes, including that of the 1267 Sanctions Committee.”

    Kamboj also made a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan and the terror outfits based on its soil.

    “There have also been several cases of terrorist groups in our neighbourhood, including those listed by this Council, re-incarnating themselves as humanitarian organisations and civil society groups precisely to evade these sanctions,” she said in an apparent reference to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which calls itself a humanitarian charity but is widely seen as a front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET).

    Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity run by terror outfits JuD and LeT, and Al Rehmat Trust, backed by another terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are also based in Pakistan.

    “These terrorist organisations use the umbrella of the humanitarian assistance space to raise funds and recruit fighters,” she said.

    “India will call for caution and due diligence to be exercised while extending humanitarian assistance to proscribed entities under 1267, who continue to thrive with full state hospitality in territories universally acknowledged as terrorist havens by the international community,” she said.

    Kamboj reiterated that under no circumstances, the garb of humanitarian cover, intended to be provided by these exemptions, should be misused by proscribed terrorist groups to expand their terror activities in the region and beyond.

    “More importantly, such exemptions must not facilitate the ‘mainstreaming’ of terror entities in the political space in our region. Due diligence and extreme caution in the implementation of this resolution, therefore is an absolute must,” she said.

    #IndiainUNSC
    “Due diligence and extreme caution in the implementation of the resolution, therefore is an absolute must..”#India’s Explanation of Vote by Ambassador @RuchiraKamboj at the #UNSC Resolution on Humanitarian Exemption for Sanctions Regimes today pic.twitter.com/LkrYujV9S3

    — India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) December 10, 2022

    Kamboj said that for this very reason, India had sought in the text of the resolution a proactive role for the 1267 Monitoring Team, coupled with robust reporting standards and mechanisms.

    “We regret that these specific concerns were not fully addressed in today’s final text. We hope that this shortcoming will be corrected in the future, as and when we review the implementation and feedback from the Monitoring Team on this resolution.”

    Before the UNSC vote, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “we hope the members of this Council will vote in favour of this resolution, because we must all do everything in our power to help humanitarian partners reach the world’s most vulnerable, regardless of where they live, who they live with, and who controls their territory.”ALSO READ | Nations that aid terror must pay the price, says PM Modi

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying that the Security Council is sending a clear message that sanctions will not impede the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance by reputable humanitarian organisations.

    He added that the resolution includes safeguards against abuse and evasion by sanctioned persons and entities, including establishing reporting requirements to ensure the detection and mitigation of possible aid diversion.

    “By providing exceptions for humanitarian activities across UN sanctions regimes, the Resolution provides much-needed clarity to the international community, humanitarian assistance providers, and critical commercial service providers, which will help facilitate the delivery of aid and goods that are critical to saving lives around the world,” he said.

    Blinken said this goal is more important than ever as the world faces unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, with some 339 million people in need of humanitarian aid and nearly 50 million people on the verge of famine.

    “We are committed to supporting life-saving humanitarian efforts, providing more than USD 17 billion in bilateral humanitarian assistance in FY 2022,” he said.

    Thomas-Greenfield said that while sanctions are an important tool in “our arsenal” and help constrain “bad actors without resorting to violence” and stop terrorists, the humanitarian community feels that some UN sanctions unintentionally make aid more difficult to deliver.ALSO READ | Priority should be given to countering terror financing: NSA Doval

    The Council has dealt with issues of sanctions carve-out for humanitarian aid on a case-by-case basis.

    The US envoy said the humanitarian community asked for the creation of a single, standard carve-out of humanitarian assistance from UN sanctions regimes.

    “Today, we delivered on that request. In unambiguous language, we have exempted critical humanitarian activities from UN sanctions, and in doing so, we have also made our existing UN sanctions more effective and better targeted toward bad actors,” she said.

    Irish Ambassador Fergal Mythen said the resolution, which establishes a humanitarian carve-out across all UN sanctions regimes, has a very clear aim of dealing systematically with the unintended or unintended humanitarian consequences of UN sanctions regimes.

  • Centre excludes 117 international agencies from FCRA ambit; can contribute funds unhindered

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has released a list of 117 United Nations bodies and other international organisations whose contribution to Indian entities will not be covered under the stringent Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, officials said.

    Indian organisations receiving foreign funds are mandatorily registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and they must have a special account at a designated branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi.

    According to a home ministry document, the UN agencies and other international bodies and organisations “to be not covered” by the definition of “foreign source” under the FCRA include the UN System’s Secretariat, Office of Internal Oversight Services, Department of Political Affairs, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.

    The United Nations Office at Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), New York, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNClAD), Geneva were also not covered under the FCRA.

    The UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, Rome, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic Commission for Western Asia were also excluded by the FCRA ambit.

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Geneva, Global Environment Facility, Washington, International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNESCO, World Health Organisation will also not be covered under the FCRA.

    The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Monetary Fund, International Finance Corporation, International Rice Research Institute, Manila, International Potato Centre, Peru, Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Vienna, International Solar Alliance were also part of the 117 organisations which were excluded from the ambit of the FCRA.

    Since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, rules related to the FCRA have been tightened. The government has also cancelled the FCRA registration of nearly 2,000 NGOs for violating various provisions of the law in the last few years.

    There were 22,762 FCRA-registered organisations till December-end 2021.

    NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has released a list of 117 United Nations bodies and other international organisations whose contribution to Indian entities will not be covered under the stringent Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, officials said.

    Indian organisations receiving foreign funds are mandatorily registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and they must have a special account at a designated branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi.

    According to a home ministry document, the UN agencies and other international bodies and organisations “to be not covered” by the definition of “foreign source” under the FCRA include the UN System’s Secretariat, Office of Internal Oversight Services, Department of Political Affairs, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.

    The United Nations Office at Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), New York, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNClAD), Geneva were also not covered under the FCRA.

    The UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, Rome, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic Commission for Western Asia were also excluded by the FCRA ambit.

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Geneva, Global Environment Facility, Washington, International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNESCO, World Health Organisation will also not be covered under the FCRA.

    The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Monetary Fund, International Finance Corporation, International Rice Research Institute, Manila, International Potato Centre, Peru, Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Vienna, International Solar Alliance were also part of the 117 organisations which were excluded from the ambit of the FCRA.

    Since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, rules related to the FCRA have been tightened. The government has also cancelled the FCRA registration of nearly 2,000 NGOs for violating various provisions of the law in the last few years.

    There were 22,762 FCRA-registered organisations till December-end 2021.

  • 13 per cent of drug abuse victims in India below 20 years, says UN official

    By PTI

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 13 per cent of those involved in drug and substance abuse in India are below 20 years of age, which calls for stepping up community intervention and preventive mechanisms targeting adolescents, a UN official said here on Thursday.

    Children face increased risk of drug and alcohol abuse due to their poor mental and physical health resulting from violence, exploitation and sexual abuse against them, Billy Batware, Programme Officer of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said at the International Forum on ‘Children Matter – Right to a Drug-Free Childhood’.

    He was speaking on ‘Drugs and Transnational Crime in a Child’s World and Role of Civil Society’ at the three-day international meet, organised by Fourth Wave Foundation in partnership with UNODC and World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD).

    “Nine out of 10 people with drug addiction begin using substances before they turn 18. In its 2021-25 strategy, UNODC has defined harnessing the transformative power of youth and children as one of its three cross-cutting commitments.”

    Child trafficking, child labour and exploitation by criminals often result in poor mental and physical health of children, leading to a high risk of drug and alcohol abuse.

    Involvement of children in crime is mostly due to socio-economic hardship and the lack of opportunities, he noted.

    CC Joseph, Director, Fourth Wave Foundation-India, said there is a steep increase in the use of drugs among children and a drastic increase in crime rates relating to drugs in Kerala Lack of trained public healthcare officials to work with children, child treatment and child care protocols is a grave issue in the state, he said.

    He said the ‘Project VENDA’, being carried out by FWF in Kerala, addresses at scale the need for capacity building to manage the cycle of care and treatment.

    This programme has been following a multi-pronged approach of prevention, treatment, recovery and drug demand reduction, besides health education at an early age through school-centric interventions.

    It is designed and executed with full community participation, he added.

    In a Panel discussion on ‘Global Drug Policy Advocacy Efforts Focused on Children’, Kavita Ratna, Director of Advocacy and Fundraising, The Concerned for Working Children-India, said substance abuse affects children both as users and as victims.

    Ratna said children are also entitled to state protection and it is our responsibility to ensure that they live and grow in a substance abuse-free community.

    Pointing out that every year around 40,000 people die in Sri Lanka due to alcohol, tobacco and drug use, Shakya Nanayakkara, Chairman, National Dangerous Drugs Control Board of Sri Lanka (NDDCB), said prevention education will be effective in our efforts to create a drug-free childhood. “Community action along with social change will make a tremendous impact in the Asia region,” he said.

    Sumnima Tuladhar, Executive Director, Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN)-Nepal, noted that children who use drugs and live in less privileged situations face stigmatization, torture and sexual exploitation.

    She said CWIN-Nepal is actively engaged with children and young people to facilitate their participation in drug policy advocacy and highlighted the key role of child clubs in the prevention work.

    Johnson J Edayaranmula, Director, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC)-India, who moderated the session, said the children have to be groomed perfectly not for tomorrow but for today.

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 13 per cent of those involved in drug and substance abuse in India are below 20 years of age, which calls for stepping up community intervention and preventive mechanisms targeting adolescents, a UN official said here on Thursday.

    Children face increased risk of drug and alcohol abuse due to their poor mental and physical health resulting from violence, exploitation and sexual abuse against them, Billy Batware, Programme Officer of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said at the International Forum on ‘Children Matter – Right to a Drug-Free Childhood’.

    He was speaking on ‘Drugs and Transnational Crime in a Child’s World and Role of Civil Society’ at the three-day international meet, organised by Fourth Wave Foundation in partnership with UNODC and World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD).

    “Nine out of 10 people with drug addiction begin using substances before they turn 18. In its 2021-25 strategy, UNODC has defined harnessing the transformative power of youth and children as one of its three cross-cutting commitments.”

    Child trafficking, child labour and exploitation by criminals often result in poor mental and physical health of children, leading to a high risk of drug and alcohol abuse.

    Involvement of children in crime is mostly due to socio-economic hardship and the lack of opportunities, he noted.

    CC Joseph, Director, Fourth Wave Foundation-India, said there is a steep increase in the use of drugs among children and a drastic increase in crime rates relating to drugs in Kerala Lack of trained public healthcare officials to work with children, child treatment and child care protocols is a grave issue in the state, he said.

    He said the ‘Project VENDA’, being carried out by FWF in Kerala, addresses at scale the need for capacity building to manage the cycle of care and treatment.

    This programme has been following a multi-pronged approach of prevention, treatment, recovery and drug demand reduction, besides health education at an early age through school-centric interventions.

    It is designed and executed with full community participation, he added.

    In a Panel discussion on ‘Global Drug Policy Advocacy Efforts Focused on Children’, Kavita Ratna, Director of Advocacy and Fundraising, The Concerned for Working Children-India, said substance abuse affects children both as users and as victims.

    Ratna said children are also entitled to state protection and it is our responsibility to ensure that they live and grow in a substance abuse-free community.

    Pointing out that every year around 40,000 people die in Sri Lanka due to alcohol, tobacco and drug use, Shakya Nanayakkara, Chairman, National Dangerous Drugs Control Board of Sri Lanka (NDDCB), said prevention education will be effective in our efforts to create a drug-free childhood. “Community action along with social change will make a tremendous impact in the Asia region,” he said.

    Sumnima Tuladhar, Executive Director, Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN)-Nepal, noted that children who use drugs and live in less privileged situations face stigmatization, torture and sexual exploitation.

    She said CWIN-Nepal is actively engaged with children and young people to facilitate their participation in drug policy advocacy and highlighted the key role of child clubs in the prevention work.

    Johnson J Edayaranmula, Director, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC)-India, who moderated the session, said the children have to be groomed perfectly not for tomorrow but for today.

  • Terrorism one of gravest threats to humanity: Jaishankar at UN meet

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The counter-terror sanction regime of the United Nations has been effective to put countries on notice that turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

    In an address at the meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in Delhi, Jaishankar described terrorism as “one of the gravest threats” to humanity.

    He said despite efforts by the UN, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa.

    “The UN Security Council, in the past two decades, has evolved an important architecture, built primarily around the counter-terrorism sanctions regime, to combat this menace,” he said.

    “This has been very effective in putting those countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise,” Jaishankar said.

    “Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring Reports have highlighted,” he added.

    The minister said the ethos of open societies is being used to attack freedom, tolerance and progress.

    He also spoke extensively on the use of new technologies by terror groups, saying the internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the “toolkit of terrorists and militant groups “In recent years, terrorist groups, their ideological fellow travellers, particularly in open and liberal societies, and ‘lone wolf’ attackers have significantly enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to these technologies,” Jaishankar said.

    “They use technology and money, and most importantly the ethos of open societies, to attack freedom, tolerance and progress,” he said.

    Jaishankar said another “add-on” to the existing worries for governments around the world is the use of unmanned aerial systems by terrorist groups and organised criminal networks.

    “The possibilities of using weaponised drones for terrorist purposes against strategic, infrastructure and commercial assets call for serious attention by the member states,” he said.

    NEW DELHI: The counter-terror sanction regime of the United Nations has been effective to put countries on notice that turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

    In an address at the meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in Delhi, Jaishankar described terrorism as “one of the gravest threats” to humanity.

    He said despite efforts by the UN, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa.

    “The UN Security Council, in the past two decades, has evolved an important architecture, built primarily around the counter-terrorism sanctions regime, to combat this menace,” he said.

    “This has been very effective in putting those countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise,” Jaishankar said.

    “Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring Reports have highlighted,” he added.

    The minister said the ethos of open societies is being used to attack freedom, tolerance and progress.

    He also spoke extensively on the use of new technologies by terror groups, saying the internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the “toolkit of terrorists and militant groups “In recent years, terrorist groups, their ideological fellow travellers, particularly in open and liberal societies, and ‘lone wolf’ attackers have significantly enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to these technologies,” Jaishankar said.

    “They use technology and money, and most importantly the ethos of open societies, to attack freedom, tolerance and progress,” he said.

    Jaishankar said another “add-on” to the existing worries for governments around the world is the use of unmanned aerial systems by terrorist groups and organised criminal networks.

    “The possibilities of using weaponised drones for terrorist purposes against strategic, infrastructure and commercial assets call for serious attention by the member states,” he said.

  • ‘We dream of digitising our most remote villages and landing on moon’: Jaishankar 

    The event was organised by the Government of India and United Nations to highlight India's partnership with the UN.

  • Infirmities within the multilateral system of the UN might lead to its loss of relevance: Rajnath Singh

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Stressing on the comprehensive reform of United Nations’ structure, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday pointed to “the infirmities within the multilateral system” of the United Nations and said it might lead to its loss of relevance.

    The United Nations has given us a platform for global progress in a number of areas, but clearly there is a crisis of confidence today in the UN system, said Rajnath Singh addressing the plenary session of Moscow Conference on International Security-2022 virtually.

    “While the UN has addressed most of these issues somewhat partially and intermittently, our collective effort has nonetheless fallen short in providing effective and enduring solutions, particularly due to the infirmities within the multilateral system” Rajnath added.

    Talking about democratization of the UN he said that its relevance will be lost without it. It can deliver effective solutions only if it gives a voice to the entire world rather than zealously guarding the status quo.

    “This worrying shortcoming of the UN system is manifestation of its structural inadequacy.  Without comprehensive reforms of UN structure and without democratisation in decision-making, the UN might progressively lose its effectiveness and relevance.” Rajnath Singh said.

    India has been a pioneer in UN Peacekeeping since its inception, having deployed more than a quarter million troops, in as many as 49 UN Peacekeeping Missions. Even at present more than 5,500 personnel are deployed across 9 missions.

    He said, major powers’ refusal to change United Nations institutions in tune with time, ignores the emerging geo-political realities, economic and technological progress that has happened since 1945.

    Rajnath Singh stressed that the Council must be made more representative of developing countries “if it is to continue to engender trust and confidence in its ability to provide leadership to the entire world”.

    On the Indo-Pacific region, the Defence Minister said, as a nation central to the Indian Ocean, India is committed to a free, open, secure and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Country’s “focus on regional maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean bears testimony to the value that India places on multilateralism.” he said. 

    NEW DELHI: Stressing on the comprehensive reform of United Nations’ structure, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday pointed to “the infirmities within the multilateral system” of the United Nations and said it might lead to its loss of relevance.

    The United Nations has given us a platform for global progress in a number of areas, but clearly there is a crisis of confidence today in the UN system, said Rajnath Singh addressing the plenary session of Moscow Conference on International Security-2022 virtually.

    “While the UN has addressed most of these issues somewhat partially and intermittently, our collective effort has nonetheless fallen short in providing effective and enduring solutions, particularly due to the infirmities within the multilateral system” Rajnath added.

    Talking about democratization of the UN he said that its relevance will be lost without it. It can deliver effective solutions only if it gives a voice to the entire world rather than zealously guarding the status quo.

    “This worrying shortcoming of the UN system is manifestation of its structural inadequacy.  Without comprehensive reforms of UN structure and without democratisation in decision-making, the UN might progressively lose its effectiveness and relevance.” Rajnath Singh said.

    India has been a pioneer in UN Peacekeeping since its inception, having deployed more than a quarter million troops, in as many as 49 UN Peacekeeping Missions. Even at present more than 5,500 personnel are deployed across 9 missions.

    He said, major powers’ refusal to change United Nations institutions in tune with time, ignores the emerging geo-political realities, economic and technological progress that has happened since 1945.

    Rajnath Singh stressed that the Council must be made more representative of developing countries “if it is to continue to engender trust and confidence in its ability to provide leadership to the entire world”.

    On the Indo-Pacific region, the Defence Minister said, as a nation central to the Indian Ocean, India is committed to a free, open, secure and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Country’s “focus on regional maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean bears testimony to the value that India places on multilateralism.” he said.