Margaret Besheer
UNITED NATIONS — Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.
Security Council discusses DPRK human rights
The U.N. human rights chief said Thursday that many of the severe and widespread rights violations in North Korea are directly linked to the regime’s pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile technology. Volker Türk told a special meeting of the Security Council on human rights in North Korea that the use of forced labor and confiscation of wages from overseas workers “all support the military apparatus of the state and its ability to build weapons.”
Secretary-general proposes options for Haiti multinational force
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on the international community to “act now” and deploy a robust non-U.N. armed force to Haiti to support the national police in stopping the gang violence that is overwhelming the island nation. In a report to the Security Council, the secretary-general said the current situation is not conducive to a U.N. peacekeeping mission, and he offered two options for the United Nations to support a multinational force. The first would provide logistical support for the multinational force and the Haitian national police. The second option would be strengthening the U.N. special political mission in Haiti, known by its acronym BINUH, to expand its current support to the Haitian police.
Education envoy urges ICC to prosecute Taliban for gender discrimination
U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown said Tuesday that the International Criminal Court should investigate and pursue charges against the Taliban for their denial of basic rights to Afghan women and girls. He told reporters that denying Afghan girls an education and women the right to work is gender discrimination, which should rise to the level of a crime against humanity and be prosecuted by The Hague-based tribunal.
U.N. and NGO leaders call for immediate cease-fire and ‘reset’ in Sudan
As the fighting in Sudan entered its fifth month this week, the heads of U.N. agencies and several NGO leaders issued a joint statement appealing to the parties to end the war. They said that the situation is spiraling out of control and that millions of Sudanese, including 6 million on the verge of famine, are paying the price.
