In
UN
Forest Week, Maathai Dodges on UNDP, Sri Lanka Dispute
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 2 -- Alongside UN inaction
on Egypt, and lack of
follow through on Darfur and Cote d'Ivoire, it's forest week at the
UN. Wednesday the UN Food & Agriculture Organization's forestry
expert Eduardo Rojas-Briales told the Press that, as a region, Asia
is doing well. He named as Asian countries going the wrong way on
forests Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.
When
Inner City
Press asked him for details, he tied the forest backsliding to
conflict, in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. There he said the conflict came
to an end, but only recently.
Later
on
Wednesday, however, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN Palitha Kohona
took issue with the FAO report. He said that because on the conflict,
forests “just grew” and “no one could go hunting.” Then he
cut away to speak to President of the General Assembly Joseph Deiss.
The
venue was a
reception by Croatia presenting photos and even a video of its
forests. The country's deputy prime minister, speaking in Croatian,
said people should come not only for Zagreb and the coastline, but
the trees. He handed out hearts carved of wood and painted red and
green.
Speaking
for the
UN was China's Sha Zukang. Afterwards Inner City Press asked him
about China's role in logging in the Congo, where huge trees are
ripped out for cheap furniture. “Some trees have to come down,”
he said, described massive replanting in China.
Wangari Maathai planted tree at UN: where is it now?
REDD+ not shown
Sha
Zukang's
staffer disputed that the Amazon rainforest is shrinking. Inner City
Press asked her about EarthFirst, putting metal spikes in trees that
face the chainsaw. People who only say no, she replied, are stuck in
the 1950s.
Above
her the
ceiling of this UN General Assembly entrance hall was peeling. There
were salmon sandwiches, red and white white, the forestry ministers
of Turkey and other countries. The 13
year old boy famous for his
photos of “Stop Talking, Start Planting," Felix Finkbeiner, was
there.
Earlier
on
Wednesday, Wangari Maathai of Kenya spoke. Inner City Press asked her
about criticism
of the REDD and REDD+ programs. She said that
indigenous people were being taken into account.
When an
enterprising
reporter asking about a UNDP study saying the green jobs are not
being achieved -- a position echoed by former UN climate envoy Yvo de
Boer -- the UN moderator cut the question off, saying that of course
Ms. Maathai couldn't answer for UNDP. Why not let a Nobel Peace
Prize winner speak for herself? But the UN protects itself. as some
forests are ravaged. Watch this site.
* * *
Amid
Protests,
UNDP Suspends Egypt & Tunisia Programs, Ban
Vituperates
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 2 -- As in Cairo peaceful demonstrators are beaten
while the police and army watch, the UN's
responses have been at
cross purposes.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said “I once again
urge restraint to all the sides.” The UN Development Program
defended its work with
Egypt's police, but also told Inner City Press
that all of its programs in Egypt have be put on hold.
Inner
City Press
asked incoming Security Council President Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti
if Ban's Department of Political Affairs chief Lynn Pascoe would or
even could raise Egypt, Tunisia or Yemen in the so-called “horizon
scanning” briefing set for February 23.
She
said one or two
issues would be negotiated in advance. Given the composition of the
Council, and Ban's need for votes for a second term, it seems clear
that the protests against autocrats will not reach the Security
Council.
She
was asked,
what it would take to put it on the Council's agenda, the takeover of
the Suez Canal? There was some laughter in the press room, but no
answer.
Inner
City Press
asked both Ban's spokesmen and UNDP the following, beginning on
January 30:
“Please
provide Ban Ki-moon's view on UN system
programs like “BENAA”
with Egyptian authorities which NGOs say ban credible human rights
lawyers from giving lectures to the police because of their political
opposition to the NDP, and instead invites MOI officials complicit in
torture to give human rights presentations. Also, please state the
status of UN system programs in Egypt.”
Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky on January 31 declined to answer but said that he'd
made inquiries. Inner City Press re-sent the question to UNDP, adding
a request to “please state the status of UNDP programs in Egypt and
Tunisia, and if Administrator Clark has any comment on calls for
democratization in Yemen, given that she just traveled there.” On
February 2 UNDP answered the Egypt and Tunisia but not Yemen)
questions:
Subject:
RE:
Stephane- Hi, questions re Egypt (and Tunisia) programs, response
to critique of BENAA, any comment on democratization in Yemen,
Somalia follow up, thanks
From: Spokesman Dujarric [at]
undp.org
Date: Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 10:51 AM
To: Inner City
Press
Matthew,
The
BENAA Programme aims to help strengthen the culture of Human
Rights among government officials. The project has so far trained
1000 Judges, 800 prosecutors and 3500 police officers including
security officers on basic Human Rights issues including "What
the Egyptian Constitution says on Human Rights", Egypt's
obligations to international and regional agreements and conventions
on human rights; and what treaty bodies are reporting on Human Rights
in Egypt. The training is delivered by University professors,
international experts and local NGOs. The absolute majority of the
trainers were independent trainers. There were some training sessions
that were conducted by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
on issues of obligations to international agreements. The project is
also supported by the Governments of Holland and Sweden as well as
the European Union.
Currently
all
UNDP projects in Egypt are on hold.
UN's Ban & Mubarak, Ambassador's demarche not shown
On
Tunisia:
GEF programmes and MDG related programmes – maternal
health and poverty reduction are ongoing. All other programmes are
on hold and will be reviewed, in consultation with national partners,
to reflect the national priorities and needs.
What
Helen
Clark had and has to say about Yemen, where Ali Abdullah Saleh the
ruler for 32 years now tells protesters he'll leave in 2013, remains
to be seen. Watch this site.
Footnote:
the
reason for Ban's statement “I once again urge restraint to all
the sides” may be the demarche to his office by Egypt's Ambassador
Maged Elaziz, complaining that Ban didn't also blame protesters for
violence.
Egypt's Ambassador has been trying to get a UN system job
for some time. But Ban's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq on February 1
confirmed to Inner City Press that he had complained. Then, another
statement by Ban “urg[ing] restraint to ALL the sides.”
, 
