At the UN, The
Guns Of Rio and Nepal, From Pakistan's Press, Refugee Answers
Byline: Matthew
Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Muse
UNITED NATIONS, June 29 -- When
and why does the UN system decide to speak out about a death, or a crackdown on
the press, or particular groups of refugees?
On June 28, Inner
City Press
asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson if the Secretariat
had any comment or reaction to the death of 19 people in
the "German Complex" zone of Rio de Janeiro. Police forces went into the
neighborhood; "one
Rio newspaper compared the images of carnage to the violence in Baghdad."
It was reported that mothers strove to protect their children from whizzing-by
of bullets, including bullets fired by police. Might this not fall into the UN's
mandate for Child and Armed Conflict?
The spokesperson
had no comment, but said that the UN does follow events in Brazil. Which unit of
the UN? "Political Affairs," was the response.
It has been
explained to Inner City Press that the UN's Department of Political Affairs is
organized like the U.S. State Department, with "desks" covered different
regions. And so events like those in Rio are noted. As to which events are
commented on, an official eager to not make headlines said DPA tends to focus on
political upheavals. When asked why, for example, DPA is decidedly more engaged
in Colombia than in Brazil, the UN's historical involvement in Colombia,
including Jan Egeland's past service as an envoy in Colombia.
Mr. Egeland, as it
happens, is working for the UN part-time; his first venture as part-time
mediator was in late May in Bolivia. Does Brazil have more political upheaval
than Bolivia? Or more political clout?
There is a theory,
which we will continue to explore, that the UN's response, including its
decision to comment or not, is based in part of the political power or
importance of the country involved. There has been political upheaval, to say
the least, in Chechnya and Tibet, and about Guantanamo. Beyond veto-wielding
countries, consider Kashmir, or, in an issue Inner City Press asked about weeks
ago, Pakistani president
Musharraf's crackdown on the press.
Musharraf in
shades in tent
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesperson declined to comment, referring the issue to UNESCO, from whose
Islamabad office the following finally emerged:
The policy of the present Government regarding the
recent amendments to the [Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority] law
seeking to give the Government arbitrary powers to curb media freedom has been
criticized by media and civil society. However, it is fair to acknowledge that
in the past eight years the electronic media has enjoyed unprecedented freedom
where many private, independent and commercial channels have emerged. At any
rate, the Government has ordered the suspension of the PEMRA amendment.
UNESCO recognizes that although media can only
function effectively if it enjoys freedom, there is a need for the Government
and PEMRA on the one hand and the electronic media on the other to mutually
agree on a code of conduct that does not promote vested interests of any group
or party. Regulation as opposed to 'censorship' or 'control' is key for this. As
recently stated in the 4th Asia Media Summit (29-31 May 2007) in Malaysia
'responsibility, fairness, balance, accuracy are larger values than freedom of
expression’
Pakistan, it is
clear, is an important country, and its Ambassador is the head of the Group of
77.
From UNHCR,
Regarding Refugees in Malaysia and Sudan
Here now an
(appreciated) medley of responses from UNHCR, to five questions from Inner City
Press --
Malaysia - we are still establishing the
exact number who were arrested who are of concern to UNHCR - initial numbers
indicate that there are 184 people who are carrying UNHCR documents who had been
arrested in this incident. About 11 persons of this total have been released so
far. We are talking to the authorities about how to proceed to resolve the
particular individual circumstances of those still detained, as we usually do.
On the issue of
returns to southern Sudan,
or returns anywhere, for UNHCR return is always voluntary and a free and
individual choice. UNHCR does not force people to go home and we only assist
those who want to go back. We provide refugees with information, 'go and see'
visits where they can make up their own minds. We recognize that refugees
returning to southern Sudan face tough conditions and the international
community needs to do more to help provide a decent infrastructure for them to
go back to - including schools and healthcare. Overwhelmingly, most refugees
want to go back to their homeland when its safe to return. Often they delay or
time their return to coincide with the end of school term for their children.
Eritreans being arrested in Sudan - don't yet have the full information on this.
Nothing further to tell you on the Swiss taking
Iraqi refugees or the boat issue in the Turks & Caicos.
Full circle back to
guns, Friday, in Nepal:
Inner City Press: In Nepal yesterday, there was a press conference where one of
the ex-Maoist fighters said that they withheld weapons from the United Nations
weapon collection. Now he wants to turn these weapons in. What is [Special
Representative and Head of the United Nations Political Mission in Nepal] Ian
Martin and the whole United Nations' response? How long have they known about
this? I guess it's one of the major Department of Political Affairs missions
that's out there, and it seems like a pretty big development.
Spokesperson: I will have to inquire for you about this question.
[The
Spokesperson later told the correspondent that the United Nations Mission in
Nepal is aware of this case, which relates to a very small breakaway faction of
the Maoists that maintains it has some weapons and wishes to hand them in. They
have been in contact with the Mission, which will address it in accordance with
its mandate.]
In a final (for now)
clarification, a UN staffer told Inner City Press that the UN contests the
report that
the "faction" has spoken with Mr. Martin; the report might explain the earlier
discrepancy between the turned-in 3000 guns, and 30,000 fighters....
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