Tag Archives: calls

‘Politically unacceptable, morally repugnant’: UN chief calls for global ban on ‘killer robots’

Posted on by
Reply

“There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our world,” Mr. Guterres said on Monday, during an informal UN meeting in New York focused on the use and impact of such weapons.

“Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control should be prohibited by international law.”

The two-day meeting in New York brought together Member States, academic experts and civil society representatives to examine the humanitarian and human rights risks posed by these systems.

The goal: to lay the groundwork for a legally binding agreement to regulate and ban their use.

Human control is vital

While there is no internationally accepted definition of autonomous weapon systems, they broadly refer to weapons such as advanced drones which select targets and apply force without human instruction.

The Secretary-General said in his message to the meeting that any regulations and prohibitions must make people accountable. 

“Human control over the use of force is essential,” Mr. Guterres said. “We cannot delegate life-or-death decisions to machines.”

There are substantial concerns that autonomous weapon systems violate international humanitarian and human rights laws by removing human judgement from warfare.

The UN chief has called for Member States to set clear regulations and prohibitions on such systems by 2026.

Approaching a legally binding agreement

UN Member States have considered regulations for autonomous weapons systems since 2014 under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which deals with weapons that may violate humanitarian law.

Most recently, the Pact for the Future, adopted in September last year, included a call to avoid the weaponization and misuse of constantly evolving weapons technologies.

Stop Killer Robots – a coalition of approximately 270 civil society organizations – was one of the organizations speaking out during this week’s meeting. 

Executive Director Nicole van Rooijen told UN News that consensus was beginning to emerge around a few key issues, something which she said was a “huge improvement.”

Specifically, there is consensus on what is known as a “two-tiered” approach, meaning that there should be both prohibitions on certain types of autonomous weapon systems and regulations on others.

However, there are still other sticking points. For example, it remains unclear what precisely characterizes an autonomous weapon system and what it would look like to legislate “meaningful human control.”

Talks so far have been consultations only and “we are not yet negotiating,” Ms. Rooijen told UN News: “That is a problem.”

‘Time is running out’

The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for a ban on autonomous weapon systems, saying that the fate of humanity cannot be left to a “black box.”

Recently, however, there has been increased urgency around this issue, in part due to the quickly evolving nature of artificial intelligence, algorithms and, therefore, autonomous systems overall.

“The cost of our inaction will be greater the longer we wait,” Ms. Rooijen told us.

Ms. Rooijen also noted that systems are becoming less expensive to develop, something which raises concerns about proliferation among both State and non-state actors.

The Secretary-General, in his comments Monday also underlined the “need for urgency” in establishing regulations around autonomous weapon systems.

“Time is running out to take preventative action,” Mr. Guterres said. 

Source link

UN chief calls for major reforms to cut costs and improve efficiency

Posted on by
Reply

Briefing Member States in New York on Monday Mr. Guterres outlined wide-ranging effort to revamp how the UN system operates – cutting costs, streamlining operations, and modernizing its approach to peace and security, development and human rights.

“These are times of peril,” he said, “but they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation. The mission of the United Nations is more urgent than ever.”

Three main objectives

Launched in March, the UN80 Initiative centres on three priorities: enhancing operational efficiency, assessing how mandates – or key tasks – from Member States are implemented, and exploring structural reforms across the UN system.

The conclusions will be reflected in revised estimates for the 2026 budget in September this year, with additional changes that require more detailed analysis presented in 2027.

‘Meaningful’ budget reductions

Mr. Guterres said the changes are expected to yield “meaningful reductions” in the overall budget. For example, the departments for political and peacekeeping affairs could see a 20 per cent reduction in staff by eliminating duplication.

This level of reduction, he said, could serve as a benchmark across the UN system – while also considering unique factors for each department.

Additional examples include consolidating all counter-terrorism work within the main Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), ending building leases and relocating posts away from expensive “duty stations” where cost of living is high.

“There might be immediate, one-off costs involved in relocating staff and providing potential termination packages,” he said, “but by moving posts from high-cost locations, we can reduce our commercial footprint in those cities and reduce our post and non-post costs.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres briefs on the UN80 Initiative.

Efficiencies and upgrades

The first workstream focuses on efficiencies and improvements, developing a new model that improves consolidation, looks at centralising services, relocating to cheaper locations, and expanding the use of automation and digital platforms.

Mr. Guterres said departments the UN’s headquarters in New York and Geneva have been asked to review whether some teams can be relocated to lower-cost duty stations, reduced or abolished.

Reviewing mandates

The second workstream involves a review of how existing mandates are being carried out – not the mandates themselves, which are the purview of Member States only.

A preliminary review identified more than 3,600 unique mandates for the Secretariat alone. A full and more detailed analysis is now underway.

Mr. Guterres emphasised that the sheer number of mandates – and the bureaucracy needed to implement them – places a particular burden on smaller Member States with limited resources.

“Based on this work, Member States may wish to consider the opportunity to conduct themselves a review of the mandates,” he added.

Structural change

The third workstream – focused on structural reform – is already underway, Mr. Guterres said.

Nearly 50 initial submissions have already been received from senior UN officials, reflecting what Mr. Guterres described as “a high level of ambition and creativity.”

Key work areas have been identified for review. These include peace and security, development, human rights, humanitarian, training and research and specialised agencies.

A wide view of the informal meeting of the General Assembly plenary that heard a briefing by the Secretary-General on the UN80 Initiative.

Not an answer to liquidity crisis

Mr. Guterres also touched on the UN dire cashflow situation, noting that the initiative “is not an answer” to the months-long liquidity crisis but by being more cost effective, it should help limit the impact.

“The liquidity crisis is caused by one simple fact – the arrears,” he said, adding that structural reform is not the answer to a fundamental failure by some Member States to pay what they owe on time to meet running costs.

Unpaid dues

According to information provided by the UN Controller to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), only $1.8 billion has been received against the $3.5 billion regular budget assessments for 2025 – a shortfall of around 50 per cent.

As of 30 April, unpaid assessments stood at $2.4 billion, with the United States owing about $1.5 billion, China ($597 million), Russia ($72 million), Saudi Arabia ($42 million), Mexico ($38 million), and Venezuela ($38 million). An additional $137 million is yet to be paid by other Member States.

For the peacekeeping budget (which runs on a July-June cycle), including prior-period arrears, the unpaid amount totals $2.7 billion. For the International Tribunals, total contribution outstanding was $79 million as of 30 April.

Close consultation

The Secretary-General told Member States he would be consulting with them  closely and regularly on the cash crisis and needed reforms, seeking guidance  and presenting concrete proposals for countries to act on.

UN staff members and their representatives are being consulted and listened to, he added: “Our concern is to be humane and professional in dealing with any aspect of the required restructuring.”

In conclusion, he highlighted that the UN80 Initiative is a “significant opportunity” to strengthen the UN system and deliver for those who depend on it.

In response to the suggestion that the UN should focus on just the one key pillar of peace and security, he said it would be wrong to ditch development and human rights – all three are essential he underscored.

“Let us seize this momentum with urgency and determination, and work together to build the strongest and most effective United Nations for today and tomorrow.”

Source link

UNFPA calls on US to reconsider ban on future funding

Posted on by
Reply

In a statement, UNFPA said the move – which invokes a 1985 legal provision known as the Kemp-Kasten Amendment – is based on “unfounded claims” about the agency’s work in China. These allegations, it noted, have “long been disproven”, including by the US Government itself.

The Kemp-Kasten amendment states that no funds can go to any organization or programme which support any “coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization,” as determined by the US president.

The funding cut now in effect is in addition to termination notices already issued for more than 40 existing humanitarian projects, representing roughly $335 million in support.

Impact on the most vulnerable

UNFPA – formally the UN Population Fund – said the loss of US support will significantly undermine efforts to prevent maternal deaths, especially in conflict-affected and crisis-hit regions.

“It will cut essential support for millions of people living in humanitarian crises and for midwives preventing mothers from dying in childbirth – work that is a ‘best-buy’ in development, a cost-effective investment that generates positive returns over generations,” the agency stated.

The US, a founding and long-standing partner, has over the decades helped strengthen global health systems and save countless lives, UNFPA said.

“Over the past four years alone, with the US Government’s life-saving investments, we prevented more than 17,000 maternal deaths, nine million unintended pregnancies and nearly three million unsafe abortions by expanding access to voluntary family planning,” the agency added.

Call to reconsider

UNFPA urged Washington to reconsider its position and “reclaim its position as a leader in global public health, saving millions of lives.”

“Funding UNFPA – the only United Nations agency dedicated to reproductive health and rights – is the surest way of reducing the risk of coercive practices around the world,” the agency said.

It also emphasised its continued commitment to dialogue with the US Government through the UNFPA Executive Board, where the United States has been an active member for over 50 years.

The agency also vowed to continue to work tirelessly under its mandate to uphold the health, safety, and dignity of women and girls worldwide.

Source link

World News in Brief: South Sudan urged to avoid slide to war, Türk calls on EU not to weaken landmark law, Ukraine and Mali updates

Posted on by
Reply

The Quartet is calling on the country’s leaders to end hostilities and return to dialogue to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement known as the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011 but soon descended into a brutal civil war. A 2018 peace agreement has held together but now threatens to fully unwind between the president and his vice presidential rival.

Regional pressure

In recent weeks, the Quartet has observed air and ground attacks that have led to loss of life, the destruction of homes, and the displacement of civilians. Humanitarian facilities have also been targeted, while hate speech and ethnic tensions are on the rise.

The Quartet welcomed a recent joint visit by the African Union and IGAD to South Sudan as a sign of regional support for peace. It also called on all sides to cooperate with ceasefire monitors investigating recent violence.

South Sudan’s leaders must commit to inclusive dialogue, the release of political detainees, and renewed efforts to carry out the peace deal, the Quartet stressed.

A return to war would betray the people’s hope for peace and stability, they warned. Only a political solution can ensure free and fair elections at the end of the current transitional period.

UN rights chief urges EU not to weaken landmark corporate responsibility law

UN human rights chief Volker Türk has called on the European Union to protect a key law that holds large companies accountable for human rights and environmental harm.

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), adopted last year, requires businesses to identify and address any negative impact their activities may have on people or the planet.

But changes now being discussed in Brussels as part of a broader reform package could weaken the law, Mr. Türk warned on Wednesday.

“The CSDDD, by far the most ambitious business and human rights regulatory initiative anywhere in the world, has rightly been welcomed by companies, policy makers, civil society, and national human rights institutions alike,” he said.

“A large number of businesses have already taken steps to ensure they comply with it.”

Detailed review

UN human rights office, OHCHR, has published a detailed review of the EU proposal, pointing to ways it could undermine this groundbreaking directive.

Mr. Türk urged lawmakers to keep the law in line with global standards, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“While some streamlining… could be advantageous, it would be counterproductive to water down its alignment with international standards,” he said.

April deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since September

April was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since September 2024, with at least 209 people killed and 1,146 injured, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported on Wednesday.

In its monthly update, the Mission said that 97 per cent of casualties occurred in areas controlled by Ukraine, with nearly half caused by missile and loitering munitions attacks by Russian forces.

“Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv all endured devastating attacks,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “The sharp rise in casualties was mainly due to the intensified use of ballistic missiles in major cities.”

Among the deadliest incidents:

  • On 4 April, a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih killed 20 civilians and injured 63.
  • On Palm Sunday (13 April), two missiles hit Sumy, killing at least 31 and injuring 105.
  • A 24 April attack on Kyiv killed 11 and injured 81.

Children were especially affected. At least 19 were killed and 78 injured in April – the highest monthly total since June 2022.

The wave of attacks continued into May, with cities including Kharkiv, Odesa and Kyiv again coming under fire.

UN experts raise alarm over Mali’s suspension of political parties

Independent UN human rights experts have strongly criticised Mali’s military authorities for suspending all political parties and activities, calling the move a clear violation of basic rights.

© MINUSMA/Harandane Dicko

A detention centre in Bamako, Mali. (file)

The decision, announced on 7 May via state television, halts political activity “until further notice.” The junta, which took power following coups in 2020 and 2021, said the suspension was necessary to maintain public order.

The three UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts described it as a direct violation of human rights and called for the order’s immediate repeal.

They also called on the National Transitional Council to strike down a bill introduced on 30 April, which repealed legislation governing how political parties operate.

“If passed into law, the 30 April bill will place Mali in contravention of its human rights obligations, notably on freedoms of association and expression,” the experts stressed.”

Protests

In response to the 30 April bill, opposition parties organised a pro-democracy rally in the capital Bamako on 3 May which drew hundreds of demonstrators. The parties reportedly demanded a timeline to end military rule and a return to constitutional order.

Another protest is planned for Friday to oppose the decree against political parties.

The experts said Malian authorities must work to counteract “the current climate of suppression of the civic space”.

“The right to peacefully assembly is essential to the health of a vibrant political community,” the experts said. “The Malian Transitional authorities must scrupulously respect it and abstain from acts of intimidation and repression that risk the physical integrity and the rights of demonstrators.”

Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. They serve in their individual capacity, independent of the UN system and national governments. They are not UN staff and draw no salary

Source link

FAO calls for action amid foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks

Posted on by
Reply

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and various wild species. 

Europe is currently facing its worst outbreak so far this century at the same time as an exotic viral strain has been introduced in Iraq and other countries in the Near East.

Concern for potential spread

“FAO is recommending urgent biosecurity measures and enhanced surveillance following the recent detection of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype SAT1 in Iraq and Bahrain,” the agency said in an alert.

“This serotype is exotic to the Near East and West Eurasia regions,” the agency continued – meaning the strain is not normally found there – which raises “serious concerns” about its potential spread.

FMD is typically characterized by fever and blisters in the mouth and on the feet of affected livestock, accompanied by lameness. Although few adult animals succumb to disease, young ones may die from sudden heart failure. 

The virus spreads rapidly and can affect large numbers of animals, especially in countries or regions that are usually free of the disease or do not regularly use vaccination.

Although FMD is not a public health threat, it severely impacts animal health and welfare, food security and incomes by reducing agricultural productivity, including through decreased milk and meat yields.

The economic impact is also substantial, with global direct production losses and vaccination costs in endemic regions estimated to be $21 billion annually. FAO noted that the true economic burden is likely much higher when disruptions to both international and local trade are taken into consideration. 

A major outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 led to the culling of more than six million animals and cost the economy billions, devastating the livestock industry and tourism. A series of new measures in response have reportedly reduced the risk and improved resilience, including local and national contingency plans for outbreaks.

Outbreaks and response

The FMD virus was recently detected in parts of Europe normally free of the disease and the continent is now experiencing its worst outbreak since 2001.  

Germany detected an outbreak this past January but has since been declared FMD-free, however subsequent outbreaks in Hungary and Slovakia have persisted.

In response, the UK recently announced that it has banned imports of meat or dairy products from European countries where the virus has been detected, as well as Austria due to the outbreak in neighbouring Hungary. 

FMD is endemic in the Near East, but the recent upsurge is due to an exotic serotype likely introduced from East Africa.  Cases have been reported in Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait, although other countries are at high risk.

Many strains of the FMD virus continue to circulate in different parts of the world, and the recent outbreaks in both Europe and the Near East highlight the ongoing risk the disease poses to livelihoods, food security and safe trade, said FAO.

Raising awareness

While all governments are urged to be vigilant, the agency said affected and high-risk countries should consider awareness-raising measures among farmers and communities to protect livestock. 

Other recommendations include biosecurity measures such as separating sick animals from other livestock and having them examined by professionals, alongside checking vaccination records and verifying FMD contingency plans.

FAO said that by implementing these measures, countries can significantly reduce risks.