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(JUNE 18-24)
According to reports, the UN Security Council welcomed the resumption of negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan but simultaneously expressed concern over the implementation of measures that were aimed to reduce tensions. The Council also voiced ‘strong concern’ about delays and the unresolved elements of resolution 2046 and urged the resolution of outstanding issues within the time-frame laid out by the AU Roadmap.
In another development, the UN conference on sustainable development held at Rio de Janeiro witnessed the participation of leaders from around the globe. Contentious issues such as technology transfers from rich to poor nations and new financing for developing countries were set aside. There was widespread agreement among diplomats who saw the summit as a mere beginning. The draft document placed before the leaders was criticized on the grounds that the language used turned demands into goals that the individual nations should aspire for. The absence of US President Barack Obama, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and German leader Angela Merkel suggested that the action taken in Rio was not getting the global spotlight.
Meanwhile, India’s concern of giving the eradication of poverty the highest priority was agreed to by the other 192 nations. The Rio+20 document noted that the eradication of poverty was the greatest global challenge and was an indispensible requirement for sustainable development.
According to the UN Secretary General’s annual report on children and armed conflict, the Maoists recruit and indoctrinate children for squads and associations in Chattisgarh and in adjoining states. The report also noted that vigilante groups like the Salwa Judum also recruit children.
Following a request for a UN mandate for the deployment of an African stabilization force to Mali, the UNSC took it up for further examination. The African Union and the ECOWAS requested the mandate to ensure the protection of the state institutions in Mali and provide assistance in upholding the territorial integrity of the country.
In other developments, according to reports, Kuwaiti and Iraqi governments were urged by the Council to step up their engagement with the UN envoy that is currently helping the countries resolve issues since the 1990 Iraqi invasion. It also urged the countries to begin exploring other arrangements to consolidate and ensure continued cooperation in the search for missing persons and property.
In the interim, the UNSC met to discuss the challenges that UN peacekeepers face. Among other issues discussed, the Force Commander of the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Lt Gen. Chander Prakash noted that the peacekeeping environment is becoming increasingly complex and challenging and is being increasingly scrutinized.