Красный Крест отправил в Донбасс 11 грузовиков с гумпомощью

09:34  30.08.2018



© РИА Новости / Максим Блинов


КИЕВ, 30 авг — РИА Новости. Миссия Международного комитета Красного Креста (МККК) отправила в Донбасс 11 грузовиков с гуманитарной помощью, сообщила в четверг пресс-служба государственной пограничной службы Украины.


"Через КПВВ "Новотроицкое" проследовало 11 грузовых автомобилей с гуманитарным грузом 80 тонн лекарственных препаратов, продуктовых наборов и строительных материалов от Международного комитета Красного Креста", — говорится в сообщении.

Международные организации регулярно направляют в Донбасс грузы гуманитарной помощи.

https://ria.ru/world/20180830/1527480502.html

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Стаффан де Мистура готов лично участвовать в эвакуации людей из Идлиба

Фото ЮНИСЕФ

Семилетняя жительница Идлиба перед развалинами, в которые превратилась ее школа

.

    

30 августа 2018
Мир и безопасность


Сегодня Специальный посланник ООН по сирийскому урегулированию Стаффан де Мистура призвал не принимать поспешных решений по Идлибу, а также предложил организовать гуманитарный коридор для эвакуации мирных жителей. Он сказал, что готов лично выводить людей. Вчера Генеральный секретарь ООН также предупредил о том, что полномасштабная военная операция в провинции Идлиб будет иметь тяжелейшие последствия.


«Для чего нужна эта спешка? Почему не дать больше времени на переговоры, особенно между участниками договоренностей в Астане [Иран, Россия и Турция]?»,- задался вопросом Стаффан де Мистура на брифинге в Женеве. Он напомнил, что провинция Идлиб – последняя, но самая населенная, из зон деэскалации, о создании которых договорились Иран, Россия и Турция в Астане.

Сейчас в Идлибе и пограничных районах Хамы, Латакии и Алеппо находятся три миллиона человек. 1, 4 миллиона из них - перемещенные лица. По словам Стаффана де Мистуры, в этих районах много террористов, но там еще больше женщин и детей. «Эта провинции на северо-западе Сирии является базой концентрации большого числа иностранных боевиков»,- сказал представитель ООН. Он предположил, что сейчас в Идлибе сосредоточено примерно 10 тысяч членов «Джабхат ан-Нусры» и «Аль-Каиды», которые в ООН признаны террористами.

Признав, что, вне всякого сомнения, Сирия имеет право на борьбу с террористами и защиту своей территориальной целостности, Специальный представитель подчеркнул, что это право не может служить оправданием для использования тяжелых вооружений в густонаселенных районах. По его словам, вместо того, чтобы спешить с военными действиями, нужно заняться поиском «формулы», которая обеспечила бы победу над террористами и в то же время гарантировала защиту гражданского населения.

«У нас есть возможности спасти людей, но для этого нам потребуется сотрудничество и гарантии со стороны сирийского правительства», - добавил представитель ООН. Он предложил создать безопасный гуманитарный коридор, который бы позволил мирным жителям перебраться временно в более безопасные районы.

«Итак, я вновь заявляю, что лично готов участвовать сам [в операции по эвакуации], на сей раз при сотрудничестве правительства, поскольку оно контролирует территорию вне Идлиба. Речь идет о временном коридоре, в котором людям была бы гарантирована безопасность, и они могли бы беспрепятственно вернуться в свои дома, когда все это закончится», - отметил Специальный посланник ООН.


Итак, я вновь заявляю, что лично готов участвовать сам [в операции по эвакуации], на сей раз при сотрудничестве правительства, поскольку оно контролирует территорию вне Идлиба

Стаффан де Мистура предупредил, что военные действия в Идлибе обернутся огромной трагедией, возможно, даже сопряженной с применением химического оружия. «Нам известно, что и правительство, и «Джабхат ан-Нусра» располагают возможностью использовать оружейный хлор, и это вызывает все большую озабоченность, как у нас, так и у всех остальных. Так что ситуация очень тревожная. Найти решение в случае, если события в Идлибе пойдут по наихудшему сценарию, будет нелегко. Однако ясно одно: нам надо и дальше оказывать моральное давление с тем, чтобы в ближайшее время не были начаты какие -либо полномасштабные военные операции, особенно такие, которые привели бы к самому опасному сценарию», - отметил представитель ООН.

Правда он отметил, что пока у него нет конкретной информации о неизбежном военном наступлении. «Но я вижу сам, и у меня есть информация о происходящей подготовке, наращивании [военного присутствия], о соответствующих сигналах и заявлениях, - сообщил Стаффан де Мистура. - Но мы также знаем, что в данный момент два гаранта безопасности - Россия и Турция - пытаются найти, и мы надеемся они в этом преуспеют, решение, которое позволит избежать самого опасного развития событий.

Вчера Генеральный секретарь ООН Антониу Гутерриш выразил глубокую обеспокоенность вероятностью новой гуманитарной катастрофы в случае полномасштабной военной операции в сирийской провинции Идлиб. Глава ООН также вновь предупредил, что любое использование химоружия в зоне конфликта абсолютно неприемлемо. Генеральный секретарь обратился с настоятельным призывом к правительству Сирии и всем сторонам проявлять сдержанность и уделять первоочередное внимание защите гражданских лиц.

Сегодня Стаффан де Мистура рассказал, что 10-11 сентября в Женеве пройдут переговоры по Сирии с участием представителей Ирана, России и Турции, а 14 сентября в этом швейцарском городе соберутся делегации Великобритании, Германии, Египта, Иордании, Саудовской Аравии, США и Франции

https://news.un.org/ru/story/2018/08/1337102

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UN envoy says he ‘is ready to go to Idlib’ to help ensure civilian safety amid rising fears of government offensive

WFP/Hussam Al Saleh

In this file photo, WFP delivers emergency aid to locations in rural Idlib. Amid fears of a Government offensive there, the UN is warning of a possible humanitarian catastrophe.


30 August 2018
Humanitarian Aid


A massive military escalation by the Government of Syria to retake Idlib risks a “worst case scenario”, United Nations negotiator Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.


Speaking to journalists in Geneva, the UN Special Envoy for Syria offered to personally escort residents of Idlib to safety ahead of any attack on the last main opposition-held area in the country, echoing an offer to do the same in Aleppo in 2016.

The envoy’s comments reiterate an earlier appeal by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who cautioned against a full-scale military operation and expressed deep concern over the growing risk of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the war-torn province, which borders Turkey and is home to nearly three million people.

“There is…no other Idlib, where can they go?” Mr. de Mistura said. “Where can anyone go? So, for every time there was a crisis and there was a conclusion to that one crisis, there was a place where many could opt to go. There is no other Idlib.”

The fate of Idlib is important because it’s mainly civilian population has been displaced or evacuated from other conflict zones in the country amid territorial gains by Government forces in the more than seven-year war.


So I’m once again prepared, personally and physically, to get involved myself, with the Government cooperation this time, because that is an area where they are in charge outside Idlib – Staffan de Mistura

It is also the last zone in Syria that is covered by an internationally-agreed ceasefire deal, Mr. de Mistura explained, a reference to a de-escalation pact between Russia, Turkey and Iran, known as the ‘Astana guarantors’ after the Kazakh capital where the deal was struck.

“Why such a hurry and not provide more time, to allow more discussions, especially among the Astana guarantors?” he said. “They are the ones ... who announced and provided the guarantees originally for this last but hugely inhabited de-escalation area.”

In the past six months alone, a reported 500,000 people have arrived in Idlib after fleeing Government offensives in Dera’a, eastern Ghouta and other opposition-held areas.

The north-western province is also the base for “an extremely high concentration of foreign fighters”, Mr. de Mistura said, noting that this amounted to approximately 10,000 Al Nusra or Al Qaeda members, who have been recognized as terrorists by the UN.

The extremists are understood to have the capability of weaponizing chlorine – as is the Government of Syria – Mr. de Mistura said, highlighting the risks of a “worst case scenario” occurring in the event of a military attack.

Although “no-one questions” the Syrian Government’s right to fight UN-identified terrorists, nor its right to recover “all of its territorial integrity”, there was “no justification” to using heavy weapons in densely populated areas, he added.

UN Photo/Violaine Martin
Staffan de Mistura, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria.

Reiterating the UN Secretary General’s statement on Wednesday, he noted that the systematic use of indiscriminate weapons in populated areas may amount to war crimes.

It would be a “tragic irony” at the end of the war inside Syria with a “most horrific tragedy” involving large numbers of civilians, Mr. de Mistura insisted, ahead of his offer to escort people away from Idlib.

His offer to do the same in Aleppo in 2016 had been rejected by Al Nusra, he reminded journalists, saying that this had led to thousands of people dying.

“So I’m once again prepared, personally and physically, to get involved myself, with the Government cooperation this time, because that is an area where they are in charge outside Idlib,” he said. To ensure such a temporary corridor(s) would be feasible and guaranteed for the people, so that they can then could return to their own places untouched once this is over.”

Responding to questions, the UN official said he had no “specific information” that an attack on Idlib was imminent. “But I do have eyes and information regarding preparations and build-ups and messages and declarations,” he said. “And the fact that while we are talking, two of the main guarantors – in this case Turkey and the Russian Federation – are trying and we hope will succeed, in avoiding the worst-case scenario.”

UN-led efforts to secure a peaceful solution to the conflict are set to continue with meetings planned in Geneva on 10 and 11 September with representatives from Russia, Turkey and Iran, Mr de Mistura said.

Those discussions are due to be followed on 14 September by encounters on constitutional matters with senior delegations from seven other Member States: Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1018042

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ОБСЕ призвала прекратить огонь в Донбассе

11:01 29.08.2018

© РИА Новости / Сергей Аверин


ДОНЕЦК/КИЕВ, 29 авг — РИА Новости. Специальная мониторинговая миссия (СММ) ОБСЕ зафиксировала уже более 70 нарушений нового "школьного" перемирия в Донбассе, вступившего в силу в ночь на среду, призывает стороны конфликта прекратить огонь, сообщил в среду первый замглавы миссии Александр Хуг.


В ночь на среду в Донбассе вступило в силу "школьное" перемирие, приуроченное к началу учебного года. Это четвертая попытка сторон конфликта установить мир в регионе с начала года.

"С 00.01 (совпадает с мск — ред.) СММ зафиксировала более 70 нарушений режима прекращения огня. Сторонам необходимо выполнить свои подтвержденные обязательства по прекращению огня. Огонь должен прекратиться прямо сейчас в целях защиты украинцев по обе стороны линии соприкосновения", — цитирует Хуга пресс-служба миссии в Twitter.


При этом в представительстве самопровозглашенной Донецкой народной республики в Совместном центре контроля и координации за прекращением огня сообщили, что за первые три часа со вступления перемирия в силу его нарушений не зафиксировано.

"С момента вступления в силу данного перемирия, с 00.01 до 03.00 (совпадает с мск – ред.), нарушений режима прекращения огня не зафиксировано", — сказал журналистам представитель ДНР в СЦКК.

https://ria.ru/world/20180829/1527405666.html

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Nuclear test ban treaty critical to global collective security – UN chief

CTBTO
A nuclear test is carried out on an island in French Polynesia in 1971.


29 August 2018
Peace and Security


Every effort should be made to bring a global treaty into force that prevents more countries from developing nuclear weapons, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said.


His appeal came in a message for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, observed annually on 29 August.

“The history of nuclear testing is one of suffering, with the victims of more than 2,000 nuclear tests often from the most vulnerable communities around of the world,” Mr. Guterres said.

“The devastating consequences – which were not confined by international borders -- encompassed impacts on the environment, health, food security and economic development.”


The UN has been pressing for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) to become law.

The treaty prohibits nuclear explosions anywhere – whether on the Earth’s surface, in the atmosphere, underwater or underground.

It also makes it difficult for countries to develop nuclear bombs for the first time, and prevents nations that already possess nuclear technology from developing even more powerful bombs.

More than 180 countries have signed the treaty, most of whom have also ratified it.

However, while nearly universal, the treaty will only enter into force after it is signed and ratified by eight countries with nuclear technology capacity: China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States.

“The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has an essential role within the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime,” the UN chief said. “It fosters international peace and security by constraining the development of nuclear weapons. Our collective security demands that every effort should be made to bring this essential treaty into force.”

Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the UN commission which promotes the treaty, known as the CTBTO, also called on the international community to “take the final steps” to ensure its entry into force.

“As long as the Treaty is not in force, the established international norm against nuclear testing and the global verification system that has been developed over the past two decades are at risk. I urge the last eight countries to ratify the Treaty and I appeal to others to renew their efforts in supporting it,” he said, also in a message to mark the International Day.

Mr. Zerbo said his conviction regarding the role the treaty can play on the Korean Peninsula was strengthened following a visit to the region last week.

The CBTO is hosting a meeting in Kazakhstan this week, which brings together international experts and young people to look at key issues surrounding denuclearization.

“The significance of being in Kazakhstan on 29 August where nuclear testing has left a poisonous legacy is immense,” Mr. Zerbo added, recalling that the date also commemorates the 1991 shutdown of the Semipalatinsk test site, where the Soviet Union undertook what he called “one of the most extensive nuclear test programmes in history.”

“For Kazakhstan, it was very important to share its own experience in having the nuclear tests conducted in its territory,” said Ambassador Kairat Umarov, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN, emphasizing that nuclear weapons are not only destructive when they are used, but also that their harmful effects continue to linger on, devastating people’s lives and the environment where they are used.

“If we talk in figures, the after effects of the nuclear tests in the air, on the ground and under the ground, it is like spraying 300 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium over 18,000 square kilometers […] a huge territory that is rendered useless,” he explained.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017972

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Syria: UN chief warns Idlib offensive may set off ‘humanitarian catastrophe’

UNICEF
A child sitting at a desk in a school that was attacked, in Idlib, Syria. 2016.


29 August 2018
Humanitarian Aid


United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the growing risk of a humanitarian catastrophe should a full-scale military operation take place in Syria’s war-battered Idlib province.


According to a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Mr. Guterres said that “any use of chemical weapons is totally unacceptable,” adding that he “urgently appeals to the Government of Syria and all parties to exercise restraint and to prioritize the protection of civilians.”

“He calls on the Astana guarantors to step up efforts to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Idlib, the last remaining de-escalation zone,” the spokesperson stressed, referring to Russia, Turkey and Iran, which have since last year worked together on the establishment of de-escalation zones in Syria’s war-ravaged areas.

The Secretary-General, in today’s statement, further called on all parties “to take all necessary measures to safeguard civilian lives, allow freedom of movement, and protect civilian infrastructure, including medical and educational facilities, in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.”

The statement came one day after John Ging, Director of Operations with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told the Security Council that intense aerial bombardment and shelling in Idlib and three other governorates in north-west Syria have left death, damage and destruction in their wake, and placed an even greater strain on aid workers and communities hosting displaced people.

According to news reports, the three million people – roughly half of whom are native residents and the other half persons displaced within the country – of Idlib, the last big rebel enclave, are bracing for Syrian Government forces to begin a phased offensive.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1018002

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UN rights office calls for action to end ‘repression and retaliation’ in crisis-torn Nicaragua

Artículo 66

Protesters in Managua take part in a march to demand an end to violence in Nicaragua. The banner reads "This struggle is non-violent" in Spanish.


29 August 2018
Human Rights


The United Nations on Wednesday called for urgent action to address the human rights crisis in Nicaragua, where “repression and retaliation against demonstrators continue … as the world looks away.”


A new report from the UN human rights office has detailed what it describes as numerous violations carried out by the Nicaraguan Government after mass protests erupted in mid-April over planned social security reforms.

“The violence and impunity of these past four months have exposed the fragility of the country’s institutions and the rule of law, and created a climate of fear and mistrust,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

The report covers the period from when protests against planned social security reforms began on 18 April, up to 18 August.

The disproportionate use of force by police, sometimes resulting in extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearances; widespread arbitrary detentions; torture and ill-treatment; and rights violations to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly have all been documented in the report.

The report notes that in the initial stage, the police and pro-Government armed elements responded harshly to protests. During the “clean-up” stage, from mid-June to mid-July, they forcibly dismantled roadblocks and barricades – according to information obtained, armed elements often acted in coordination with high-level State authorities and the National Police.


“The Government no longer denies the existence of pro-Government armed elements, [and] it condones their actions and allows them to operate with impunity,” the report says.

Most of the violence took place from mid-April to mid-July and has reportedly left some 300 people dead and 2,000 others injured – mostly men under 30, including university students and young professionals.

The report also noted that 22 police officers were killed.

In the current stage, demonstrators and so-called Government opponents are being persecuted and criminalized. As of 18 August, information indicates that at least 300 protesters are being prosecuted, including on charges of terrorism and organized crime. These trials have serious flaws and do not observe due process, including the impartiality of the courts, the report says.

Civil servants, including teachers and doctors, have been sacked, and the authorities have been increasingly stigmatizing and discrediting protesters and human rights defenders as “terrorists” or “coup-mongers.”

“Rather than recognizing responsibility for any wrongdoing during the crisis, the Government has placed the blame on social and opposition leaders for what they have termed ‘coup-related violence,’” the report notes.

The report calls on the Government to immediately end the harassment, intimidation and criminalization; and to disarm pro-government elements, halt all unlawful arrests, and release all those arbitrarily detained.

Mr. Zeid urged the UN Human Rights Council and the international community “to take concrete action to prevent the current crisis from descending into deeper social and political turmoil.”

“Any such action should aim to ensure full accountability for human rights violations and abuses, enable victims to have effective access to justice and appropriate remedies, including reparations and the right to know the truth,” concluded the High Commissioner.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017992

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As conflicts become more complex, ‘mediation is no longer an option; it is a necessity’, UN chief tells Security Council

    

UN Photo/Evan Schneide

r
Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security, with a focus on mediation and settlement of disputes.


29 August 2018
Peace and Security


As war and the mediation of peace have become increasingly complex, innovative thinking is needed to save and improve the lives of millions, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.


Speaking alongside the UN chief were the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, a member of his High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation, and Mossarat Qadeem, the co-founder of PAIMAN Alumni Trust, a civil society group working to prevent violent extremism in Pakistan.

As speakers at the day-long debate warned that the maintenance of international peace and security faces multiple challenges, Mr. Guterres noted that many internal conflicts feature a deadly mix of fragmented armed groups and political interests, funded by criminal activities, and that peace agreements are becoming more elusive and short-lived.

Archbishop Justin expressed concern that the international rules-based order is struggling, with national interests too often allowed, “even in this chamber”, to overcome the wisdom of those who have lived through war.

For this reason, the Secretary-General has made diplomacy for peace one of his key priorities, with a focus on prevention and investment in mediation, peacebuilding and sustainable development.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, addresses the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security.

As an example of his commitment, he pointed to the creation of the High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation in September 2017, which aims to allow the UN to work more effectively with regional organizations, non-governmental groups and others involved in mediation around the world.

Mr. Guterres pointed to the work of Board member and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo – who travelled to Liberia on behalf of the Secretary-General to support the peaceful transfer of power after the 2017 elections – as an example of how the Board can be deployed in the cause of conflict prevention.

He added that the UN is already has a wide range of mediation resources at its disposal, including special envoys and representatives pursuing consultations, good offices and formal talks.

An example is the UN Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers, a group with expertise on a wide range of issues connected to peace negotiations. The group, part of the UN Mediation Unit, is providing crucial advice in areas of conflict, from the Central African Republic to Yemen and South Sudan.

Archbishop Justin described the Unit as a vital component of the UN’s cross-agency and cross-departmental reconciliation strategy, which is helping to build shared understanding between the UN and its partners.

Mr. Guterres told the Council that the UN recognizes the important role played by an “enormous range” of actors, from national bodies to civil society group, women’s organisations, religious leaders and young activists.

In South Sudan, where a peace deal has recently been agreed, the UN envoy there is supporting local efforts to address communal conflicts and, as Archbishop Justin explained, church leaders are playing an increasingly important role in moving the South Sudanese peace process beyond its current roadblocks.

UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Mossarat Qadeem, Co-founder of PAIMAN Alumni Trust, addresses the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of international peace and security.

The Secretary-General and Ms. Qadeem both emphasised the importance of investing in women’s meaningful participation and leadership in peace processes. Mr. Guterres cited the emergence of regional networks of women mediators, such as the Nordic Women’s Mediators’ Network and the African Union’s FemWise group.

Ms. Qadeem highlighted ways in which women have been excluded from mediation, with many sceptical of their ability to talk to violent extremist groups like the Tamil Tigers or the Taliban. In fact, women have played mediation roles in both cases.

For example, several years ago a group of mothers of missing soldiers in Sri Lanka successfully mediated a ceasefire, which was followed by peace talks. And Ms. Qadeem shared her own experience of speaking with the Taliban in Pakistan.

“I found the courage not only to speak with them to release my staff members they had captured, but I took the chance to seek support for the implementation of health and education projects. This is mediation.”

The UN chief told the Council that a changed conflict landscape calls for bold, creative thinking in international mediation: using social media effectively as a tool to bring communities together, speaking with one voice, and supporting the mediation efforts of regional and sub-regional organisations. “Innovative thinking on mediation”, he said, “is no longer an option; it is a necessity.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1018012

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International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 30 August

Mothers and relatives of enforced disappearance victims stage a protest on Mothers Day in 2012 in Mexico City, Mexico to demand justice. Credit: OHCHR


Enforced disappearance has frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the society. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects their communities and society as a whole.

Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world. Once largely the product of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents. Of particular concern are

the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, relatives of victims, witnesses and legal counsel dealing with cases of enforced disappearance;

the use by States of counter-terrorist activities as an excuse for breaching their obligations;
and the still widespread impunity for enforced disappearance.

Special attention must also be paid to specific groups of especially vulnerable people, like children and people with disabilities.

On 21 December 2010, by its resolution 65/209 the UN General Assembly expressed its deep concern about the increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world, including arrest, detention and abduction, when these are part of or amount to enforced disappearances, and by the growing number of reports concerning harassment, ill-treatment and intimidation of witnesses of disappearances or relatives of persons who have disappeared.

By the same resolution the Assembly welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and decided to declare 30 August the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, to be observed beginning in 2011.

Missing Persons

Since 1999 in Kosovo more than 6,000 people have been registered as missing. The UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, together with OHCHR has supported the creating of a missing persons' resource centre.

http://www.un.org/en/events/disappearancesday/
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Ашраф Гани создал комиссию по рассмотрению предложений по вопросам организации выборов

27.08.2018 

12:09




КАБУЛ, 27 августа. В воскресенье президент Афганистана Мохаммад Ашраф Гани распорядился о создании комитета по рассмотрению предложений, связанных с задачей проведения прозрачных и честных выборов.

Как ранее сообщал «Афганистан.Ру», в настоящее время на территории страны проходит подготовка к голосованию, назначенному на 20 октября. На данный момент кандидаты в депутаты уже прошли регистрацию, и 35 претендентов были дисквалифицированы в связи с поступлением жалоб.

Данные меры успели послужить причиной критики общественности в адрес избирательных комиссий и руководства страны. Некоторые из дисквалифицированных кандидатов заявили, что обвинения в их адрес были сфабрикованы, и представители гражданского общества уже выступали против исключения претендентов из списка.

Вопросы также успела вызвать система регистрации избирателей – представители политической оппозиции выражают уверенность в том, что за несколько месяцев процесса в стране были произведены массовые фальсификации, и число выданных удостоверений превышает количество граждан, действительно прошедших регистрацию.

Напомним, что многие жители Афганистана отказались от участия в регистрации, необходимой для голосования, по соображениям безопасности – из-за многочисленных атак и диверсий, которым подвергались избирательные органы. Некоторые из граждан, прежде всего представители оппозиционных движений в северной части страны, также заявляли об отказе от регистрации по политическим соображениям, выражая недоверие к правительству.

Впоследствии глава государства принял решение о подробном рассмотрении предложений политических партий по вопросу проведения честного и всеохватного общенационального голосования.

Как передаёт информационное агентство «Пажвок», в состав комиссии, созданной в целях решения данного вопроса, войдут как высокопоставленные госслужащие, так и представители различных политических партий.



http://afghanistan.ru/doc/123004.html
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В ОБСЕ призвали соблюдать "школьное" перемирие в Донбассе

23:51  28.08.2018



© РИА Новости / Сергей Аверин


ДОНЕЦК, 28 авг — РИА Новости. Первый заместитель главы специальной мониторинговой миссии ОБСЕ Александр Хуг призвал стороны конфликта в Донбассе использовать все возможности, чтобы очередное перемирие в Донбассе соблюдалось.

Контактная группа по Донбассу ранее согласовала "школьное" перемирие, которое вступает в силу с 29 августа.

"Мы настоятельно призываем стороны использовать все возможности, чтобы нужды и интересы гражданского населения были поставлены на первое место. Следующее окно возможностей будет открыто, приблизительно, через шесть часов… Мы призываем стороны, чтобы они придерживались тех обязательств, которые они приняли в Минске недавно… Мы знаем, что стороны способны остановить боевые действия, если они захотят этого", — заявил журналистам Хуг.

Хуг добавил, что стороны конфликта должны воспользоваться возможностями очередного перемирия и отвести тяжелое вооружение, силы и средства из тех участков линии соприкосновения, на которых они находятся слишком близко. Выполнение данных обязательств поможет установить долгосрочный режим прекращения огня.


Он также отметил, что действующее "хлебное" перемирие длилось дольше, чем все остальные режимы прекращения огня в Донбассе. "Оно длилось и давало свои результаты довольно длительный период, в течение которого мы фиксировали низкие показатели режима прекращения огня, что давало нам возможность подтвердить низкое количество жертв среди мирного населения. И если говорить статистически, то предыдущие перемирия примерно заканчивались через две недели… это длилось дольше", — сказал Хуг.

https://ria.ru/world/20180828/1527397492.html

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International Day Against Nuclear Tests 29 August

Licorne test, 1971, French Polynesia. Photo: The Official CTBTO Photostream


Since nuclear weapons testing began on 16 July 1945, nearly 2,000 have taken place. In the early days of nuclear testing little consideration given to its devastating effects on human life, let alone the dangers of nuclear fallout from atmospheric tests. Hindsight and history have shown us the terrifying and tragic effects of nuclear weapons testing, especially when controlled conditions go awry, and in light of the far more powerful and destructive nuclear weapons that exist today.

The human and environmental tragedies that are the result of nuclear testing are compelling reasons for the need to observe the International Day against Nuclear Tests – a day in which educational events, activities and messages aim to capture the world’s attention and underscore the need for unified efforts to prevent further nuclear weapons testing.

The international instrument to put an end to all forms of nuclear testing is the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), unfortunately, this has yet to enter into force.


On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests by unanimously adopting resolution 64/35. The resolution calls for increasing awareness and education “about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.” The resolution was initiated by the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with a large number of sponsors and cosponsors with a view to commemorating the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site on 29 August 1991. The Day is meant to galvanize the United Nations, Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and the media to inform, educate and advocate the necessity of banning nuclear weapon tests as a valuable step towards achieving a safer world.

2010 marked the inaugural commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests. Each year, since then, the day has been observed by coordinating various activities throughout the world, such as symposia, conferences, exhibits, competitions, publications, lectures in academic institutions, media broadcasts and other initiatives.

Since its establishment, many bilateral and multilateral governmental level developments as well as broad movements in civil society have helped to advance the cause of banning nuclear tests.

Moreover, “convinced that nuclear disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons are the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of nuclear weapons,” the General Assembly designated 26 September as the “International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons", which is devoted to furthering the objective of the total elimination of nuclear weapons, through the mobilization of international efforts. First proposed in October 2013, the resolution (A/RES/ 68/32) was a follow-up to the high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament held on 26 September 2013 in the UN General Assembly. The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was observed for the first time in September 2014. The International Day against Nuclear Tests, together with other events and actions, has fostered a global environment with more optimistic prospects for a world free of nuclear weapons.

As the Secretary-General recognized in his new disarmament agenda “Securing our Common Future” launched on 24 May 2018, the norm against testing is an example of a measure that serves both disarmament and non-proliferation objectives. By constraining the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty puts a brake on the arms race. It also serves as a powerful normative barrier against potential States that might seek to develop, manufacture and subsequently acquire nuclear weapons in violation of their non-proliferation commitments.

Every effort needs to be made to ensure the entry into force of the CTBT and to preserve its place in the international architecture. In this regard, the Secretary-General appeals to all remaining States whose ratifications are required for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to enter into force to commit to sign the Treaty at an early date if they have not already done so, and to accelerate the completion of their ratification processes.




It is the hope of the UN that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated. Until then, there is a need to observe International Day against Nuclear Tests as we work towards promoting peace and security world-wide. Initiatives such as the International Day against Nuclear Tests are part of the global efforts towards a nuclear-weapon-free world.

http://www.un.org/en/events/againstnucleartestsday/

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UN Security Council urged to act against ‘worst-case scenario’ Syria’s war-battered Idlib

UNICEF/Giovanni Diffidenti

Boys pass rubble and destroyed buildings on their way to a nearby school offering basic lessons, in the city of Maarat al-Numaan, Idlib Governorate.

28 August 2018

Humanitarian Aid

A further escalation of violence in Syria’s Idlib governorate could create a humanitarian emergency “at a scale not yet seen through this crisis,” a senior United Nations aid official warned the Security Council on Tuesday.

John Ging, Director of Operations with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said recent intense aerial bombardment and shelling in Idlib and three other governorates in north-west Syria have resulted in death, damage and destruction, placing an even greater strain on aid workers and communities hosting displaced people.

“Humanitarian organizations are doing what they can with the resources available to them to sustain the current response and prepare for a possible further deterioration, thanks in large part to cross-border assistance and the generosity of our financial donors,” Mr. Ging told the ambassadors.

“But a worst-case scenario in Idlib will overwhelm capacities and has the potential to create a humanitarian emergency at a scale not yet seen through this crisis.”

Mr. Ging was speaking during the Council’s monthly meeting on the Syrian conflict, now in its seventh year.

He said aid partners are finalizing a humanitarian plan to respond to the potential crisis in the north-west, which borders Turkey, in addition to carrying out their ongoing operations.

These organizations are providing a “critical lifeline” for scores of civilians, 680,000 of whom received food delivered from Turkey in July alone.

Mr. Ging reported that the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, was in Damascus that day to engage with the Government on how best to scale up humanitarian response across Syria.

Security Council engagement is also critical to preventing an escalation in Idlib and an ensuing humanitarian emergency, he added.

Quoting former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former UN-Arab League envoy on the Syria crisis, who died earlier this month, he appealed for action.

“We call on the members of the Council to do all they can to ensure that we avoid this. In the words of Kofi Annan, ‘We have the means and the capacity to deal with our problems, if only we can find the political will.’”



https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017912
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All sides in Yemen conflict could be guilty of war crimes, UN experts find

UN OCHA/Giles Clarke
Cars and trucks wait in line to pass over a bridge that was hit by an airstrike in 2016. This road is one of four roads linking Hodeida (Al Hudayda) with the rest of the country.


28 August 2018
Human Rights


Parties on both sides of the conflict in Yemen have perpetrated – and continue to perpetrate – possible war crimes and other violations with a “total disregard” for the suffering of millions of civilians, United Nations-appointed human rights investigators said on Tuesday.


Created last year by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen analyzed violations and abuses of international human rights law, humanitarian law and criminal law, making more than a dozen visits to the war-torn country and neighbouring States.

“The Group of Eminent Experts has reasonable grounds to believe that the Governments of Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are responsible for human rights violations,” panel member Charles Garraway told reporters in Geneva.

Turning to the Houthi opposition forces, which he also described as “de facto authorities”, Mr. Garraway added that the UN panel also has “reasonable grounds to believe, that the de facto authorities are responsible, in the areas over which they exercise effective control, for human rights violations”.

The experts’ findings cover the situation in Yemen from September 2014 to June 2018.


The roots of the conflict date back to uprisings in 2011, but fighting escalated in March 2015, when an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened militarily at the request of Yemen’s President against “Houthi-Saleh” opposition forces – a reference to the former Yemen President, Ali Abdallah Saleh.

In recent years, the conflict has been marked by repeated airstrikes on public spaces including market places, funerals, civilian boats, detention facilities and hospitals.

Just last week, an airstrike in opposition-held Hudaydah governorate, in western Yemen, killed at least 26 children and four women.

The report notes that coalition airstrikes have caused most direct civilian casualties, giving the UN panel “reasonable grounds” to believe that the attacks overstepped key war crimes thresholds.

“Individuals in the Government of Yemen and the coalition, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, may have conducted attacks in violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality and/or proportions, which may amount to war crimes,” Mr. Garraway said, adding that a confidential list of names would be handed over to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), pending further investigations.

“More information is needed on some incidents documented by the Group of Experts to establish responsibility,” the UN panel said in a statement, before calling on the Human Rights Council to renew its mandate when it meets next month.

“There is little evidence of any attempt by parties to the conflict to minimize civilian casualties. I call on them to prioritize human dignity in this forgotten conflict,” said Kamel Jendoubi, chairperson of the Group.

UN Geneva/Daniel Johnson

According to UN human rights office (OHCHR), since March 2015 up to 23 August 2018, 6,660 civilians were killed and 10,563 injured; however, the real figures are likely to be significantly higher.

Despite official meetings with coalition officials in Riyadh and Oman, Mr. Garraway said that insufficient information had been provided about how airstrikes are planned and carried out.

“If there are systemic flaws in the targeting process, causing civilian casualties beyond what one would expect, then that process needs to be examined,” he said. “And where there are flaws they need to be addressed and amended. We have seen no sign that there has been any attempt to do that.”

According to the UN panel, more than 22 million people remain in need inside Yemen; almost all of them are women and children.

Even before the conflict, Yemen was one of the poorest countries on earth, importing almost all of its food, fuel and medicines. In November 2017, civilians were weakened further by a “total blockade on all the borders of Yemen, preventing all humanitarian aid and commercial trade, including food and fuel, from entering the country”, the Group of Experts’ report noted, adding that restrictions continued into June.

“The Houthi opposition’s role in causing “the majority” of reported civilian casualties in Ta’izz from shelling is highlighted, as well as its role in restricting food and aid access to civilian populations in the city, a strategically important location between Sana’a and the port cities of Aden and Hudaydah”.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017892
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UN chief calls for Security Council to work with Myanmar to end ‘horrendous suffering’ of Rohingya refugees

UNHCR/Andrew Mconnell

Rohingya refugees wait for a food distribution in Kutupalong camp, Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh.


28 August 2018

Peace and Security


Despite the efforts made by the United Nations over the past year to help create safeguards for all communities in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, it is clear that conditions are still not suitable for the safe, voluntary, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to their home, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.


The UN chief was briefing the Security Council on the situation in Myanmar, where 12 months ago a military operation in northern Rakhine state sparked an exodus of desperate Rohingya refugees that quickly became one of the world’s worst humanitarian and human rights crises.

Mr. Guterres’ remarks also follow the release of an independent UN investigation into alleged human rights abuses carried out against the mainly Muslim Rohingya and which called for the country’s military leaders to be investigated and prosecuted for genocide and war crimes.

Cate Blanchett, the Academy Award winning actor and Goodwill Ambassador for the Office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and Tegegnework Gettu, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) also addressed the briefing, which was chaired by Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN for the United Kingdom, which currently holds the presidency of the Security Council.

Over 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to ramshackle refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar area, Bangladesh after being forced from their homes by a military operation which UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein compared, at the time, to ethnic cleansing.

Mr. Guterres, recounting his experience of visiting the camps this past July, said that he had heard stories of horrendous persecution and suffering.

UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Myanmar. The meeting commemorates the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the Rohingya crisis in 2017.

“One father broke down as he told me how his son was shot dead in front of him. His mother was brutally murdered and his house burned to the ground. He took refuge in a mosque only to be discovered by soldiers who abused him and burned the Quran,” he said.

One distraught woman gestured to a mother cradling her young baby who was conceived as a result of rape and told me: “We need security in Myanmar and citizenship. And we want justice for what our sisters, our daughters, our mothers have suffered.’”

Ms. Blanchett, who visited Bangladesh last year at the invitation of the UNHCR, said she had witnessed similar scenes, and “nothing could have prepared me for the extent and depth of suffering I saw… I have heard gut-wrenching accounts…of grave torture, of women brutally violated, people whose loved ones have been killed before their eyes.”

UN Photo/Manuel Elias
Cate Blanchett, Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Myanmar.

“I am a mother, and I saw my children in the eyes of every refugee child I met. I saw myself in every parent. How can any mother endure seeing her child thrown into a fire?” she asked the Council.


Like you, I have heard the gut-wrenching accounts. Stories of grave torture, of women brutally violated, people who have had their loved ones killed before their eyes – Cate Blanchett

The trigger for the military crackdown one year ago was a series of attacks on Myanmar security forces by insurgents that were immediately condemned by the Secretary-General. Mr. Guterres said that the disproportionate use of force against civilian populations and the gross human rights violations that followed, could never be justified.

Since then, despite his direct engagement with the Myanmar authorities, and the launch of several UN system initiatives on the ground, the Secretary General has expressed concern regarding the dramatic humanitarian and human rights situations, as well as the risks to regional peace and security of further degeneration.

This engagement includes the advancement of a policy of engagement and unified action to defuse tensions and build trust, and the appointment of Christine Schraner as Special Envoy on Myanmar, which has led to a process of broad consultations with the Government, military, civil society and women’s groups.

Mr. Guterres said that, despite the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the Myanmar authorities and UN agencies in June, the country’s leaders have not made the investment in reconstruction, reconciliation and respect for human rights necessary for all communities to live improved and resilient lives in Rakhine state.

UNDP’s Mr. Gettu said the agency shares international concerns about the situation in Rakhine and the plight of the Rohingya, and he emphasised the need to address Rakhine’s significant development challenges and to lift restrictions on free movement and access to services.

The UNDP, UNHCR and other UN agencies have been implementing the MOU, and working in Rakhine to put a wide-ranging development and humanitarian assistance initiative in place with support from major donors. He underlined that addressing the needs of the refugees in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, is also of primary importance.

UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Tegegnework Gettu, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Myanmar.

Mr. Guterres asked the Security Council to urge Myanmar’s leaders to ensure immediate, unimpeded and effective access for the Organization’s agencies and partners, and release journalists arrested for reporting on the human tragedy.

He added that there can be no excuse for delaying the search for dignified solutions that will allow people to return home, and benefit from freedom of movement, an end to discrimination and the re-establishment of the rule of law.

His call for action was amplified by Ms. Blanchett, who said that “the focus of all our efforts must be to provide much-needed support inside Bangladesh while working to ensure conditions in Myanmar are conducive to return.”

Mr. Guterres concluded with a call for accountability as an essential prerequisite for regional security and stability, and for the Security Council to give serious consideration to the report released on Monday by the UN-appointed Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar.

He added that effective, international cooperation will be “critical to ensuring that accountability mechanisms are credible, transparent, impartial, independent and comply with Myanmar’s obligations under international law.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017952

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Ашраф Гани и Сергей Лавров договорились о переносе московской встречи

27.08.2018   19:29





КАБУЛ, 27 августа. Встреча московского формата по афганскому вопросу, запланированная на 4 сентября, была отложена по итогам переговоров между президентом Афганистана Ашрафом Гани и главой МИД РФ Сергеем Лавровым, сообщает пресс-служба президентского дворца Арг.

Как ранее сообщал «Афганистан.Ру», организация международной встречи, в которой также собирались принять участие Индия, Китай, Иран, Пакистан и страны Средней Азии, была сопряжена с определёнными трудностями.

В частности, после того, как США отклонили приглашение от российской стороны, представители МИД Афганистана также объявили об отказе от участия, несмотря на то, что Кабулу и Москве предстояло выступить в качестве сопредседателей на мероприятии.

Впоследствии глава исполнительной власти Афганистана Абдулла Абдулла подчеркнул, что правительство его страны приветствует любые иностранные инициативы по восстановлению мира в Афганистане. Кроме того, афганский посол России Абдул Каюм Кучай, в свою очередь, заявил, что окончательный ответ от правительства ИРА касательно участия ещё не был получен.

Тем не менее, в ходе сегодняшних телефонных переговоров Ашраф Гани и Сергей Лавров договорились о переносе мероприятия на неопределённый срок, выразив намерение согласовать дальнейшие усилия по вопросу продвижения афганского мирного процесса в целях повышения их эффективности.


Президент ИРА поприветствовал усилия региональных государств, прежде всего России, по содействию восстановлению мира в Афганистане, подчеркнув, что его страна придерживается плана примирения, представленного на международной конференции по кабульскому процессу в апреле нынешнего года.

В свою очередь, Сергей Лавров заверил Гани в том, что Москва поддерживает мирный процесс под афганским руководством и готова сотрудничать с правительством ИРА в деле продвижения данной инициативы, передаёт телеканал «Толо».



http://afghanistan.ru/doc/123025.html
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Хуг обсудил с представителями ДНР ситуацию на линии соприкосновения

15:41 27.08.2018



ДОНЕЦК, 27 авг — РИА Новости. Первый заместитель главы Специальной мониторинговой миссии ОБСЕ на Украине Александр Хуг обсудил в понедельник в Донецке с представителями самопровозглашенной Донецкой народной республики в Совместном центре по контролю и координации режима прекращения огня ситуацию на линии соприкосновения, заявил журналистам представитель ДНР в СЦКК.

"Александр Хуг сегодня прибыл в Донецк. Была проведена встреча с представителями ДНР в СЦКК. Обсуждались вопросы, связанные с безопасностью и общей ситуации на линии соприкосновения", — заявил представитель ведомства.


https://ria.ru/world/20180827/1527303842.html
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Myanmar military leaders must face genocide charges – UN report

UNHCR/Roger Arnold

Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar flee to Bangladesh after facing brutal persecution that UN officials have said may amount to crimes against humanity.


27 August 2018
Human Rights


Top military commanders in Myanmar should be investigated and prosecuted for the “gravest” crimes against civilians under international law, including genocide, United Nations-appointed investigators said on Monday.


The development follows the release of a report into the circumstances surrounding the mass exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingya people from Myanmar, beginning in mid-August last year – events previously described by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.

The crimes committed include murder, rape, torture, sexual slavery, persecution and enslavement, according to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, the investigators - Marzuki Darusman, Radhika Coomaraswamy and Christopher Sidoti – underlined the horrific and organized nature of the brutality meted out on civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine state since 2011, as well as Kachin and Shan states.

“The fact-finding Mission has concluded, on reasonable grounds, that the patterns of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law that it is found, amount to the gravest crime under international law,” Mr. Sidoti said.

“These have principally been committed by the military, the Tatmadaw,” he added, referring to Myanmar’s armed forces. “The Mission has concluded that criminal investigation and prosecution is warranted, focusing on the top Tatmadaw generals, in relation to the three categories of crimes under international law; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

Included in the list of alleged perpetrators are Commander-in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing and five other commanders.

“In Myanmar, there is a very clear chain of command,” Mr. Sidot explained, and added: “There is no doubt in our minds whatsoever that what we saw happen in Rakhine as a whole, would not have happened without it, firstly, being within the knowledge of the senior military leadership and secondly, under their effective control. And it’s because of the clarity of the chain of command in Myanmar that we have recommended the investigation and prosecution of these six.”

Of well over 800 testimonies gathered, one in particular highlighted the extent of the abuse, that of a survivor who fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. “I was lucky, I was only raped by three men,” she is quoted as saying.

Such was the extent of the horrific violations that Ms. Coomaraswamy – a former UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict – said she was shocked by what she had found.

“The scale, brutality, and systematic nature of rape and violence indicate that they are part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate, terrorize, or punish the civilian population,” she said. “They’re used as a tactic of war that we found include rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced nudity and mutilations.”

UN Photo/Violaine Martin
Marzuki Darusman, Chair of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar (centre), flanked by Mission members Christopher Sidoti (l) and Radhika Coomaraswamy (r), briefs the press on their report, UN Office at Geneva, 27 August 2018.

Before the fact-finding Mission delivers its findings to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council in September, Chairperson Marzuki Darusman highlighted that one of the panel’s key recommendations required the attention of the UN Security Council:

“The Mission called for the situation in Myanmar to be referred to the international criminal court and that, of course, is the task of the Security Council to undertake. And so, the message to the Security Council is of course, ‘Refer Myanmar to the [International Criminal Court].’”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017802

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