Tag: UN

US and Israel attack Iran

UN CHIEF CONDEMNS AGGRESSION

“The use of force by the United States & Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace & security.” – @antonioguterres condemns military escalation in the Middle East.

I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States & Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace & security.   All Member States must respect their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the @UN.

The Charter clearly prohibits “the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”  

“I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities & de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians & regional stability. I strongly encourage all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table.  

“I reiterate that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN Charter. The Charter provides the foundation for the maintenance of international peace and security.”

PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER STATEMENT

Earlier this morning, the United States and Israel struck targets in Iran.

Iran has since launched indiscriminate strikes across the region.

I know the British people and communities across our country will be deeply concerned about what this means for security and stability and for the fate of innocent people across the region – which for so many of us includes friends and family members.

So while the situation is evolving very quickly, I want to set out our response.

The United Kingdom played no role in these strikes.

But we have long been clear – the regime in Iran is utterly abhorrent.

They have murdered thousands of their own people, brutally crushed dissent, and sought to destabilise the region.

Even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat to dissidents and the Jewish community.

Over the last year alone, they have backed more than 20 potentially lethal attacks on UK soil.

So it’s clear – they must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

That remains the primary aim of the United Kingdom and our allies – including the US.

I condemn Iran’s attacks today on partners across the region, many of which are not parties to this conflict.

We extend our support and solidarity to them.

As part of our commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East we have a range of defensive capabilities in the region – which we’ve recently taken steps to strengthen.

Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests, and our allies – as Britain has done before, in line with international law. 

We’ve stepped up protections for British bases and personnel to their highest level.

We are also reaching out to UK nationals in the region and doing everything we can to support them.

I have been speaking with leaders today – from the E3, and across the region.

It is vital now that we prevent further escalation and return to a diplomatic process. 

We want to see peace and security, and the protection of civilian life. 

Iran can end this now. (EH? – Ed.)

They should refrain from further strikes, give up their weapons programmes, and cease the appalling violence and repression against the Iranian people – who deserve the right to determine their own future, in line with our longstanding position. 

That is the route to de-escalation and back to the negotiating table.

FIRST MINISTER JOHN SWINNEY

First Minister @JohnSwinney has called for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution, following the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran:

JEREMY CORBYN MP:

The attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States are illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable. Peace and diplomacy was possible. Instead, Israel and the United States chose war.

This is the behaviour of rogue states — and they have jeopardised the safety of humankind around the world with this catastrophic act of aggression. Our government must condemn this flagrant breach of international law, and urgently pursue a foreign policy based on justice, sovereignty and peace.

STOP THE WAR COALITION:

NAMED: Three British aid workers killed by Israel in Gaza air strike

The three British aid workers killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza have been named. John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, were among seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers killed in Monday’s strike.

The other victims were Australian, Polish, Palestinian and a US-Canadian citizen. The charity has paused its operations in Gaza, where there are growing concerns of mass starvation.

In a statement , World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore said: “These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories.”

wck.org/news/honoring-gaza-team

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night.

He said he was appalled by the killing of aid workers, including three British nationals, in an airstrike in Gaza yesterday and demanded a thorough and transparent independent investigation into what happened. 

The Prime Minister said far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable. The UK expects to see immediate action by Israel to end restrictions on humanitarian aid, deconflict with the UN and aid agencies, protect civilians and repair vital infrastructure like hospitals and water networks. 

The Prime Minister reiterated that Israel’s rightful aim of defeating Hamas would not be achieved by allowing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Mr Natanyahu’s response is not recorded, but he is yet to make a public apology for the killings. Meanwhile, the slaughter continues unabated and 1.7 million Palestinians face starvation.

“This is unconscionable – but it is an inevitable result of the way the war is being conducted.” – @antonioguterres on airstrike that killed aid workers in Gaza.

196 humanitarians, including 175 UN staff, have been killed since October.

https://un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2024-04-02/secretary-generals-remarks-the-informal-plenary-meeting-of-the-general-assembly-human-security-delivered

UN body backs campaigners’ calls to review unfair planning appeal rights in Scotland

A top UN body has backed calls from environmental and community campaigners to review planning appeal rights across Scotland. This intervention follows repeated calls for equal rights of appeal which have been ignored by the Scottish Government.

In August 2022, the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, Planning Democracy, Friends of the Earth Scotland and RSPB Scotland submitted a formal complaint to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC), a UN body tasked with upholding environmental rights. The complaint has now been accepted by the committee, and they have now written to the government who must respond by 21 July 2023.

The complaint sets out why planning appeal rights in Scotland are not ‘fair’ and therefore in breach of the Aarhus Convention’s access to justice requirements. It points to a ruling by the ACCC in Northern Ireland concluding that a lack of equal rights was in breach of the Convention. Campaigners believe that the same applies to Scotland.

Currently, only applicants (usually developers) enjoy statutory appeal rights if their planning permission is refused. Members of the public do not enjoy equivalent rights to appeal if a development is approved, even if the development will negatively impact their health and environment, or if the decision-making process was flawed. The only option available to affected communities is to go to court via a judicial review in the Court of Session, which the Convention’s governing bodies have already ruled as ‘prohibitively expensive’.

The complaint to the UN follows over a decade of civil society campaigning and the passage of two planning bills, neither of which addressed the issue. An amendment proposing to add equal rights of appeal to the 2019 Planning (Scotland) Act was voted down by Conservative and SNP MSPs.

Campaigners are now calling for legislative reforms to finally achieve equal rights for communities.

Benji Brown, Policy & Advocacy Officer at the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, said: ‘Under Scotland’s rigged planning system, developers have the upper hand. They can request a full merits review on decisions they dislike, while members of the public do not have the same appeal rights.

“If people want to speak out in defence of their environment or their community, their only option is to go to court – an action that is unaffordable for most. This situation is blatantly unfair, and in violation of the Aarhus Convention.

“The UK government’s cynical attempt to stall our complaint has failed, and we welcome the Committee’s recognition that the issue must be urgently investigated. There can be no more delays – it’s time for Scotland to deliver equal rights for all.’

Clare Symonds, Chair of Planning Democracy, said: ‘Planning Democracy have campaigned for years for an equal right of appeal, and we are pleased that the Compliance Committee has agreed to take our case further.

“The lack of equal rights of appeal is a cause of much anger and frustration for communities, who experience discrimination in planning decisions. For years, the system has been blatantly unfair – it really is time for Scotland to resolve this longstanding injustice.’

Mary Church, Head of Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s an absolute scandal that communities and NGOs can’t appeal against developments that harm the environment, while developers can wage a war of attrition through appeals and repeat applications if their proposal gets knocked back.

“This lack of equal rights undermines the planning system and leads to decisions that are bad for people and planet. The Scottish Government shouldn’t wait for the UN to rap its knuckles again, but should take action to level the playing field as part of its agenda to enshrine human rights in Scots Law.”

Aedan Smith, Head of Policy and Advocacy at RSPB Scotland, said: “Planning appeal rights in Scotland are archaic and wholly unfit for purpose given the imperative need to tackle the nature and climate emergency.

“Scotland’s appeal rights date back to a time when landowners could do almost anything they wanted with their land, no matter the impact on neighbours, communities or the environment. 

“It is essential this outdated and fundamentally unfair system is reviewed to ensure that individuals, environmental organisations and communities at least have a comparable right to developers and can access a mechanism to have the most harmful decisions reconsidered.”

MAY DAY: Half of the world’s workers could see their livelihoods destroyed

“For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. Millions of businesses around the world are barely breathing. They have no savings or access to credit.”

The continued sharp decline in working hours globally due to the COVID-19 outbreak  means that 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy – that is nearly half of the global workforce – stand in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed, warns the International Labour Organization.

According to the ILO Monitor third edition: COVID-19 and the world of work , the drop in working hours in the current (second) quarter of 2020 is expected to be significantly worse than previously estimated.

Compared to pre-crisis levels (Q4 2019), a 10.5 per cent deterioration is now expected, equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs (assuming a 48-hour working week). The previous estimate was for a 6.7 per cent drop, equivalent to 195 million full-time workers. This is due to the prolongation and extension of lockdown measures.

Regionally, the situation has worsened for all major regional groups. Estimates suggest a 12.4 per cent loss of working hours in Q2 for the Americas (compared to pre-crisis levels) and 11.8 per cent for Europe and Central Asia. The estimates for the rest of the regional groups follow closely and are all above 9.5 per cent.

Informal economy impact

As a result of the economic crisis created by the pandemic, almost 1.6 billion informal economy workers (representing the most vulnerable in the labour market), out of a worldwide total of two billion and a global workforce of 3.3 billion, have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living. This is due to lockdown measures and/or because they work in the hardest-hit sectors.

The first month of the crisis is estimated to have resulted in a drop of 60 per cent in the income of informal workers globally. This translates into a drop of 81 per cent in Africa and the Americas, 21.6 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, and 70 per cent in Europe and Central Asia.

Without alternative income sources, these workers and their families will have no means to survive.

Enterprises at risk

The proportion of workers living in countries under recommended or required workplace closures has decreased from 81 to 68 per cent over the last two weeks. The decline from the previous estimate of 81 per cent in the second edition of the monitor  (published April 7) is primarily a result of changes in China; elsewhere workplace closure measures have increased.

Worldwide, more than 436 million enterprises face high risks of serious disruption. These enterprises are operating in the hardest-hit economic sectors, including some 232 million in wholesale and retail, 111 million in manufacturing, 51 million in accommodation and food services, and 42 million in real estate and other business activities.

Urgent policy measures needed

The ILO calls for urgent, targeted and flexible measures to support workers and businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, those in the informal economy and others who are vulnerable.

“For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. […] As the pandemic and the jobs crisis evolve, the need to protect the most vulnerable becomes even more urgent.”

Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General

Measures for economic reactivation should follow a job-rich approach, backed by stronger employment policies and institutions, better-resourced and comprehensive social protection systems. International co-ordination on stimulus packages and debt relief measures will also be critical to making recovery effective and sustainable. International labour standards, which already enjoy tripartite consensus, can provide a framework.

“As the pandemic and the jobs crisis evolve, the need to protect the most vulnerable becomes even more urgent,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

“For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. Millions of businesses around the world are barely breathing. They have no savings or access to credit.

“These are the real faces of the world of work. If we don’t help them now, these enterprises will simply perish.”