United Nations

Wednesday March 4, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday March 4, 2020

Ex-PM Joe Clark campaigns for Security Council seat in Africa, Persian Gulf

Former prime minister and foreign minister Joe Clark faces a tough slog during his travels to the Persian Gulf and Africa to campaign for Canada’s bid for the United Nations Security Council, analysts said Monday.

Joe Clark

Clark began a one-week trip Monday as “special envoy” to Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt to campaign for Canada’s bid for a temporary two-year seat on the UN’s most powerful body.

If elected, the Trudeau government says Canada will continue to work to strengthen multilateralism, foster peace, address climate change, promote economic security and advance gender equality.

Bessma Momani, an expert in Middle East affairs at the University of Waterloo, says Clark may not get a very receptive audience to Canada’s push for women’s rights among some of the government representatives he will be meeting.

“The people certainly hold Canada in high regard, regardless of what the governments may think,” Momani said. “People are still queuing to immigrate here so clearly we are still doing something right.”

“Certainly our recent emphasis on human rights and women’s rights is probably not received that favourably in that part of the world, which tends to have more conservative values and are part of the global autocratic turn.”

February 8, 2020

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ethiopia and Senegal in February as part of his government’s campaign for the council seat. Several cabinet ministers have also been visiting countries across Africa in recent months.

The secret ballot at the UN General Assembly takes place in June for a two-year term starting next year.

Africa, with its 54 voting countries, is a key voting bloc in the tough fight that pits Canada against Norway and Ireland for two available seats. Both countries spend more per capita than Canada on foreign aid, which is seen by many analysts as an impediment to Canada’s chances to winning the competition.

December 10, 2003

Clark is an appropriate choice to campaign in the region, but he will have his work cut out for him, said Fen Hampson, a Carleton University expert who wrote a recent book on the foreign policy of the ex-prime minister Brian Mulroney. Clark served as Mulroney’s minister of external affairs.

“African leaders with long memories will recall the important role Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney played in the Commonwealth in helping to bring an end to apartheid in South Africa and also stepping up to the plate in the Ethiopian famine crisis,” said Hampson. (CTV News) 

 

Saturday February 8, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 8, 2020

As Trudeau campaigns in Africa for UN Security Council seat, Norwegian PM is steps behind

Nearly everywhere Justin Trudeau goes in Addis Ababa, it seems Norway’s prime minister isn’t far behind.

September 21, 2016

On Saturday, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg arrived to an African Union meeting on gender equality just minutes after Trudeau did. Then, she followed in Trudeau’s footsteps, strolling through Unity Park with the Ethiopian prime minister. And as Trudeau was leaving Jubilee Palace from his meeting with the Ethiopian president, Solberg’s staffers were in the building preparing for her imminent arrival.

It’s no coincidence. The two leaders are both in Africa to win support from world leaders for a UN Security Council seat they both want to win. And Norway’s prime minister is suggesting that when it comes to that campaign, it may be Canada who is trailing behind.

“I think one of the differences, of course, is we have been on the steady same path for a very long time, so [African leaders] know us,” Solberg told Canadian reporters.

Take, for example, the African Union meeting. Trudeau made history on this trip by being the first Canadian prime minister to attend an African Union session. But Solberg was also here last year.

January 13, 2018

The African Union is a rich source of potential votes for any country looking to win a Security Council seat. It has 54 voting members at the United Nations, roughly a quarter of the total votes.

Speaking to Canadian reporters, the Norwegian leader said she didn’t want to emphasize competition between the two countries, noting they take the same approach to many issues. But she suggested Norway was perhaps more deeply engaged.

“Canada is a bigger economy, a larger country, of course, but on the other hand we are using more in development aid. We have used more support for the international policies as part of our GDP.”

In 2018, Norway spent nearly one per cent of its gross national income on international assistance. For Canada, the figure was 0.28 per cent, according to OECD figures.

October 13, 2010

Norway, Ireland and Canada are all gunning for one of the two limited-term UN Security Council seats that open up next year.

Ireland too, has been plotting a course of engagement with Africa for years. It launched its “Africa Strategy” in 2011.

While all countries see the seat as something of a prize that would allow their countries to play an influential role in world affairs, Solberg said the seat is also something of a burden.

“It’s an obligation that you have as supporters of multi-lateralism, as a supporter of rule of law. “

“You have to take the burden of sitting on the Security Council, because it’s also a burden. You have to take a stand on some policy decisions that as a non-member you don’t have to do.” (CBC) 

 

Saturday August 10, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday August 10, 2019

To reduce global warming, people need to eat less meat: UN report

Global meat consumption must fall to curb global warming, reduce growing strains on land and water and improve food security, health and biodiversity, a United Nations report on the effects of climate change concluded.

Although the report stopped short of explicitly advocating going meat free, it called for big changes to farming and eating habits to limit the impact of population growth and changing consumption patterns on stretched land and water resources.

Plant-based foods and sustainable animal-sourced food could free up several million square kilometres of land by 2050 and cut 0.7-8.0 gigatonnes a year of carbon dioxide equivalent, the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said.

“There are certain kinds of diets that have a lower carbon footprint and put less pressure on land,” Jim Skea, professor at London’s Imperial College, said on Thursday.

The IPCC met this week in Geneva, Switzerland to finalize its report which should help to guide governments meeting this year in Chile on ways to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“The IPCC does not recommend people’s diets … Dietary choices are very often shaped or influenced by local production practices and cultural habits,” Skea, who is one of the report’s authors, told reporters in Geneva. (National Post) 

 

Friday March 16, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday March 16, 2018

Canada sending 6 helicopters to help UN mission in Mali

September 21, 2016

Canada will send up to six helicopters and as many as 250 aircrew and troops to the troubled West African nation of Mali this summer, the Liberal government confirmed Monday.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement in the foyer of the House of Commons, providing little more in the way of clarity than the broad aspects of the mission that were leaked last week.

They did reveal that Canada’s year-long commitment will involve two CH-147 Chinook helicopters for medical evacuations and logistical support and four CH-146 Griffon helicopters for armed escorts.

The country’s top military commander, Gen. Jonathan Vance, told the news conference that planning is still underway, including consultations with the UN.

A spokesperson at the UN said Monday the helicopters are expected to be deployed in August.

October 13, 2010

“This is very much a welcome development,” said Stéphane Dujarric.

“As we know, Mali has been one of the deadliest peacekeeping missions for UN peacekeepers over the last few years. Unfortunately, on a monthly basis almost, if not more, we have seen peacekeepers being attacked, targeted or killed by improvised explosive devices.”

In an interview with CBC News later Monday, Vance said the military is aiming for August, but Canada still needs to consult with the Germans over their contingent, which is being replaced by Canadians.

The Chinook helicopters will be tasked with transporting other UN peacekeepers and the Griffons will act as “armed escorts,” he said.

Both the Germans and the Dutch have occasionally used their armed helicopters to support UN troops in Mali when they’ve been ambushed.

“At this juncture, the planning we’re doing is armed escort,” said Vance, noting again that Canadian planners need to speak with the Germans.

“It is possible in the tasks that we look at, they could be used for support to ground forces. It is possible. We’ve got to look at it. We need to get a lot more detail.” (Source: CBC News) 

Friday December 22, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 22, 2017

Donald Trump threatens to cut ‘billions of dollars’ in aid to countries over UN Jerusalem vote

Donald Trump has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid from those nations which criticise his controversial decision to unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

December 7, 2017

In a raising of the stakes over the US’s move to recognise Jerusalem and shift its embassy there – something long requested by Israel and their conservative supporters in the US – Mr Trump said he could penalise those countries that voted against the move at the UN.

Previously, the US’s UN Ambassador Niki Haley had warned the US would would be “taking names” of any countries who supported a resolution criticising Washington’s actions. A vote is scheduled to take place on Thursday after the US on Monday vetoed a vote by the UN Security Council that would have demanded Mr Trump reverse his decision.

The Associated Press said Mr Haley had written to most of the 193 UN members states warning of possible retaliation. She said the President was taking the matter personally.

Speaking to members of his cabinet on Wednesday, Mr Trump said he liked what Ms Haley had spelled out. “For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,” Mr Trump said. (Source: The Independent) 

 

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