Pax Gaea Human Rights World Post

• US House Foreign Affairs Chairman accuses Bush budget of shortchanging UN obligations
• Emergency aid funding faces bureaucratic hurdles, inefficiency claim agencies
• Jakarta floods amplify heath risks in Indonesia
• 112 firms, individuals blacklisted by World Bank for corruption, graft, stealing from poor
• Ancient sites attracting hordes of tourists help poorest economies, risk harm to antiquity
• Iraqi conflict taking mental toll on children
• Kenya activists struggle to overhaul colonial era labor laws
• Attacks on Darfur aid workers on the uprise
• Security Council warned 'Resolve Kosovo status or risk new violence'
• East Timor peacekeeper mission needs to be extended, augmented suggests UN Chief

New US budget withholds UN dues

Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: Congressman Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, has accused the Bush administration of short-changing the United Nations in the budget proposal delivered to Congress on Monday. In a statement, Lantos said this would ultimately harm national security. “We face a $130 million shortfall in the account used to pay US dues to the UN. For the first time since the historic Helms-Biden agreement to pay off old US debt to the UN, we will once again be in arrears. The administration is budgeting for massive new arrears to the UN at a time when we need the organisation to help us in Iraq, Darfur, Lebanon, Haiti and a host of other global hot spots.” Lantos said the administration’s budget also appears to provide far less money than necessary for the projected US share of the bill for UN peacekeeping operations in places such as Lebanon, Sudan, Haiti, Congo and Liberia. The budget appears to make unwarrantedly optimistic assumptions that there will be rapid improvement in the security situation in these countries, Lantos said, so the president’s budget provides hundreds of millions of dollars less than may be needed for these accounts in 2008. He said, “The US already is about $400 million short of its obligations to the peacekeeping account. UN peacekeeping operations are profoundly in US interests, yet the Bush administration has decided to reduce the deficit by under-paying for our national security in this critical area”. Daily Times (Pakistan) (2/6)

UN fund 'creates hurdles' for aid agencies

By Mark Turner

United Nations-A flagship UN emergency response fund established last year to speed assistance to people during humanitarian crises has failed to meet its goal and, in some cases, even slowed down the flow of life-saving goods, according to aid agencies. A study by Save the Children UK said the fledgling fund was "inefficient and actually reduces the amount of money going directly to work on the ground", creating an extra hurdle for aid agencies. The Central Emergency Response Fund, which was championed by the UK government, was heralded at its launch in March last year as a revolutionary new way to ensure money would be immediately available when crises struck, and to steer funds to otherwise forgotten emergencies. This year countries have given $40m (£20.3m, €30.8m) to the fund, and pledged a further $304m. But Save the Children said the fund's rules - which stipulate that the money has to be funnelled through the UN bureaucracy, rather than directly to aid agencies - had created dangerous layers of inefficiency and delay. Oxfam is preparing a review to coincide with the fund's first anniversary. "We certainly share [Save the Children's] concern it hasn't always resulted in the immediate speeding up of response," said Greg Puley, a policy adviser in New York. "We've encountered the same kinds of problems", although "as the year has gone on, things have improved". Oxfam believes, on balance, the fund had leveraged more resources and directed more money to underfunded regions. A European diplomat also acknowledged CERF's early problems, noting funds had taken up to seven weeks to reach the field. He said the UN claimed to have reduced the gap to 1½ weeks. Stephanie Bunker, of the UN's Humanitarian Affairs arm OCHA, insisted CERF money came on top of other sources of finance. "It's not like its draining funding out of anything else," she said. Financial Times (United Kingdom) (2/6)

Health fears rise in Jakarta

Disease threatens Indonesian capital after floods force 340,000 from homes

Anthony Deutsch , ASSOCIATED PRESS

JAKARTA–Filthy brown water flooded large parts of Indonesia's capital yesterday, forcing 340,000 people from their homes and cutting off power and clean water in the city, where at least 29 have died after days of torrential rain. In scenes reminiscent of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, residents of Jakarta waded through poor neighbourhoods in water up to their necks, or floated on makeshift rafts bearing clothes and other salvaged items. Some scrambled onto roofs to await rescue by soldiers and emergency workers, their dinghies crossing floodwaters as deep as 3.7 metres. Rising along with the water was the threat of diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery. Authorities estimated between 40 per cent and 70 per cent of the city, which covers an area of more than 660 square kilometres, had been submerged.Skies cleared yesterday and floodwaters receded in some parts of the city of 12 million, but Indonesia's meteorological agency predicted more rain in the coming days. The seasonal, torrential rains in Jakarta and the hills to the south forced rivers to overflow their banks Thursday. Landslides and flash floods during the wet season kill hundreds in Indonesia every year, but the capital has rarely – if ever – seen floods as bad as those in recent days. The high water washed into rich and poor districts alike, inundating markets, schools and businesses. The government dispatched medical teams on rafts to worst-hit areas, where doctors treated people for diarrhea, skin diseases, respiratory problems and exposure. Conditions were also conducive to the spread of malaria, typhoid, dengue fever and the bird flu virus, officials said. Toronto Star (Canada) (2/6)

World Bank Steps Up Anti-Graft Drive; Blacklists 112 in 2 Years

By William McQuillen

Feb. 6 (Bloomberg) -- The World Bank said it stopped doing business with 112 people and firms suspected of corruption over a two-year period as it stepped up a drive to combat graft. The number of people and firms barred from doing business with the Washington-based lender in the two years through last June 30 compares with 226 banned or reprimanded over the previous six years, according to a report released in Washington today.World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has made promoting good governance a hallmark of his leadership since he took over in June 2005, saying too much money intended to aid the poor winds up in the pockets of corrupt contractors and politicians. The former U.S. deputy defense secretary has stopped loans to Chad and threatened to slow debt forgiveness for Congo. ``When we find that scarce development dollars have been wrongly diverted from their intended purpose of benefiting the poor, we have a responsibility to take action,'' Wolfowitz said in a statement. The World Bank, which has about 10,000 employees around the world, distributes about $23 billion in aid each year for projects including improvements to sanitation, railways and rural roads in low-income countries. The bank's Institutional Integrity Department said it completed 227 probes of alleged acts of corruption within the bank over the two years through last June, resulting in 33 staff members being disciplined, fired or barred from being rehired. Bloomberg (United States) (2/6)

Ancient Temples Face Modern Assault

Rapid Rise in Tourism Is Overwhelming Cambodia's Ability to Protect Fragile Sites

By Anthony Faiola, Washington Post Foreign Service

ANGKOR, Cambodia -- Built by a mighty 9th-century Khmer king, the soaring temple of Phnom Bakheng stands atop the highest peak of ancient Angkor. With a sweeping view that takes in Angkor Wat -- the world's largest religious structure -- the monks stationed here were probably among the first to glimpse the approaching Siamese troops that snuffed out this city's centuries-long domination of much of Southeast Asia. So perhaps it is not surprising that more than 500 years later, Phnom Bakheng has become the ideal perch from which to watch another assault on Angkor -- by marauding armies of tourists. As Cambodia has settled into peace and opened to the world, the temples of Angkor have in recent years gone from stone to gold for the national government. This year, a deluge of tour operators is expected to cart in nearly 1 million foreign visitors, a sixfold increase since 2000. Including Cambodians, the number of visitors to the archaeological park will reach a record 2 million this year and at least 3 million by 2010, according to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which identified Angkor as a World Heritage site in 1992. The growth has put the Cambodian government in a difficult position, observers say, forcing it to balance the potential to make money against the need for preservation, restoration and study. It is a dilemma familiar to other countries that profit from treasured cultural sites. Washington Post (United States) (2/6)

Children of war: the generation traumatised by violence in Iraq

Growing up in a war zone takes its toll as young play games of murder and mayhem

Michael Howard

Baghdad- The car stopped at the makeshift checkpoint that cut across the muddy backstreet in western Baghdad. A sentry appeared. "Are you Sunni or Shia?" he barked, waving his Kalashnikov at the driver. "Are you with Zarqawi or the Mahdi army?" "The Mahdi army," the driver said. "Wrong answer," shouted the sentry, almost gleefully. "Get him!" The high metal gate of a nearby house was flung open and four gun-toting males rushed out. They dragged the driver from his vehicle and held a knife to his neck. Quickly and efficiently, the blade was run from ear to ear. "Now you're dead," said a triumphant voice, and their captive crumpled to the ground. Then a moment of stillness before the sound of a woman's voice. "Come inside boys! Your dinner is ready!" The gunmen groaned; the hapless driver picked himself up and trundled his yellow plastic car into the front yard; the toy guns and knives were tossed by the back door. Their murderous game of make-believe would have to resume in the morning. Abdul-Muhammad and his five younger brothers, aged between six and 12, should have been at school. But their mother, Sayeeda, like thousands of parents in Iraq's perilous capital city, now keeps her boys at home. Three weeks ago, armed men had intercepted their teacher's car at the school gates, then hauled him out and slit his throat. Just like in their game. "That day they came home and they were changed because of the things they'd seen," said Sayeeda as she ladled rice into the boys' bowls. "The youngest two have been wetting their beds and having nightmares, while Abdul-Muhammad has started bullying and ordering everyone to play his fighting games. I know things are not normal with them. My fear is one day they will get hold of real guns. But in these times, where is the help?" The boys live with their widowed mother and uncle in a modest family house in al-Amil, a once peaceful, religiously mixed suburb in western Baghdad that is yielding to the gunmen, street by street. Similar tales of growing up in the war zone are heard across the country. The Guardian (United Kingdom) (2/6)

RIGHTS-KENYA: Colonial Labour Laws Violate ILO Conventions

Joyce Mulama

NAIROBI, Feb 5 (IPS) - Human rights campaigners have appealed to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to suspend Kenya's membership for continuing to resist efforts to reform its archaic labour laws. The laws fail to address issues of employment, occupational health and safety or work injuries among others -- seriously undermining the constitutional rights of Kenyans. On Dec. 14 last year, the independent Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) wrote to the ILO calling for their country's suspension from the world body. The appeals were renewed recently. In 2004, a task force appointed to review the country's labour laws recommended a series of changes that would address all aspects of workers' rights including safety and health on the shop floor as well as compensation in the event of work injuries. Issues of sexual harassment, discrimination and wages were also covered. According to KHRC, very little has been done with regard to implementation of the worker-friendly recommendations. The rights watchdog has constantly expressed strong displeasure over the delay which it points out has enabled employers to take advantage of the existing labour laws to exploit workers "This is anomalous delay. In the meantime, the repugnant labour regime framework continues to visit massive (infringement of) human rights of workers who do not have adequate protection under the (current) framework, which is a relic of the oppressive colonial administration," stated the letter that was given exclusively to IPS. Inter Press Service News Agency (South Africa) (2/6)

UN says surge in attacks on Darfur aid workers

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Attacks on aid workers in Darfur almost doubled in 2006 and assaults on people displaced by the 4-year-old conflict in Sudan's remote west more than tripled, the United Nations said on Monday. While the threat against the world's largest aid operation had become even more severe, the United Nations was resolved to keep working in the region, acting U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlstrom said. Experts estimate about 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes to miserable makeshift camps following the rape, pillage and murder in Darfur, which Washington calls genocide. Khartoum denies genocide."Darfur was already one of the most dangerous areas for relief workers in 2005. But security incidents involving relief workers surged by another 67 percent in 2006 (to 1,800)," Wahlstrom said in a statement. She said the assaults on internally displaced people had risen to 414 in 2006, from 106 in 2005. Wahlstrom said more than 500,000 people were displaced by the violence in 2006, followed by another 25,000 during January, taking the total to more than 2 million. Around 13,000 relief workers are trying to reach 4 million people in the region. "Everyday there are more people who need our help, yet our colleagues are being threatened by all sides," Wahlstrom said. "Despite the attacks on aid workers, we are resolved to continue working in Darfur, adapting our operations as necessary to ensure that the most vulnerable in Darfur receive at least a minimum level of relief." Reuters AlertNet (2/6)

Ahtisaari warns UN: find Kosovo solution or risk return to violence

Julian Borger, diplomatic editor

The UN envoy for Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, warned yesterday that if the UN Security Council failed to impose a solution for the contested province, it could lead to a return to violence there. Mr Ahtisaari has called for consultations, starting next Tuesday in Vienna, on his proposals to confer internationally supervised autonomy on Kosovo, a plan rejected by Serbia, which sees the province as the cradle of its culture. As of last night, Belgrade had not decided who, if anyone, should represent the country in Vienna. The UN envoy said if anyone came up with "a brilliant idea" to bridge the divide in the course of those consultations, he would incorporate it. But he made it clear he held out little hope for concessions and said he was not prepared to allow the talks to go on after the end of the month. After that, he said, the Security Council would have to impose a decision. "If the international community wants to solve the situation it has to be courageous enough to decide [Kosovo's] status, because the parties can't do it," Mr Ahtisaari told the Guardian. Failure to act would lead to "a weakening of the security situation" and a possible withdrawal of Nato peacekeeping troops, he said. "If I was advising my government I would say to pull out." Under his plan, the Serb minority would be protected by Nato troops in a self-governing multi-ethnic democracy. The proposal does not use the word "independent", but Kosovo would have its "own, distinct, national symbols, including a flag, seal and anthem". The Guardian (United Kingdom) (2/6)

UN East Timor mission should be extended, says Ban

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - A U.N. mission in East Timor due to expire this month should be extended for 12 months and additional police sent to the tiny nation ahead of a presidential election on April 9, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday. Ban, in a report to the Security Council, said the overall situation had improved in East Timor, which became independent in 2002, but security remained volatile and particularly fragile in parts of the capital Dili. Australia led a force of 3,200 foreign peacekeepers to the Asia-Pacific region's youngest country in late May after the firing of 600 mutinous soldiers sparked chaos and continuing sporadic gang-related violence. "The long term commitment of the international community to Timor-Leste (East Timor) remains critical to enabling the return of this new nation to the path of stability and development in a climate of democratic, accountable and responsive governance," Ban said in his report.The current U.N. mission, known as the U.N. Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste or UNMIT, is due to expire on Feb 25. It is made up of some 1,068 police and up to 35 military liaison officers. It was approved by the Security Council on Aug. 25 for six months. "In my view, an extension of the UNMIT mandate for a period of 12 months would send an important signal of the willingness of the Security Council to sustain its commitment to East Timor," Ban said. "In order to strengthen security for the critical electoral process, I support the government's request that an additional formed police unit be deployed," he said. Reuters AlertNet (2/6)