Gaza and the Conscience of Humanity

ChrisGunness UNOCHA says at least 168 Palestinians killed in Gaza in last week, 80% (133 people) are civilians of whom 21% (36) are children.

The assault continues after six days ,while the tragic scenes displayed in independent media and social networks has horrified many onlookers.

According to reports comming from different locations hundreds of cities have witnessed massive demonstrations against the slaughter in Gaza. Israel is confident that it enjoys the backing of major Western States for its incursion so the public opinion is not relevant for them. Their strategy is to kill the resistance and resilience of the Palestinian nation.

The question that remains for many of us who believe in multilateralism is that what is the relevancy of the UN when it does not make any serious effort to prevent bloodshed and war against defenseless civilians who have suffered for decades snow at the hands of the occupiers and aggressors?

 If the current peacemaking mechanisms remain inefficient , irresponsive, and biased in their performance then many societies would resort to taking their affairs in their own hands and this message would fuel more violence and extremism in today's world.The solidarity of many governments with the people of Gaza is also a hopeful sign , the Chilean Senate took a moment of silence for them.

The question each human being needs to ask is where do I stand on this matter of conscience and humanity today? Gaza will stand as a gauge to expose the true identity of us all.

The First UN Environment Assembly

The first UNEA flew last week in Nairobi. During the early years of the millenium a major issue which was debated in international fora related to the environment concerned the need for a strong,over arching and inclusive body which would include all members of the international community.After years of negotiations and debates the UN Environment Assembly was finally launched. This body if democratically managed, could serve as a model of multilateralism in today's world. 

The first Assembly was an opportunity to debate important challenges such as air quality, illegal trade in wildlife and timber, the new sustainable development goals, sustainable production and consumption and chemicals.The event was of such importance that the President of Kenya attended both the opening and the closing along with Ban Ki Moon the UNSG. More than 160 countries attended mostly at the ministerial level. http://www.unep.org/unea/en/

The event also provides an important opportunity for exchange of views and dialogue at the bilateral level. On the sidelines of this Assembly Last week I met with Achim Steiner , UNEP executive director and gave him our national team's jersey with the Persian Cheetah design.

I also met with the President of Kenya and spoke of the importance of improving bilateral relations. The environment Ministers of Kenya, Norway, India, Italy, were among those I met and discussed grounds for bilateral collaboration.

A final outcome report was to be adopted at the closing session, but due to the deletion of a phrase reiterating one of the fundamental principles of international law:"common but differentiated responsibilities" consensus was not achieved. This insistence by one certain western state resulted in discord among member states specifically developing countries. This is an indication of the existing rifts between the north and south. 

The global environment is seriously endangered and requires a strong and unified approach among nations to confront current threats and change unsustainable trends.