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Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
ASEAN-GCC-China Summit hails Qatari mediation for Gaza truce
QNA Kuala Lumpur The ASEAN-GCC-China Summit held in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday commended Qatar's mediation efforts to forge a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip while expressing its condemnation of attacks against the Palestinian people. In a joint communique, the member statesexpressed their grave concern over the situation in the Gaza Strip and emphasized their condemnation of all attacks on civilians. They called for an enduring ceasefire and for facilitating the unhindered access of life-saving humanitarian aid and essential services to the Strip, in addition to essential compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians. The conferees underscored their backing for the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024, which highlighted the imperative of ending the unlawful presence of the Israeli occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They further supported the ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained while reaffirming their adherence to the pursuit of a two-state solution grounded in the 1967 borders. They welcomed the Saudi-led initiatives, conducted in collaboration with Norway and the European Union, aimed at paving the way toward the establishment of the State of Palestine and expressed their appreciation for China's pivotal role in fostering Palestinian national reconciliation, notably the signing of the 'Beijing Declaration' between Palestinian factions in July 2024. In addition, the conferees welcomed the UN General Assembly resolution adopted in December 2024, which called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and underscored the urgent need to enable the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to fulfill its mandate across all areas of operation in full compliance with fundamental humanitarian principles. They also reaffirmed their shared commitment to bolstering peace, security, stability, and prosperity on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation, grounded in international law and the principles laid out in the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and independence, non-interference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The communique further underscored the importance of deepening ties between the GCC, ASEAN, and China and of advancing regional cooperation and economic development within the broader strategic landscapes of the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The members pointed to the enormous potential unlocked by the participating economies for the expansion of trade, investment, and joint economic collaboration. The communique stressed the importance of restoring confidence in the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, emphasizing the need to enhance economic resilience, promote environmental sustainability, and work toward a more inclusive, balanced, and equitable globalization. It further commended the ongoing efforts to build a community with a shared future, both within the ASEAN-China framework and through China-Arab relations while expressing interest in scaling up cooperation to confront transnational crime, terrorism, extremism, and the growing threats posed by cybercrime.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
ASEAN-GCC-China Summit hails Qatari mediation for Gaza ceasefire
KUALA LUMPUR: The ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday, commended Qatar's mediation efforts to forge a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip while expressing its condemnation of all attacks against the Palestinian people. In a joint communique, the member states in this summit expressed their grave concern over the situation in the Gaza Strip and emphasized their condemnation of all attacks on civilians. They called for an enduring ceasefire and for facilitating the unhindered access of life-saving humanitarian aid and essential services to the Strip, in addition to essential compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians. The conferees underscored their backing for the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024, which highlighted the imperative of ending the unlawful presence of the Israeli occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. They further supported the ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained while reaffirming their adherence to the pursuit of a two-state solution grounded in the 1967 borders. They welcomed the Saudi-led initiatives, conducted in collaboration with Norway and the European Union, aimed at paving the way toward the establishment of the State of Palestine and expressed their appreciation for China's pivotal role in fostering Palestinian national reconciliation, notably the signing of the 'Beijing Declaration' between Palestinian factions in July 2024. In addition, the conferees welcomed the UN General Assembly resolution adopted in December 2024, which called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and underscored the urgent need to enable the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to fulfill its mandate across all areas of operation in full compliance with fundamental humanitarian principles. They also reaffirmed their shared commitment to bolstering peace, security, stability, and prosperity on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation, grounded in international law and the principles laid out in the United Nations Charter, including respect for sovereignty and independence, non-interference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The communique further underscored the importance of deepening ties between the GCC, ASEAN, and China and of advancing regional cooperation and economic development within the broader strategic landscapes of the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The members pointed to the enormous potential unlocked by the participating economies for the expansion of trade, investment, and joint economic collaboration. The communique stressed the importance of restoring confidence in the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, emphasizing the need to enhance economic resilience, promote environmental sustainability, and work toward a more inclusive, balanced, and equitable globalization. It further commended the ongoing efforts to build a community with a shared future, both within the ASEAN-China framework and through China-Arab relations while expressing interest in scaling up cooperation to confront transnational crime, terrorism, extremism, and the growing threats posed by cybercrime.
Euronews
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Lack of funding threatens women-led peace initiatives, UN warns
Amid growing pushback on women's rights in some countries and a general backsliding of gender policies, persistent institutional and societal barriers prevent women from equally participating in peace and security processes. But there is no peace or security without women — a statement the United Nations has been emphasising for the last quarter century. "We know that when women call it, peace follows. When women call it, peace is sustained," UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda said at an event co-organised by UN Women in Brussels on Wednesday. Policymakers, civil society leaders, and international organisations met in the Belgian capital on Wednesday to reflect on the progress made and challenges still faced by the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda since its implementation. On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, a landmark bill that acknowledged the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and girls and called for women's equal participation in conflict prevention and resolution, as well as peace processes. The resolution laid the groundwork for the WPS programme, a framework that seeks to institutionalise the goals set out 25 years ago. The anniversary goes alongside the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which laid the foundation for the WPS agenda five years prior. While they have seen some successes over the past two decades, attendees said, they warned that not enough has been done to fully implement and actualise the agenda's aims. "Paper commitment is not enough, we must transform this into action that is visible, measurable, and inclusive," Poland's Minister for Equality Katarzyna Kotula said during her opening remarks. This year's anniversary is taking place in an increasingly complex and fractured geopolitical space and a changing security landscape marked by disinformation and hybrid warfare. "Conflict is no longer confined by borders," Kotula said, and warned of the threats posed by information manipulation and cyber violence. "Women bring their lived experiences to the table," Gumbonzvanda told Euronews. "They also come as experts who are able to contribute to the solutions," she added, noting that based on years of work by UN Women, it has become clear that peace talks including women tend to be more sustainable. The Deputy Executive Director of UN Women drew on her own experience — she was born during the 1964-1979 Zimbabwe War of Independence — to emphasise the important role women played during that time. "When early warning signs start to show, it is the women who care for each other and yet they struggle to be part of the solutions," she explained. Women-led grassroots organisations were at the core of Wednesday's discussions. "It's not just about the top level; it's the women on the ground," one panellist pointed out. Yet various barriers remain in place which prevent women from unlocking their full potential in peace and security processes. A lack of adequate funding and resources for women-led organisations was identified and unanimously agreed on as a key hurdle. Data by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) revealed that international aid from donors in 2024 fell by 7.1% compared to the previous year. The OECD noted that this was the first drop reported after five years of consecutive growth. Earlier this month, UN Women warned that the global aid cuts may force organisations helping women in crisis to shut down. A report they published found that 90% of the 411 women-led and women's rights organisations surveyed said they had been impacted by aid cuts. The report also predicted that half of the organisations may have to shut down in six months if current funding levels persist. "Resourcing community and women-led initiatives as part of WPS Agenda is an imperative, it is not a choice," Gumbonzvanda told Euronews. Kotula told Euronews that the European Democracy Shield, a special committee created to respond to new geopolitical challenges, should incorporate financing for women's organisations. Kotula emphasised the role civil society and women's organisations played when the European Union was hit with back-to-back crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which sparked a major refugee crisis. "First in line were usually civil society and women's organisations, it was on their shoulders. So that's why it's one of the reasons that when we now need the funding, it's because we know they passed the test when it comes to [handling] crises, and we know we can count on them," Kotula said. The Polish minister for equality admitted that the topic of gender equality and gender-based violence has been pushed under the rug for far too long, but assured her efforts to incorporate both into Poland's new national action plan. "Poland had been facing backlash for many years, then we won the elections, and we opened the window a bit," Kotula said. She referred back to last year, when the definition of rape was changed under Polish law, and added that she now hopes to use this "window of opportunity," to also crack down on the issue of gender based violence. In 2024, global military spending reached its highest year-on-year rise since the end of the Cold War, a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed. The start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the uncertainty of European security under US President Donald Trump pushed the continent to rethink its defence readiness. As a result, all European countries, with the exception of Malta, increased their military spending in 2024. However, Founder and CEO of International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, argued that shifting the focus to increased militarisation undermines the power of social defence. "We are reducing our own security in the name of militarised security," Naraghi-Anderlini told Euronews. Naraghi-Anderlini, who hosts the podcast "If You Were in Charge", said women peacebuilders take a radically different approach to conflict resolution. In stark contrast to armed conflict, they instead bring "a radical commitment to nonviolence." "Sitting and talking, not shooting, as a driving force," she said. The podcast host said women peacebuilders have the ability "to disarm intellectually, mentally and emotionally." Naraghi-Anderlini said that as a result, women are often stereotyped as soft, but in reality it is an extremely powerful quality when it comes to peace negotiations, where there's often a lot of "mistrust, existential fear, anger and trauma." During her opening remarks, Naraghi-Anderlini outlined how her organisation successfully supported local communities with $11 million (€9.75 million), emphasising the significant impact was made with "just a fraction of the cost of weaponry and military equipment." "This kind of peacebuilding work is actually quite cheap, but it's really important. So if it disappears, we're really wasting investment and good work," she told Euronews. Naraghi-Anderlini said that while conflict is natural, the use of violence is a choice. "And yet they've made it seem as if violence is inevitable, as if war is inevitable because it benefits the arms industry." US President Donald Trump's administration has rescinded Harvard University's ability to admit international students as part of its intensifying conflict with the Ivy League institution. The Trump administration says that thousands of current students are required to either transfer to different universities or leave the country. 'This means Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,' stated the US Department of Homeland Security in a statement. The agency made the announcement on Thursday, stating that Harvard has fostered an unsafe campus atmosphere by permitting "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators" to attack Jewish students on its grounds. Furthermore, it alleged that Harvard has collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party, claiming that it hosted and provided training to members of a Chinese paramilitary organisation as recently as 2024. Harvard University has nearly 6,800 international students enrolled at its campus located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which represents over a quarter of its total student population. The majority of these students are pursuing graduate studies and hail from more than 100 different countries. Harvard called the action unlawful and said it's working to provide guidance to students. 'This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission,' the university said in a statement. The conflict between the Trump administration and Harvard, the oldest and most affluent university in the United States, has escalated since Harvard became the first institution to openly resist the White House's requests for changes at elite schools that have been labelled as brewing grounds of liberalism and antisemitism. The federal government has reduced federal grants to Harvard by $2.6 billion (€2.3 billion), forcing the university to self-finance a significant portion of its extensive research activities. Trump has expressed his desire to strip the university of its tax-exempt status. US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says the decision to bar Harvard from hosting international students for the upcoming academic year stems from the school's inability to comply with a 16 April request demanding information on foreign students. The request from the Homeland Security department demanded the Ivy League university to provide data related to students who were involved in protests or dangerous activity on campus to be considered for deportation. Noem said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces the desired records on them within 72 hours. Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage of the students. Students in Harvard College Democrats said the Trump administration is playing with students' lives to push a radical agenda and to quiet dissent. 'Trump's attack on international students is text book authoritarianism — Harvard must continue to hold the line,' the group said in a statement. The administration drew condemnation from free speech groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which said Noem is demanding a 'surveillance state.' "This sweeping fishing expedition reaches protected expression and must be flatly rejected," the group said.
Daily Maverick
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
New African BRICS members decry preferential treatment for SA
Egypt and Ethiopia blocked a BRICS declaration backing South Africa for a United Nations Security Council seat. BRICS is expanding — but perhaps inevitably, more members mean more opportunities for disagreement, including between African members. This became apparent at the recent BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Unusually, the gathering failed to issue a consensus communiqué because of objections from the two new African members who joined in 2023, Egypt and Ethiopia. Until then, the only African member was South Africa, which Brazil, Russia, India and China admitted in 2010. At their 2023 Johannesburg summit, the five BRICS leaders invited Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join. Argentina declined, and Saudi Arabia said nothing, so BRICS became a club of nine with Saudi Arabia as an observer. Last year, under Russia's presidency, BRICS invited Indonesia to join and 13 new countries to become 'partners', offering a route to membership. Indonesia became a full member in January this year, while Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan were accepted as partners. Not all five core members have been equally enthusiastic about expanding. Russia and China were most keen, India and Brazil least, with South Africa somewhere in between. The Rio meeting exposed divisions within core BRICS members and among African members. Host country Brazil proposed a declaration that was to become a draft for the leaders to adopt at the July summit. The declaration included the usual paragraph demanding United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform to make it more globally representative. But 'usual' is a relative term, and the devil was in the details on this delicate issue. Over the years, BRICS has always obliquely supported Brazil, India and South Africa's aspirations to acquire permanent seats on an expanded UNSC. However, it never stated that explicitly, suggesting that the two BRICS members who already have permanent seats, China and Russia, were opposed to new permanent members. In the 2022 Beijing Declaration, 'China and Russia reiterated the importance they attach to the status and role of Brazil, India and South Africa in international affairs and supported their aspiration to play a greater role in the UN'. In 2023, the Johannesburg II Declaration gently pushed the envelope by supporting the 'legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including Brazil, India and South Africa, to play a greater role in international affairs, [particularly in the UN], including its Security Council'. South African officials welcomed this, noting that the wording 'including its Security Council' was the closest Russia and China had come to supporting Brazil, India and South Africa's aspirations. But by last year's summit in Kazan, Russia, Egypt and Ethiopia had joined the club, bringing pressure for caution from a new direction. Africa's Ezulwini Consensus states that the continent should get two permanent seats on an expanded UNSC — and decide which of its countries occupies those seats. And so the Kazan Declaration, while recognising Johannesburg II, supported 'the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including BRICS countries, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular in the [UN], including its Security Council. We recognise the legitimate aspirations of African countries, reflected in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration.' No mention was made of Brazil, India or South Africa. Then came last month's Rio meeting. The ministers failed to agree on a communiqué or declaration because Ethiopia and Egypt had 'opposed parts of a previously approved plan to reform the UN Security Council by giving South Africa a permanent seat', reported Africa Confidential. But Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation, Ronald Lamola, told ISS Today: 'The divergence in negotiations arose solely between Brazil, India, Ethiopia and Egypt, pertaining to the specific mention of potential new permanent UNSC members. South Africa did not engage in this debate.' He said South Africa 'fully' supported the Ezulwini Consensus. Miffed Another South African official told ISS Today that Brazil — and less so India — had decided that Brazil, India and South Africa's aspirations for permanent seats should be mentioned. It seems Brazil and India were miffed that these three original BRICS members' aspirations were being stifled in the club's expansion. At that point, Egypt and Ethiopia objected because they believed South Africa was being given preference over other African states. Eventually, Brazil removed the reference to South Africa and reverted to the Kazan language, though with a specific mention of Brazil and India. But Ethiopia and Egypt refused to endorse a communiqué anyway. And they insisted that even the lesser 'Chair's Summary' record their objection to the paragraph on Security Council reform. Why? One official's impression was that Egypt and Ethiopia wanted to move away from the old language, but more so, they sought to punish Brazil for what they regarded as a divisive negotiating strategy. If this spat did nothing else, it illustrated how deeply divided African states are on this issue of who gets those permanent seats. Arguably, it also suggests that by accepting new members, South Africa at least has weakened its position in the world. Just as it was making progress in persuading Russia and China to accept its aspiration to permanent UNSC membership, it got hit by a regression to Ezulwini — which Pretoria's African rivals have always used to curb its ambitions. If one believes in the paradoxical notion of conceding national sovereignty to gain greater collective sovereignty, South Africa might be stronger in a bigger BRICS, as perhaps Egypt and Ethiopia are. But one wonders if that greater strength is much more than rhetoric. As Africa Confidential points out, the Kazan summit was strong on politics, such as attacks on the West's sanctions against Russia, Israel's assault on Gaza, and the Bretton Woods Institutions. It was less successful in setting up a Cross-Border Payments Initiative, an alternative to the Swift payment system that excludes Russia, and other proposals by Russia to circumvent Western sanctions. 'If the BRICS can't agree on policy, it stands little chance of becoming a geopolitical rival to the G20 or the European Union,' concluded the journal. Of course it's early days. BRICS is still expanding and its future is unclear. But the Rio spat suggests that more members mean greater difficulty in reaching agreement on substance. DM
Scoop
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
UN Expert Concerned By Canada's Abolition Of Gender Equality Minister
Geneva, 22 April 2025 The Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, today expressed concern over Canada's decision to remove the position of Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth from its 30th Cabinet, warning that it could undermine progress on gender equality, and was at odds with its long-standing position as a global leader on the issue. On 14 March 2025, Canada restructured its cabinet, consolidating gender equality responsibilities into broader portfolios, citing economic pressures. Civil society and women's rights groups have criticised the move, stressing that achieving gender equality in all areas requires sustained and dedicated leadership and resources. 'The elimination of this dedicated ministerial role is deeply troubling and risks setting a negative global precedent,' Alsalem said. 'It appears to undermine Canada's commitments under its Feminist International Assistance Policy, its National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Beijing Declaration, and the recent, welcomed, signature of the Belém do Pará Convention.' The Special Rapporteur warned that the decision could disproportionately harm women and girls from marginalised groups, including indigenous women, black women, and persons with disabilities, who face higher rates of violence and discrimination. She urged Canada to maintain a dedicated department on women and gender equality, led by a minister, with adequate and dedicated funding to combat gender-based violence and promote women's rights. 'If this decision is maintained, it would be important for Canada to outline how it will mitigate negative impacts on women and girls and ensure gender equality remains a priority,' the expert said. Alsalem has been in contact with the Government on these matters.
