Latest news with #InternationalPeace
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Waterton-Glacier Peace Park a reminder of goodwill between nations
In the weeks ahead, you will hear more about the Rotary International Convention coming to Calgary from June 21 to 25. Up to 20,000 Rotarians from around the world will descend on our city. Article content Article content Given the current times, several Rotary members thought it would be appropriate for Calgarians to learn more about a peace initiative with our friends in the United States that was conceived, promoted, and nurtured to this day by Rotarians on both sides of the border. Article content Article content It all began when a group of Rotarians from Cardston invited fellow Rotarians to a goodwill meeting at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park in July 1931. More than 100 Rotarians from Montana, Saskatchewan and Alberta attended. Article content Article content There was a consensus to advocate for the creation of an international peace park that would encompass both Waterton and Glacier national parks. It was resolved, 'that the proper authorities be petitioned to commence negotiations to establish the two parks indicated as a permanent International Peace Park, which will be definitely set aside for this laudable purpose, pledging our loyalty and allegiance to foster all international relationships.' Article content Canadian and American Rotarians reached out to their respective federal governments and, in the days when things could get done expeditiously, the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park — the first of its kind — was commemorated on June 18, 1932. Article content Article content It's worth noting the words of leaders of the day. Article content Prime minister R.B. Bennett said, 'It is my earnest hope that this great International Peace Park stretching across our common frontier and in which citizens of both our countries may seek recreation, may forever remain a permanent memorial of all that neighbourly relations should be between adjoining nations.' Article content Said U.S. president Herbert Hoover: 'Dedication of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a full gesture of the goodwill that has so long blessed our relations with our Canadian neighbours, and I am gratified by the hope and the faith that it will forever be an appropriate symbol of permanent peace and friendship.' Article content The peace park combines the 525-square-kilometre Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada with the 4,144-square-km Glacier National Park in the U.S. The arrangement allows both national parks to operate as separate entities under the peace park mantle. Thereafter, the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Association was created to perpetuate the message of peace and goodwill inspired by this monumental achievement.
NHK
13-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
UN chief calls for reform amid US funding cuts
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on countries to cooperate on reform as the global body faces significant cuts in funding from the United States. The UN chief explained reform proposals to member states on Monday and acknowledged some inefficiency in operations. He said, "The measure of success is not the volume of reports we generate or the number of meetings we convene." He said it is "in the real-world difference we make in the lives of people." Guterres said he is considering merging units, eliminating functional and structural duplications, relocating staff from high-cost locations and other changes. Representatives of some countries sought greater efficiency, while mainly developing countries expressed concern that UN projects or support could diminish. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said, "The UN must return to its principal purpose" and that the global body should focus on maintaining international peace and security. Guterres responded, "The idea that we can concentrate efforts on peace and security and forget about or reduce our efforts in development or human rights would be completely wrong." He said the UN must uphold its purpose and principles, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan tries to up ante but UNSC seeks accountability for Pahalgam attack
The UN Security Council (UNSC) closed-door meeting on rising India-Pakistan tensions expectedly failed to yield any substantive outcome for Pakistan. According to Indian government sources, Pakistan's efforts to internationalise the issue made little headway with the Council as it advised Islamabad to resolve issues bilaterally with India and sought accountability for the Pahalgam terrorist attack, while expressing concerns over Pakistan's nuclear rhetoric and missile views were expressed individually by some after the consultations, the Council didn't collectively make any statement. The least Pakistan would have hoped for is an oral statement by the Council president. Not taken in by what the Indian side saw as diplomatic grandstanding by Pakistan, which is a non-permanent Council member currently, the member-states are learnt to have condemned the Pahalgam attack in the 90-minute meeting and posed 'tough questions' about the likely involvement of UN-proscribed Pakistan based terror group Indian permanent representative to UN Syed Akbaruddin said Pakistan's quest to resurrect an agenda item which has not been deliberated upon formally since 1965 by the Council expectedly did not take off.'The lack of a response by the Council to Pakistan's briefing is a vindication of the Indian stance,' said Akbaruddin, who was India's ambassador to the UN when Pakistan last sought closed-door consultations through China in 2019. That was after India revoked the special status of J&K in August 2019 meeting too had ended without any outcome or formal statement even though China had strongly pushed for it. Closed-door meetings comprise informal discussions that are held not in the Council room but in an adjacent chamber with limited number of delegates. For Pakistan, like in 2019, the latest meeting too was more an exercise in managing public perception than advancing any meaningful discussions, even though the consultations were held under the India-Pakistan Question that relates to J&K and not under, as it was meant to be initially, the generic 'Threats to International Peace and Security' agenda the meeting, according to sources here who spoke on condition of anonymity, members disapproved of the false flag narrative initially propounded by Pakistan and asked 'tough questions' about the likely involvement of UN proscribed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba in the attack. There were questions also about the targeting of tourists based on their religious identity. 'There was broad condemnation of the terrorist attack and recognition of the need for accountability. Some members specifically brought up the targeting of tourists on the basis of their religious faith,'' said a source, adding many members expressed concern that Pakistan's missile tests and nuclear rhetoric were escalatory Council members before the meeting were reported to have backed the idea of an independent international investigation into the attack. According to the Security Council Report, China and Greece appeared to have already indicated - before the meeting - their support for such an investigation. Such a probe though will need the consent of both India and issued a statement after the meeting in which it said that Council members expressed 'deep concern' about the risk of escalation and urged restraint. It also claimed several members underscored that the J&K dispute remained the root cause of regional instability.
Shafaq News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran warns: US threats will trigger firm action
Shafaq News/ Iran's Foreign Ministry sent a strong message to the United States on Monday, delivering an official warning to the Swiss chargé d'affaires, who represents US interests in Tehran. In a statement carried by Mehr News Agency, the ministry stressed that Iran would respond 'immediately and firmly' to any threat, citing 'continuing malicious actions' by Israeli forces in the region and recent threats from US President Donald Trump. It also condemned the rhetoric of a head of state calling for military action against Iran, labeling it a "shocking affront to the very essence of International Peace and Security." Such actions, the ministry warned, violate the United Nations Charter and the safeguards under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace. The US can choose the course...; and concede to CONSEQUENCES…,' it wrote on X. An open threat of «bombing» by a Head of State against Iran is a shocking _affront_ to the very essence of International Peace and violates the United Nations Charter and betrays the Safeguards under the IAEA. Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace. The US… — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) March 31, 2025 In a significant escalation of rhetoric, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had warned that the United States would face a "strong reciprocal blow" if it acts on Trump's recent threat to bomb Iran unless a new nuclear deal is agreed upon. This warning follows Trump's ultimatum, giving Iran a two-month window to negotiate a new agreement. The US has positioned B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia island, indicating a potential military option. In response, Iran has readied missiles in underground facilities, showcasing some of its most powerful weapons. Tehran has rejected Trump's offer for direct negotiations, citing distrust after the US previously withdrew from the nuclear deal. President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that while indirect negotiations remain possible, direct talks are off the table.
