Most Liberal Democrats would agree that as the UN turns 75, the need for strong, multilateral institutions is as important as ever. But even the most enthusiastic UN booster is bewildered by the Security Council’s inability to act in the face of human rights atrocities, pandemics and climate devastation.
Please join the Liberal international British Group’s webinar on October 12th at 6.30pm, as UN insiders and critics discuss how the UN can be strengthened.
We will hear from the former Canadian cabinet minister (and more recently ambassador to the UN) Allan Rock who was in Jean Chretien’s Liberal government; Aicha Elbasri, who sacrificed her UN career by blowing the whistle when the organisation pandered to the genocidal regime of Omar Bashir in Sudan; and Hillel Neuer, from UN Watch, an NGO which catalogues the UN’s hypocrisy and failings.
The webinar will be chaired by Myles Wickstead from the Liberal Democrats in International Development group.
Please click here to register. Thank you.
* Rebecca Tinsley is a member of the Liberal International British Group executive, and the founder of the human rights group, www.WagingPeace.info. She stood for Parliament twice for the SDP-Liberal Alliance.
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7 Comments
What climate devastation is that?
Rebecca Tinsley | Thu 24th September 2020 – 12:03 pm,
One issue is Belarus, where perhaps Russia would be tempted to exercise a veto.
There was a debate in the Commons today, 24/9/2020, in which the Liberal Democrat spokesperson supported the consensus and was welcomed by the Foreign Secretary in doing so. Another MP asked about our co-operation with the EU after the end of the transition period and received a satisfactory assurance from the Foreign Secretary.
After the general election the USA might decide to be part of the world.
Pete 24th Sep ’20 – 1:35pm:
Planet Earth, not yet like Planet Venus, as per Soviet exploration..
I am pleased to note participation in the Commons by an APNI MP today and hope that he and others will be included in any government we may be part of in the future. Our party helped in a bye-election with their former leader, which he now holds.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=liberal+democrat+voice&form=WNSGPH&qs=AS&cvid=c8f2c92a206c4303bc3291f06068d1b5&pq=liberal+de&cc=GB&setlang=en-GB&PC=HCTS&nclid=D685F8B2DD8A22605D669A1545EF5F42&ts=1600936686582&wsso=Moderate
Rip it up and start again? It’s clearly a paper tiger, created for a different age, slightly more successful than the League of Nations; but now appearing to be going the same way.
Rip it up and start again? Maybe. Yes, the League of Nations was weakened by in fighting and like Japan walking out on it. However that disunity then led to ‘others’ like Hitler exploiting the situation A strong UN.is still needed.
Perhaps we need an organisation which can deal with a particular situation I have heard of. People are paying thousands of euros to travel in great danger to make a journey that usually they have a legal right to make. They could book the same route travelling first class with good hotels and taxis when needed for a fraction of the cost.
Is this a human rights issue?
Or does human rights depend on how many people are involved?
Do we not have the responsibility to apply the same standards to our dealings with every country?
I would be interested to hear how exactly the panelists think the Security council can be reformed when it is clearly against the interests of the Permanent members to choose to reform it (surely a catch-22). Until the veto of the Permanent members is reformed (e.g. by requiring a 2/3 majority to approve action including any 4 of 5 permanent members – i.e. allowing for 1 permanent member to dissent) then I can’t see how the UN Security Council will ever do what it was formed to do. There was a brief window between the end of the Cold War and the rise of Putin’s and Xi’s authoritarian regimes when the UN was able to exercise collective security (most notably the first Gulf War) but before then and since it has stood by while appalling abuses are carried out, all because one or other Permanent member has vetoed action.