Just When You Thought The UN Couldn't Possibly Lose Any More Credibiliy....

[Nikijad4210]

....They do.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/05/12/un.zimbabwe.ap/index.html

Zimbabwe to head key U.N. body

POSTED: 8:20 a.m. EDT, May 12, 2007

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Zimbabwe won approval on Friday to head a key U.N. body charged with promoting economic progress and environmental protectiondespite protests from the U.S., European nations and human rights organizations.

The 53-member Commission on Sustainable Development voted 26-21 with three abstentions on the new chair, said Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, vice chair of the commission. The chair traditionally rotates among regions of the world and it is Africa's choice this year. The government of Zimbabwe has nominated Francis Nhema, the minister of environment and tourism, to chair the commission.

President Robert Mugabe, an 83-year-old who has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980, has been criticized by the West and domestic opponents for repression, corruption, acute food shortages and gross economic mismanagement that has driven inflation above 2,000 percent -- the highest in the world. Mugabe has acknowledged that police used violent methods against opposition supporters.

"We're very disappointed in the election of Zimbabwe as chair," said the U.S. representative to the commission Dan Reifsnyder, deputy assistant secretary for environment and science at the State Department.

"We really think it calls into question the credibility of this organization to have a representative from a country that has decimated its agriculture, that used to be the breadbasket of Africa and can't now feed itself," said Reifsnyder.

U.S. officials said the commission deals with rural development and sustainable agriculture and Zimbabwe is no role model on those themes.

Mugabe's government disrupted the agriculture-based economy in 2000 with violent seizures of white-owned commercial farms, part of a program to redistribute land to poor blacks.

The newly elected chairman dismissed questions Friday night about his country's international standing and the appropriateness of Zimbabwe holding such a position in a global body.

"I think it's not time to point fingers," said Nhema. "There is never a perfect method, it's always a method which is appropriate to each country. So it's important not only to look at Zimbabwe but to look at each other and see what we can learn."

Several European nations have also called Zimbabwe's candidacy inappropriate.

On Friday, the Pan African Parliament, a body of the African Union, voted to send a mission to Zimbabwe to investigate alleged human rights abuses "relating to the arrests and detention, assault and murder of political activists and members of the media."

"Zimbabwe is hardly a model of good governance or sustainable development or even responsible leadership," Benjamin Chang, deputy spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said before the vote. "Our concern is that it's potential chairmanship would undermine the commission's credibility."

Jennifer Windsor, executive director of the human rights group Freedom House, said before the vote that it was "preposterous" for Zimbabwe to lead any U.N. body. Freedom House is an independent non-governmental organization that has monitored political rights and civil liberties in Zimbabwe since 1980.

Windsor said Mugabe's government "clearly has nothing but scorn for the U.N.'s founding principles of human rights, security and international law."

The Commission on Sustainable Development was established by the General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June that year and implementation of key environmental and development agreements.

The commission meets annually in New York, and its current session, which opened Wednesday, is focusing on energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution and climate change.

 

[treble]

whats wrong with that exactly? ah I C... single sided story. You are aware that it is a rotating presidency and it was zimbabwe's turn. We have seen other situations where there have been objections to chairs on various organisations. The security council is one. The actual presidente of the world is another ...sorry of the UN. The report also fails the mention that the IMF and (I think) the world bank both cut of zimbabwe's access to international financial services so they cannot trade with other countries... no trade, no income no economy... its easy math

now of course Mugabe is not a nice guy, but he's backed into a corner. So I ask which do you think came first. Demands to ceed natural resources to the world financial racketeering cartels or the dispossesion of land?

here is a political article: http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/aug1999/zimb-a18.shtml
but it gives the basic facts that lead us up to today. Basically the IMF held them over a barrel in 1999 with impossible demands. The rest, well its history and well documented.

try google + zimbabwe + recent history .... and you can add in IMF if you want.

treb

 

[Nikijad4210]

That's not the point, Treb, Zimbabwe's not exactly a shining example of self-made prosperity & self-sustainence right now.....It's pretty ironic to have them lead this particular body, considering the economic & agricultural disaster the country's wallowing in.
It's like having coke cartels heading an anti-drug body....They'd be doing one thing while preaching the opposite. That's no prime example for anyone, anywhere.

 

[treble]

ah... the coke cartels already do run the war on drugs.... thats why they are winning and you the people are loosing.

I do get your point but you seem to think the basket case that is zimbabwe is his making when in fact it isnt his at all. If you read the report on that link it lists all of the IMF's demands made in 1999.

How many of those has he not done? None of them from what I can see. And still he and his country have no access to foreign trade or currency.

It isnt about his poor managment and how screwed up they are, its about who is doing this to zimbabwe and why everyone thinks its his fault.

Zimbabwe became independent in 1980 and was setup with massive debts by the international community and they can't pay. If you look at the list of demands from the IMF you can see why its a basket case. And originally he refused to meet their demands.. .but in the end I think all of those things on the list came to pass.

Also the rules for that group stipulate it to have a rotating regional presidency and it was their turn. Thats how it works and you dont go beat some one down so they are all groggy and then point a finger at them making them out to be the village idiot when you caused their problem in the first place..

thats the bit that gets me.... they got shafted and they get no air time for their side of the story.. we just hear that he is a despot when in reality he's a guy who has no options....and the poor starve yet again.

treb

 

[Guest]

hey everyone makes mistakes! .....ohhhhhhh whoops!......you mean the other UN, my bad

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

Here's teaser on Mugabe for you treble:

http://www.parade.com/articles/web_exclusives/2007/02-11-2007/dictators07.html

 

[HappyHemphog]

Nothing like a guy that has his political opposition beat nearly to death to head up some UN committee or whatever.

Yup, I read this news and lost ALL respect for the UN. Mugabe may have been put in a bad position by others, but that does not give him license to suppress and oppress.

 

[Pops]

Treble, regardless what you think the IMF did to Mugabe, the fact is that he took the nation's most prosperous farms away from all white people and gave most of them to his cronies. They promptly ripped up the irrigation equipment and sold it for cash, ruining the farms. It threw over 100,000 agricultural workers out of work and starved the country.

 

[Relik]

Maybe having Zimbabwe in such an important position will induce better thought decisions, as they're gonna have to face international opinion if they screw things up.

However most politicians (especially corrupt politicians) seem to just not care about international opinion. But I'm hoping that the UN context could help set things back on track. Just hoping... because the people that are directly affected by this topic are still starving, as treble said...

Peace

 

[treble]

Pops.... I understand your point and yes he did do those things like turfing people of their land. I know a guy, a grand parent white land holder who was beaten several times and within inches of his life.

My point is that he did that because the IMF demanded it of him. They demanded that he reclaim the largest land holdings to re-distribute. You can see it on that link. Its the last item with the * next to it.

He did what he was told to do. He acted as the IMF told him to. He had to sack tens of thousands of people. He had to stop holding gas prices to affordable levels, he had to do so many things. So he did them and they then say look what he has done.. what an evil man

but he tried to fight in the begining, just like chuvarez is doing, except Mugabe didn't have the financial resources to get the job done like chuvarez has been able to.

They are no different except one has gone below 3rd world and the other is still keeping head above water.

you hold this guy up as a despot when it is the IMF and world banks who are really inflicting this misery and seeing as they are in the same cartel as the media you get told what a horrible guy this man is.

Really it goes like this:
IMF "aw he dont wanna play by our rules, he's a bad person" Lets tell everyone what an evil guy he is. that'll serve him.

Its a witch hunt and the criminals are the accusers. No matter what you say the problems Zimbabwe has are not their own making or in their own control. You cannot hold them responsible for it.

And again. The rules of that organization state zimbabwe is entitled to hold the office at this time. Its like the palestinians all over again. Setup them up for failure right fromthe begining and then keep them that way AND... blame them for their own troubles.

You can keep believeing it if you want but its a false belief based on purposefully limited media information. I believe it is a pointer to more widespread problems caused by the UN, IMF and world bank all of which are criminal organisations.

treb

 

[Irishslappop]

/shrug