Tag Archives: security
Countries Must ‘Review Biofuel Policies’, Says UN
By Sophie Yeo 21 October, 2013 RTCC The UN has encouraged countries to review their biofuel policies to ensure they do not conflict with food security issues. If biofuels, often seen as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, are to be used responsibly, then they must be developed in line with the “progressive realization of the right to adequate food for all”. These are the conclusions of the Committee on World Food Security, an intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder platform for food security and nutrition, following a week of intense discussions including over 130 government delegations, 100 civil society and 50 private sector organizations. “Governments and other appropriate stakeholders are encouraged to review biofuels policies – where applicable and if necessary – according to balanced science-based assessments of the opportunities and risks they may present for food security,” the Committee said. Green campaigners have focused on biofuels as a means of reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by fossil fuels, as they mainly consist of crops such as wheat, rapeseed, corn and sugar. But, if they are not developed responsibly, biofuels can become a source of CO2 emissions themselves, as carbon sinks such as forest and peatland are converted into land for food and crops. In September, the EU capped the use of crop-based biofuels used in ground transport at 6%, hoping to ease the competition on land and encourage the development of clean fuels from non-food sources. This week’s meeting also highlighted that the importance of smallholder agriculture must be integrated into national policies, strategies and research. Biofuel development, said the Committee, “should not compromise food security, and should especially consider women and smallholders.” It noted that biofuels development encompassed “both opportunities and risks in economic, social and environmental aspects,” depending on the context and practices. It added: “In some cases, current biofuel production creates competition between biofuel crops and food crops.” © RTCC – Responding to Climate Change 2013. Continue reading
Global Food Prices Expected To Remain Volatile In Coming Years, Warns UN Official
New York, Oct 8 (IBNS): Although global food prices have recently stabilized, they are expected to remain volatile over the next few years, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Monday, as a ministerial meeting on global food prices kicked off in Rome. FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told the meeting, which coincided with the opening of the Committee on World Food Security, that this year’s session was taking place in a less troubled climate than a year ago, when the ministers came together in response to the third spike in international grain prices in five years. “The outlook for international food commodity markets finally looks calmer this year,” he told the meeting, which was attended by some 30 agriculture ministers. “Grain production has rebounded and higher stock-to-use ratios should bring greater stability to prices.” And while the FAO Cereal Price Index is 20 per cent lower than it was one year ago, this is not the time for complacency, he stated. “International prices have declined but they are still above their historical levels. And prices are expected to remain volatile over the next years,” he warned. Graziano da Silva urged countries to take advantage of the relative calm to prepare for future market turbulence and find lasting solutions to the issues surrounding food price volatility. “If higher and volatile prices are here to stay, then we need to adapt to this new pattern.” The two critical issues for countries to address are how to help poor small-scale farmers benefit from the higher food prices, and how to protect low-income families who suffer as a result of them, he said. “The current situation offers an opportunity for farmers to reinvest in agriculture,” he continued, calling for a right set of policies to ensure that small-scale farmers have the means to take advantage of it. The Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which runs until Oct 11, opened Monday amid urgent calls to build more effective links between international policies and the daily needs of millions of the world’s most vulnerable people. “The latest estimates signal there are nearly 30 million less hungry people in the world in 2013, compared to last year,” Graziano da Silva said at the opening. “And we continue to progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal hunger target of reducing by half the proportion of the undernourished population between 1990 and 2015. “I see many challenges ahead of us, but also progress and successful experiences that we can build on,” he added. “We are convinced that working together is the only way forward.” “Poverty and hunger go hand-in-hand and poverty runs deepest in rural areas,” said Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). “Let us not forget that rural areas are a key element of any new development agenda and global food security. Let us not forget that investing in smallholder agriculture is the most cost effective way for developing countries to tackle poverty and hunger.” Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), said the world needs a strong and effective CFS. “Together, we shoulder an enormous responsibility, but our burdens weigh nothing in comparison to the suffering of the 840 million chronically undernourished people depending on us to get it right.” In a message delivered by his Special Representative for Food Security and Nutrition, David Nabarro, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the Committee “the point of reference” for all who seek to achieve the goal of eliminating hunger through collaboration with governments, social movements, farmers’ organizations, business and the research community. “Working with a spirit of trust and mutual accountability, multiple actors are collaborating to address some of the thorniest issues of food security: land tenure; climate change; food price volatility; biofuels; and responsible investment in agriculture,” he noted. The weeklong session will feature two round tables: on biofuels and food security, and investing in smallholder agriculture for food security and nutrition. Continue reading
UN resolution orders Syria chemical arms destroyed
UN resolution orders Syria chemical arms destroyed (AFP) / 28 September 2013 The UN Security Council unanimously passed a landmark resolution on Friday ordering the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons and condemning a murderous poison gas attack in Damascus. The major powers overcame a prolonged deadlock to approve the first council resolution on the conflict, which is now 30 months old with more than 100,000 dead. UN leader Ban Ki-moon, a critic of the council’s paralysis, called the resolution “the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time.” Ban also said he hopes to convene a peace conference in mid-November. Resolution 2118, the result of bruising negotiations between the United States and Russia, gives international binding force to a plan drawn up by the two to eliminate President Bashar Al Assad’s chemical arms. There are no immediate sanctions over a chemical weapons attack confirmed by the UN. But it allows for a new vote on possible measures if the Russia-US plan is breached. Divisions over the war remained clear, however, in comments by their foreign ministers after the vote. “Should the regime fail to act, there will be consequences,” US Secretary of State John Kerry warned the 15-member council after the vote sealing a US-Russian agreement. But Kerry hailed the resolution. “The Security Council has shown that when we put aside politics for the common good, we are still capable of doing big things,” he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that there were no automatic punitive measures and that the resolution applied equally to the Syrian opposition. He said the council would take “actions which are commensurate with the violations, which will have to proven 100 percent.” Russia, Assad’s main ally, has rejected any suggestion of sanctions or military force against Assad. It has already used its veto power as a permanent Security Council member to block three Western-drafted resolutions on Syria. The resolution “condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on August 21, 2013, in violation of international law.” The United States says the attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta left more than 1,400 dead. It blamed Assad’s government for the sarin gas assault and threatened a military strike over the attack. The government has denied responsibility. Should Syria not comply with the resolution, the Security Council members agreed to “impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.” The charter can authorize the use of sanctions or military force. But diplomats said Russia would fiercely oppose any force against its ally. All sides agreed that new action will require a new vote. Russia also rebuffed calls by European powers Britain and France for the Ghouta attack to be referred to the International Criminal Court. The resolution expressed “strong conviction” that those responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria “should be held accountable.” It formally endorsed a decision taken hours earlier in The Hague by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to accept the Russia-US disarmament plan. The plan called for Syria’s estimated 1,000 tonnes of chemical weapons to be put under international control by mid-2014. Experts say the timetable is very tight. International experts are expected to start work in Syria next week. Britain and China announced that they will offer finance to the disarmament operation. Ban said the resolution “will ensure that the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program happens as soon as possible and with the utmost transparency and accountability.” Ban also told the Security Council he wanted to hold a new Syria peace conference in November. “We are aiming for a conference in mid-November,” Ban said, adding that foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States had agreed to make sure the two sides in the conflict negotiate in “good faith.” A first peace conference was held in June 2012 but there has been no follow up because of divisions in the Syrian opposition and the international community. Ban will start contacts with his Syria peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi next week on setting the firm date and who will attend the new meeting, diplomats said. The Security Council resolution gave backing to the 2012 conference declaration, which stated that there should be a transitional government in Syria with full executive powers. It also determined that the new peace conference would be to decide how to implement the accord. A car bomb north of Damascus that killed at least 30 people earlier in the day and 11 more deaths in a government air raid highlighted the continued slaughter in Syria’s long-running civil war. “We must never forget that the catalog of horrors in Syria continues with bombs and tanks, grenades and guns,” said Ban. “A red light for one for one form of weapons does not mean a green light for others.” Highlights of UN resolution on Syria chemical weapons Key extracts from the UN Security Council resolution passed on Friday condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and calling for their destruction: Sanctions “Decides, in the event of non-compliance with this resolution, including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic, to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.” Accountability “Expresses its strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be held accountable.” Syrian chemical arms “Condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on August 21, 2013, in violation of international law. “Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or non-State actors. “Decides to review on a regular basis the implementation in the Syrian Arab Republic of the decision of the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons’ executive council of September 27, 2013 and this resolution, and requests the Director-General of the OPCW to report to the Security Council, through the Secretary-General, who shall include relevant information on United Nations activities related to the implementation of this resolution, within 30 days and every month thereafter.” Political transition “Endorses fully the Geneva Communique of June 30, 2012, which sets out a number of key steps beginning with the establishment of a transitional governing body exercising full executive powers, which could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent; “Calls for the convening, as soon as possible, of an international conference on Syria to implement the Geneva Communique, and calls upon all Syrian parties to engage seriously and constructively at the Geneva Conference on Syria, and underscores that they should be fully representative of the Syrian people and committed to the implementation of the Geneva Communique and to the achievement of stability and reconciliation.” International law “Deeply outraged by the use of chemical weapons on August 21, 2013 in Rif Damascus, as concluded in the (UN) mission’s report, condemning the killing of civilians that resulted from it, affirming that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law, and stressing that those responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held accountable. “Decides to review on a regular basis the implementation in the Syrian Arab Republic of the decision of the Organisation for the Prohibition Chemical Weapons executive council of September 27, 2013 and this resolution, and requests the director general of the OPCW to report to the Security Council, through the secretary general, who shall include relevant information on United Nations activities related to the implementation of this resolution, within 30 days and every month thereafter and requests further the director general of the OPCW and the secretary general to report in a coordinated manner, as needed, to the Security Council, non-compliance with this resolution or the OPCW executive council decision.” Continue reading
