Shehbaz: Imran Khan sold Toshakhana gifts in Dubai
As per the FO spokesperson, the premier will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, other members of the cabinet, and senior government officials…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled to take place from Monday to Friday.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that the focus of premier’s speech, scheduled for the concluding day of the five-day session, will be the challenges faced by Pakistan in wake of the recent climate-induced catastrophic floods in the country, The News reported.
“The Prime Minister will outline concrete proposals for collectively tackling the existential threat posed by climate change. He will also share Pakistan’s position and perspective on regional and global issues of concern including Jammu and Kashmir, which is one of the long-standing unresolved disputes on the UN agenda,” the statement said.
As per the FO spokesperson, the premier will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, other members of the cabinet, and senior government officials, reports The News.
On the sidelines of the UNGA session, the premier will also participate in the Global Food Security Summit, jointly organised by the African Union, European Union and the US, as well as a closed-door leaders gathering on COP-27, bringing together select world leaders to discuss climate change.
Pakistan has also set up a photo exhibition at the UN Secretariat lobby in New York displaying the destruction triggered by the deadly floods, triggered by climate change.
The exhibition will remain on display during the UNGA week.
The minister will head out to Washington DC on September 25 for the second and last leg of the tour for bilateral meetings, including with his counterpart Antony Blinken and other senior officials of the Joe Biden administration…writes YASHWANT RAJ
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar begins his 10-day tour of the United States on Sunday that will be marked by another attempt to infuse new life into the stalled UN Security Council reforms process and steady bilateral ties with the US rocked by differences over Ukraine and a massive upkeep package for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft.
Jaishankar will spend the first and longer part of the visit in New York, attending the annual high-level meetings of the UN General Assembly and meeting counterparts in bilaterals and multilaterals such as the BRICS (with Brazil, China and South Africa), G-4 (with Japan, German and Brazil), IBSA (with Brazil and South Africa) and SAARC (with all other south Asian countries).
The minister will head out to Washington DC on September 25 for the second and last leg of the tour for bilateral meetings, including with his counterpart Antony Blinken and other senior officials of the Joe Biden administration. He will also meet industry leaders and Indian Americans, some of whom have felt disappointed by New Delhi’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The highlights of Jaishankar’s UNGA meetings will be his address to a group of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Small Island called L69, which is focussed on the reform of the UN Security Council.
The meeting will be based on the theme “Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council”.
The UNSC reforms process has moved at a snail’s pace since formal discussions started as Intergovernmental Negotiations. The last expansion of the elite club took place in 1965 with the addition of four non-permanent seats, taking the total to 15 — five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.
India, which is now serving its eighth two-year term as a non-permanent member, wants a permanent berth in the expanded council, but it has watched the process drag with mounting irritation, which shows through the stronger language used by its leaders to demand progress.
The United States is planning to put its weight behind the process at UNGA.
“We will be having discussions with our P3 colleagues (with the other two permanent members France and the United Kingdom) as well as others on the way forward,” US Ambassador to UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, had told reporters last week, adding, “The President will present a bit more on this in his speech. Secretary Blinken will also be engaging this week on the commitments we’ve made and how we see the process moving forward.”
Jaishankar may also meet for the first time — or, as is most likely — not meet his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto at the conference of SAARC ministers. The annual ritual is marked by Pakistan’s efforts to stage a showdown with the Indian delegation and minister.
In Washington, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet his counterpart Blinken and others in the backdrop of the recent differences over Ukraine and the proposed US aid package of $450 million to Pakistan to furbish its F-16s.
The US had pressed India to condemn the Russian invasion and not increase its oil purchase from Russia so as to not allow Moscow any relief from the severe economic sanctions the West has imposed.
India had done neither, not until later, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly told Russian President Vladimir Putin during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, “Today’s era is not of war.”
The remarks, which were noted approvingly by the US media, may pre-empt some of the tough discussions — “frank” exchanges, as they are invariably noted in press communiques — that could have taken place otherwise.
The Ukraine war has added an unforeseen and unwelcome wrinkle to a relationship that’s seen remarkable progress in recent years. Strategic cooperation — considered central to the relationship — has seen a sharp upswing with quick and frequent meetings of the Quad.
A US package of $450 million for Pakistan’s F-16s was seen unkindly by New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed the government’s concern in a telephone call to his counterpart Lloyd Austin. The US took no note of it in its readout of the call.
Jaishankar is a veteran of India’s ties with the US as former Ambassador to this country, and may have authored large parts of it. The next 10 days may prove to be another masterclass in diplomacy from India’s top diplomat.
His address at the High Level Session of the 77th United Nations General Assembly is scheduled on September 24…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be visiting the United States of America from September 18-28 to lead the India delegation at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and hold bilateral talks with this American counterparts.
Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that during his visit to New York from 18 to 24 September, EAM Jaishankar will be leading the India delegation for the High Level Week at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The theme of 77th UNGA is “A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges”.
His address at the High Level Session of the 77th United Nations General Assembly is scheduled on September 24.
In keeping with India’s strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, EAM Jaishankar will be hosting a Ministerial meeting of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan, Germany), as well as participating at the High Level Meeting of the L.69 Group on “Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council”, the MEA added.
The L.69 Group consists of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, focused on reforms of the UN Security Council.
Hungarian diplomat elects Csaba as new President of UN Assembly
EAM Jaishankar would be addressing a special event “India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action” on 24 September to commemorate and showcase Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. This would highlight India’s development journey and its contributions to South-South Cooperation.
The event is expected to be addressed by the President of the 77th UNGA, along with Foreign Ministers of several member states, and the UNDP Administrator.
During the visit, EAM would also be participating in plurilateral meetings of the Quad, IBSA, BRICS, India – Presidency Pro Tempore CELAC, India-CARICOM and other trilateral formats, such as India-France-Australia, India-France-UAE and India-Indonesia-Australia. He will also have bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of the G20 and UNSC member states, amongst others, the MEA noted.
During the visit, EAM Jaishankar will also be meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres and the 77th PGA Csaba Korosi.
EAM Jaishankar will thereafter visit Washington DC from September 25-28 for bilateral meetings with US interlocutors.
According to the MEA, his program includes discussions with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken; senior members of the U.S. Administration, US business leaders, a round-table focused on S&T and interaction with the Indian Diaspora. “EAM’s visit would enable a high-level review of the multifaceted bilateral agenda and strengthen cooperation on regional and global issues to further consolidate the India-US strategic partnership,” the MEA added.
A “concrete text” on which to base the negotiations and set its agenda is essential for the discussions to go forward and not be trapped in an endless circular debate…writes Arul Louis
The new UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi has said that he will ask the leaders of the process for Security Council reform to start negotiations on “concrete text,” which would break one of the biggest logjams that has blocked the reforms.
Speaking to reporters after formally assuming the presidency on Monday, he gave an assurance, “I’ll do my best to forward this process.”
He said that he will appoint new co-facilitators for the reform negotiations and “ask them to be as impact-oriented as possible, to start negotiations on concrete proposals, concrete text”.
“It has been long overdue,” he added.
The reform process known formally as the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) has been virtually blocked over decades from proceeding by a determined minority that has stopped it from adopting a negotiating text.
A “concrete text” on which to base the negotiations and set its agenda is essential for the discussions to go forward and not be trapped in an endless circular debate.
A negotiating text would also bring an element of formality to a process that has been conducted with total informality with no official records of proceedings.
The group that is blocking the adoption of a negotiating text calls itself Uniting for Consensus and is led by Italy with Pakistan as one of the members.
Korosi said that he has followed the reform process for 20 years and “heard all the arguments, all the attempts” (at reform).
Laying out his commitment to reform to Council reform, he added, “The world has changed since 1945-1947. The world is very, very different. and the eight billion stakeholders in the United Nations are expecting this organisation to be able to be efficient on delivering (on its) core functions, including issues of peace and security.”
“That will need a larger, more representative and more responsive Security Council,” he said.
Permanent Representatives Martin Bille Hermann of Denmark and Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani of Qatar were the co-chairs or co-facilitators of the IGN appointed by Abdulla Shahid, who completed his term on Monday.
Acknowledging the slow process of the reforms, Shahid said last week that “baby steps” towards reforms were taken during his presidency, “but in the process that has taken over 14 years, one should (not) have too much of an expectation”.
He added that through a process of what he termed “unformal” discussions to creatively try to sidestep formalities, “we were able to have a number of ‘divergences’ moved to the paper on convergence”.
This resulted in the informal document called the ‘Elements Paper on Convergences and Divergences’ that could serve as the basis of negotiations seeing some movement in identifying differences on Council reforms. This could form the basis of a formal “concrete text” for negotiations.
India had backed Shahid’s election as the Assembly President and lent him the services of senior Indian diplomat Nagaraj Naidu to be his chief of staff…reports Arul Louis
UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid met India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra in New Delhi on Sunday.
Shahid tweeted that during the meetings he thanked India for its strong support for his “Presidency of Hope”, as he had billed the vision for his tenure.
Arriving in New Delhi on Sunday on a two-day visit, he also met UN staff and tweeted after the meeting: “The UN is committed to supporting India’s national priorities to bring transformational change with the goal of #SabkaSaatSabkaVikas” – a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “Together, for everyone’s development”.
Shahid tweeted that with Dhankar, “Our discussions touched on my five priorities during #UNGA76, particularly recovering from COVID19 & responding to the needs of the planet”.
The other points in his priorities for the current General Assembly session, the 76th, were rebuilding sustainably, respecting the rights of all, and revitalising the UN.
“Discussed the major challenges & achievements of #UNGA76” and “commended India for its strong commitment to multilateralism & efforts for world peace & security”, he tweeted about his meeting with Kwatra.
India had backed Shahid’s election as the Assembly President and lent him the services of senior Indian diplomat Nagaraj Naidu to be his chief of staff.
Shahid, who was the Foreign Minister of the Maldives, completes his term as Assembly President next month.
During his tenure, he took on an important role in international diplomacy as the Assembly pushed for enhancing it role as the Security Council failed to act on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Invoking the format of the Uniting for Peace resolution, a provision for the Assembly to take up issues when the Council is unable to act, the Assembly met under his presidency to take up the issue and demanded an end to the invasion.
The Council members are also required now to explain their vetoes before the Assembly.
According to diplomatic sources, the new UNGA draft resolution focuses on the humanitarian situation, calling for the protection of civilians and others…reports Asian Lite News
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) will vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution on Ukraine, the second such resolution since Russia began its invasion of Kiev on February 24, a spokesperson said.
The 11th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly will be held after a letter requesting the resumption was received by UNGA President Abdulla Shahid, Xinhua news agency quoted his spokesperson Paulina Kubiak as saying to reporters.
“A draft resolution sponsored by Ukraine and other member states has been submitted and is being processed,” she said.
According to diplomatic sources, the new UNGA draft resolution focuses on the humanitarian situation, calling for the protection of civilians, medical personnel, aid workers, journalists, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the UNGA had voted overwhelmingly to censure Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The 141 votes cast on March 2 were 41 more than the 100 votes that a similar resolution on Russia’s takeover of Crimea in 2014.
Pakistan says it wants to maintain close ties with both China and the United States and apparently that’s why it does not want to get involved in the Ukrainian dispute…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan allowed its turn to pass as the UN General Assembly on Tuesday continued to debate a resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, Dawn reported.
Pakistan, which is trying not to take sides on this issue, stayed away from both sessions. As a UN member, Pakistan can participate in the UNGA debate, which entered its second day on Tuesday, but so far it has avoided doing so.
Indications are that Pakistan wants to avoid getting involved in the dispute which places it in an uncomfortable position. Pakistan is a traditional US ally, which once provided Washington a corridor to reach out to China, the report said.
China is Pakistan’s closest ally which supports Islamabad on key issues on various international fora, such as the United Nations and the FATF.
Diplomatic observers in Washington claim that China also played a key role in arranging Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Russia last week. The observers argue that Pakistan is gradually orbiting out of the American influence and getting closer to both China and Russia, a claim Islamabad rejects as incorrect.
Pakistan says it wants to maintain close ties with both China and the United States and apparently that’s why it does not want to get involved in the Ukrainian dispute, Dawn reported.
Iran, Guinea, Vanuatu resume voting rights in UNGA
Iran, Guinea and Vanuatu have resumed their voting rights in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) after their arrears have been paid to the world body…reports Asian Lite News
“Guinea, Iran and Vanuatu have made the payments necessary to reduce their arrears below the amounts specified in Article 19 of the Charter. This means that they can resume voting in the General Assembly,” Paulina Kubiak, spokesperson for Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the UNGA, said at the daily press briefing.
In his letter to the General Assembly on January 11, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a total of 11 countries were behind in their payments.
Under Article 19 of the Charter of the UN, a member state in arrears in the payment of its dues in an amount that equals or exceeds the contributions due for two preceding years can lose its vote in the General Assembly.
An exception is allowed if the member state can show that “conditions beyond its control” contributed to this inability to pay. The UN chief said in his letter that this would be the case for the Comoro Islands, Sao Tome and Principe, and Somalia in 2022.
Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Congo, Guinea, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu were the eight countries that no longer had the right to vote, according to UN chief’s lette.
The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to reject and condemn any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event…reports Asian Lite News
The draft resolution, submitted by Israel and Germany, won the approval of the General Assembly without a vote, reports Xinhua news agency.
The resolution “rejects and condemns without any reservation any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part”, and urges all UN member states to do so as well.
The resolution commends those member states that have actively engaged in preserving those sites that served as Nazi death camps, concentration camps, forced labour camps, killing sites and prisons during the Holocaust, as well as similar places operated by Nazi-allied regimes, their accomplices or auxiliaries.
It urges member states to develop educational programs that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help prevent future acts of genocide.
It also urges member states and social media companies to take active measures to combat anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial or distortion by means of information and communications technologies and to facilitate reporting of such content.
The resolution requests the UN Outreach Programme on the Holocaust as well as all relevant UN specialized agencies to continue to develop and implement programs aimed at countering Holocaust denial and distortion, and to advance measures to mobilise civil society, and invites all relevant stakeholders to educate their societies truthfully about the facts of the Holocaust and the importance of its lessons as a countermeasure against Holocaust denial and distortion, in order to prevent future acts of genocide.
UNGA President: vaccinating world New Year's top priority
President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), has said that his first goal for the New Year is to vaccinate the world…reports Asian Lite News
Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), has said that his first goal for the New Year is to vaccinate the world and achieve vaccine equity so that normalcy can return to the entire world at an earlier date…r
UNGA President: vaccinating world New Year’s top priority
“My top priority is going to be on vaccine. That is why I am convening this high-level meeting on January 13. That is why I want to make my New Year resolution on vaccine,” the UNGA President, or the PGA, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York while responding to the question regarding his top priorities for the year ahead.
Shahid will host the high-level event ‘Towards Universal Vaccination: From Hope to Action’ in January 2022 when he hopes to bring all 193 UN member states together and adopt a resolution on the Covid-19 vaccine, Xinhua news agency reported.
“In my life, last several decades, I’ve had many New Year resolutions, but this time I’m choosing a more modest one — to vaccinate the world. I want everyone to join me,” he stressed.
The PGA expressed the confidence that “the international community has the capacity to do this. And it is so clear now that unless we can vaccinate the world, there is no way out of this.”
On UN’s target to vaccinate 40 per cent of the entire population by the end of 2021 and 70 per cent by the middle of 2022, the PGA said that the goal has not been achieved yet.
“When you look at countries in Africa where they have an average vaccination rate of maximum 5 or 6 per cent. Then we are unable to say with confidence that we are anywhere near to equity. So, for us, for the 193 member states at the UN, we should have this goal — one goal — to vaccinate the world,” he added.
“Unless we can vaccinate the world, economy recover is not coming, social and educational normalcy returning to normalcy is not going to happen. Any degree of certainty to the way of life that we have had in the past is not going to happen,” the PGA said.
Shahid warned that under the situation that new variants emerge one after another, “the new normal will be pushed again further and further into the unknown territories. This, we cannot afford, and that is why we need to get together for the effort, a united effort.”
