Banned West Papua independence petition handed to UN

the guardian

Exclusive: Document outlawed by Indonesia was ‘smuggled from one end of Papua to the other’ and signed by 70% of the population.

 27 September 2017 

A petition banned by the Indonesian government, but bearing the signatures of 1.8 million West Papuans – more than 70% of the contested province’s population – has been presented to the United Nations, with a demand for a free vote on independence.

Exiled West Papuan independence campaigner Benny Wenda presented the bound petition to the UN’s decolonisation committee, the body that monitors the progress of former colonies – known as non-self-governing territories – towards independence.

The petition was banned in the provinces of Papua and West Papua by the Indonesian government, and blocked online across the country, so petition sheets had to be “smuggled from one end of Papua to the other”, Wenda told the Guardian from New York.

Independence campaigners have been jailed and allegedly tortured in Papua for opposing the rule of Indonesia, which has controlled Papua (now Papua and West Papua) since 1963. Those signing the petition risked arrest and jail.

“The people have risked their lives, some have been beaten up, some are in prison. In 50 years, we have never done this before, and we had to organise this in secret,” Wenda said.

“People were willing to carry it between villages, to smuggle it from one end of Papua to the other, because this petition is very significant for us in our struggle for freedom.”

The petition asks the UN to appoint a special representative to investigate human rights abuses and “put West Papua back on the decolonisation committee agenda and ensure their right to self‐determination … is respected by holding an internationally supervised vote”.

West Papua was formerly on the decolonisation committee’s agenda – which monitors progress towards decolonisation and independent rule – but was removed in 1963.

Wenda said it felt to him that West Papua’s referendum “had already happened” and that the petition was a manifestation of the people’s desire for independence.

“The people have already chosen, people have signed the petition with their blood and their thumbprint. We are optimistic, confident, that in a few years, we will have progress. This is not just an activist issue: this has gone up to government level, to diplomatic level, up to the United Nations.”

Independence activist Yanto Awerkion was jailed in June for leading a rally in support of the petition. He remains in custody and potentially faces charges of treason.

In an interview from prison, he said: “From behind the iron bars I order and appeal to the international community and to the United Nations, please hear the voice of the West Papuan people.”

‘A publicity stunt’

However, Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir, accompanying the country’s contingent to the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, dismissed the West Papuan petition as baseless theatrics.

“That is purely a publicity stunt with no credibility,” he told the Guardian via a text message, “Papua is an integral part of Indonesia as provided for in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2504 (XXIV) 1969.”

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has worked hard to demonstrate the central government’s commitment to developing the easternmost province, prioritising infrastructure and connectivity development, and visiting more than six times since his election in 2014.

The UK’s all-party parliamentary group on West Papua fully supported the petition and its push for UN action, co-chair Alex Sobel said. “This inspiring act of mass democratic expression should definitively lay to rest rhetoric from the Indonesian government that West Papuans are content being part of Indonesia,” he said.

“The people of West Papua have endured over 50 years of widespread human rights violations that have been described by many as a systematic genocide. It has become clear that in an ever worsening situation, the people of West Papua are not safe under Indonesian occupation.”

At the UN over the last week, support for Papuan independence has come from fellow Melanesian leaders of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. But the deputy prime minister of Caribbean nation St Vincent and the Grenadines, Louis Straker, also lent his support to the “legitimate aspiration … for freedom” of the West Papuan people.

Indonesian-controlled Papua and West Papua form the western half of the island of New Guinea. Political control of the region has been contested for more than half a century and Indonesia has consistently been accused of gross human rights violations and violent suppression of the region’s independence movement.

The people indigenous to the province are Melanesian, ethnically distinct from the rest of Indonesia and more closely linked to the people of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia.

Formerly the Netherlands New Guinea, Papua was retained by the Dutch after Indonesian independence in 1945 but the province was annexed by Jakarta in 1963.

Indonesia formalised its control over West Papua in 1969 when its military hand-picked 1,026 of West Papua’s population and compelled them into voting in favour of Indonesian annexation under a UN-supervised process known as the Act of Free Choice.

A 2004 report by the International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School said: “Indonesian military leaders began making public threats against Papuan leaders … vowing to shoot them on the spot if they did not vote for Indonesian control.”

Known as Irian Jaya until 2000, it been split into two provinces, Papua and West Papua, since 2003. They have semi-autonomous status.

Many Papuans regard the Indonesian takeover as an illegal annexation and the OPM (Free Papua Movement) has led a low-level insurgency for decades. That insurgency has long been the excuse for significant military involvement in Papua.

With the heightened police and military presence, there have been reports of security force abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, excessive use of force and mistreatment of peaceful protesters. At least 37 Papuans remain behind bars for peaceful acts of free expression or expressing solidarity with the independence movement.

There is little independent scrutiny of the situation in West Papua, as human rights organisations and journalists are restricted from visiting.

Dr Jason MacLeod, from Sydney University’s centre for peace and conflict studies, said the petition directly challenged Indonesia’s legitimacy in West Papua.

“The people of West Papua have never had a chance to freely or fairly decide their political status. This is the first time they’ve really been able to canvas people’s political views from across the territory: a huge number of people have participated in it and overwhelmingly indicated their support for the referendum.”

Should the UN Send Aid to Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands?

Should the UN Send Aid to Puerto Rico 

(and the US Virgin Islands)? 

Puerto Rico (and the U.S. Virgin Islands) is/are in the midst of a calamitous humanitarian disaster.

Today, 3.5 million people in Puerto Rico are without power. (100,000 people in the U.S. Virgin Islands of Saint Croix, Saint Thomas and Saint John are in a similar condition). 

Water supplies are running low. Fuel shortages are rampant. Communication lines are unreliable. Much of the agriculture and infrastructure is destroyed. People are stranded and vulnerable.

Under these circumstances, the United Nations would typically activate it’s emergency response systems. This includes sending in telecoms specialists to restore communications, set up shelter, and distribute food and other relief supplies.

But since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, the United States must first request the help. And so far, Washington has not asked for it. So, for now, the UN is not participating in the relief efforts in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.

[This is a long-held mis-perception. According to the U.S. Constitution, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not part of the U.S, but rather "owned by" the U.S. The U.S. Virgin Islands, in particular, is formally recognised by the U.N. as a 'non-self-governing territory,' one of 17 such dependencies scheduled to be reviewed by the U.N. Fourth Committee on 4th October 2017. The U.S. 'citizenship' of  the people of these territories is a conditional citizenship, and is devoid of political rights in the U.S. political system. There is no vote for the U.S. president, non-voting status in the U.S. House of Representatives, and no representation in the U.S. Senate.]

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, however, the UN humanitarian response operations are fully underway. In all, 19 countries or territories have been affected by these storms. Several of these countries are lower income and do not have the capacity to respond on their own, hence the international relief effort.  After Hurricane Irma hit, the UN set up a logistics base in Barbuda from which relief items, including food aid, have been distributed across the Caribbean.

UN teams are also on the ground in some of the hardest hit countries, like Dominica where 80% of the population has been displaced.

So while it is unlikely (?) that the UN would mount a response to the catastrophe in Puerto Rico (and the US Virgin Islands), it is the case that the international humanitarian response is very much underway elsewhere in the region.

[Both territories belong to various U.N. bodies. Puerto Rico belongs to PAHO whilst both dependencies are longstanding associate members of the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and have access to a range of U.N. programmes, in principle. 

U.N. General Assembly resolutions for over a decade have supported the participation of the US Virgin Islands in the programmes of the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP)].

____________________________________________________________________

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 71/104 

Implementation of the Decolonization Declaration by the 

specialized agencies and the international institutions associated 

with the United Nations

(excerpts)

The United Nations General Assembly,

Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system concerned to provide information on:

(a) Environmental problems facing the Non-Self-Governing Territories;

(b) The impact of natural disasters, such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions, and other environmental problems, such as beach and coastal erosion and droughts, on those Territories; 

...........................................................

Recommends that all Governments intensify their efforts through the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system of which they are members to accord priority to the question of providing assistance to the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories; 

Urges those specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system that have not yet provided assistance to Non-Self-Governing Territories to do so as soon as possible; 

Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations and institutions of the United Nations system and regional organizations to strengthen existing measures of support and formulate appropriate programmes of assistance to the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, within the framework of their respective mandates, in order to accelerate progress in the economic and social sectors of those Territories; 

Donald Trump criticised for silence over Puerto Rico disaster

INDEPENDENT

Hillary Clinton calls on President to deploy navy after Hurricane Maria wreaks havoc.

Donald Trump has been criticised for his silence after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, whose 3.4 million inhabitants are US citizens.

At least 13 people are dead and the entire country remains without power after the worst storm for decades hit the island nation on Wednesday.

Many of the country’s hospitals are dependent on diesel generators, and patients have been flown to the US for treatment.

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated US territory, meaning its inhabitants have qualified US citizenship, and it is entitled to federal emergency funds.Officials in the country fear there may be more devastation to come, if the large dam along the Guajatacata River fails. Up to 70,000 people who live within the river's flood plain have been told to leave their homes.  

President Trump's Twitter feed was characteristically active over the weekend – but he didn't find time to post anything about the island's plight.

A number of users expressed anger Mr Trump seemed more concerned about a series of protests by NFL players over racial injustice in the country.

Melanesian leaders condemn UN for turning 'a deaf ear' to West Papua atrocities

the guardian

Ben Doherty

Solomon Islands and Vanuatu leaders want investigation into alleged abuses and support for independence campaign

Vanuatu’s prime minister, Charlot Salwai, says the people of West Papua 

must be allowed the right to self-determination. (Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Melanesian leaders have accused the United Nations of having “turned a deaf ear” to human rights atrocities in the Indonesian province of Papua and urged the world to support the region’s campaign for independence.

At the UN General Assembly in New York, the prime ministers of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu called on the UN’s Human Rights Council to formally investigate long-standing allegations of human rights abuses in the provinces.

Vanuatu’s prime minister, Charlot Salwai, said the people of West Papua must be allowed the right to self-determination, to free themselves of the “yoke of colonialism”.

“For half a century now the international community has been witnessing a gamut of torture, murder, exploitation, sexual violence and arbitrary detention inflicted on the nationals of West Papua, perpetrated by Indonesia, but the international community has turned a deaf ear to the appeals for help. We urge the Human Rights Council to investigate these cases.

“We also call on our counterparts throughout the world to support the legal right of West Papua to self-determination and to jointly with Indonesia put an end to all kinds of violence and find common ground with the nationals to facilitate putting together a process which will enable them to freely express their choice.”

The Solomons leader, Manasseh Sogavare, said the UN’s sustainable development goal motto of “no one left behind” would be “synonymous to empty promises unless we in the United Nations take active steps to address the plight of the people of West Papua”.

“Failing this, we as a family of nations will become complicit in perpetuating the sufferings and becoming blind to the injustices, missing yet another golden opportunity to remain true to the saying of ‘leaving no one behind’.”

Indonesian-controlled Papua and West Papua form the western half of the island of New Guinea. Political control of the region has been contested for more than half a century and Indonesia has consistently been accused of gross human rights violations and violent suppression of the region’s independence movement.

The people indigenous to the province are Melanesian, ethnically distinct from the rest of Indonesia and more closely linked to the people of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia.

Formerly the Netherlands New Guinea, Papua was retained by the Dutch after Indonesian independence in 1945 but the province was annexed by Jakarta in 1963 and Indonesia control was formalised by a 1969 referendum widely condemned as having been fixed by the Suharto government.

Known as Irian Jaya until 2000, the province has also been split into two provinces, Papua and West Papua, since 2003.

Many Papuans consider the Indonesian takeover to have been an illegal annexation and the OPM (Free Papua Movement) has led a low-level insurgency for decades.


Indonesia accused of arresting more than 1,000 in West Papua


That insurgency has long been the excuse for significant military involvement in Papua.

With the heightened police and military presence, there have been reports of security force abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, excessive use of force and mistreatment of peaceful protesters.

At least 37 Papuans remain behind bars for peaceful acts of free expression or expressing solidarity with the independence movement.

There is little independent scrutiny of the situation in West Papua, human rights organisations and journalists are restricted from visiting.

On taking office in 2014, the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, pledged to boost economic development of Papua and he –ostensibly – eased restrictions on external scrutiny of the region, though travel strictures have not substantially changed. He visited the province in May.

Last month Jokowi met with Papuan civil society, church and customary leaders to discuss establishing a formal mechanism for debating Papua’s long-standing issues. However, Jakarta opposes independence and regards retention of Papua as a fundamental to its “territorial integrity”.

BERMUDA BEGINS DIALOGUE ON EVOLUTION TO INDEPENDENCE

Independence demands unity

Khalid Wasi

Jason Hayward called for independence (Photograph by Akil Simmons)

The recent call for independence by Senator Jason Hayward at the Labour Day rally should not be a cause for alarm or surprise — and it was to be expected. There has always been a sector of labour that has wanted independence. They are not alone because there is also a large sector of the independence pragmatist that crosses the racial divide who, under the proper environment, constitutional construct and circumstance would also support independence.

It is not a clean separation between those who favour and those who do not, but whenever there is a “unilateral” approach towards the subject, the overwhelming sentiments are typically against.

Paradoxically, Bermuda has a history of stepping out well ahead of its contemporaries whenever it comes down to its self-interest. However, the surge of independence of the former colonies in the early 1960s in Africa and the Caribbean were conflated with the issue of race and subjugation. Much of the thrust for independence in Bermuda was spurred by, if not related to, events in the Caribbean.

The topic of independence need not be a subject of racial liberation and could be discussed purely on its jurisdictional merit. The pragmatist of Bermuda, for the most part, if tabulated, may indeed cause the support base for independence to be a majority.

However, their idea of independence is not a simple “flag independence” but is based on certain key principles relating to the individual rights of the citizens, and separation of judiciary from legislature, not just in words but through a guaranteed structure.

The issue of internal and external security within the context of Nato and maintaining a sober relationship with the United States and Canada, with continued connectivity with Britain and Europe — all of which is necessary for future peace and prosperity — are the concerns of the pragmatist.

Canada, for example, was an example of a pragmatic move towards its independence. It was a mature step that involved repatriation of its constitution. It was not the equivalent of the American war of independence, rather it was a step of maturity because the population and its legislature had developed the means of a self-sustaining democracy where there are checks and balances.

READ THE FULL STORY IN THE ROYAL GAZETTE

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONDUCTS CONFERENCE ON WESTERN SAHARA

UN Human Rights Council 36th session calls for protection of Western Sahara natural resources 

and holding of self-determination referendum

Geneva, Switzerland Sept 13, 2017 (SPS) - Several ambassadors and experts in law and international affairs held a conference entitled 'The Western Sahara issue, the last colony in the African continent, at the 36th Session of the United Nations Council.. "

The speakers emphasized the need to implement the recent UN General Assembly resolutions on the right to self-determination and the right of the Saharawi people to exercise their sovereignty over their natural resources. They clarified the situation of the territory from the point of view of international law, which considers that the Moroccan presence in the territory is a military occupation, which means according to international law, the illegality of the commercialization of its resources, without the previous consent of the only representative of the Saharawi people, the Frente POLISARIO.

The ambassadors and experts present at the conference urged continued support for the Saharawi people in their just struggle for the recovery of all their rights, and in particular freedom and independence.

Throughout the sessions, a Saharawi delegation, composed of civil society actors, will participate in both from the refugee camps and the Occupied Territories, as well as the permanent delegation of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations in Switzerland.

It should be recalled that the Human Rights Council of the United Nations inaugurated its 36th session yesterday in the capital of Switzerland, Geneva.

DUTCH, FRENCH, BRITISH TURN TO U.N. FOR POST HURRICANE SUPPORT FOR THEIR CARIBBEAN DEPENDENCIES

Koenders requests UN support for reconstruction of 

Sint Maarten

The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands met on Monday with representatives from the Caribbean islands affected by hurricane Irma, as well as the UN institutions, to discuss the devastation the storm has caused. The parties decided to work together to do everything possible to provide the people on the islands with emergency aid and assist with reconstruction. Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders said on behalf of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom that he hoped the UN would respond quickly and flexibly to the needs of the population. ‘This is no time for red tape,’ he said.

The international meeting about the impact of hurricane Irma was held at UN headquarters in New York. Mr Koenders gave an overview of what is needed on St Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius. He also expressed his thanks for the assistance provided so far and asked that it be continued.

‘Hurricane Irma has caused widespread destruction,’ the minister said. ‘Many people have lost their homes and there is major damage to the infrastructure. It will be a huge job to restore everything. So I call on the UN to be generous with contributions from its funds and to make expertise available for the reconstruction of St Maarten.’

Many UN organisations are already at work in the affected areas, establishing needs, helping assess the risk of infectious diseases, distributing high-energy biscuits and providing technical assistance. The UN’s development programme has also made $2 million available for the Caribbean islands hit by Irma, while the UN’s emergency relief coordinator is providing $10 million.

Mr Koenders believes the UN should appoint a special envoy for climate and security, who should focus on how climate change affects security. ‘We may well face hurricanes of this strength again,’ he said. ‘Small island states in the Caribbean are extremely vulnerable, and as we’ve seen, can be completely destroyed in a matter of hours. The UN plays a crucial role in developing plans in order to anticipate these risks and respond appropriately. The Kingdom of the Netherlands calls for a UN special envoy who can focus on this.’

Dutch foreign minister asks for UN help in Sint Maarten relief effort

VIRGIN ISLANDS STRONG !! WE WILL RISE STRONGER !!

PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION WORKS TO RESTORE HEALTH SERVICES IN CARIBBEAN FOLLOWING IMPACT OF HURRICANE IRMA

PAHO supports restoration of health services in countries affected by Hurricane Irma

Washington, DC, September 14, 2017 (PAHO / WHO) - Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) experts are supporting efforts to restore health services in the islands most affected by Hurricane Irma, with the deployment of health infrastructure experts, sanitary engineers, epidemiologists, and others, in collaboration with the affected countries.

Health authorities on the affected islands have identified their needs for drug supplies, and PAHO is sending in the necessary supplies, as well as supporting the mobilization of health personnel to support national teams that have been working non-stop since the passage of the hurricane.

The islands of Barbuda, St. Maarten and St. Bartholomew, Sint Maarten, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bahamas and Turks and Caicos reported serious damage to infrastructure, hospitals, and health centers, along with the loss of electricity and limited access to clean water. Hurricane Irma also hit the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Saba, Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts and Nevis, causing less serious damage.

READ THE FULL REPORT AT THE PAHO WEBSITE .

____________________________________________________

OTR Editorial

"The PAHO contribution to the recovery of the health facilities in the affected countries and territories from Hurricane Irma is especially welcomed. OTR congratulates PAHO for its enlightened position - unlike some international organizations - to include most of the non autonomous territories along with the independent states in its coverage. 

Thus, OTR lauds PAHO's announcement of assistance to the British, French, and Dutch dependencies, as well as to Puerto Rico (which has a formal status with PAHO).  The singular omission of reference to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the periodic PAHO Situation Reports , however, should be corrected given the extensive damage affecting its three main islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. 

Perhaps there is a misunderstanding as to the political status of the U.S. Virgin Islands as related to its qualifications to receive external assistance. Such eligibility has been long clarified in decades of United Nations resolutions endorsing assistance to that territory from the international system of organizations such as PAHO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and others. 

Hopefully these agencies will take this into account in the aftermath of not one, but two, category 5 hurricanes which have devastated these islands in their recovery and reconstruction phases.
  

KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY NEEDED FOR GUAM - UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

Time to be the dog, not the tail

by

Robert Underwood

for the 

Pacific Daily News

Robert Underwood is president of the University of Guam and Guam’s former delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives

Guam’s economic future is dependent upon many factors, most of them external. For decades, we believed we were the tail end of trends from other places. Our economic life was decided elsewhere. We were the tail and the dog was either in travel bureaus in Japan or Pentagon planners near Washington, D.C. All we could do was try to reactively plan.

The most obvious disjuncture in this economy is that these two drivers are in conflict. Located in Guam is a huge military platform from which power and influence can be projected into Asia without having to consult anybody in Guam. We are the tip of the spear, but we are not guiding the spear and to date we have little influence over the spear holder. In fact, we usually ask for spear enhancements to grow our economy.

Is being the tip of the spear a tourist attraction? As a result of the North Korean threat, visitor numbers declined. Of course, tourism hasn’t increased tenfold, as suggested by President Trump.

There are other effects of being a target. Businesses on island have lost out in recruiting professionals who have decided that living at the tip of the spear is not attractive. The University of Guam’s English Adventure Program, which attracted 6,000 young people annually from Korea and Japan last year, has experienced a dip.

When you watch news accounts in Asia and you see military hardware is coming your way from Guam, you may feel comforted or you may be angered. I have experienced both as I have watched these reports with fellow educators in China and Korea. What you don’t experience is a desire to spend your family vacation on Guam.

America’s military strategic posture is to reinforce stability and the status quo. When there is instability, the military posture increases. It only ramps up in places like Guam, where we do not have a voice in negotiating a presence.

When a region is experiencing instability, travel suffers. We are left to make strategic coherence out of countervailing trends. While we procure sirens to warn ourselves, we send delegations to Asia to tell others there is nothing to worry about. The tail is wagging furiously and frankly getting tired.

We have to plan for an economic future that is more sustainable. We must plan for a knowledge-based economy that brings together research capabilities, capital and entrepreneurship to explore the creation of companies in information technology, biotechnology, agriculture and health care. This is the model that has been followed when government, businesses and higher education work together to create economic activity based on advanced knowledge. This is what made Silicon Valley and the Research Triangle in North Carolina possible.

We have that potential on a small, but beginning scale. We need to stop looking at higher education in Guam as simply providing a workforce for existing businesses. We have to start looking at research and private-sector connections via intellectual property protections and the power of Guam’s young minds. Instead of pushing more tax credits toward older forms of economic activities, let’s explore a knowledge based economy.

In this way, we can be our own dog. Not quite a big dog, but I am tired of being the tail. 

CATALONIA REFERENDUM CALLED FOR 1st OCTOBER 2017

GOVERNMENT OF CATALONIA

The President and the Ministers of the Catalan Government sign the decree calling for the self-determination referendum on October 1

• The bill was approved with a majority of votes in the Catalan Parliament

The President of the Catalan Government, Carles Puigdemont, together with the ministers of the Executive Council signed on Wednesday the decree calling for the referendum on October 1. The Law on the Self-determination Referendum was approved by a majority in the Catalan parliament and came into force following its publication in the Official Gazette.

In a statement from the legislative chamber, President Puigdemont  said that “no one” has the power to seize the Catalans' right to decide. “We have the chance to decide on becoming a state. This decision does not belong to any administration or court” other than the people themselves, the President affirmed. “The world that progresses is the one which takes its own decisions, and Catalonia is part of this world. Therefore, it will democratically decide on October 1” through “ballot boxes, by listening to the people and accepting the verdict. That’s what democracy is”, he added.

San Andrés en el Caribe oeste víctima de cambio climático

El Isleño

San Andrés, región más afectada por el cambio climático

J

San Andrés sería el departamento más afectado por cuenta del calentamiento global, según lo dio a conocer la Tercera Comunicación Nacional sobre Cambio Climático en Colombia. Vaupés, Amazonas, Guainía y Atlántico, son en su orden, son otros puntos geográficos con potencial amenaza.

Señala también el informe, que los 20 departamentos con mayor riesgo en el país representan el 69 % del PIB nacional y albergan al 57 % de la población.  Además, que Colombia estaría en riesgo de perder 23.000 hectáreas de línea costera en el Caribe y 26.000 en el Pacífico.

La Tercera Comunicación, fue construida colectivamente por el Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible; el Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP) y la Cancillería de Colombia, programa liderado por el Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (Ideam); con el apoyo permanente del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) y del Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial (FMAM).

Leer el artículo completo en El Isleño.

UK territories devastated by Irma ‘too wealthy’ for foreign aid

RT

British territories devastated by Hurricane Irma cannot tap into the £13 billion foreign aid budget because they are “too wealthy” under official international criteria.

Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) criteria enshrined in UK law means that the British Treasury will have to foot the aid bill to Anguilla, Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands, rather than the Department for International Aid.

Total UK aid has reached £57 million so far. Officials claim many millions more will be needed to help with reconstruction.

The Department for International Aid denied that its response to the crisis had been affected by any budgetary considerations. In a statement to the BBC, it said: “This is an unprecedented disaster. It is absolutely right that the UK responds immediately to the people affected.

“This has been our primary focus and continues to be our priority. We are looking at how current overseas aid rules apply to disasters such as this one.”

There are very strict international rules around what officially counts as foreign aid, making it clear that only the poorest countries can receive what is known as official development assistance or ODA.

The OECD has confirmed that Anguilla, Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands do not qualify for this official aid as their national incomes are too high.

A minister told the BBC that this has made it harder for the government to raise funds needed, and claimed five times as much money would have been available if the official pot of aid could have been used.

“These millions [announced by the government] are non-ODA, therefore they come from rather scanty resources. This great pot of ODA, necessary for development, needs to be spent on crises like this and we have to find a way of doing it,” the source said.

CARIBBEAN OFFICES OF U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME MOVE INTO ACTION IN WAKE OF HURRICANE IRMA

The U.S. Virgin Islands is among the few Caribbean overseas terrritories not serviced by UNDP despite repeated U.N. General Assembly resolutions calling for the U.N. body to include the territory in UNDP programmes, most recently by way of U.N. Resolution 71/118 of 6 December 2016:

"(The U.N. General Assembly) reiterates its call for the inclusion of the Territory (of the U.S. Virgin Islands) in regional programmes of the United Nations Development Programme, consistent with the participation of other Non-Self-Governing Territories."  

  

UNDP Caribbean offices join forces 

to kick off hurricane recovery activities

KINGSTON, Jamaica — United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country offices in the Caribbean region have joined forces and allocated resources to immediately implement a regional recovery strategy for island nations impacted by Hurricane Irma.

This regional recovery strategy, including debris and waste removal, short term employment and rehabilitation of community infrastructure, will be developed and implemented in support to national authorities and other partners, and under the leadership of the resident representatives stationed in Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Barbados.

Bruno Pouezat, UNDP resident representative assigned to Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, said the strategy’s main objective is the swift recovery of affected communities by debris/waste removal and reactivation of local economies through livelihoods opportunities.

UNDP has established a menu of recovery activities which includes, subject to specific need:
Debris management of damaged houses and community infrastructure (removal, reuse and recycling).
Waste management of palm trees or other waste left by the strong winds.

Cash for work (CfW): short term employment opportunities for families affected. This will inject cash in the communities, tools, equipment, training and technical capacity of professionals such as engineers and architects).

Rehabilitation of community infrastructure including provision of required materials and basic services.

Support to micro and small enterprises to resume their economic activities.
Support to core government functions and coordination, depending on the needs and the official requests.

Recovery activities will immediately kick off in most affected areas with initiatives showing quick tangible results that can be easily replicated in other areas as needed.

UNDP is establishing a technical team that will provide direct support to country offices and affected countries. Implementation could start in the next two weeks depending on government engagement, community interest and logistics.

One of the three pillars of UNDP’s work is climate and disaster resilience including crisis and disaster response. UNDP works with government on the ground in more than 170 countries.

CARIBBEAN GOVERNMENTS, INSTITUTIONS MEET TO ADDRESS CRITICAL NEEDS IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IRMA

A number of the overseas territories which are associate members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would be assisted by the relevant regional organisations.

CARICOM heads of government meet on hurricane situation

GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met in special emergency session on Saturday to receive an update on the effects of the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Jose on the region and progress on the co-ordinated response to provide relief for those affected.

The meeting, presided over by CARICOM chairman, Dr Keith Mitchell, prime minister of Grenada, received a full briefing on the situation from representatives of the affected countries, the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA), the Community’s lead agency for disaster response, CARICOM secretary-general, Irwin LaRocque, and regional institutions.

Premier of the British Virgin Islands Dr Orlando Smith, the prime minister of The Bahamas Dr Hubert Minnis, the foreign minister of Haiti, Antonio Rodrigues and a representative of the Turks and Caicos government provided the latest information on their countries. Prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerritt provided information on the situation on the island of St Maarten where a significant number of CARICOM nationals are currently located and prime minister of Saint Lucia, Allen Chastanet alerted the meeting to the situation in St Kitts and Nevis.

The executive director of CDEMA, Ronald Jackson, addressed the situation in Antigua and Barbuda and Anguilla as well as giving an update on the Community’s co-ordinated response to all the countries affected. Immediate needs were identified for those worst affected, particularly, Barbuda, BVI and Anguilla. These included water, food items, materials to aid in providing temporary shelter such as plywood and tarpaulins and especially cash to purchase items to help with the cost of immediate recovery efforts in the affected countries. An evacuation of Barbuda was well advanced due to the potential impact of Hurricane Jose.

Earlier this week, CDEMA activated the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) which co-ordinates relief action and includes regional institutions, international agencies, and representatives from the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. CDEMA’s advance team has been waiting in Antigua to go in to the affected countries in that area as soon as conditions permit, given the proximity of Hurricane Jose and the severe damage to ports of entry.

The hurricane caused massive damage to property and infrastructure including sea and air ports which has hindered access to the islands, therefore affecting the arrival of assessment teams and the relief efforts. Limited access has been established to Anguilla and BVI with the aid of the United Kingdom. A team is also in Jamaica waiting to proceed to the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas and Haiti.

They expressed their sympathy to the bereaved of those killed by Hurricane Irma. So far four deaths have been confirmed in the BVI, one in Barbuda, one in Anguilla and one in Haiti due to Hurricane Irma, which also caused fatalities on the islands of St Maarten and St Barthelemy.

Heads of government expressed concern about the long term psychological effects of the situation, given the serious dislocation and sense of loss of the populations of the affected countries. They also stressed that these disasters emphasised the economic vulnerability of the region given the cost of recovery and the impact on economic activity of the affected countries.

They mandated the CARICOM Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to continue working with CDEMA to co-ordinate recovery efforts.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT REQUIRED IN WAKE OF HURRICANE IRMA'S EFFECTS IN CARIBBEAN

OTR EXPRESSES HEARTFELT SOLIDARITY TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CARIBBEAN, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE NON INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES (NICCs) WHOSE INTERESTS ARE THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THIS SITE. WE PRAY FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY, AND STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE MAXIMUM SUPPORT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ASSIST THE PEOPLE OF THE AFFECTED COUNTRIES IN THE DAYS AND MONTHS AHEAD AS THEY  WORK TO RECOVER AND RESTORE THEIR COUNTRIES.THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF OVERSEAS TERRITORIES REVIEW(OTR) EXPRESSES ITS DEEP CONCERN FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE AFFECTED COUNTRIES OF THE CARIBBEAN IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE DESTRUCTION AND LOSS OF LIFE EXPERIENCED IN THE REGION WITH THE PASSING OF HURRICANE IRMA -  THE MOST POWERFUL STORM IN RECORDED HISTORY TO DIRECTLY HIT THE AREA.

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NON INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY HURRICANE IRMA

ANGUILLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS - 

UK DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

SINT MAARTEN - AUTONOMOUS COUNTRIES WITH THE NETHERLANDS

SINT EUSTATIUS, SABA - "PUBLIC ENTITIES" OF THE NETHERLANDS

SAINT MARTIN AND ST. BARTS - OVERSEAS COLLECTIVITES OF FRANCE

PUERTO RICO, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - U.S. DEPENDENT TERRITORIES 

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UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE HURRICANE IRMA

Saddened by Destruction, Loss of Life as Hurricane Irma Hits Caribbean, Secretary-General Commends Response, Pledges United Nations Solidarity.The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

"The Secretary-General is saddened by the reports of immense destruction and loss of life in the Caribbean region since Hurricane Irma made landfall on Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday.  He extends his condolences to the Governments and peoples of all the island countries and territories in the region impacted by Hurricane Irma. The Secretary-General expresses the United Nations’ solidarity and commends the leadership of the respective Governments for their preparedness and response to the needs of the affected communities.  The United Nations system is already working to support national relief efforts."

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U.N. MANDATES TO ASSIST NON-INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES 

(Excerpt from) 

U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 71/104 OF  6 DECEMBER 2016

"9. Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations and institutions of the United Nations system and regional organizations to strengthen existing measures of support and formulate appropriate programmes of assistance to the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, within the framework of their respective mandates, in order to accelerate progress in the economic and social sectors of those Territories;  

Requests the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system concerned to provide information on: 

(a) Environmental problems facing the Non-Self-Governing Territories

(b) The impact of natural disasters, such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions, and other environmental problems, such as beach and coastal erosion and droughts, on those Territories..."

(Excerpt from)

U.N. General Assembly Resolution 69/115 of  14 November 2014  Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway

"Disaster risk reduction

51. We recognize that small island developing States continue to grapple with the effects of disasters, some of which have increased in intensity and some of which have been exacerbated by climate change, which impede their progress towards sustainable development. We also recognize that disasters can disproportionately affect small island developing States and that there is a critical need to build resilience, strengthen monitoring and prevention, reduce vulnerability, raise awareness and increase preparedness to respond to and recover from disasters.

52. In consideration of the special case of small island developing States and their unique and particular vulnerabilities, we are committed to supporting their efforts:

(a) To gain access to technical assistance and financing for early warning

systems, disaster risk reduction and post-disaster response and recovery, risk

assessment and data, land use and planning, observation equipment, disaster

preparedness and recovery education programmes, including under the Global

Framework for Climate Services, and disaster risk management;

(b) To promote cooperation and investment in disaster risk management in

the public and private sectors;

(c) To strengthen and support contingency planning and provisions for

disaster preparedness and response, emergency relief and population evacuation, in particular for people in vulnerable situations, women and girls, displaced persons, children, older persons and persons with disabilities;

(d) To implement the Hyogo Framework for Action 23 and work for an

ambitious renewed international framework for post-2015 disaster risk reduction

that builds on previous achievements, prioritizes prevention and mitigation and

incorporates implementation frameworks to address implementation gaps if and

when they exist;

(e) To mainstream policies and programmes related to disaster risk

reduction, climate change adaptation and development, as appropriate;

(f) To harmonize national and regional reporting systems, where applicable,

to increase synergies and coherence;

(g) To establish and strengthen risk insurance facilities at the national and

regional levels and place disaster risk management and building resilience at the

centre of policies and strategies, where applicable;

(h) To increase participation in international and regional disaster risk

reduction initiatives."

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U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME PROVIDES 

RELIEF/RECOVERY HELP

Now is the time to help Irma-affected people get back on their feet, UNDP

UNDP is also working closely with national authorities in Turks and Caicos, St. Martin and Bahamas to provide support and immediate and long-term recovery measures.

32 million people in the Caribbean live in areas exposed to high-speed wind zones (excess of 60km/h). Photo: UNDP Haiti

Online donations platform to help women, men and children rebuild lives

New York – The most powerful hurricane ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean has battered several Caribbean islands, leaving Barbuda and St. Martins near “uninhabitable”, according to national authorities. Hurricane Irma has also left catastrophic damage as it passed over Turks and Caicos, southern Bahamas, northern Dominican Republic and northern Haiti.

To help countries and communities respond, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has immediately made available US$300,000 from its core resources to support assessments, coordination and recovery planning in Irma-affected countries.

Ahead of the Hurricane UNDP deployed crisis response experts to several Caribbean countries, including Jamaica and Haiti, where nine UNDP staff members are supporting crisis coordination in impacted communities in the north. UNDP is also working closely with national authorities in Turks and Caicos, St. Martin and Bahamas to provide support and immediate and long-term recovery measures.

Across the impacted countries, housing, community infrastructure and the livelihoods of millions of people have been severely damaged.

“In the wake of such disasters those who own so little are the hardest hit,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Jessica Faieta. “In addition to the terrible casualties, they lose their houses, their small businesses, their boats, their livelihoods. Now is the time to help Irma-affected people get back on their feet.”

To help women, men and children rebuild their lives, after Irma’s devastation UNDP has activated an online donations platform. https://Give.undp.org/Irma

Caribbean vulnerability in numbers

• 32 million people in the Caribbean living in areas exposed to high-speed wind zones (excess of 60km/h)
• 2 million people in the Caribbean living in areas exposed to extreme high-speed wind zones (excess of 120km/h)
• 13 people reported dead across affected territories
• 3 hurricanes currently active in the Atlantic Ocean: Irma and Jose over the Caribbean, and Katia in the Gulf of Mexico