General Assembly’s First-ever High-Level Meeting on Rule of Law, at Headquarters

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/ga11288.doc.htm
United Nations' General Assembly’s First-ever High-Level Meeting on Rule of Law, at Headquarters
 
on 24 September, Will Feature Voluntary Pledging, Side Events
 
The General Assembly will hold the first-ever High-level Meeting devoted to the rule of law at the national and international levels on 24 September, a day before the general debate opens.

For the Assembly’s consideration is a report of the Secretary-General — “Delivering justice:  programme of action to strengthen the rule of law at the national and international levels” (document A/66/749) — which proposes possible outcomes for the High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law.  The proposals have been under discussion by Member States preparing an outcome document to be adopted at the event.

As decided by the General Assembly, in resolution A/RES/66/102, the Assembly President, the Secretary-General, the President of the International Court of Justice, the President of the Security Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Chair of the International Law Commission will be invited to speak, in addition to representatives of Member States, observers and non-governmental organizations.  The Assembly President has finalized the organizational arrangements for the High-level Meeting, including the list of speakers.

The Assembly President has compiled lists of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and civil society organizations active in the rule-of-law field and wishing to attend the Meeting.  In addition, he will select a limited number of representatives of non-governmental organizations active in the rule-of-law field to speak at the event.

With a process of voluntary pledging having been opened for Member States, guidance and model pledges are posted and updated on the United Nations Rule of Law website, as well as in the Document Repository (www.unrol.org).  The submitted pledges have also been posted on the website, and the list will be constantly updated.

A number of side events will be organized on the day of the High-level Meeting and throughout the first week of the sixty-seventh session, from 24‑28 September.  For an updated list of side events, please visit www.unrol.org.

At the international level, the rule of law accords predictability and legitimacy to the actions of States, strengthens their sovereign equality and underpins their responsibility to all individuals within their respective territories and subject to their respective jurisdictions.  Full implementation of the obligations set forth in the Charter of the United Nations and other international instruments, including the international human rights framework, is central to collective efforts to maintain international peace and security, address emerging threats and close off accountability gaps for international crimes.

At the national level, strong, inclusive and accountable institutions that demonstrate the equitable application of the rule of law are crucial for preventing conflict and consolidating post-conflict peacebuilding gains.  The interconnected threats of organized crime and trafficking, in addition to conflict and terrorism, undermine international security and development, and require effective rule-of-law instruments to address them at the national, regional and global levels.

[Psalm 51:17]

[Psalm 51:17]

UN General Assembly opens with mood of frustration, turmoil

9/24/12

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/24/un-general-assembly-opens-with-mood-frustration-turmoil/#ixzz27QLxh8aq

UNITED NATIONS –  Democratic uprisings across the Arab world and the Palestinians' bid for U.N. membership sparked excitement and hope at last year's meeting of world leaders. But with war raging in Syria, the Palestinian application sidelined, and deadly protests generated by an anti-Islamic video, the mood as this year's U.N. gathering begins is one of disappointment and frustration.
 
More than 120 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs meeting this week under heavy security at the U.N. General Assembly and in sideline events will also be preoccupied by rising tension over Iran's nuclear program and the possibility of an Israeli strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities, Al Qaeda's inroads in the Sahel region of west Africa, especially in Mali, and the first decline in years in international aid to help developing countries combat poverty.
 
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon predicted that the ministerial session, which starts Tuesday, will be among the busiest ever, reflecting "the tumultuous time in which we live — a time of turmoil and transition." It is also taking place "against a backdrop of widespread violence linked to intolerance," he said.
 
Ahead of the opening ministerial session, which President Barack Obama will address, the U.N. chief has invited leaders to the first high-level meeting on the rule of law on Monday, hoping they "will send a strong signal to the world's people that they are serious about establishing well-functioning institutions and delivering justice."

[Psalm 51:17]

Obama: Attacks on America an Assault on U.N. Ideals
10:43 AM, Sep 25, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

In a speech at the United Nations this morning, President Obama says the attacks on America across the Muslim world over the last two weeks are also an "assault on the very ideals upon which the United Nations was founded."
 
"The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America," Obama stated, according to a prepared transcript of his remarks. "We are grateful for the assistance we received from the Libyan government and the Libyan people. And there should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice. I also appreciate that in recent days, the leaders of other countries in the region – including Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen – have taken steps to secure our diplomatic facilities, and called for calm. So have religious authorities around the globe."
 
Then, President Obama broadened his argument, saying the United Nations was also under attack.
 
"But the attacks of the last two weeks are not simply an assault on America," said Obama. "They are also an assault on the very ideals upon which the United Nations was founded – the notion that people can resolve their differences peacefully; that diplomacy can take the place of war; and that in an interdependent world, all of us have a stake in working towards greater opportunity and security for our citizens."
 
Obama also made a broader case against extremism, saying, "Let us remember that Muslims have suffered the most at the hands of extremism."