Tuesday, August 10, 2010
U.N. warning on child soldier facing Guantanamo trial
From The Hindu
Even as the United States proceeds this week to prosecute Omar Khadr, a child soldier held at the Guantanamo Bay prison, a top United Nations official has warned that this move would violate a statute of the International Criminal Court that no person under the age of 18 years should be tried for war crimes.
Mr. Khadr was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a Delta Force medic, among other charges. He was said to have been 15 years old at the time.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, noted that prosecutors in other international tribunals have used their discretion not to prosecute children, adding, “Since World War II, no child has been prosecuted for a war crime.”
Child soldiers are victims
Ms. Coomaraswamy also said that child soldiers ought to be treated primarily as victims and alternative procedures should aim at rehabilitation or restorative justice rather than trial and prosecution by military tribunals. She had earlier warned that Mr. Khadr’s prosecution would set a dangerous international precedent for other children who are victims of recruitment in armed conflicts.
She went on to urge the U.S. and Canada, of which country Mr. Khadr is a citizen, to come to “a mutually-acceptable solution on the future of Omar Khadr that would prevent him from being convicted of a war crime that he allegedly committed when he was child”.
According to reports, constitutional experts have said he should have been released “years ago” given his youth and “evidence that his family upbringing forced him to take up arms with Bin Laden”. Others were reported to have argued that he should be returned to Canada and reunited with his family and possibly face trial there in a civilian court.
The LA Times reported that since his capture, Mr. Khadr has brought allegations that the U.S. army tortured him, held him in harsh conditions and prevented him from contacting his family and attorneys. He said he had suffered “deep emotional distress and borderline mental illness”. However, a ruling by a military judge this week said that Mr. Khadr’s confessions in prison could be used against him and dismissed arguments that they were “tainted by mistreatment”.
Labels: Afghanistan, Guantanamo trial, International Criminal Court, U.N.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
UN to hold independent review of IPCC: Ban
From The Hindu
The United Nations has initiated, in tandem with the Chair of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, “a comprehensive, independent review of the IPCC's procedures and processes”, including its 2007 Fourth Assessment Report, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.
While arguing he had seen no credible evidence challenging the main conclusions of the IPCC report and the consensus on climate change, he admitted, “Regrettably, there were a very small number of errors in the Fourth Assessment Report.” He added that it was important to remember that the report was a “3,000 page synthesis of complex scientific data.”
The Report found that the warming of the climate is outpacing natural variability, driven largely by human activity. The U.N. however acknowledged that its credibility had come into question after revelations that the landmark publication contained some mistakes, including over the rate of Himalayan glacier melt.
According to sources the Report’s claim that most Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035, was based on information from the environmental group WWF. Similarly the claim was that global warming might destroy 40 percent of the Amazon rainforest was “based on an unsubstantiated claim by green campaigners who had no scientific expertise.”
The IPCC Chairman, Rajendra Pachauri has also recently come under fire for such lapses. Amid calls for his resignation on Wednesday he said, “We have received some criticism. We are receptive and sensitive to that and we are doing something about it."
The review would be conducted by the InterAcademy Council (IAC), an international scientific organisation, Mr. Ban clarified, saying “It will be conducted completely independently of the United Nations.” It will be led by IAC co-chairs Robbert Dijkgraaf, who heads the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, and Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to the U.N.
Scientists will be selected to serve on a “voluntary and unpaid basis to prepare a draft report on their findings, which will then undergo an intensive peer review by other scientists”. Characterising the task as “forward-looking,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said that there are “no preconceived conclusions.” He said the IAC would consider issues of data quality assurance and control; procedures for correcting errors; and analyzing the IPCC’s communications strategies.
The endeavour would be funded by the U.N. and its final report would be submitted to Mr. Ban, the IPCC, with subsequent transmission to the UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation.
Outlining the main purpose of the review Mr. Ban said, “We need to act based on the best possible science. We need to ensure full transparency, accuracy and objectivity, and minimise the potential for any errors going forward.”
While arguing he had seen no credible evidence challenging the main conclusions of the IPCC report and the consensus on climate change, he admitted, “Regrettably, there were a very small number of errors in the Fourth Assessment Report.” He added that it was important to remember that the report was a “3,000 page synthesis of complex scientific data.”
The Report found that the warming of the climate is outpacing natural variability, driven largely by human activity. The U.N. however acknowledged that its credibility had come into question after revelations that the landmark publication contained some mistakes, including over the rate of Himalayan glacier melt.
According to sources the Report’s claim that most Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035, was based on information from the environmental group WWF. Similarly the claim was that global warming might destroy 40 percent of the Amazon rainforest was “based on an unsubstantiated claim by green campaigners who had no scientific expertise.”
The IPCC Chairman, Rajendra Pachauri has also recently come under fire for such lapses. Amid calls for his resignation on Wednesday he said, “We have received some criticism. We are receptive and sensitive to that and we are doing something about it."
The review would be conducted by the InterAcademy Council (IAC), an international scientific organisation, Mr. Ban clarified, saying “It will be conducted completely independently of the United Nations.” It will be led by IAC co-chairs Robbert Dijkgraaf, who heads the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, and Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to the U.N.
Scientists will be selected to serve on a “voluntary and unpaid basis to prepare a draft report on their findings, which will then undergo an intensive peer review by other scientists”. Characterising the task as “forward-looking,” Mr. Dijkgraaf said that there are “no preconceived conclusions.” He said the IAC would consider issues of data quality assurance and control; procedures for correcting errors; and analyzing the IPCC’s communications strategies.
The endeavour would be funded by the U.N. and its final report would be submitted to Mr. Ban, the IPCC, with subsequent transmission to the UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation.
Outlining the main purpose of the review Mr. Ban said, “We need to act based on the best possible science. We need to ensure full transparency, accuracy and objectivity, and minimise the potential for any errors going forward.”
Labels: Ban ki-Moon, climate change, global change, IPCC, U.N., UN Environment Programme, World Meteorological Organisation
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