Non-violent, Political solutions in Middle East and beyond
Editing, by Carolyn Bennett
We
are living through a period of unease. We are also seeing incidents of
intolerance and hatred exploited by others. Voices of moderation and calm must make
themselves heard.
All
of us need to speak up in favor of mutual respect and understanding of the
values and beliefs of others. ─ UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
“At a time of rising inequality and unemployment, a time of
rising temperatures and intolerance, the United Nations must rise to the
moment,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leading into the September 25 sixth-seventh
session of this great body.
 |
| UN Secretary-General Ban KI-moon |
To the world, he said, “It is time for calm, restraint and
responsible political and community leadership.”
The Secretary-General pointed to the ongoing crisis in
Syria. More than 18,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the start
of the uprising in March 2011. He promised that this situation “will be high” on the General
Assembly meeting agenda. “The deteriorating situation in Syria will be foremost
in our minds,” he said.
The sixty-seventh UN session opens as violence and intolerance
rise in countries of the Middle Eastern region and elsewhere.
 |
| UN Secretary-General Ban KI-moon UNGA President Vuk Jeremic |
The President of the 193-member UN General Assembly, Vuk
Jeremic, said, “Close to 800 years after the Magna Carta was promulgated ─
[m]any
people around the world still do not enjoy the fundamental rights enshrined in
that seminal document – rights that protect individuals, while enabling
countries to develop in peace and security ─ as sovereign equals.
Leading into the meetings, the General Assembly president
urged Member States “to agree on a consensus document … on the Rule of Law.”
Jeremic stressed peace and security as “prerequisite for the
stability needed for global economic growth, sustainable development and social
progress.”
“We can do better,” the Secretary-General said,
“The United
Nations must rise to the moment.”
Sources and notes
The United Nations sixty-seventh session begins September 25
and ends October 1. More than 120 world leaders are expected to participate in
this year’s general debate. The Ban Ki-moon will host a number of meetings on
the margins of the debate, including on the rule of law, polio eradication,
disarmament, sustainable energy and nutrition. He will also launch a new initiative,
“Education First.”
Along with full gatherings of the assembly, there will be a
series of mini-summits and special meetings focusing on the emergency in
Africa’s Sahel region, progress in Somalia, conditions in Myanmar and Yemen, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan/South Sudan relations.
UN News Centre, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42934&Cr=general+assembly&Cr1=
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42927&Cr=general+assembly&Cr1=
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