News archive: February 2014
17 February 2014
On 13 February 2014, the Security Council extended the UN peacebuilding mission in Burundi until 31 December 2014, despite the government’s request to replace it by a regular UN country team by mid-2014. The Security Council followed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recommendation to maintain the UN Office in Burundi (BNUB), as the country moves towards elections in a deeply polarised political climate. BNUB was set up in 2006 to replace the UN peacekeeping mission in Burundi (ONUB) and to help the country recover from decades of ethnic war. The Secretary-General in his latest report to the Security Council noted the country’s ‘substantial progress, overcoming formidable challenges since the end of the civil war,’ but warned that these gains are not irreversible and that the elections will define the long-term progress.
The government’s request to set up a UN electoral observer mission before, during, and after the 2015 elections was granted by the Security Council. It called on the Secretary-General to install this mission directly after the BNBU’s mandate is terminated. The Security Council furthermore requested that the Secretary-General prepare BNUB’s transition and transfer of responsibilities to the country team by 31 December 2014. The Security Council urged the government to encourage inclusive elections and to safeguard human rights.
Source: UN News Centre | Security Council extends UN mission in Burundi until December 2014
17 February 2014
At the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade on 13 February, forty-six countries agreed to a declaration to fight the illegal wildlife trade, which results in the deaths of thousands of elephants, rhinos and other endangered species per year. The declaration states that the trade has a ‘significant scale and detrimental economic, social and environmental consequences.’ The countries agreed to address corruption, adopt legislation for stricter penalties on poachers, and recruit more law enforcement officers, among other actions. Additionally, in the declaration states promise to not procure wildlife products officially. Foreign secretary William Hague described the conference as unprecedented, historic and a turning point in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.
Source: The Guardian | Global accord on combatting illegal wildlife trade agreed by 46 nations
17 February 2014
This is our News Items Overview of 16 January 2014-15 February 2014, a summary of recent news relating to shared responsibility. (more…)
13 February 2014
Over the next two and a half years, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) will provide technical assistance to Belarus in managing its stocks of obsolete pesticides. The effort is part of a joint plan with the European Union, launched in 2012 throughout the former Soviet Union, to build capacity to minimise the threats from hazardous waste to human health and the environment, as well as to strengthen legislation and build capacity in the management of pesticide containers.
An estimated 200,000 tons of obsolete pesticides (around 40 per cent of the world’s stockpiles) can be found in thousands of unprotected sites in Belarus and the 11 other former Soviet republics, according to the FAO. These sites “pose a serious threat to peoples’ health and the environment”. According to the World Bank, there is significant risk that pesticides could pollute the groundwater in parts of Belarus, affecting well water, along with rivers and other bodies of water in the entire region.
The UN agency will first identify and assess the most highly contaminated sites in the country. In addition to also mobilising resources for risk reduction, the plan also promotes alternatives to the most hazardous chemicals in use.
Source: UN News Centre | UN agency, EU partner to reduce risks from pesticides in Belarus
Source: FAO | FAO and EU to help Belarus reduce risks from dangerous pesticides
13 February 2014
Apple published its 8th supplier responsibility report, an annual audit of the contract workers who produce and assemble its iPhones, iPads and other hardware in factories outside the United States.
The report states that third parties have verified that its suppliers did not use tantalum, a type of metal commonly used in electronics, containing any minerals that come from areas engaged in warfare.
The report also states that Apple is trying to drive suppliers to compliance with its standard for a maximum workweek of 60 hours, and that it is investing in helping workers through its supply chain to better understand their rights.
Apple started conducting audits and publishing reports in 2007 after media reports of poor working conditions at Foxconn, a Chinese manufacturer of products for Apple, Sony, Microsoft and others.
Source: The New York Times | Apple Says Supplies Don’t Come From War Zones
Source: Apple | Supplier Responsibility