JENNY CLEGG looks ahead at a year where an increasingly multipolar world will challenge US dominance
"The founding proclamation of the UN: “We the peoples … determine to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” also reaffirmed faith in fundamental human rights, and committed to establish conditions of respect for international treaties and laws, and to promote social progress and better standards of life.
It is now time to reassert the role of the UN at the centre of world politics by reclaiming the “We the people” declaration from below in a grass-roots movement for international co-operation on climate change alongside the fundamental principles of peace and social justice.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Austria on Tuesday called for banning nuclear weapons because of their catastrophic humanitarian effects, an initiative it said now has the backing of 159 countries.
Forum scientifique et citoyen sur la Radioprotection De Tchernobyl à Fukushima 11/12/13 MAI 2012, Genève Organisé par Independent WHO (Pour l’Indépendance de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé) Site du collectif Independent WHO
2011: 1,7 trillion usd Figures from the 2011 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) annual report show that the world’s governments are spending more than ever on the military: $1,738 billion per year. If spent differently, this money would go a long way to resolving the real and immediate challenges facing our planet.
The existence of such "killer robots" is worrying Christof Heyns, the United Nations envoy on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions. Presenting a report in Geneva, he called for a ban on developing robots which could identify and kill without any human input. "Time is of the essence. Trying to stop technology is a bit like trying to stop time itself - it moves on," he said. "Autonomous robots should be seen as neither a good thing nor a bad thing, [ Rich Walker, managing director of the Shadow Robot Company] told The Independent. "It's the way they are deployed."
Bevisen och vittnesmålen om israeliska krigsförbrytelser under Gaza-massakern växer. Varje vecka kommer nya rapporter. Nu behövs en internationell undersökning som föreslår hur skyldiga kan åtalas, skriver Per Wirtén i Dagens Arena