India votes against Syria’s Assad regime in UNGA; Mandate of panel of experts on Sudan sanctions extended; Security Council alarmed at malnutrition levels in Sudan; Security Council delegation visits Haiti; UN General Assembly president meets Indian PM; I
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    • According to reports, India was among the 137 nations that voted in favour of a UN general Assembly draft resolution that urged the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. The resolution backed by the Arab League condemned human rights violations and called for an end to the violence. Russia and China were among the 12 nations that voted against the resolution. While condemning the wide-spread violations of human rights in the nation, the resolution also expressed full support to the League’s plan of halting the crackdown on anti-Assad demonstrators and urged the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to Syria. 1

    Meanwhile, the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring sanctions imposed on Sudan related to the Darfur conflict was extended by the UN Security Council for another year. The extension was due to the violence perpetrated by individuals associated with the Government against civilians and for impeding the peace process. 2

    In another development, according to reports, the Security Council expressed alarm at the rising levels of malnutrition and food shortages in parts of Sothern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan which could deteriorate further if access is denied to international humanitarian aid. The 15-member body also called on the Sudanese government to give UN humanitarian personnel immediate access to the affected areas. It also encouraged the UN to strengthen engagement with the African Union (AU) and League of Arab States to address the humanitarian crisis. The Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North were urged to resume peace talks to address conflictual issues. 3

    In the interim, reports noted that a Security Council delegation went on a four-day visit to Haiti, a country that has begun its transition towards reconstruction, job creation and capacity building post the 2010 devastating earthquake. The delegation assessed the implementation of relevant resolutions concerning MINUSTAH, the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti and to also discuss the situation in the country with the stakeholders. 4

    Meanwhile, in his official visit to India, UN General Assembly President, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser discussed reform and revitalization of the UN with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. Other issues that were discussed included the forthcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), developments in Syria and state of world economy. 5

    In other development, reports noted that as the world negotiates a post-2020 climate regime, India took a clear stand on ‘equity’ and the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’. The prime Minister also said that India would work closely with the BASIC countries and group of 77+China. The meeting of the four BASIC countries was crucial as all of them are expected to submit their notes to the UN on how talks under the ‘Durban Platform’ for the post-2020 climate regime should be framed. 6

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