Previous week, the Iraqi army started a major offensive against armed groups in Fallujah, where there has been violent conflict since December 2013. Over the past few months, around 300 civilians have lost their lives in the fighting between the army and the various armed militia and terrorist organisations. Peace organisation PAX is extremely concerned.
Over the past week something special has been brewing in Geneva. Special because diplomatic discussions hardly ever take place on weapons of the future. Also both arms control campaigners and diplomats noticed that the discussions were unusually lively, especially for an often cynically disregarded platform for disarmament issues. By Frank Slijper
Pax, along with more than 100 civil society organisations from 45 countries, is appealing to the Security Council of the United Nations today, to bring the ‘Syrian case’ before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The Security Council can allow this to happen by adopting a resolution submitted by France.
Today, after weeks of negotiations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a peace agreement has been signed between the delegations of the Government of South Sudan headed by president Salva Kiir and the rebels of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army-Cobra faction (SSDM/A-Cobra faction) headed by David Yau Yau.
PAX, lead agency for the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (ECOS), has published the study ‘Scrutiny of South Sudan’s Oil Industry’. Based on fieldwork between 2010 – 2012, it provides analysis on community – oil company relations, labour practices in the sector, and on impact of the industry on local land use patterns in South Sudan.
South Sudanese and international non-governmental organizations – including PAX – wrote a letter to H.E. Salva Kiir, President of South Sudan, urging him to ratify the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Tuesday PAX presented a report in Geneva on international prohibitions on investments in cluster munitions. The peace organisation did this during a meeting of states that are part of the historical Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). With this report PAX aims to put investments in cluster munitions producers on the agenda. PAX calls on states to prohibit this type of investments. Using examples of existing prohibitions on investments the peace organisation aims to make it easier for states to develop effective legislation.
The Dutch peace organisation PAX is also represented in Juba, the young capital of South Sudan. Daud Gideon is one of our Juba Staff over there. He visited the second round of the peace talks on South Sudan, which took place in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia between 19 and 31 March.
Delegations from all over the world are gathering on 24 and 25 March at the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in The Hague to talk about nuclear security. They will hold discussions on how to prevent nuclear terrorism and how to secure nuclear materials. However, what they won’t do is talk about nuclear weapons. Dutch peace organisation PAX thinks this is inconceivable. ‘If we are talking about terrorism, if we are talking about (in)security, we cannot leave out nuclear weapons.
In January, PAX, ActionAid, Amnesty International Nederland, FNV Mondiaal, ICCO and Somo sent a critical letter on Bettercoal to Ms Ploumen, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the Netherlands. Their concerns were also made on behalf of the victims of violence in the Colombian coal region of Cesar, who are searching reparation and remedy for the thousands of deaths and more than one hundred thousand displaced persons. The Dutch parliament will discuss this issue on April 3.
more resultresults