Sudan: Follow UN Guidance Specifically in Relation to President al-Bashir

Salem-News.com Eye on the World report.

Serious questions about mingling with war criminals in Sudan.

(DHAKA- Bangladesh) - Ibrahim Gambari, special representative for the joint African Union-United Nations, recently attended the wedding ceremony of Chad’s President Idriss Deby in Khartoum, in the presence of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who the International Criminal Court seeks to arrest over two warrants relating to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. UN guidelines limit UN officials’ interactions with individuals indicted by the international criminal courts, such as President al-Bashir, to “what is strictly required for carrying out UN mandated activities.”

Our goal with Eye on the World is to illustrate and highlight politically oriented problems and tragedies that traditional media channels don't have time or interest in covering.

The world has its own set of laws that were agreed upon by the ruling nations in 1948, and many people are not aware of this simple fact. At the root of the concept of world citizenry itself, is the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an overriding and supreme law that ensures many essential human rights that governments today fail to observe. Also central to any hope of human success, is the understanding of the human hierarchy of needs, as defined by Abraham Maslow- more information on this at the conclusion of this entry. We must use the Internet as a tool of justice at every junction, and we need to assist all human beings, everywhere, and not allow cultural, racial or religious preferences as determiners.

In this letter, William Gomes urges United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, to ensure that al-Bashir, and others wanted for serious international crimes, do not get a free pass during ceremonial interactions. UN officials should firmly adhere to the rules. Mr. Gomes says he trusts that the UN Sec Gen will formally raise these concerns with Mr. Gambari and take appropriate action to avoid a repetition of these events.

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March 4, 2012 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon United Nations Secretariat New York, NY 10017 Fax: (212) 963 – 7055 Re: Sudan: Follow UN guidance specifically in relation to President al-Bashir Dear Secretary-General: I was concerned to learn that Ibrahim Gambari, the joint African Union-United Nations special representative, attended the wedding ceremony of Chad’s President Idriss Deby on January 20, 2012 in Khartoum, in the presence of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. As you know President al-Bashir is subject to two arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed in Darfur, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. UN guidelines limit UN officials’ interactions with individuals indicted by the international criminal courts, such as President al-Bashir, to “what is strictly required for carrying out UN mandated activities.” Attendance at a wedding ceremony cannot, in our view, be justified as “strictly required.” In fact the UN guidelines state that “the presence of UN representatives in any ceremonial or similar occasion with [persons indicted by international criminal courts] should be avoided.” I also understand that UN guidance specifically in relation to President al-Bashir states that “interactions of a ceremonial nature with President Al-Bashir should be avoided, including courtesy calls, receptions, photo opportunities, attendance at national day celebrations and so on.” Discounting these guidelines brings the UN’s credibility in disrepute and sends a terrible message to victims of heinous crimes in Darfur. Indeed, images of Mr. Gambari embracing President al-Bashir have been widely circulated, showing Darfuri victims that the head of UNAMID socializes with suspected war criminals. It is also reported that Sudan’s defense minister, Abduraheem Hussein, also attended the ceremony; the ICC prosecutor on December 2, 2011 requested an arrest warrant for Hussein on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Mr. Gambari’s attendance was also at odds with the UN’s stated commitment to the ICC, and came only days before your address to the General Assembly, during which you declared that the world has “entered into a new age of accountability,” noting specifically the UN will “extend the reach of the International Criminal Court.” The Department of Peacekeeping Operations replied to us on Wednesday, January 25, that Mr. Gambari “attended the wedding at the invitation of President Deby … [and had] no control over the guest list.” Given the significant likelihood that President al-Bashir would attend the event, proper due diligence on Mr. Gambari’s part would have avoided this situation, and the resulting harm to victims in Darfur and the UN’s reputation. The UN’s guidelines seek to deny President al-Bashir, and others wanted for serious international crimes, the legitimacy that may come with such ceremonial interactions. UN officials should firmly adhere to them. We trust that you will formally raise these concerns with Mr. Gambari and take appropriate action to avoid a repetition of these events. Sincerely, William Nicholas Gomes

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William’s Desk

www.williamgomes.org

Download : Sudan- Follow UN guidance specifically in relation to President al-Bashir

William’s Desk

www.williamgomes.org

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

As children we are educated in right and wrong, we are told how to conduct ourselves; we learn both expectations and limitations, and from that point we go forth with these tools, and our individual personalities, and fail or succeed accordingly.

In school we quickly understand that without paper, there is no place to write. Once we have paper, a pen or pencil is required to move to the next point. There is a great analogy that exists between this simple concept of paper and pen, and what we know today as Maslow's hierarchy of needs- the theory in psychology proposed in Abraham Maslow's 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation.

He demonstrated how without the correct necessities, a person can do little good for themselves, and has none to offer for others. However when people are housed and have clothing, heat, food, health and security, anything is possible. However if just one of these dynamics is removed from the mix, the chance for success can be adversely affected.

Wikipedia describes Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a pyramid consisting of five levels:

The lowest level is associated with physiological needs, while the uppermost level is associated with self-actualization needs, particularly those related to identity and purpose.

The higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus when the lower needs in the pyramid are met. Once an individual has moved upwards to the next level, needs in the lower level will no longer be prioritized. If a lower set of needs is no longer be met, the individual will temporarily re-prioritize those needs by focusing attention on the unfulfilled needs, but will not permanently regress to the lower level.

For instance, a businessman at the esteem level who is diagnosed with cancer will spend a great deal of time concentrating on his health (physiological needs), but will continue to value his work performance (esteem needs) and will likely return to work during periods of remission.

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Special thanks to William's Desk

williamgomes.org