Inför FN dagen skrev några av oss Socialdemokrater i Utrikesutskottet: Sverige behöver skärpa sin FN-profil. Idag, den 24 oktober, infaller den årliga FN-dagen. I högtidstalen om FN brukar Sveriges långa tradition av starkt FN-engagemang framhållas. Men vi kan inte slå oss till ro på gamla meriter. Detta engagemang måste stå starkt också idag och även utanför högtidstalen.
Företrädare för Socaldemokraterna hade möjlighet att träffa FN:s generalsekreterare Ban Ki-moon under hans Sverigebesök häromveckan. Ban Ki-moon var i Sverige för att hedra minnet av Dag Hammarskjöld. Som boende i Jönköpings län vill jag understryka att Hammarskjöld kom från mitt hemlän och att dt var under Hammarskjölds tid på posten som generalsekreterare som den fredsbevarande verksamheten tog form. Idag understryker Ban Ki-moon, dagens generalsekreterare, vikten av Sveriges deltagande i FN-ledda militära insatser.
Sverige har fått en förfrågan från FN om att sända ingenjörstrupp till insatsen i Sydsudan under FN:s ledning. Det har vi socialdemokrater sagt ja till redan i våras. Men regeringens svar dröjer.
Det är beklagligt. Nyligen kritiserade den avgående chefen för FN:s fredsbevarande operationer det låga deltagandet från länder som Sverige. I dagsläget är endast ett 20-tal av FN:s 84 000 fredsbevarande militärer svenskar. Det är en historiskt låg siffra.
Socialdemokraterna anser att Sverige ska delta i insatser ledda av såväl EU som Nato – men också i de FN-ledda insatserna. Regeringen bör se till att Sveriges deltagande i internationella insatser får en bättre balans. De kan inte enbart komma till oss och förhandla om deltagande i EU- eller Natoledda insatser. Ett första steg är att säga ja till den förfrågan regeringen har på bordet just nu om deltagande i Sydsudan.
Socialdemokraterna menar att den viktigaste internationella organisationen är Förenta nationerna, men FN är aldrig starkare än vad medlemsstaterna tillåter. Därför måste reformarbetet bedrivas kraftfullt. FN måste stå starkt för att kunna hantera kriser, värna folkrätten och mänskliga rättigheter samt främja utveckling.
Vi socialdemokrater har lagt fram en rad förslag för en vässad FN-politik;
- Sverige bör utarbeta en FN-strategi för arbetet i FN både som enskild aktör, genom EU och i samarbete med de nordiska länderna.
- Sverige bör öka ansträngningarna för att få fler svenskar verksamma på hög nivå inom FN-systemet.
- Sverige kandiderar nu till FN:s råd för mänskliga rättigheter och bör därför ha en tydlig agenda för arbetet som ska bedrivas där.
- Om en plats i FN:s säkerhetsråd som Sverige kandiderar till ska kunna bli möjlig krävs ett starkare svenskt FN-engagemang än det nuvarande.
- Sverige bör initiera en vängrupp för FN där länder från olika delar av världen samarbetar för att stärka FN och driva på dess reformarbete.
Världen behöver ett FN med förmåga att hantera fred, säkerhet och utveckling och för att möta de globala utmaningar vi gemensamt står inför. Som traditionellt stark FN-medlem kan Sverige vara pådrivande för nödvändiga reformer och vi kan ta vår del av ansvaret för den fredsfrämjande verksamheten. Det vore ett välkommet besked från regeringen på FN-dagen.
onsdag 26 oktober 2011
tisdag 4 oktober 2011
Partner for Democracy status with Palestinian
My Statement on Request for partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly submitted by the Palestinian National Council
Dear colleagues,
I congratulate Mr Cox on his excellent report and I fully support the proposal that the Palestinian National Authority be granted the status of Partner for Democracy.
Women’s rights are one of the pillars of our organisations and therefore one of the core aspects of the procedure to grant the Status. In the Palestinian territories, much is still to be done in this area. Palestinian women face a number of challenges, stemming both from their culture and tradition, and from the Israeli occupation.
Shortcomings regarding the situation of women are rife in the law in force in the Territories: family law, succession law, political representation. Violence against women, which represents a severe violation of women’s rights, is also widespread.
However, the Palestinian National Authority appears to be seriously committed to reforms. We had an opportunity to meet and hear Ms Rahiba Hamdan, Minister for Women’s Affairs of the Palestinian National Authority. She presented the work that her government has undertaken to tackle gender inequalities still existing in the territories. The Gender Cross Sectoral Country Strategy, as well as the National Strategic Plan to combat violence against women, which is meant to cover the period 2011 – 2019, are also considerable achievements.
The Palestinian National Authority has signed unilaterally the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) which is also a political gesture of remarkable importance.
Women are affected by the conflict disproportionately, but they are also playing a prominent role in peace building. They are active in civil society on both sides, and in some cases they have been capable of taking joint initiatives regardless of the borders that separate them. I wish to mention for example two women, Naomi Chazan and Sumaya Farhat-Naser, who launched a partnership between Palestinian and Israeli women’s organisations during the first Intifada. This special partnership is called Jerusalem Link. The two partner organisations carry out initiatives separately, to address the needs of women on either side, but they also run various joint peace-building projects.
The Palestinians need to continue their reforms and consolidate democratic institutions, as Mr Cox rightly states. Within those institutions, as well as in society, women must be given the place they are entitled to, on the basis of the principle of equality that we are here to promote.
The status of Partnership for Democracy will be one more instrument in the hands of the leaders of the Palestinian authorities to progress in this direction.
Thank you / CH
"Request for Partner for Democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly
submitted by the Palestinian National Council (Doc. 12711)
Rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee: Mr Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL)
Rapporteur of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (for opinion) (Doc. ):
Ms Özlem Türköne (Turkey, EPP/CD)
Rapporteur of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (for opinion)
(Doc. ): Ms Carina Hägg (Sweden, SOC)
Debate and vote on a draft resolution
Statement by Mr Salim Al-Za'noon, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council"
(Du finner hela dok på COEs hemsida)
Dear colleagues,
I congratulate Mr Cox on his excellent report and I fully support the proposal that the Palestinian National Authority be granted the status of Partner for Democracy.
Women’s rights are one of the pillars of our organisations and therefore one of the core aspects of the procedure to grant the Status. In the Palestinian territories, much is still to be done in this area. Palestinian women face a number of challenges, stemming both from their culture and tradition, and from the Israeli occupation.
Shortcomings regarding the situation of women are rife in the law in force in the Territories: family law, succession law, political representation. Violence against women, which represents a severe violation of women’s rights, is also widespread.
However, the Palestinian National Authority appears to be seriously committed to reforms. We had an opportunity to meet and hear Ms Rahiba Hamdan, Minister for Women’s Affairs of the Palestinian National Authority. She presented the work that her government has undertaken to tackle gender inequalities still existing in the territories. The Gender Cross Sectoral Country Strategy, as well as the National Strategic Plan to combat violence against women, which is meant to cover the period 2011 – 2019, are also considerable achievements.
The Palestinian National Authority has signed unilaterally the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) which is also a political gesture of remarkable importance.
Women are affected by the conflict disproportionately, but they are also playing a prominent role in peace building. They are active in civil society on both sides, and in some cases they have been capable of taking joint initiatives regardless of the borders that separate them. I wish to mention for example two women, Naomi Chazan and Sumaya Farhat-Naser, who launched a partnership between Palestinian and Israeli women’s organisations during the first Intifada. This special partnership is called Jerusalem Link. The two partner organisations carry out initiatives separately, to address the needs of women on either side, but they also run various joint peace-building projects.
The Palestinians need to continue their reforms and consolidate democratic institutions, as Mr Cox rightly states. Within those institutions, as well as in society, women must be given the place they are entitled to, on the basis of the principle of equality that we are here to promote.
The status of Partnership for Democracy will be one more instrument in the hands of the leaders of the Palestinian authorities to progress in this direction.
Thank you / CH
"Request for Partner for Democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly
submitted by the Palestinian National Council (Doc. 12711)
Rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee: Mr Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL)
Rapporteur of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (for opinion) (Doc. ):
Ms Özlem Türköne (Turkey, EPP/CD)
Rapporteur of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (for opinion)
(Doc. ): Ms Carina Hägg (Sweden, SOC)
Debate and vote on a draft resolution
Statement by Mr Salim Al-Za'noon, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council"
(Du finner hela dok på COEs hemsida)
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