The following media round up on international and foreign policy issues from around the world for the period of 26 November to 02 December 2024.
Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates from the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, European Union and other sources. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.
29 November 2024
UNESCO and Sindh government unite to protect Pakistan’s cultural heritage from disasters
As a part of the reinforcement of the importance of integrating disaster risk preparedness into the preservation of cultural heritage after the monsoon floods in 2022, UNESCO in partnership with the Directorate of Antiquities and Archaeology, Government of Sindh organized a five-day workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction for Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Pakistan.
Recognizing the urgent need to act, UNESCO mobilized USD 150,000 from the World Heritage Fund to assist the Government of Sindh in assessing the damage and taking immediate remedial measures to protect the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites against the impact of future rainfall.
28 November 2024
US, Britain and others condemn escalating violence in Mozambique
The governments of the United States, Britain, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland jointly condemned the escalating violence against civilians in Mozambique, currently embroiled in weeks of post-election protests. "We call on the Government of Mozambique to uphold the role of security forces to protect the people of Mozambique," the countries said in a joint statement.
Public outrage has surged after last month's disputed election results, which sparked protests from opposition supporters. Footage showed an armoured vehicle ploughing through a crowd of protesters in the capital, Maputo, hitting a woman. In response to the incident, Mozambique's army released a statement expressing deep regret over the accident, saying that the vehicle that was part of a properly marked convoy "accidentally ran over a citizen". The embassies of the five countries have called for an investigation into the incident.
28 November 2024
ICC: Key recommendations: twenty-third session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute: 2nd-7th December 2024
According to Amnesty International, as the ICC opens and progresses investigations into individuals in situations involving powerful States, including non-States parties and their allies, and States which oppose the ICC, the Court and its staff will be increasingly attacked and threatened.
In 2024, for example, media reports detailed at length a decade-long surveillance operation by the Israeli government against ICC officials and Palestinian human rights workers, as part of a secret operation to thwart ICC investigations into crimes committed in Palestine. In light of the Prosecutor’s ongoing investigation in the State of Palestine situation, and the recent arrest warrants against senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders, it is likely that powerful non-States parties will continue to present serious challenges to the Court in the immediate future and longer-term.
27 November 2024
Myanmar: ICC Prosecutor requests arrest warrant
The ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Myanmar military commander-in-chief, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, alleging his responsibility for the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya committed in Myanmar and in part in Bangladesh between August and December 2017. Min Aung Hlaing led the February 2021 coup and remains head of the State Administration Council junta.
Although Myanmar is not an ICC member country, in 2019 the ICC prosecutor opened an investigation into alleged grave crimes against the Rohingya population that were committed, at least in part, in Bangladesh or another ICC member country. The prosecutor’s request has been submitted to ICC judges, who will determine whether to issue the warrant. The prosecutor noted that this is the first request by his office for a warrant against a senior Myanmar official, but “more will follow.”
26 November 2024
UN Secretary-General and Pope urge renewed push to stop use of land mines
At the fifth review of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the international community raised concerns about the ongoing threats posed by the continued use of land mines. The treaty, commonly referred to as Ottawa Convention, was established in 1997 and sought to end global land mine production and deployment. Today, 164 nations are party to the Convention.
The report indicated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to substantial mine deployment in the country. The coalition also found that, between mid-2023 and October 2024, mines have been produced and used by governments in Myanmar, Iran, and North Korea, as well as non-government groups in Colombia, India, Pakistan, and Palestine.
25 November 2024
Countless historical landmarks in Lebanon face existential threats amid escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Baalbek, Lebanon, including the Temple of Jupiter and the Temple of Bacchus, along with countless other historical landmarks, face a grave threat as the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters encroaches on Lebanon’s ancient heritage. In recent weeks, Baalbek’s famed Roman temples have come dangerously close to being hit, as the ancient city has suffered multiple airstrikes since evacuation orders were issued on 30 October by Israel, which has designated the area a Hezbollah stronghold.
Reports indicate that hundreds of other Lebanese cultural and religious sites have been less fortunate. Several Muslim and Christian heritage buildings have been reduced to rubble in southern towns and villages under shelling and air attacks. As a signatory to the 1954 Hague Convention, Lebanon’s heritage should, in theory, be protected from harm during armed conflict. However, as Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada has appealed to UNESCO, these symbolic protections, like the Blue Shield emblem, have shown limited effectiveness.
25 November 2024
Lack of progress at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which wrapped up last weekend, failed to make sufficient progress to maintain global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. COP29 ended with a global climate finance target that developing countries said was inadequate to enable them to tackle climate change. One of the final texts of the conference did not clearly mention the need to transition away from fossil fuels, as previously agreed upon last year in COP28’s key outcome document. COP29 also adopted new carbon market rules intending to allow countries to meet their Paris Agreement commitments through carbon offsetting projects. But the decision ignores a long history of such projects which have violated the land rights of rural communities and vastly overstated their climate benefits.
Further, Azerbaijan’s crackdown on dissent limited meaningful participation of civil society during COP29. In the lead up to the conference, authorities arrested dozens of journalists, human rights defenders, and other government critics on spurious charges.
25 November 2024
Israel airstrike in Lebanon using US weapons likely constituted war crime
An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon last month, which killed three journalists and injured four others, was likely a deliberate attack on civilians and an apparent war crime according to Human Rights Watch. HRW found no evidence of military presence or activity in Hasbaya at the time of the attack. It also determined that Israeli military knew or should have known that journalists were in the targeted building.
HRW pointed to several international responsibilities that companies must abide by to prevent or mitigate violations of international humanitarian law, including the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.