For UN's Population Event, Abortion "Safe Where Legal," April Echoes ICPD

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 19 -- In the run up to the Population event of the UN General Assembly on September 22, Inner City Press asked UN officials Thomas Gass and John Wilmoth of the place of sexual and reproductive health issues in the event.

  Gass said the question goes to the heart of what humanity is, citing gender equality and access to sexual and reproductive health services. Wilmoth emphasized that the Cairo Declaration is not being re-negotiated; the previous position, that abortion should be safe where it is legal, remains.

  Back in April 2014 there was an all-night session of fight over the Commission on Population and Development.Past 11 pm the Permanent Representative of Kenya, that month's chair of the African Group, said there would be no sleight of hand solution. He went into Conference Room A with other Permanent Representatives, including those of Norway and then of Cameroon, who told Inner City Press that "in Africa we don't do Programs of Action, we do Declarations." 

  And after a long and murky night in the basement of the UN, a text was in fact adopted followed by a slew of mostly angry speeches from 6 to 7 am. 

Argentina's Permanent Representative regretted that language about unilateral sanctions, debt was not retained. She was followed by speakers from Jordan and Australia, all Security Council members this year. There are not a lot of 6 am Security Council meetings. But this is another part of the UN.

   Iran, set for a big role in CPD 48, joined with Egypt and Oman in slamming the deletion of language about "foreign occupation." South Africa pointed out paragraphs on which it negotiated in it national capacity, NOT as part of the African Group.

  The US speech was surprisingly upbeat, glad for citations to sexual and reproductive health, eager for the ICPD session in General Assembly. (Here is a John Kerry speech, since.)

  Hungary said it does not take "reproductive rights" to include abortion. The Holy See took this further. The European Union's deputy said that principles agreed to in Cairo 20 years ago are being re-litigated now.
 
  But on September 19, that's not what the UN's John Wilmoth told Inner City Press. And as Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access have asked before, what of Myanmar's anti-Royhinga census and reproduction policies? Speaking of reproductive issues? We will cover the September 22 event. Watch this site. 

  

On Migration, UN Calls Puerto Rico a Country, UNclear on Somaliland, UNacceptable

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 11 -- When the UN reported on Migrants by Origin and Destination on Wednesday, they listed Puerto Rico to the US among the Top ten country-specific corridors, 2013.

Inner City Press asked John Wilmoth, the director of UN-DESA's Population Division, how the decision was made to list Puerto Rico as a country -- noting that some there certainly want that -- and whether for example Somaliland or Puntland have such designation.

  Wilmoth said that there are 232 "countries or areas." Inner City Press asked who decides which areas get separately listed -- the UN Department of Political Affairs? 

  Wilmoth indicated the Statistics Division; afterward his colleague Bela Hovy told Inner City Press to just look at the glossy poster distributed as it lists the 232 countries and areas.

  But who decides?

  The UN has for example tried to dismiss Somaliland, unilaterally giving its airspace to Mogadishu until, after protest, the decision was reversed. Which area has more of the indicia of separateness? Or how is the decision made?

  Inner City Press asked asked about Australia's policy, announced by the just-lost Kevin Rudd, of sending all refugees and asylum seeks to Papau New Guinea. Inner City Press previously asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson if Ban had any comment, having taken Rudd's ground-cover or blue-wash telephone call about it. No, there was no Ban comment.

  And perhaps UN Secretariat comments have been Banned -- Wilmoth and Hovy sure had none.

Footnote: The moderator automatically gave the first question to Pamela Falk of CBS as UNCA's 2013 president. Falk began by saying she hadn't read the study, then asked if there was any Syria connection. It has become clear that she goes only in order to get or take the first question, even when this makes it impossible for other journalist who actually have questions to get called on.

Combined with the stealth trolling, work stealing and attempts to destroy others' business pattern of Falk's UNCA in 2013, this continued UNCA first question is UNacceptable. Watch the Free UN Coalition for Access @FUNCA_info. Watch this site.