Hey, I heard Eric Cartman might crash this party? lol (I had to….. sorry)
Back on topic. What I think the responsible thing for this group to do, is actually bring in folks from the companies to give some balance to the conversation. I also think that if the UN wants to truly be honest during this discussion, they best bring up the fact that the UN is using the services of private military companies. I have documented that several times on this blog, and I just wanted to make sure that before these folks get all worked up about the negative, that they take a responsible look at the positive as well.
I think it is also time for these folks to have a conversation with guys who actually do care about Africa, and not just these disaster capitalist aid groups who call themselves ‘the saviors of the dark continent’. pfffft. Guys like Eeben, who have put blood, sweat and tears into that continent, and have put action to words for years, are the folks the UN should be talking too. Or the UN can keep screwing the pooch in places like the Congo, and think they are doing something humane?
For the record, I never got an invitation to the party. If you guys do decide to send some invitations, I promise to bring the chips and dip. –Matt
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UN and Africa to discuss mercenaries and private military and security companies
25 February 2010
GENEVA – Representatives of some 25 from African States will meet on 3 and 4 March in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries* to discuss the presence and activities of mercenaries and private military and security companies (PMSCs) on the continent.
“This regional consultation in Africa is of particular importance given that the region is becoming a key market for the security industry”, said Shaista Shameem, who currently heads the Working Group. “However, PMSCs have remained largely unregulated, insufficiently monitored and rarely held accountable for the international crimes and human rights abuses they have committed.”
This meeting is the fourth of a series of five regional consultations which will end with the consultation with the Western European and Others Group in Geneva in April 2010. “This mandate was created in 1987 in a context in which the right of peoples to self-determination in Africa was often threatened by mercenary activities”, said Ms. Shameem.
State representatives will exchange good practices and lessons learned on the monitoring and regulation of the activities of private military and security companies and in particular on the adoption of a possible draft convention regulating their activities.
The Working Group said it “welcomes this opportunity to build on national experience in the continent to discuss general guidelines and principles for national and international regulation and oversight of the activities of private companies with the aim of encouraging the protection of human rights.”
The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination was established in 2005 by the Commission on Human Rights.
(*) The Working Group is composed of five independent experts serving in their personal capacities: Ms. Shaista Shameem (Chairperson-Rapporteur, Fiji), Ms. Najat al-Hajjaji (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), Ms. Amada Benavides de Pérez (Colombia), Mr. José Luis Gómez del Prado (Spain), and Mr. Alexander Nikitin (Russian Federation).
Story here.
Hi Matt,
This is simply another ploy by those buffoons at the UN Peacekeeping Dept to hide their incompetence. The secret lies in this comment by Mrs Shameem: “This mandate was created in 1987 in a context in which the right of peoples to self-determination in Africa was often threatened by mercenary activities”. When governments opt to determine for themselves that they want to use someone other than the UN, that decision is negated by – the UN.
Africa’s biggest threat is the UN itself but of course, if this becomes known, they may just lose the gravy train they so happily ride.
Rgds,
Eeben
Comment by Eeben Barlow — Monday, March 1, 2010 @ 11:36 PM
Eeben,
Excellent points and your input on this stuff is always welcome. You know what gets me about this, is that all of these people in the group have a computer, and I can count on my hand the number of blogs or sites that focus specifically on this subject.
If this group really cares about the issues, they would be interacting with the few online resources out there that actually care about the issues and get some shared reality.
Comment by headjundi — Tuesday, March 2, 2010 @ 3:52 AM
Hi Matt,
As per usual the U.N deploys people who have no interest in a Fight. They deploy people in the Africa region and Forget the South Africans who will fight and win. The UN must stop turning it's back on people .
The UN is an insane joke, time to be Peace Makers, not the other, look at the Congo another 300+ dead, sorry we can't find them and we only have 17000 men in the DRC . The B.S makes me sick, when will they grow a pair??.
Comment by Bob Wraight — Monday, May 24, 2010 @ 6:11 PM