At
UN, Saturday
Speeches After
Sexual Rights
Fights,
CPD47 Turns 48
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
12, updated --
It was just another
Friday night
into Saturday morning at the UN,
this time a
fight over the
Commission on
Population and
Development.
Again, the
culture wars:
a dispute over
"sexual and
reproductive
health" and
rights. It culminated
in speeches
between 6 and
7 am.
We
open past
11 pm. The
Permanent
Representative
of Kenya, this
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
African we
don't do
Programs of
Action, we do
Declarations."
It would be
another long
night.
In
Egypt's
delegation
again was
Mervat
Tallaway, of
which Inner
City
Press previously
reported when
she headed
ESCWA in
Beirut.
Others
noted the
irony that the
UN Population
Fund, UNFPA,
is headed by
Babatunde
Osotimehin of
Nigeria but
his country is
taking a
different
view. This
split was
contrasted,
for example,
with elsewhere
in the
UN system
Frenchman
Herve Ladsous
using
his post atop
UN
Peacekeeping
to serve
France.
"That's not
the UN," a
Permanent
Representative
said. But for
now it is.
Meanwhile
when
UNFPA's
Representative
in Sudan was
thrown out on
April 7, the
UN tried to
say nothing.
Inner City
Press wrote
about it, went
to the
noon briefing
and asked,
and only after
that got a
(non)
statement
from UNFPA.
What's next?
While as
increasingly
often in the
UN there was
little media
coverage, Inner
City Press and
another
reporter were
told they
could not enter
Conference
Room 1 through
its front
door. The Free UN Coalition for Access objected;
access was
gained.
During
the lull
several
Ambassadors
came to
speaking about
"the
Burundi
cable," here.
Some predicted
that the SRSG
might be
tossed out
even before
the UN's
mandate
expires at the
end of the
year.
Down
on the floor
of Conference
Room 1, a
delegate noted
that now CPD47
had surpassed
"last year
when we ended
at 13 minutes
after
midnight."
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.
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. Yes, it's
Culture
Wars.
Then UNFPA
head Babatunde
Osotimehin
gave a wrap-up
speech with
empty bottle
of big-name
soda in front
of him.
Caffeine,
okay. But
ads?
Then the UN
Population
Division. But
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?
There were
fast
announcement
of the next
session, CPD
48, with
Belgium
chairing and
some other
news soon to
follow. Watch
this site.
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