This paper from Global Policy Forum describes and analyzes the relationship between civil society and the UN. The essay charts the struggle since 1945 to enlarge NGO access, from the first steps in the 1940s and ‘50s, to the blossoming of new organizations in the 1970’s, the dynamism of the 1990s, and the increasing difficulties of 2000 and beyond. (Global Policy Forum)

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The UN’s International Law Commission upholds the Roman dictum, nulla crimen sine lege, or, “no crime without law.” What this means is that no behavior, however detestable, is a crime unless a law exists in advance of the act. Recently, France’s national assembly voted to criminalize denial of the 1915 Armenian genocide at the hands of Ottoman Empire, even though a law defining genocide was not created until the Genocide Convention in 1951 . The Turkish government reacted by withdrawing their ambassador and freezing inter-governmental economic relations with France. This Al Jazeera article criticizes the French National Assembly’s vote for being a political maneuver for upcoming elections rather than a genuine act to promote reconciliation between Turks and Armenians.

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Rating agency Moody’s Investor Service (Moody’s) warned the UK that it might downgrade the country’s triple-A credit rating because the “weaker macroeconomic environment” looks too challenging for the government’s deficit reducing efforts. Conservative finance minister (“chancellor of the exchequer”) Osborne is using this warning to argue that further debt reduction is of the essence and that further austerity measures are therefore critical for economic recovery. The commitment to “expansionary austerity” – the ideological belief that spending cuts and economic growth go hand-in-hand, even in a time of economic downturn – is more of a bet than a plan, as it has failed for all other European countries currently in crisis.

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Corporations have hijacked most of the rights of people while evading citizen’s responsibilities. The most recent corporate judicial takeover of constitutional rights is the US Supreme Court’s rule that corporations are protected by the first Amendment, being granted the right of free speech to advertise and influence elections. In this op-ed article, professor Bill Quigley argues that in order to strip corporations from personhood and cut them down in size, US national laws must be radically changed.   

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Over the past three decades the financial system has exploded in size and importance. Markets now act as the central hub of an exploitative system that demands unlimited economic growth, stretching people and planet to a breaking point. Rather than losing strength after a financial crisis that sparked economic instability and recession across the globe, the power of financial institutions has only increased since 2008. Yet, despite its social importance, the financial system appears incomprehensible for the vast majority of citizens. This booklet published by Corporate Watch aims at contributing to a popular understanding of the banking and finance sector and its vast role in society.   

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The Volcker Rule, named after former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, is part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, and aims to limit risky forms of bank trading that can negatively affect their customers and the general public. On the last day the public was able to comment on the rule before it is implemented in July, some of the world’s largest financial institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley stepped up their lobbying efforts against it. The banks claim that the rule will dry up liquidity and limit hedging abilities, leading to financial instability. The finance sector is using these arguments in an attempt to stall and amend the rule, denying that risky, self-interested behavior led to the financial and economic crisis. 

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Europe’s political leaders intend to introduce a financial transaction tax (FTT) as a key part of their efforts to contain and solve the financial and economic crisis. The levy – modeled after James Tobin’s eponymous currency tax – is supposed to end financial market volatility and generate revenues to deal with government debt. Earlier versions were proposed to finance outstanding development aid commitments, commitments that are yet again shelved in the name of self-interest. Economist Barry Eichengreen argues that the proposed FTT will miss its mark and can only be understood in terms of political gain rather than economic sense. Even though an FTT will decrease the number of transactions, it will mainly incentivize investors to go elsewhere and do nothing to mitigate Europe’s critical banking problem. 

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The “market efficiency” argument for the use of PMSC in peacekeeping refers to PMSCs alleged willingness to serve UN mandates and their readiness to respond. The authors argue, however, that in order for the UN to use PMSCs, much more UN directed training to improve coherence and effectiveness would be needed. But are the resources and efforts required for creating a profit-driven army worth the outcome?

In 2011, GPF strengthened its work on Food & Hunger issues at the UN, organized an international conference on Security Council reform in Brussels, met 40 times with Security Council Ambassadors and UN officials, continued to look at the role of NGOs in global governance, increased its presence on social networks, and much more. Find out what we've been up to!

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DeSmogBlog, a site that keeps track of global warming misinformation campaigns, has released leaked confidential documents that expose the inner workings of the Heartland Institute – a right-libertarian organization that actively discredits established climate science. The documents reveal that the institute redirects funds from major supporters like Microsoft, Koch Industries and RJR Tobacco to influential bloggers, lobbyists and “scientists” to create an “alternative reality on climate science.” Among its now disclosed plans is a $100.000 scheme to develop a misleading curriculum on climate change for US schoolchildren. 

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