Home
Welcome Members, Supporters, and everyone out there who believes the United Nations would function more effectively with systematic input from Civil Society - “We, the peoples”. This is the website of UNGA-Link UK (the abbreviated name of the UK Network for Civil Society Link with UN General Assembly, as in the constitution adopted 5 June 1999).
Since I last updated this page in June, Governance has remained front page news with reports of the social and political upheavals across North Africa and the Middle East still working themselves out. An election for a Constituent Assembly will be held in Tunisia on 23 October 2011, delayed from 24 July to allow more time for preparation. In the Peace & Security category, I’ve posted my notes of a recent UNA meeting with speakers on the Middle East generally and Tunisia in particular.
A three-stage election process beginning 28 November 2011 will result in a new parliament in Egypt by 10 January 2012, the date of the final run-off. There is some uneasiness about the on-going role of the military in Egypt’s government and how the Muslim Brotherhood will use their new political opportunities. In Bahrain, the Yemen, Syria and Libya the news is of violent conflict as governments use brutal force, often against unarmed protestors. In Libya alone did the United Nations, as represented by its Security Council, vote to intervene “to protect the civilian population” (SCR 1973).
The UK government now speak of the NATO intervention in Libya as a major success although Gaddafi has still not been found and the situation in Sirte is as appalling as that in Benghazi and Misrata ever were or could have been. Our Prime Minister talked some good sense to the UN General Assembly – “The building blocks of democracy have to be developed patiently from the grassroots up. The process will be different in every country.” And that should happen through the non-violent cooperation of civil society groups and governments accountable to their people.
The current technical problem I face is getting lots of totally irrelevant posts from people who register as contributors – on beach towels, jewellery and rental cars for example. I can delete them (that technical hitch was resolved) but I’d rather spend the time browsing relevant websites and updating this one.
At the moment we have 101 contributors, with about a dozen more in my Inbox awaiting registration.
Till soon, I hope,Alison Williams (Co-ordinator/Editor UNGA-Link UK)