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UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has disclosed that he made the “painful and difficult” decision to temporarily remove the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen from a blacklist for violating child rights because of “undue pressure” from its supporters who threatened to stop funding many programmes being run by the global organisation.
The United Nations chief told reporters on Thursday he had to consider “the very real prospect” that millions of other children in the Palestinian territories, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and many other places “would suffer grievously” if the world body’s programmes were defunded.
The secretary general was responding to what he called the “fierce reaction” to his decision, which was denounced by human rights groups.
They accused the secretary general of caving in to Saudi Arabia and said the US-backed coalition belongs to the list for its attacks on children, schools and hospitals.
Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2016
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Comments (41) Closed
Jun 10, 2016 07:02am
This man should be immediately removed from his position as a Secretary General Of World Organization. Saudi Arabia should be thrown out of the UN Organization.
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Jun 10, 2016 07:08am
UN body is controlled by USA. USA and saudi Arabia both are unnatural ally. Both are threat to peace. Pakistan has bleeded because of both.
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Jun 10, 2016 07:40am
@N: I absolutely agree with you.
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Jun 10, 2016 08:01am
That was the time he should have refused to succumb and even resign after exposing his supporters. There is nothing that can force you taking decisions against your conscious. Unfortunately he prefered to stick on under the garb of saving other programs; its not matter of choices that you pick the least evil but calling spade a spade. Extremely sad indeed.
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Jun 10, 2016 08:06am
Look at the partiality of the world largest organization. Might is Right. USA! you are the most cunning nation of the world.
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Jun 10, 2016 08:06am
Shameful. Really shameful.
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Jun 10, 2016 08:48am
Hence proved, UN is just a banana stamp and has no moral/ legal grounds. Money only works.
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Jun 10, 2016 09:06am
Money is the only power in this world.
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Jun 10, 2016 09:17am
Then you are not fir for this position... Please resign.
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Jun 10, 2016 09:19am
@N well said N
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Jun 10, 2016 09:34am
I really appreciate Dr. Ban Ki Moon's honesty to speak out the truth.
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Jun 10, 2016 10:31am
very sad to know. if Sudan, Yaman, iran and other country remain under UN sanctions why not Saudia? they themselves violate these rights and blame others.
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Jun 10, 2016 10:41am
@N Agree with you in parts.
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Jun 10, 2016 10:51am
For a man of your status, Mr. Ki-moon, to succumb to pressure is unacceptable. To resign would have been the honourable response.
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Jun 10, 2016 11:11am
This piece of information just reinforced the belief about the fact that UN is a toothless body. It is controlled by the rich for their vested interests.
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Jun 10, 2016 11:17am
Ban Ki Moon should man up and step down from his post
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Jun 10, 2016 11:25am
Civilized or uncivilized the world is almost same. There is still power game only.
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Jun 10, 2016 12:03pm
Of course, expect the Saudis and their sponsors to deny it. They would claim they are working hard to bring peace and prosperity in Syria, Libya and Yemen, with the bombardments, supply of arms and cash to various groups!
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Jun 10, 2016 12:58pm
This has only proved yet once again that with money you can buy anything - even UN favourable reports.
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Jun 10, 2016 01:12pm
YES Might becomes right. Specially US and Saudis do not know what is right!
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Jun 10, 2016 02:58pm
Mr. Ban Ki Moon without any hesitation shall resign from his post. He has been failing for years. He didn't do anything for kids of West Bank and didn't disclose pressure from USA. UNO needed to be disbanded where 5 big powers are playing their agenda on others.
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Jun 10, 2016 03:06pm
UN chief has spoken up the truth, partly. One tends to speak "the truth" when it suits them. Will he please speak up on Bashr-al-Assad regime's actrocities in syria, Israel's in Palestinian territories and India's in occupied Kashmir? Obviously not.
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Jun 10, 2016 03:24pm
@Khan : Can't agree more. He should do this to highlight the plight of UN in hands of abusive powers of the world.
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Jun 10, 2016 03:50pm
Honorable person would have resigned instead of caving in to the pressure and making meaningless statements afterwards.
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Jun 10, 2016 04:07pm
The weak and the innocent are manipulated in many ways. Yes I agree with many comments the man should precisely state with proof's the pressure he is under.
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Jun 10, 2016 04:33pm
Mr. Ban Ki Moon is honest and not hiding the facts at UN. We should commend and credit him for his honesty for exposing the facts about the pressure sources and the reason behind. Mr. Ban Ki Moon is a paid employee of UN that is controlled by five super power permanent members. Saudi is still exposed as human rights violator and war crimes against children.
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Jun 10, 2016 04:41pm
A stronger person would have resigned instead of buckling under the pressure. Spineless!
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Jun 10, 2016 04:45pm
This shows the backround of UN.
This is how every US attack is backed by UN.
So shameful.
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Jun 10, 2016 04:46pm
UN like its predecessors has failed. Be ready for the next war.
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Jun 10, 2016 05:09pm
What a shame...killing children and bombing schools...may God bring his wrath upon them
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Jun 10, 2016 06:13pm
WE SALUTE YOUR COURAGE TO SERECTARY GENERAL. WORLD NEEDS MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU. GOD BLESS.
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Jun 10, 2016 06:21pm
Any country could give a threat to any other country since the globalization has made us dependent on each other in one way or the other. The question is, that is there any way to stop this blackmailing?
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Jun 10, 2016 06:57pm
This guy ban ki moon is just afraid of his job. He doesn't want to loose his job doesn't matter even if the lives of children are at stake.
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Jun 10, 2016 07:45pm
Very shameful and sad, this is a new low for humanity. So many people look up to the UN for help
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Jun 10, 2016 08:11pm
I bet this is NOT the first time the UN has caved in to pressure.
It's high time to dissolve the toothless UN.
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Jun 10, 2016 09:04pm
@N "Pakistan has bleeded because of both"
Very true! for instance Pakistan suffered huge losses in three years after the nuclear tests when the Saudi tyrants gave us FREE oil. We suffered before that when they paid for our 34 F-16s. We again suffered in 2013 when they gave billion $ to the new government. All this time our beloved friend Iran has been busy covering up the Indian spy and figures like Uzair Baloch.
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Jun 10, 2016 09:58pm
The honorable thing to do, Mr. Ban-Ki Moon, would be to RESIGN.
But honour and caring about the dead children is not part of your DNA...
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Jun 10, 2016 10:36pm
Sad to see UN being marginalized to the extent that it has to buckle down on principle issues such support for children around the world. In the last couple of years US and Israel put immense pressure on Ban Ki to drop charges against Israel for bombing Palestinian Schools in 2014. France used its Vito power to block Morocco being put on child-killing-army list. India and US blocked UN efforts to put Indian Army on Child-killing-army list for raping and killing Kashmiri school kids. Mr Ban Ki bend over every time. But this is the first time Human Rights, Main Stream Media backed by US State Dept and Ban Ki Moon have decided to name and shame Saudi led coalition which ironically is bombing US and UK made bombs on targets provided by US and UK imagery of the possible military fields.
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Jun 10, 2016 11:16pm
So, to clarify, the UN puts money before the human rights of the Yemen population. This proves that the OIC is now fully in control of the UN and the UN has lost any credibility that it might still have had. Saudi Arabia alliance with western powers must be severed, brutally and the consequences dealt with head on. The USA must stop propping up Saudi Arabia and the other 56 islamic countries. No aid, or trade with any of them.
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Jun 11, 2016 08:04am
he should resign instead of doing if and but on vital geopolitical issues.No a single SG in UN history has upholded realism but forwarded fiction of law. This rendered the organization worthless and white elephant for poor countries.Better the 3rd world to organize own body keeping to itself upholding their own axiom of truth etc...Million of persons are illegally wantering on international borders in Europe and no international procedure has yet been adopted to stop such influx from where ever they originated...
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Jun 11, 2016 01:55pm
UN chiefs should also look into other part of the world, especially the conduct of Israel and should issue similar statements telling everyone why Israel is not curtailed for her actions against the Palestinians - is it also because of threats? Please name the countries?
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