Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and elsewhere: Stop the violations of democratic international law!

UBUNTU, la rete mondiale di formazioni di società civile, si mobilita perchè sia rispettato il Diritto internazionale democratico che ha le sue radici nella Carta delle Nazioni Unite. In particolare chiede che l'uso legittimo del militare avvenga sotto diretto comando dell'Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and elsewhere:
- Stop the violations of democratic international law!

Rather than just one specific event that bothers us – there are so many of them! – and rather than a specific complex situation that worries us – again, there are far too many of them! – it is a series of events that we have been concerned about for some time and which we have spoken out against: a whole host of situations, trends, actions (and inactions) that once again demand, with even more energy than before, that we the undersigned participants, members and friends of the UBUNTU Forum collectively speak out and say once again: STOP THE VIOLATIONS OF DEMOCRATIC INTERNATIONAL LAW!

In Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan… deadlock, militarization and the use of all kinds of mechanisms that disregard or do not comply with democratic international law founded on universal human rights (clandestine prisons, “illegal” flights, shameful walls, ‘selective’ killings, collateral damage, disproportionate responses, technical errors, etc. seem to be the flags of the new barbarities of the powerful) mean that in the conflicts of today the widespread and indiscriminate suffering that civil society is subjected to in these areas seems to be of no importance and to be without limit or end.

The 2005 UN Summit, which was influenced by the events of 11 September 2001 (which we have condemned and will continue to condemn as an act of expression through violence and struggle), dealt, among other issues, with the themes of world peace and security. Even though it was unable to come up with many specific solutions, the summit fortunately did declare:

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• We acknowledge that peace and security, development and human rights are the pillars of the United Nations system and the foundations for collective security and well-being. We recognise that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.
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• The international community, through the United Nations, also has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means […] to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
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In this context, and in many others prior to the UN itself, we finally speak out together to firstly DEMAND:

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• An immediate end to the ignominious events, situations and actions such as those described above and in particular that the armed forces should act in these deadlocked conflicts as ‘blue helmets’ under UN command.
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• Real reform once and for all of the UN, giving it the powers, functions and human and financial resources it requires, together with the unwavering and unequivocal commitment from all parties, especially the most powerful states, to redress the sad trends and realities today without delay and with firmness of purpose.
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And secondly, we CALL ON the citizens of the world, in particular international civil society organisations and social movements, to continue mobilising to restore a climate of dialogue in the world and to achieve peace and justice everywhere.