General Assembly approves $7 billion for 15 peacekeeping missions

[struggle4progress]

Source: Dominican Today

United Nations.– Acting on the recommendations of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the General Assembly today approved an appropriation of almost $7.08 billion for the financing of United Nations peacekeeping for the financial period running from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

That amount includes $1.24 billion for the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), $1.57 billion for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), and $858.77 million for the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) –three of the Organization’s largest peacekeeping operations ...

Read more: http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2008/6/21/28393/General-Assembly-approves-7-billion-for-15-peacekeeping-missions

[Spouting Horn]

1. Let's see if they can lower

the child molestation rate among their "peacekeepers" for this fiscal year.

[ohio2007]

2. It's a cultural thing to some member nations

certain countries it is permissable for such behavior.Those countries will be excused from any prosection imo.

So,
where are these 15 missions located?

funny how the article didn't see fit to print that bit of data......

[struggle4progress]

3. Who disciplines UN Peace-keepers? (Slate / May 08)

Peacekeepers on Trial
How U.N. blue-helmets get disciplined.
By Nina Shen Rastogi
Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 5:07 PM ET

... Who's responsible for the bad behavior of U.N. peacekeepers in the field?

Troop-contributing nations. U.N. member countries are expected to volunteer portions of their armed forces to serve in peacekeeping missions; currently there are nearly 75,000 troops on active duty, the vast majority of whom come from developing nations in Africa and South Asia. Contributing nations maintain exclusive jurisdiction over their military troops, which means that neither the United Nations nor the host country can take legal action against soldiers. Though the United Nations has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to sexual exploitation and abuse, the most severe action it can take is repatriation of the accused—at the contributing nation's expense—and, if the accused is eventually found guilty, a block on future service in U.N. missions. Investigations into serious violations of U.N. rules, which include sexual exploitation, are conducted by members of the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services, and the final decision to repatriate is made by the New York headquarters of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. In 2007, large numbers of Moroccan peacekeepers in Ivory Coast and Sri Lankan troops in Haiti were sent home for sexual offenses.

Repatriated military offenders rarely face criminal prosecution in their home nations, however, largely because of a lack of political will and reluctance on the governments' part to publicly admit to acts of wrongdoing ...

http://www.slate.com/id/2192272/

[ohio2007]

4. Al-Qaida urges Somalis to fight UN ( middle east countries sending peacekeepers to Somalia ? LOL )

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — An al-Qaida spokesman has urged Islamist militants in Somalia to fight a United Nations peacekeeping force slated to be deployed there.

In a 19-minute video posted on a militant Web site Sunday, Abu Yahya Al-Libi also urged Muslim extremists to set up an Islamic government in Somalia.

The Somali government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia agreed this month to "end all acts of armed confrontation" within 30 days and remove Ethiopian troops once a U.N. peacekeeping force is deployed.

Al-Libi is one of the most visible faces of al-Qaida on the Internet, and has released five statements this year.

He gained fame for escaping from Afghanistan's notorious Bagram prison in 2005.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gKOtmEruZ32U-yU3e-6meqQNf7LwD91FAPN80

I can't imagine there will be one Arab muslim country sending peacekeepers into another muslim country so close to home.
The implications, the riots, the outrage,
oh the humanity of it all.

[ohio2007]

5. UN security head steps down

UN security head steps down
Published: Tuesday 24 June 2008 20:35 UTC
Last updated: Tuesday 24 June 2008 20:35 UTC
The head of the United Nation's Department of Safety and Security, the Briton Sir David Vaness, has resigned in connection with the 11 December bombing of a UN office in the Algerian capital Algiers. Seventeen UN staff members were killed in the bombing of a UN office claimed by the al-Qaeda network.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has accepted Sir David's resignation.After the bombing UN staff members demanded an investigation. It found that security measures taken by the Algerian government were insufficient, which meant the UN should have done something to protect its office.



http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5846749/UN-security-head-steps-down

UN can't even wipe their own asses with al-Qaeda's foot buried so deep in it.

Yet they are willing to handle 15 peace keeping missions where a few of them may end up antagonizing the AQ types and its supporters.