Global politics and Responsibility to Protect (R2P) by Professor Ramesh Thakur
Professor Ramesh Thakur is a former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and director of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Australian National University. He is leading a critical topic R2P at Victoria University of Wellington. People wonder how will responsibility to protect (R2P) work if UN security council members (responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security) are still divided? ( Russia & China vs US & its European allies)!
Prof Thakur indicated how the UN General Assembly (GA), (one nation, one vote) has a track record of abiding to the prohibition on the use of force by states; generally adheres to international peace, security principles and UN charter, whilst the Security Council can authorize sanctions, use of force etc.....
What is not clear though is whether the General Assembly can recommend that states take military action particularly when the Security Council fails to act.
NB: The responsibility to protect ('R2P') principle articulates the obligations of the international community to prevent conflict occurring, to intervene in conflicts, and to assist in rebuilding after conflicts.
UN compact on migration awareness
JP's presentation to UNA NZ National Council, Wellington, New Zealand , March 2019
UNGA outlined the best way to eal with refugg and migrant influx: "We must save lives and keep migrants out of harm’s way. We must empower migrants to become full members of our societies, highlight their positive contributions, and promote inclusion and social cohesion. To achieve this, we commit to facilitate and ensure safe, orderly and regular migration for the benefit of all.
Remember, you cannot solve a complex situation by a simple answer. i.e Complex problems that our world face today require critical thinking, wisdom and understanding of global issues in a wide, robust and holistic context. We need to use various lens, identify the issues, define the problem clearly and explore various solutions. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”