In December 2024, UN members will vote on a worldwide Cybercrime Convention negotiated since 2019. While the convention is problematic, this Spotlight shows why a conditional acceptance nonetheless seems the best way forward. For this purpose, we first present the different meanings of cybercrime and outline the existing regulatory framework. We then examine the UN negotiations and the possible human rights implications of the convention, showing that it reflects the contestation of human rights norms and a growing division in the UN, yet supporting the convention at this point also enables long-term influence on its implementation.
Schlagwort: United Nations
UN Summit of the Future: Why the Climate-Gender-Conflict Nexus Would Be a Game Changer
World leaders and international civil society will gather in New York on 22-23 September 2024 for the UN Summit of the Future. The Summit is an event where world leaders meet and address current international issues and challenges to find consensus on how to create a better and safer present and future. This blog article takes issue with how the climate-gender-conflict nexus is (not) discussed in the lead-up to the summit. Reviewing the summit documents, I argue that the (draft) Pact for the Future treats gender justice, climate crisis, and conflict as separate silos of challenges, overlooking their interconnectedness. Instead, I emphasize the need for the Summit of the Future to take the climate-gender-conflict nexus seriously, recognizing the climate crisis as a risk multiplier that exacerbates gender inequalities and conflict dynamics.
Beyond Zero Tolerance: The Persisting Challenge of Sexual Abuse by UN Peacekeepers
The United Nations (UN) deploys peacekeepers worldwide to help build peace and security. Meanwhile, a serious problem persists: sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) perpetrated by peacekeepers. Despite extensive efforts, including codes of conduct, sanctions, and training, reports of sexual abuse by peacekeepers continue within mission contexts. By drawing on UN documents aiming at ending SEA by regulating peacekeepers’ behaviour, this blog article examines the gender dimensions of the rules. I argue that a military masculinity culture is reflected in the UN rules that perpetuate instead of fight the risk of SEA.
Neuer Aufschwung oder unüberwindbare Hindernisse? Der SDG-Gipfel 2023 im Zeichen eskalierender globaler Mehrfachkrisen
„The world is far off track“ – Diese Warnung spricht der von 15 Wissenschaftler*innen verfasste Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2023 aus, der eine Woche vor dem SDG-Gipfel am 18. und 19. September durch die Vereinten Nationen veröffentlicht wurde und im Mittelpunkt des Summits stand. Der Gipfel fand im Rahmen der 78. Sitzung der UN-Generalversammlung in New York statt. Er sollte neue Aufmerksamkeit auf die Auswirkungen der vielfältigen und miteinander verknüpften globalen Krisen lenken und Unterstützung für die Umsetzung der Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung auf Regierungsebene generieren. Welche Rolle dabei Konflikt und strukturelle Gewalt für die Dynamiken globaler Krisen wie der Ernährungs- und Klimakrise sowie für die Erreichung der Nachhaltigkeitsziele haben, wird in diesem Beitrag betrachtet.
From Facts to Norm Violations and Accountability? The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine—established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2022—published its report on 15 March 2023, detailing numerous violations of international human rights, criminal and humanitarian law, primarily carried out by Russian forces. Such commissions of inquiry are essential when other enforcement mechanisms are blocked, and can provide avenues for accountability in national, regional, and international courts. The full-scale attention of international institutions on Ukraine is a critical moment to strengthen the work of international fact-finding missions for future and existing armed conflicts.
