Every year the world gets together in the last week of September. This is the United Nation's General Assembly week. This is a time for the world to come together for debate on the most important topics from Poverty to Security. Many are skeptical about the efficacy of this forum, yet this is a forum that is more than just an assembly of people who wield power in the world. To make use of it in a manner more than just "being there" with the "who is who" it is important to understand its working and then work through its forums to create a beneficial impact for your nation.
The UNGA is no ordinary assembly. It is the only universally representative body of the United Nations. The other major bodies are the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice. It has power over the other three as it elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council and other UN bodies, such as the HRC (Human Rights Council), and appoints the secretary-general based on the Security Council's recommendation. Amongst its functions are also selection of judges for international court of justice and managing the financial budget, etc. Thus it is like the corporate body of a private enterprise that overseas important functions like apex appointments and financial decision making.
Membership is a key activity. There are 193 UN member-states, each with a vote in the General Assembly. The assembly's president changes with each annual session and is elected by the body itself. The majority vote is important but so is the individual vote and hectic and high-level lobbying and campaigning is done to win each vote on each contentious issue. Taiwan has lost UN membership battle for over twenty years due to objections from China, as it holds a permanent seat on the Security Council and considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory.
The UN is a body that itself cannot force countries to act in a certain way but it can surely influence countries not to act in a certain way. In the past, there have been some powerful moves to discourage actions against humanitarian values and international laws. The members together can take a stand against another member country. Israel was barred for many years from serving on UN commissions and panels because the slots are allotted according to membership in the UN's five regional groups. Arab states had blocked Israel from membership in the Asia-Pacific Group, which included other Middle Eastern states. Similarly, in August 2012, the General Assembly voted 133-12 to denounce the Syrian government for atrocities since the start of the Syrian uprising in March 2011.
The UNGA 2019 has a special significance for the world and an extraordinary importance for Pakistan. The rise of unilateralism in the world is being felt in every part of the world. Unilateralism is a contradiction and violation of the spirit of multilateralism as a bed-rock of the UN Charter and the principles to which all these member countries are signatories. The US has continued with its imposition of sanctions and building of walls against countries at will. Europe has seen a severe economic and political crisis with Brexit leaving the UK almost leaderless. Italy has strongly shifted to nationalistic ideology. New Zealand experienced the worst example of terrorism while Australia went back to the populist and nationalist philosophy. Latin American countries like Argentina and Venezuela have seen severe economic decline and political interference, while Middle East conflicts have resurfaced with a new vigour.
However, no other danger is as clear and present as the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Modi has blatantly carried out a foreign occupation in violation of the UN Charter which gives Kashmiris the right of self-determination. What has gone on in Kashmir that has literally become a prison for its own citizens is now common knowledge. Pakistan has unleashed an aggressive diplomatic offensive that has made the world aware of the humanitarian crisis and the dangers that it can initiate in the world. The stage is set for the UNGA meeting to put the world support behind this offensive. Some additional steps Pakistan can undertake to get more purchase out of this meeting:
1. Letter to the Citizens of the World-They say letter writing has become outdated. Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook posts have taken over the normal post mail. These are perhaps non-serious forums. The formal world of letters with matters of serious consequence still matters. Letters are addressed to a certain specific individual or group. Letters are on a specific topic. Letters are highlighting issues. Letters are requests of action. Letters are awareness, persuasion and influencing tools. The Kashmir issue will be remembered by the letters written by the political leaders and parliamentarians. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan have started this trend by writing letters to UN and other agencies and the UK, and US parliamentarians and senators have followed suit. The Prime Minister wrote an excellent article on Kashmir that was published in the New York Times. The Prime Minister should write another letter to the Citizens of the World highlighting the human side of how the Kashmir issue is much more than a political conflict, how it is about being a child, a woman, a sister, a father, a mother, a citizen and about being human.
2. Escalate the Psychological Warfare-Pressure is what Pakistan is exerting and pressure needs to be toned up even more before and during the UNGA session. It is a matter of nerves. Pakistan's move of creating similarities between Modi and Hitler hit the right nerves in the West and unnerved Modi enough to complain about it to Trump. Intensive lobbying with opinion makers like Lindsay Graham, Shiela Jackson, Ilhan Omar is a must. Pamphlets and social media need to be used extensively to barrage the share of mind of countries that are sitting on the sidelines tentatively.
3. Leadership Networking and Forums-Sideline meetings may just be inconclusive chats but have great symbolic value. There are some very important meetings lined up. What and how they are presented will be the key to setting the daily agendas of who is wining the perception war. Other forums like the Hate Speech forum which is being co-hosted by Pakistan and Ethiopia are pivots for beefing up the narrative. Modi's hate speeches and agenda can be subtly brought into these conversations to create a running thread and thought on India's hate ideology.
For Pakistan, UNGA 2019 is not business as usual and thus it must do the unusual to get optimum mileage, traction, support and results. In the last 6 weeks, India has been on the defensive; it's time for Pakistan to ensure that this good work gets the final push at UNGA to set the stage for providing Kashmiris the freedom to speak, connect, move and finally live the way they choose and decide to live.
(The writer can be reached at [email protected])
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