Death penalty: Should it stay or go?

Good Morning Bloggers!

A UN report has concluded in its findings that the support for abolishing the death penalty is increasing. What are your thoughts on the death penalty? Should it be abolished?

I personally think it should be abolished because I believe living behind bars is a bigger punishment for those who have committed crime! 
What are your reasons for supporting or disagreeing with the death penalty?

Voice your opinions!

Mission in Haiti

Good Evening Bloggers!

Tonight I am blogging about the shocking number of people in need of aid in Haiti!

The UN reports 'there is still a lot to be done' after the really bad earthquake in Haiti. There are about 1,000,000 people homeless and 230,000 deaths. Can you believe ONLY 330,000 people have been given emergency shelter? 70 per cent of resources have yet to be collected to build an interim shelter for the remaining homeless before the rainy season kicks in!

The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) reckons that realistic goals have to be set in time for the monsoon season.

What do you think are the 3 most important things the UN has to prioritize in Haiti, before the rain starts washing away the last hopes of the people in need?

I think the UN should prioritize in shelter, food and health care!

Feel free to voice your thoughts and debate!

UN Peacekeeping

Hello Bloggers!
 

To kick-start my blog I thought of telling you all the purpose of my blog. As I am very interested in the United Nations Organisation and in global politics, I thought of creating a blog that would filter through UNO news and global political issues. I have dedicated a couple of my final year assignments to UNO issues and feel I have enough knowledge to blog about current matters. For one of my course units (Ethics), I decided to do my research report on 'UN's Reputation as a Peacekeeper'. I investigated one specific issue which was the 'Sex Scandal in the DR Congo' with reference to UN's issues/crisis management elements and media coverage. Are you aware of UN peacekeeping missions? Majority of the time it is not really covered in the media, however, when something 'big' occurs it does get decent media coverage. Eager to find out more about the peacekeeping scandal in the DR Congo and the effect it had on UN's reputation, I researched a lot.

There were many media outlets such as the BBC, that felt strongly about the issue and reported how the UN covered up claims regarding rape of women and children in exchange for money. On the other side the UN was blaming the media of blowing things out of proportion and exaggerating to gain public attention. However, this was back in 2004, after 1 year in 2005, the UN admitted to the claims and implemented their new issues management scheme. Preventing the issue before it is an issue. 

As part of the new scheme, the UN dedicated a unit to conduct and discipline (CDU), which is a pre-deployment training programme for peacekeepers. The programme runs to educate potential peacekeepers specifically on misconduct and sexual abuse. As well as that in 2008 the UN Secretary General Ban-Kimoon, addressed the sexual violence issue as a threat to international peace and security. Therefore the Security Council implemented the sexual exploitation and abuse policy under the resolution 1820. Both have been proven to be efficient in optimising professionalism and conducting missions in an ethical manner.

What are your thoughts on the UN peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo? Do you think the UN should have been transparent from the beginning? What would you recommend in terms of improving UN peacekeeping missions in the future?

Voice your opinions!