UNITED NATIONS, Apil 24 (APP):The United Nations disarmament chief has said that the world today faces challenges similar to the context that gave birth to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and that the threat of use of nuclear weapons is growing.
“The geopolitical environment is deteriorating. Some of the most important instruments and agreements that comprise our collective security framework are being eroded. Rhetoric about the necessity and utility of nuclear weapons is on the rise. Modernization programmes by nuclear-weapon States are leading to what many see as a new qualitative arms race,” Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said.
Ms. Nakamitsu was among the speakers at the opening of the preparatory meeting that began on Monday in Geneva for the 2020 NPT review conference.
The Treaty entered into force in 1970 at the height of the Cold War and is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament.
It was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to further the goals of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament, and to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
“Half a century later the NPT has transcended its initial purpose and has become a core component of our international architecture, the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime and an essential framework for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament,” the High Representative noted.
“Its near universal membership, legally binding commitment to disarmament and verifiable non-proliferation safeguards undergird its status as one of the most successful and credible multilateral security instruments,” she stated.
“That success and that credibility cannot and should not be taken for granted.”
Today’s meeting takes place just days after the announcement by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to freeze its ballistic missile programme and nuclear tests, a decision that has been welcomed by the UN.
Ms. Nakamitsu said that “the decision by the DPRK to suspend nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and to dismantle its nuclear test site, are welcome developments which we hope will contribute to building trust and to sustaining an atmosphere for sincere dialogue and negotiations.”
She added that the Secretary-General looks forward to a positive outcome of the Inter-Korean Summit and hopes for early agreement on a framework for resumption of negotiations leading to verifiable denuclearization and sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (APP):Underscoring the need for overcoming negative stereotypes of young people, Pakistan has called for tapping their potential and creativity in an effort to prevent conflict and build peace.
“Inspired by hope and optimism and an unbridled sense of idealism, the young are agents of change in their communities and societies,” Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the Security Council on Monday.
Despite being repositories of the world’s greatest hopes, young people found themselves at the forefront of some of its biggest challenges, she said in an open Council debate on youth, peace and security that featured the first ever United Nations report on the topic.
They faced socio-economic inequalities, political and social exclusion, discrimination and a lack of fair opportunity, the Pakistani envoy said. The young were also some of the worst victims in situations of armed conflict, humanitarian crises, foreign occupation and long standing and unresolved disputes.
Their sense of justice is aroused and their patience tested by the inconsistent and often selective global response to their pain and suffering, she said. Yet, the fundamental causes enraging youth were often conspicuous by their absence in discourse on such issues.
“If one has nothing to live for, one finds something to die for,” Ambassador Lodhi said, before calling on the international community to break the nexus between desperation and hopelessness.
For far too long, Ambassador Lodhi said young men had been considered perpetrators of violence and young women as victims. While a small minority of youth took to violence, sweeping mischaracterizations of young populations had exacerbated their sense of marginalization. In that light, it was time to recognize that youth were not merely instruments of war making, but essential peace-building partners, the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council.
“They are architects for economic and social development and the establishment of effective, inclusive institutions,” she added.
As for Pakistan, she said her government was implementing comprehensive strategies to counter the narrative of extremism, and at the same time, engage the country’s youth so that they could become productive members of the society.
“We have adopted a whole of society approach, based on engagement with civil society including faith leaders, local communities and the media to promote the concept of a plural society based on building peaceful and harmonious communities, the Pakistani envoy said.
A major focus of that approach, she said, has been the empowerment of youth at the grassroots level by engaging them in decision-making processes.
“We are also investing in youth to provide them the opportunity to live their dreams and enable them to become Pakistan’s future leaders.”
Ambassador Lodhi said over a million young people had benefitted from the “Prime Minister’s Youth Programme”, which was aimed at providing the under-privileged with skills training, access to higher education as well as to employment.

WASHINGTON, April 23 (APP:The number of foreign students enrolling for American universities fell 3 per cent in the year 2016-17 and is expected to double this school year, according to a news report, and American universities are blaming the drop on the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies.
Conversely, competitive universities in other countries are benefiting from the US immigration policies and aggressively enrolling students who, otherwise would have come to the American universities, a report by the POLITICO online news magazine said.
“The decline in foreign students enrolling in American colleges is just the latest evidence of Trump’s immigration policies shutting doors in America. The U.S. is also granting fewer visitor visas to people from around the world,” the report said.
Supreme Court is slated to take up the travel ban case this week and dozens of higher education groups in their submission for that case have blamed the ban for a drop in students’ enrollment for American colleges.
They argue that the tough immigration policies, including the travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, are sending a “clarion message of exclusion to millions” that in turn is impacting universities.
“We don’t actually need to be negative about the American academy, as President Trump is doing more damage to “brand America” on his own than any competitor country ever could,” Phil Honeywood, the CEO of Australia’s international education association, was quoted as saying by POLITICO.
He said that immigrant policies toward Muslims and migrants were sending out negative messages to students who would, otherwise, have American universities on the top of their list.
Australia posted 12 percent increase in international students last year while universities in
Canada, China, New Zealand, Japan and Spain all posted double-digit increases in international enrollment, the report said citing data from the nonprofit Institute of International Education.
The drop in foreign student enrollment for American universities is the first in the 12 years since IIE started collecting such data. The decline is projected to double in 2017-18, based on findings of a separate online enrollment survey conducted by IIE in October.
“Universities say they need to continue to attract the world’s brightest students for America to maintain its scientific edge.
“They argue foreign students often become important economic drivers, pointing to famous foreign-born entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, who grew up in South Africa and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. International students can also help with the bottom line, since they often pay full freight, and some universities charge them more to attend,” the report said.