The General Assembly: Turtle Bay’s roundup of U.N. news

France urged 15,000 of its nationals in Ivory Coast to leave the country as a “precaution” as political violence persisted in the weeks following the country’s disputed presidential runoff, according to the BBC. The move comes as the World Bank’s President Robert Zoellick announced in Paris, following a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, that ...

By

France urged 15,000 of its nationals in Ivory Coast to leave the country as a “precaution” as political violence persisted in the weeks following the country’s disputed presidential runoff, according to the BBC. The move comes as the World Bank’s President Robert Zoellick announced in Paris, following a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, that the bank’s office in Abidjan had been shuttered and loans have been cut off.

France urged 15,000 of its nationals in Ivory Coast to leave the country as a “precaution” as political violence persisted in the weeks following the country’s disputed presidential runoff, according to the BBC. The move comes as the World Bank’s President Robert Zoellick announced in Paris, following a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, that the bank’s office in Abidjan had been shuttered and loans have been cut off.

Ivory Coast

The United States and France are considering backing the expansion of a U.N. peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast, a move designed to reinforce international efforts to press the country’s long time ruler, Laurent Gbagbo to step down, according ot the Associated Press. There are currently fewer than 9,000 U.N. blue helmets in Ivory Coast.

Somalia

The U.N. Security Council voted today to expand the number of African Union peacekeepers defending the country’s weak transitional government in its struggle against the Islamists Al- Shabaab movement there, according to AFP. The decision followed a political push for an enlarged peacekeeping mission by Uganda.

Gay Rights

Gay and Lesbian rights advocates savored a rare victory on the international stage, applauding a U.N. General decision Tuesday to reaffirm its commitment to condemning unjustified killings of people on the basis of their sexual orientation, according to Reuters. A provision singling out violent sexual discrimination had been removed from a wider human rights resolution. The General Assembly action followed a campaign by the Obama administration to restore the provision on sexual orientation. The U.S., however, ultimately abstained on the resolution, citing other concerns with the text.

Follow me on Twitter @columlynch

Colum Lynch was a staff writer at Foreign Policy between 2010 and 2022. Twitter: @columlynch

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.