UN Authority Figures

UN General Assembly, Vice-President: Sudan
Term begins September 15, 2009

"More than 2.5 million people have been driven into refugee camps as a result of the Sudanese government's scorched-earth policy in the troubled Darfur region. The policy has flattened villages and killed about 300,000 people." The President of Sudan is currently evading an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. (Getty Images, The Washington Times, June 11, 2009)

Mission of the General Assembly:
"The General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of:
    a. promoting international co-operation in the political field and encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification; b. promoting international co-operation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion." ("UN Charter")

Term of office: 2009-2010

Sudan's Record on "the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion":
"Civilians in Darfur continued to suffer from the effects of genocide. Government forces bombed villages, killed civilians including internally displaced persons (IDPs), and collaborated with janjaweed militias and tribal factions to raze villages and perpetrate violence against women...The government's human rights record...abridgement of citizens' right to change their government; extrajudicial and other unlawful killings by government forces and other government-aligned groups throughout the country; disappearances...torture, beatings, rape, and other cruel, inhumane treatment or punishment by security forces; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention of suspected government opponents, and prolonged pretrial detention; executive interference with the judiciary and denial of due process; obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian assistance; restrictions on privacy; restrictions on freedom of speech...on the press...on freedoms of assembly, association, religion, and movement...violence and discrimination against women, including female genital mutilation (FGM); child abuse, including sexual violence and recruitment of child soldiers..." (US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2008, Sudan)