I'm former Prime Minister of
#NewZealand
& former
@UNDP
Administrator: passionate about human & sustainable
#development
worldwide. Retweets aren't endorsements
Naivety is to swallow hook, line & sinker every breathless report generated out of 5 Eyes ๐ โintelligenceโ. If that had been NZโs approach in 2003, NZ would have been in disastrous war in Iraq, just as decades earlier it swallowed domino theory on Vietnam
Deeply saddened to wake in Europe this morning to news that Jacinda Ardern is stepping down as NZ PM. Jacinda has done an amazing job leading NZ & always brought humanity, empathy, & intelligence to the job. Much to be said, but for now - just thank you.
New Zealand sometimes is thought of as a small country, so it's interesting to see juxtaposed on a map of Europe. This shows its length from the north of the North Island to Stewart Is comparable to the disatnce from north of Copenhagen to southern France & maybe a bit below!
Wishing
@jacindaardern
&
@NZClarke
all the best as they expect their 1st child in June: a super busy year coming up & much to look forward to. Every
#woman
should have the choice of combining family & career.
Serious as allegations around a tiny % of now former
@UNRWA
staff may be, this isnโt the time to suspend funding to UNโs largest relief & development agency in
#Gaza
.
#NZ
has 3 year funding agreement w/
#UNRWA
& should stick to it:
Congratulations to
@jacindaardern
&
@NZClarke
on the birth of their daughter ๐ถ๐ปtoday. What a proud day for Jacinda & Clarke & for us all. New life, new hope. Parenting arrangements are
#genderequality
in action. This is 21st C NZ.
#ProudKiwi
๐ณ๐ฟ
70 years ago today, 26 February 1950, I was born in Hamilton NZ. The 70 years have gone quickly. Life continues to be very full. Iโm grateful 2 have good health, a wonderful family, many friends, and support networks at home and around the world. Special thanks 2
@PeterByardDavis
What does it say about our political systems when talented
#women
leaders withdraw saying that they no longer have the energy to do the job? Wake up call for our societies about the extra pressures imposed on women in public life.
Big celebration today for Dadโs 101st birthday: Frederick George Clark, born 8 March 1922 in Hamilton,
#NewZealand
. Family & friends came to celebrate. Dadโs long life is an inspiration to us all. 8 March is also
#IWD2023
so we celebrate this & Dadโs birthday together.
โUS demands social media details from visa applicantsโ reports โฆ
@BBCWorld
โฉ. On the face of it, this seems rather extraordinary. If an authoritarian regime was demanding such information โน๏ธ from visa applicants, wouldnโt eyebrows be raised?
Suspension of funding by 9 countries to
@UNRWA
amounts to further collective punishment of besieged
#Gaza
population.
#UNRWA
is largest UN humanitarian & development service provider there. Staff accused of crimes have been dismissed. Do donors want relief operation to collapse?
UNRWA lifesaving assistance is about to end following countries decisions to cut their funding to the Agency.
Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a
Some weeks ago, a number of western countries suspended funding to
#UNRWA
. Now US intelligence casts doubt on Israelโs claims of UNRWA-Hamas links & reveals that Israel has not shared the raw intelligence with US. So, whatโs stopping funding reinstatement?
#Myanmar
military marked Armed Forces Day on Saturday with lethal force killing more than 90 people.
#ResponsibilityToProtect
endorsed by UN General Assembly seeks to protect populations from crimes against humanity. Time Security Council acted.
@GCR2P
Like all New Zealanders, I'm in a state of shock about the terrorist attacks on 2 Christchurch mosques which killed 40 people & left 20+ seriously injured. This isn't the NZ we know & love. It's an unprecedented attack. Deepest sympathies to families. RIP
Decision of USA๐บ๐ธ President to defund
@WHO
is disastrous. WHO is working to turn tide on
#Covid_19
; it is not responsible for President ignoring advice which could have seen a fast USA response & saved thousands of lives. This is no time for
#blamegame
.
Extraordinary election night in New Zealand with big win for
@jacindaardern
@nzlabour
. Heavy advance voting suggested strong interest in voting. Govtโs leadership on
#COVID
-19 makes
#NZ
one of safest places in world to be during pandemic; that counts a lot. Congrats
#Jacinda
!
Meanwhile in
#Rwanda
๐ท๐ผ, President
@PaulKagame
has announced a Cabinet which is 50% female just days after
#Ethiopia
's ๐ช๐นย leader did the same. Exciting to see
#African
countries in the vanguard of achieving
#genderparity
in Cabinets.
#NZ
is small contributor to
@UNRWA
. Relieved to hear that like Norway & Ireland it isnโt suspending payments to
#UNRWA
for vital humanitarian & development work it does with & for more than 5 million Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria:
Two wrongs donโt make a right. Terrorist attack on Israel must be condemned. It does not, however, justify the collective punishment of 2 million + people in
#Gaza
. Ceasefire needed for aid to flow, negotiation of hostage release, & steps towards peace โฎ๏ธ.
Taliban are using Twitter to proclaim their killing of Afghan pilot & Govt deputy head of media, along with broadcasting their occupation of cities, all at a time when they had committed to return to Doha talks. Why does Twitter provide platform for this?
What a headline in
@washingtonpost
: New Zealand ๐ณ๐ฟ isn't just flattening the curve on
#Covid_19
; it's squashing it". Indeed there are grounds for optimism that NZ's approach of moving to elimination is working: lockdown/test/contact trace/detect/ isolate:
History in the making in New Zealand:
@jacindaardern
&
@nzlabour
on course to hold absolute majority in Parliament. Labour has a commanding party vote & is picking up electorate seats from Opposition too.
An honour to be elected as a President of
@ChathamHouse
& to serve in that capacity alongside Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller and Lord Darling.
#ChathamHouse
is a trusted & independent voice on global issues & I am delighted to support it.
@CHGlobalHealth
Itโs an old & easily recognisable tactic: paint the economic outlook as bleak as you can, & then use that as an excuse for draconian public spending cuts. Countries need strategic leadership which follows a longer term course to economic & social stability
Amazing reaction to
#NZ
๐ณ๐ฟ Prime Minister
@JacindaArdern
video: in 2 minutes she sets out achevements of government she leads. At a time when protesters in many countries are demanding that their governments address inequality & sustainability, the progress in NZ is refreshing:
Absolutely incredible to watch this
@jacindaardern
video be pinged around the world. In the last 48 hours, it's seemingly gone everywhere from the UK to Pakistan, and has even gone viral in Lebanon - becoming another tool for protestors to push for change
How can tax breaks for landlords be a priority over benefit incomes for the poorest New Zealanders, over school lunches, over the critical Cook Strait ferry infrastructure, over a general 6.5% reduction to public spending impacting across services?
Welcome to New Zealand ๐ณ๐ฟ โฆ
@BehrouzBoochani
โฉ, Kurdish Iranian journalist & refugee, detained for 6 years on
#Manus
Island, PNG, & given visa to NZ to speak โฆ
@WORDChCh
โฉ. Donโt miss his event at festival on 29 Nov. Proud of my country. โฎ๏ธ
New Zealand has joined the small group of nations now recording no cases of
#COVID19
. Clear leadership & an engaged public have produced this result. Principles of inclusion, resilience & sustainability should now guide recovery in NZ & globally.
.
@jacindaardern
spoke to the strong values of New Zealand ๐ณ๐ฟ in utterly rejecting the extremist views which drove the terrorist attack on the 2 Christchurch mosques ๐๐. Such an attack on any New Zealanders is an attack on us all & our values of tolerance & valuing diversity.
โYou may have chosen us,
but we utterly reject
and condemn you.
[Your] extremist views
have absolutely no place
in New Zealand
and in fact,
have no place in the World.โ
- Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern ๐
#WeStandWithNewZealand
Havenโt police got better things to spend public money on than flying helicopter over couple's home to spray 3
#cannabis
plants grown for medical reasons: husband is recovering from cancer & wife has autoimmune disease. Medicinal cannabis expensive to buy:
Very disturbing to read of succession of critically ill
#children
evacuated from
#Nauru
๐ณ๐ท suffering acute depression & resignation syndrome.
#Migrants
isolated on the island for long periods lose hope of better life. Time for others to receive them:
Very distressing reading; 6 year old Hind killed in a car in
#Gaza
with 5 relatives as they tried to flee bombardment, as was the ambulance crew who came to rescue her after her frantic calls to her mother. Incomprehensible that this carnage continues:
Big day today, 8 March, for the Clark family: Dad, George Clark, turns 102 today! Cards are arriving from the King and Queen, the Governor General, & many more. We are so fortunate to have our father with us at this great age & in good spirits! Itโs also International Womenโs Day
Proud of
#NZ
voting for a ceasefire in the conflict in
#Gaza
. The toll of human life, the injuries, the infrastructure damage is horrendous. The cycle of violence must end. Two-state solution must come back into the frame. Meanwhile hostages must be released & aid must flow.
BREAKING: UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution on โprotection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligationsโ on the ongoing Gaza crisis
FOR: 120
AGAINST: 14
ABSTAIN: 45
LIVE COVERAGE
Prof Michael Baker, leading NZ epidemiologist argues that mask-wearing needs to become a social norm in indoor environments outside the home. Argues for mix of self-responsibility & regulation. Current trajectory could lead to 20,000+
#COVID
cases & 20 deaths a day?
#TimeToAct
'If you go out when you have this infection and infect your friends and family...you are going to kill some people - just like drinking and driving. We need a massive shift in thinking,' Prof. Michael Baker says we need to start taking this COVID wave more seriously
#NationNZ
Iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at 87 at home in Washington DC. A woman of the highest integrity,
#RBG
made her mark from an early age on
#genderequality
cases; stood for fairness &
#humanrights
for all. She will be greatly missed
Wishing โฆ
@chrishipkins
โฉ all the best as
#NZ
PM & Leader of โฆ
@nzlabour
โฉ. Highly intelligent, competent, experienced, energetic, hard working, unflappable, dedicated to serving NZ & well qualified for the job. All the attributes needed to do well
Many questions for Ethiopian Govt & military to answer over report of massacre in
#MahbereDego
#Tigray
on โฆโฆ
@BBCWorld
โฉ. This & other horrific reports need independent investigation by โฆ
@UNHumanRights
& UN Security Council attentionโฉ. โฆ
#R2P
Merry Christmas to all who observe this time around world ๐บ. For me itโs a time for family & friends in NZ. We're fortunate to know peace๐, but our thoughts are w/ those around the world frm Sudan ๐ธ๐ฉ to Yemen ๐พ๐ช, Afghanistan ๐ฆ๐ซ and beyond for whom these are very difficult times
29 deaths related to
#Covid19
deaths reported in NZ today. Stop ๐ & think about it. 29 families who have lost loved ones. Countless bereaved friends. We cannot become inured to this. Cases are rising again. Public health measures need to be recalibrated
Very shocked to hear of shooting & many deaths & injuries at Christchurch NZ mosque ๐ where people were at Friday prayers. My heart goes out to all bereaved families & the Muslim community. This is a heinous hate crime. RIP.
Airstrikes on
#Mekelle
, capital of Ethiopia's
#Tigray
region mark an escalation in this conflict & surely call for urgent attention of UN Security Council. People in region are already suffering badly from 11 months of war with significant numbers pushed to brink of starvation.
Counterproductive for POTUS to cut USA ties with
@WHO
at any time, let alone at time of health crisis. It's an effort to distract attention from his own disastrous handling of
#COVID19
. The world needs a USA working collaboratively, not throwing a tantrum:
Taliban have taken 5
#Afghanistan
๐ฆ๐ซ provincial capital cities in recent days & continue campaign of assassination of govt officials & airforce pilots. UN Security Council has been urged to act. Afghanistan Govt & people need support right now.
@UNDPPA
Reading this
@nytimes
article will give background to why both
#NZ
๐ณ๐ฟ National- & Labour-led governments offered to help resettlement. Many of those on
#Manus
are recognised as
#refugees
by
@UN
. That gives them rights - among other things to protection. Time for some humanity:
#NewZealand
๐ณ๐ฟ PM
@jacindaardern
condemns โdevastating 1-sided loss of lifeโ on
#Gaza
#Israel
border after dozens of deaths & 1000s of casualties; says move of US Embassy to Jerusalem isnโt helpful in search for peace between State of
#Palestine
&
#Israel
Hard to read this story from
#Bangladesh
๐ง๐ฉ where 19 year old woman
#NusratJahanRafi
was burned to death for reporting sexual harassment by her school headmaster. Reminds us how far we are from
#genderequality
& eliminating violence against women. RIP.
Sending children to school when sick is irresponsible. It perpetuates cycles of illness in the community which threaten the lives, health, and wellbeing of others, especially the most vulnerable. For the frail elderly, a virus which others may shrug off becomes life threatening.
Excellent points here from
@jacktame
. Protecting the health of school communities has to come first.
Making attendance the
#1
goal is manifestly self-defeating.
Sick kids in school -> teachers sick -> families sick -> no-one is learning.
We need an action plan for schools:
1/5
Aid supplies are still being blocked from getting into
#Tigray
where
@UN
says 90% of population needs humanitarian assistance. No aid trucks have delivered since mid-December.
@PowerUSAID
says "Ethiopian government continues to block access for trucks."
Testing drugs at festivals is โa lifesaverโ, UK ๐ฌ๐ง study found drug-related hospital admissions were down 95% after
#drugtesting
was introduced. Also found that drug dealers at festivals are twice as likely to deceive buyers on content of drugs sold.
Eyebrows raised as NZ drops support for proposal to restrict
#bottomtrawling
in Sth Pacific, notwithstanding that it originally proposed it. All that has changed is NZ Govt, not the proposalโs merits; protection for threatened marine ecosystems is vital:
Very sad news from Auckland where NZ Green MP โฆ
@efesocollins
โฉ
has died after collapsing at a charity run. Deepest condolences to Efesoโs family & colleagues. Efeso will be remembered for his strong sense of social justice & fairness. RIP ๐ฅ
27 November 1999. Helen Clark became New Zealandโs first woman to be elected as Prime Minister by voters, and 2nd to hold the office (the first being Jenny Shipley). She was the 5th longest-serving New Zealand PM and the first Labour leader to win 3 consecutive elections.
.
@WHO
has been in โbattle modeโ ever since China ๐จ๐ณ advised it of appearance of new
#coronavirus
writes โฆ
@HelenBranswell
โฉ. Notes WHO response has been guided by rules USA ๐บ๐ธ helped write. Agency needs support, not brickbats. โฆ
@DrTedros
โฉ
โNetanyahu declares no one can halt Israelโs war to crush Hamas, including international courtโ reports PBS
@NewsHour
. Whatever oneโs view of the merits of Sth Africaโs case, a refusal to abide by an eventual ruling of the worldโs top court is astonishing:
More horrifying accounts of
#rape
used as weapon of war against
#girls
&
#women
in
#Tigray
:
@CNN
reports on women being gang-raped, drugged & held hostage, according to survivors medical records & testimonies.
@UNHumanRights
must investigate independently.
We should never be accepting of any irrelevant ill-informed shill from some other country to walk into New Zealand and try to tell us what to do.
Here in New Zealand we respect something called a โcountryโs independent nationhoodโ. That principle seems lost on these people who
I am a co-signatory with all other members of
@TheElders
to a letter to
@JoeBiden
calling for his leadership to end the war in
#Gaza
and to help build a coalition for a peace settlement. The time is now before many more thousands of
#women
, men &
#children
lose their lives.
Dear President Biden
You have a historic opportunity to help end the
#Israel
-
#Palestine
conflict - permanently.
We urge you to:
โ Set out a serious peace plan
โ Help build a new coalition for peace to deliver it
Read our Open Letter to
@POTUS
here:
Classic
#misogyny
at work. Among the attacks on Kamala Harris is that she doesnโt have children. If she did, she would be accused by detractors of neglecting them. Seen it all. These attacks are never made on men.
@CWWLeaders
@WPLeadersOrg
@WomenDeliver
@GWLvoices
And yet Trump, who has god knows how many kids is so empathetic and understanding towards women and families? This just sounds like sexism.
The amazing
@HelenClarkNZ
led NZ, she did not have kids but was a brilliant PM.
Deeply saddened by passing of Jim Anderton, Deputy Prime Minister & a senior minister in my Govt. Jim was a powerful advocate 4 the voiceless & marginalised & for a better, kinder, fairer
#NZ
๐ณ๐ฟ. He had huge leadership capacity & inspired me as a young Labour activist. RIP Jim.
No surprises here: National Party confirms plans to cut social security benefits: indexing to cost of living rather than wages would see someone on jobseeker allowance $40 a week worse off by 2027; pays for tax cuts for others; deepens poverty & inequality
Horrific reports from
#Zimbabwe
๐ฟ๐ผ of abduction & torture, incl sexual assault, of Opposition MP Joana Mamombe & 2 other
#women
activists by security forces; they were found dumped by roadside. Those responsible 4 such terror should be held accountable โฆ
Just saying: Didnโt someone cancel the order for badly needed new NZ inter-island ferries โด๏ธ โด๏ธ. Are we at risk of losing the vital link connecting the North & South Islands? โInterislander ferry Aratere runs aground near Picton, passengers in lifejacketsโ
A classic case of someone who knows the cost of everything & the value of nothing - a conservation minister who thinks it may be cost effective to let
#NZ
endangered species become extinct. On that basis, we could lose
#kakapo
,
#kiwi
& countless other species unique to NZ.
New: Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said yesterday he wants to see costings for saving every species, suggesting it may be more cost-effective to let some species go extinct.
Disturbing to see assault by both Eritrean & Ethiopian troops against
#Tigray
. Many lives already lost on all sides. All parties should agree to immediate ceasefire & negotiations to end conflict. Humanitarian access badly needed
@antonioguterres
@WFPChief
Beyond shocking: new
#NZ
conservative Govt is re-examining countryโs strict gun laws. โEverything is on the table, including changing the existing licensing regime & re-introducing the military-style weapons used in the 15 March terror attacks.โ Dangerous:
Strong words from former
@FBI
Director
@Comey
on latest developments over investigations over what happened around ๐บ๐ธelections. In my experience, what matters most in democracies is quality of institutions, rule of law, representativeness, high levels of trust & social cohesion
Thatโs it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what? DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs.
UN ๐บ๐ณ Security Council has yet to issue a statement on the tragedy in
#Tigray
where there is mounting evidence of war crimes at scale.
@irishmissionun
attempted to get agreement on a statement calling for end to violence in Tigray a month ago to no avail.
All 5 parties in
#Finland
๐ซ๐ฎ Coalition Govt are headed by women; 4 of those 5 women are under 40. PM is 34 & has a toddler. Refreshing 2 see & should invigorate action 2 reduce gender pay gap & 1 of highest rates of domestic violence in Europe.
@UN_Women
Alarm bells should be ringing: โa new departmental agency, independent of the Ministry of Education, would be created to implement, operate and monitor the performance of charter schools.โ Brian Tamakiโs enthusiasm for these schools is also telling.
.
@NanaiaMahuta
's appointment as
#NZ
Foreign Minister is cause for celebration; she is 1st
#woman
to be appointed to it. Nanaia is a highly experienced politician w/ ministerial experience going back to my time as PM. She will represent NZ with distinction.
List of organisations which NZ Govt has approached about applying for fast-tracked consents needs to be compared with lists of those who donated to political parties in government or have other links to ministers. Potential for cronyism is high.
When will
@UN
๐บ๐ณ declare that there is a
#famine
in
#Tigray
? There are credible reports of people dying of hunger & others being very severely malnourished. Very little humanitarian aid has been allowed to enter the region. Time to call a spade a spade:
Another first for Christine Lagarde: nominated to be next President of European Central Bank following 8 impressive years at
#IMF
& 6 years experience as French ๐ซ๐ท Minister of Trade & then Finance . Congratulations
@lagarde
@IMFNews
@ecb
@DavidTaylorNZ
20 year anniversary coming up! I was sworn in as New Zealand ๐ณ๐ฟ Prime Minister on 10 December 1999 - some online media report 5 December, but Friday 10th seems more accurate to me! It does seem a long time ago! This were challenging years, but also years in which I take pride.
#BehrouzBoochani
has been granted refugee status in New Zealand; winner of Australiaโs richest literary prize; detained 6 years on
#ManusIsland
; Behrouz is a strong advocate for the human rights of refugees, migrants, & asylum seekers. โฆ
@Refugees
โฉ
Killings in
#Tigray
of former
#Ethiopian
Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin & 2 other former senior political figures are very concerning: all 3 were elderly & in poor health. Alex de Waal of
@FletcherSchool
calls for high-level international investigation: