Archive for the 'UN' Category
December 14, 2012
The incoming President of the Human Rights Council – Polish Ambassador Remigiusz Henczel – pledged to continue the efforts of his predecessors in ensuring full participation of civil society and human rights defenders in the work of the UN’s main human rights body. He added that to make human rights a reality, the work of human rights defenders must be fully supported by the work of the Council. These positive remarks were made during the Council’s 7th organisational session (10 December) for the next cycle, which will start on 1 January 2013. The organisational session was the first meeting with the Council members newly elected by the General Assembly on 11 November 2012.
In her closing remarks as the outgoing President, Ambassador Dupuy Lasserre of Uruguay highlighted some of the successes and challenges of her 18-month term. She underscored the need for the Council to drive important ‘unpoliticised messages’ while involving a wide range of actors to promote and protect human rights. The President also highlighted the importance of strengthening the stance taken by the Council on reprisals to prevent intimidation against human rights defenders.
For those who are interested to know more about the Council or want to follow its proceedings more closely I recommend the International Service for Human Rights (http://www.ishr.ch/council) who also publishes the Human Rights Monitor, a non-governmental but unbiased take on the sometimes bewildering number of UN human rights bodies and procedures. The draft programme of work of the Council’s 22nd session in March 2013 is available on the OHCHR extranet and here.
The newly elected members of the HRC are (by region):
- Africa: Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Sierra Leone
- Asia: Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates
- Eastern Europe: Estonia, Montenegro
- Latin America and Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela
- Western Europe and Others: USA, Germany, Ireland
The members leaving at the end of 2012 are (by region):
- Africa: Cameroun, Djibouti, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal
- Asia: Bangladesh, China, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia
- Eastern Europe: Hungary, Russian Federation
- Latin America and Caribbean: Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay
- Western Europe and Others: Belgium, Norway, USA
Also interesting to note that Belarus did not observe the diplomatic tradition of making complimentary statements but expressed concern about the election of a Polish diplomat as the next President of the Council and the ‘overrepresentation’ of EU members in important mandates. This discontent was clearly influenced by Poland’s leading role in the creation of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus earlier this year.
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Tags: Belarus, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Monitor, International Service for Human Rights, Poland, Remigiusz Henczel, UN, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council
November 29, 2012
With in mind that today is Women Human Rights Defenders Day, one more post related to women:
The United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women is accepting applications from government authorities, civil society organizations and networks — including non-governmental, women’s and community-based organizations and coalitions, and operational research institutions.
The 2012 UN Trust Fund Call invites proposals in the following areas of action:
i. Closing the Gap on the Implementation of National and Local Laws, Policies and Action Plans that Address Violence against Women
ii. Addressing Violence against Adolescent and Young Girls
Applicants are invited to submit grant proposals for a minimum of US$100,000 up to a maximum of US$1 million for a period of two to three years. The application deadline is 21 January 2013.
The complete Call for Proposals detailing criteria, eligibility requirements and application guidelines is available at: http://grants.unwomen.org/ <http://grants.unwomen.org/> or via the UN Women homepage.
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Tags: civil society organizations, grants, UN Trust FUND, United Nations, Violence against women, women, Women Human Rights Defenders Day
November 17, 2012
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The United Arab Emirates should swiftly end the arbitrary detention and harassment of its critics in line with its obligations as a recently elected member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, say a number of NGOs In an open letter to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Al Nahyan, Human Rights Watch, the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and the West African Human Rights Defenders Network urge the UAE to make reforms in the following key areas.
- Cease arbitrary detentions and respect the right to fair trial
- Respect the right to freedom of expression and opinion
- End the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in detention
- Implement key recommendations of treaty bodies
- Respect the fundamental rights of migrant workers and stateless.
The UAE secured its position on the Human Rights Council on November 12, 2012, after standing unopposed for one of the five vacant seats reserved for Asian states. The UAE’s election to the council coincides with a rapidly deteriorating human rights situation domestically, which led to the European Parliament expressing “great concern” in a resolution adopted on October 26. “Now that the UAE has been elected to the Human Rights Council, it’s high time for real improvements in the human rights situation in the country,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The UAE should mark its election by ending arbitrary detention of 63 political detainees and taking steps to protect the rights of migrant workers.”
Indeed it is good that the NGOs remind the UAE’s rulers that a commitment to human rights entails a commitment to take concrete steps, legislative and otherwise, to uphold the principles and standards of human rights law. These steps should clearly be more than the donations recently made (reported on 16 November) to the United Nations including:
– $10,000 for the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture;
– $30,000 for the United Nations Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of slavery; and….
– $50,000 for the Trust Fund to Support the Activities of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights!
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Tags: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Emirates, HRW, human rights, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sarah Leah Whitson, UAE, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council
September 15, 2012
United Nations Radio: Reprisals against human rights defenders go unpunished
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Scores of human rights defenders in at least 12 countries worldwide have faced serious reprisals and intimidation over the past one year, according to a report by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
The report says the human rights defenders were tortured, detained without trial, beaten, banned from travelling, labeled traitors and subjected to various forms on inhuman treatment mostly in the hands of state security agents.
The Secretary General said it was disheartening that governments concerned were unwilling to fully investigate the cases and bring to justice those behind the reprisals.
In a statement to the UN Human Rights Council Panel on Reprisals, Mr Ban appealed to governments to do more to protect those who cooperate with the UN in the field of human rights.
Duration 44″
http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2012/09/reprisals-against-human-rights-defenders-going-unpunished/
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Tags: Ban Ki-moon, human rights, Human rights defender, multimedia, reprisals, United Nations, United Nations Radio
September 4, 2012
Ban Ki-moon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Thursday 30 August, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who was in Tehran for the Non-Aligned Movement called on Iran to release its political prisoners and human rights defenders. This rather exceptional appeal to release “opposition leaders, human rights defenders, journalists and social activists,” was made in a speech to an Iranian diplomatic college last Thursday. Ban stressed that allowing the Iranian people’s voice to be heard was especially important ahead of the country’s 2013 presidential election, when a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to be chosen. “Restricting freedom of expression and suppressing social activism will only set back development and plant the seeds of instability,” he added. His comments went without official response from Tehran.
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Tags: Ban Ki-moon, Human Rights Defenders, Iran, Non-Aligned Movement, political prisoner, Tehran
August 18, 2012
A few months ago I drew your attention to the annual effort by the UN to collect information on the harassment of those who cooperate with the United Nations (its representatives and mechanisms, including the Special Rapporteurs). Now – on 13 August 2012 – the report has been published as GA A/HRC/21/18 and makes grim reading. Several countries (such as Bahrain, Colombia, Iran, China, Sri Lanka) continue to punish or intimidate persons who had the courage to stand up in the United Nations and accuse their country of human rights violations. Government controlled media routinely refer to them as ‘traitors’ and that is the least of the bad treatment given. One would wish that the UN would be even more outspoken and concrete in protecting its own sources!
full document in PDF:
Click to access A-HRC-21-18_en.pdf
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Tags: Bahrain, cooperation, retaliation, Sri Lanka, UN, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Human Rights Council
July 2, 2012
The UN High commissioner of Human Rights has hardly left the country and the regime shows its true nature by arresting a groups of peaceful demonstrators.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has been informed by reliable sources about the repression of a peaceful demonstration organised by Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), a civic movement that defends women’s rights and freedoms in Zimbabwe.
According to the information received, on June 27, 2012 in the morning, 101 members of WOZA were arrested in the centre of Bulawayo, where protests were due to start at 11.00 a.m in ten different locations. All were taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station, many of whom handcuffed. Their lawyers were denied access to their clients on three occasions. The 101 were released without charges between 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. on the same day, in batches of 5 people so as to prevent any mass protests.
Previously, on June 26, 2012, eight members of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) were also arrested in Bulawayo as they were on their way back from a workshop to commemorate the 2012 United Nations International Day in Respect of Victims of Torture. They were also detained at Bulawayo Central Police Station for an hour, before being released without charges.
On the same day in Karoi, four other members of ZimRights were briefly detained before being released without charges.
The Observatory, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), expresses its deepest concern about the increasing obstacles to freedom of assembly, refers these cases to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs and requests urgent intervention by all. For action modalities go to:
Zimbabwe: Arbitrary arrests of WOZA peaceful demonstrators / June 29, 2012 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT.
Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: arbitrary arrest, Human Rights Defenders, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, women human rights defenders, WOZA, Zimbabwe, ZimRights
June 2, 2012
Margaret Sekaggya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, is preparing her annual report on how States meet their obligations under the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (report to the General Assembly due in October 2012). It focuses on use of legislation, including criminal legislation, to regulate the activities and work of human rights defenders. The report will also be made public on her website: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx. She needs the responses no later than 15 June 2012. Responses may be addressed to the Special Rapporteur at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (defenders@ohchr.org ; fax: +41 22 917 90 06).
The questionnaires in question, in 3 languages, can be found at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/QuestionnaireHRDefenders.aspx
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Tags: Human Rights Defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, questionnaires, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Special Rapporteur
May 23, 2012
The visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Zimbabwe this week got a good amount of media exposure and the report below filed by allAfrica.com gives what seems a fair reflection of her meetings with civil society. BUT why the writer has to stress in the opening line that it concerns “WESTERN-sponsored civil society organisations” which yesterday presented a damning report, is a mystery. If there were many China or Russia supported NGOs I doubt that this would have been added. What matters is whether the sponsorship affects the independence of the organisations. IF that were the case it should certainly be stated clearly but now it is only implied..
allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Civil Society Groups Present Conflicting Reports.
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Tags: Civil society, human rights violations, Navanethem Pillay, Non-governmental organization, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, visit, Zimbabwe
May 17, 2012
High Commissioner’s message for International Day Against Homophobia 2012
Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and the UN has published a video. In this video message the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay (the one whose mandate has just been renewed for 2 years) talks about the human cost of homophobia and transphobia. Around the world, people are arrested, attacked, tortured and killed, just for being in a loving relationship. “We cannot let these abuses stand”, she says, calling on States to repeal discriminatory laws and ban discriminatory practices. “Punish violence and hatred, not love”.
Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Discrimination, High Commissioner, homophobia, Navanethem Pillay, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations, YouTube
