BAN, UN RIGHTS CHIEF HAIL ADOPTION OF OUTCOME DOCUMENT AT ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE

New York, Apr 21 2009 5:10PM
Top United Nations officials welcomed today’s adoption of an outcome document, emphasizing the need to address all manifestations of intolerance with greater resolve, on the second day of the world body’s anti-racism <"http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/story23.shtml">Durban Review Conference.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “heartened” that all States at the five-day gathering in Geneva adopted the text by consensus, signalling the international community’s rejuvenation of its commitment to implement the landmark Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) agreed on by nations in 2001.

Today’s adoption gives “hope to the millions of victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance around the world,” he said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3801">statement issued by his spokesperson.

Mr. Ban underlined that “the fight against racism is a continuous process,” voicing hope that Member States not taking part in the current event – including the United States and Israel –will “rejoin the international community soon in the fight against the scourges of racism and racial discrimination.”

Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, hailed today’s development as good news, stressing that it is the culmination of a lengthy process by nations.

The document, she said, contains valuable elements, calling on States to take effective, tangible and comprehensive measures to prevent, combat and eradicate all forms and manifestations of racism, and urging countries which have not yet done so to create and implement national plans to combat intolerance, among other steps.

Further, it highlights the increased suffering since 2001 of many different groups of victims of racism and reaffirms the positive role of freedom of expression while deploring derogatory stigmatization of people based on their religion.

Ms. Pillay stressed that, contrary to media reports, today’s document includes no reference to the defamation of religions.

The adoption comes on the heels of yesterday’s address to the Conference by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was strongly deplored by both the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner

The Iranian leader’s remarks were intended to “accuse, divide and even incite,” Mr. Ban said, while Ms. Pillay characterized them as “grandstanding.”

Protesting Mr. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, delegates of several nations left the conference hall, a move that both officials said they regretted.

The gathering is “too important for anyone to remain outside this conference hall,” the Secretary-General said, while the High Commissioner said that although she was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the Iranian leader’s speech, his behaviour did not “rovide any justification for any other Member States to walk out.”

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ANTI-RACISM REPORT ADOPTED DESPITE ‘DISINFORMATION’ CAMPAIGN – UN RIGHTS CHIEF

New York, Apr 24 2009 4:10PM
At the close of the <"http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/story32.shtml">Durban Review Conference, 182 countries were able to come together on an anti-racism report despite a highly-organized “campaign of disinformation” the United Nations human rights chief said today.

The draft outcome adopted by consensus this Tuesday is a “good document,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said as the gathering, assessing progress on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (<"http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/ddpa.shtml">DDPA), wrapped up in Geneva.

As for those levelling accusations that the 2001 document is anti-Semitic, it is “clear that either they had not bothered to read what it actually said, or they were putting a cast on it that was, to say the least, decidedly exaggerated,” she said, stressing that it includes a paragraph which says that “the Holocaust should never be forgotten,” a sentiment reiterated in the final document of the Conference which ended today.

Ms. Pillay, who cited numerous personal attacks against her in the media, countered arguments that the five-day Conference that ended today was a “hate fest,” calling the characterization a “hyperbole” and a “gross exaggeration.”

She stressed that although the gathering was a “strange rough-and-tumble affair full of smoke and mirrors,” it was still “very definitely a success story.”

Several countries, even after agreeing to the draft outcome last week, pulled out of the Conference just before its start, including the United States. “I do hope they will come back into the process now,” the High Commissioner said.

She noted that even Iran, whose leader made remarks at the start of the event that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said were intended to “accuse, divide and even incite,” joined the consensus in adopting the text, which emphasizes the need to address all manifestations of intolerance with greater resolve.

Ms. Pillay hailed the regional and political groups for making concessions regarding the outcome document, noting, for example, that the Arab countries accepted that neither Palestine nor the Middle East are mentioned in the text.

Welcoming the adoption of the text on Tuesday, the second day of the gathering, she said it contains valuable elements, calling on States to take effective, tangible and comprehensive measures to prevent, combat and eradicate all forms and manifestations of racism, and urging countries which have not yet done so to create and implement national plans to combat intolerance.

Further, it highlights the increased suffering since 2001 of many different groups of victims of racism and reaffirms the positive role of the freedom of expression while deploring derogatory stigmatization of people based on their religion.

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a press conference at the government palace in Santo Domingo, Friday, April 17, 2009. (AP / Kena Betancur)

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An undated photo released by the The Miss North Dakota Pageant shows U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi, in North Dakota. (AP / The Miss North Dakota Pageant)

Updated Sat. Apr. 18 2009 9:46 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

An American-born journalist accused of spying for the U.S. has been convicted and sentenced to eight years in an Iranian jail, her lawyer said Saturday, threatening to derail fledgling efforts to improve hostile relations between the two nations.

The White House stated that U.S. President Barack Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" on Saturday, as reports surfaced that journalist Roxana Saberi was tried, convicted and sentenced during a one-day, closed door court session.

Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual Iranian-U.S. citizen, was initially arrested in January for allegedly working without a proper press pass.

Since then, however, a member of Iran's hard-line judiciary upped the charge to espionage, which can carry a death penalty in severe cases.

The former Miss North Dakota beauty pageant winner moved to Iran six years ago to write a book about the country.

Reza Saberi, the reporter's Iranian-born father, told National Public Radio that officials tricked his daughter into incriminating herself by promising to let her go if she told them what they wanted to hear.

He added that his daughter -- who has worked for NPR and the BBC -- was convicted by the court on Wednesday. However, officials did not announce the trial's outcome until Saturday, he said.

Reza Saberi said he wasn't allowed into the court to see his daughter and he added that she is "quite depressed" with the outcome.

Saberi's lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told The Associated Press he would "definitely appeal the verdict."

However, the trial and the resulting uproar from human rights groups comes as Washington and Tehran attempt to thaw a relationship that was severed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Obama has clearly spelled out his intention to engage Iran in bilateral talks, which marks a massive foreign policy shift from that of his predecessor George Bush, who advocated a tough, unilateral approach with Tehran.

In return, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said his country is preparing new strategies to end the standoff with the U.S. and its allies over Iran's nuclear program.

However, Ahmadinejad himself is facing a rocky political future as Iranians prepare to head to the polls in June for presidential elections. Slumping oil prices and sluggish global trade have hit Iran hard and the nation is struggling with persistent inflation and high unemployment.

Still, some Iranian leaders have downplayed Saberi's case and said it would have little effect on relations with the U.S.

"Although there is a wall of mistrust between Iran and the United States, the judicial verdict won't affect possible future talks between the two countries. The verdict is based on evidence," said lawmaker Hosseini Sobhaninia.

However, Saberi's father disagreed, and told NPR that there was no evidence against his daughter.

Human rights groups have said that the conviction is part of a crackdown on the press by conservative factions within Iran.

Dennis Trudeau from the group Reporters Without Borders said the case represents "an extreme sentence" under the Iranian criminal code.

"This is the latest example of how Iranian authorities are using ... spy charges to arrest journalists and make the gag of free expression in Iran even tighter," he told CTV Newsnet Saturday.

"Roxana Saberi had lost her press card years ago and was a student and was not a journalist anymore in Iran," he said, adding that hardliners are likely attempting to scare other journalists in the country.

"It certainly is a warning to other journalists," he said, adding that Tehran has been cracking down on bloggers, foreign reporters and local journalists.

Canadian relations with Tehran have been strained since 2003, when Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was killed after being thrown in an Iranian jail.

With files from The Associated Press

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ON INTERNATIONAL DAY, BAN URGES GREATER EFFORTS TO ENSURE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS

New York, Oct 1 2008 9:10AM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for ensuring the dignity and well-being of older persons, noting that despite the commitment of States to eliminate discrimination against this vital segment of society, their rights are being violated every day.

In a message marking the International Day of Older Persons, observed annually on 1 October, Mr. Ban recalled that six years ago at the Second World Assembly on Ageing held in Madrid, Member States committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination, including based on age.

“Despite this commitment, in many parts of the world, the rights of older persons are violated every day,” he stated.

“Older persons often face age discrimination at a workplace. In social environments, they may experience a lack of recognition and respect. They may be deprived of full inclusion and participation in social, economic, cultural and political affairs,” said the Secretary-General.

“Most disturbingly, in many countries, incidences of neglect, abuse and violence against older persons are not at all rare or isolated events.”

The first review and appraisal of the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing, held earlier this year, showed that much more needs to be done at the national level to support older persons, promote their income security and social protection, and ensure quality health care, as well as the provision of long-term care services.

“To make this possible, national ageing-specific policies must be improved substantially, and the concerns of older persons mainstreamed into a wider policy framework,” stress Mr. Ban.

He added that the theme of this year’s International Day, “Rights of Older Persons,” is especially apt in this year in which the United Nations marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“This International Day is an opportunity to stimulate discussion on promoting the rights of older persons and strengthen partnerships aimed at securing their full participation in society,” the Secretary-General stated.

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BAN URGES REDOUBLING OF EFFORTS TO PROTECT, PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL

New York, Aug 28 2008 12:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the progress made since the holding of a landmark United Nations human rights meeting in 1993, while calling for a redoubling of efforts to ensure that everyone around world is able to enjoy their rights.

“The World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna marked a watershed in the way we understand human rights, and how we act on them,” Mr. Ban noted in a video <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3372">message on the 15th anniversary of the meeting.

Some 7,000 participants, including academics, treaty bodies, national institutions and representatives of more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), participated in the gathering, held in the Austrian capital in June 1993.

The conference culminated with the adoption of a common plan for the strengthening of human rights work around the world, known as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

“In the 15 years since then, the world has increasingly understood that human rights are indivisible from development and security,” said the Secretary-General.

He also noted that the UN has made “remarkable” progress in standard-setting, institution-building, and programme implementation, and a wide body of international law has emerged to ensure fundamental protection in times of peace, war, and emergency.

The international community, led by the UN, has reformed the world body’s human rights machinery – culminating in 2006 with the creation of the Human Rights Council, he said. “The Council has now set up its infrastructure, and can devote its attention to the full range of current and emerging human rights challenges.”

Mr. Ban remarked that the Vienna outcome also helped strengthen national human rights institutions around the world, which help ensure independent scrutiny, ascertain if States are on track, and determine what corrective measures are needed.

Noting that this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mr. Ban called for redoubled efforts to ensure that human rights are protected and promoted. “Let us ensure that all humans enjoy their rights,” he stated.

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UNICEF REPORTS RISING TREND OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN STRIFE-TORN COUNTRIES

New York, Jun 20 2008 4:00PM
The United Nations Children’s Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_44539.html">UNICEF) reports that child kidnappings are on the rise in several countries affected by violence – including Haiti where more than 50 children have been abducted so far this year – and are often carried out with impunity.

There have been cases of kidnapped children in Haiti being raped and tortured, and in some cases even murdered, the agency noted in a statement issued today.

Authorities in the small, impoverished nation suspect that criminal gangs in search of easy profits are responsible for many recent kidnappings. “Most of the perpetrators remain unpunished,” UNICEF stated.

Earlier this month, the agency joined a national call across Haiti to halt the recent surge the number of child kidnappings. Over 50 children have been abducted in the first six months of this year, more than half of them girls.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti (known as MINUSTAH) has been working with the national police force to dismantle criminal gangs wanted for kidnappings, murders and other crimes.

UNICEF also reports similar incidents in other countries, including the Central African Republic (CAR), where armed gangs have seized on the instability created by conflict to terrorize rural farms and communities, including by kidnapping children and holding them for ransom.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), thousands of children have been rounded up by armed groups and used as child soldiers or held in captivity as sexual slaves for extended periods of time, the agency notes.

Meanwhile, UNICEF has received reports that a growing number of children in Iraq have been recruited and used by militias and insurgent groups. “Girls are increasingly subject to murder, kidnapping and rape, or are being abducted and trafficked within or outside Iraq for sexual exploitation,” it adds.

The agency stressed the need for concerted action to combat this growing problem, stating that “it is everyone’s duty to ensure children are safe from harm, and governments have a responsibility to enact and enforce measures that provide a protective environment for all children.”

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TOP UN OFFICIAL HAILS ADOPTION OF ‘MISSING PIECE’ IN HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION

New York, Jun 18 2008 3:00PM
The top United Nations human rights official has hailed the adoption of a new legal instrument which will enable people to submit complaints on violations of their economic, social and cultural rights to an international human rights body.

The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will “rovide an important platform to expose abuses that are often linked to poverty, discrimination and neglect, and that victims frequently endure in silence and helplessness,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said.

“It will provide a way for individuals, who may otherwise be isolated and powerless, to make the international community aware of their situation,” she added, calling the adoption of the text by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council “a highly significant achievement.”

Ms. Arbour noted that the lack of a complaint procedure for economic, social and cultural rights has been “a missing piece in the international human rights protection system,” since the Covenant – which has 158 States parties – opened for signature in 1966.

“As we are celebrating the 60-year anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Optional Protocol reaffirms our commitment to a unified and comprehensive vision of human rights, sending a strong, unequivocal message about the equal value and importance of all human rights,” she stated.

The Protocol is expected to get the final approval by the General Assembly later this year. It will enter into force once it has been ratified by 10 States.

The adoption of the Optional Protocol was among a series of actions taken by the Human Rights Council, which is scheduled to wrap up its eighth regular session today. It also decided to extend the terms of office of seven of its Special Procedures mandate holders – rapporteurs, experts and working groups which the Council can use to explore either specific country situations or thematic issues – and is expected to appoint several more.

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UNESCO AND TOP SPANISH SOCCER CLUB CAMPAIGN AGAINST RACISM IN SPORT

New York, Jun 3 2008 3:00PM
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=42640&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) today launched a Europe-wide campaign aimed at combating violence and racism in sport.

The campaign is backed by the Spanish football club FC Barcelona, the European Parliament and the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR), the agency said in a press statement issued today in Paris, its headquarters.

“It is more urgent than ever to rid stadiums of the scourge of racism,” said Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO. “The very definition of sport is based on fair play and exchange. Young people are the natural torch-bearers of this message, and we are looking to them to play a key role in making it heard and understood at all levels of society.”

“Racism distorts football and sports in general,” said Joan Laporta, President of FC Barcelona. “Our objective is to support youth in finding solutions against racism in cities, and we believe that the stadium is the right place to start.”

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BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER REPORT ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE BY PEACEKEEPERS

New York, May 27 2008 8:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his deep concern over a new report issued by the non-governmental organization Save the Children (UK) that spotlights the under-reporting of child sexual exploitation and abuse by aid workers and peacekeepers.

“The abuse of children by those sent to help is a significant and painful issue and one that UN peacekeeping has and will continue to address candidly, comprehensively and robustly,” Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11596.doc.htm">statement issued by his spokesperson. “Even one incident is one incident too many.”

He noted that the UN is committed to training and monitoring its civilian staff and working with troop and police contributing countries so that all personnel are trained in and are accountable for the highest standards of conduct.

As the report cited, the UN has already taken several steps to address the problem, including setting up conduct and discipline units in all missions to boost training for all personnel.

“We are determined to redouble our efforts in this regard and to work with all of our partners to implement fully our policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel,” the statement said.

The Secretary-General said that the UN will continue to depend on its troop and police contributing countries to investigate and discipline their national personnel found to have committed acts of misconduct – such as sexual exploitation and abuse – while serving in the world body’s operations.

Despite having 200,000 peacekeepers, military police and civilians rotating through missions in over 20 locations worldwide, “we do not believe that it is plausible for anyone to claim they do not know what the standard is,” Jane Holl Lute, Assistant-Secretary-General for the Department of Field Support (DF, told reporters in New York today.

She called for an intensification of messaging and boosting the responsibility of leadership in the field, along with improving investigative capacity.

“But we’re not going to run peacekeeping though investigation and fear,” Ms. Holl Lute noted. “We’re going to run it on purpose and pride.”

The Assistant-Secretary-General acknowledged that “a functioning, adequate investigative mechanism” is needed when allegations are brought, as the Save the Children report cited.

Characterizing today’s report as “important,” she said that it not only draws attention to gaps – in particular, the weaknesses in the reporting system – that continue to exist, but also stresses that while some steps have been taken, more needs to be done.

Ms. Holl Lute said that the recommendations made by Save the Children, including the creation of a global watchdog, have merit and will be taken very seriously.

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MEMBER STATES ELECT 15 COUNTRIES TO SERVE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

New York, May 21 2008 2:01PM
Fifteen countries from around the world have been elected to serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for three-year terms starting next month after one round of balloting today among Member States at UN Headquarters in New York.

Zambia, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Gabon were chosen in that order to fill the four vacant African seats on the 47-member panel, according to a formula that allots seats among regions.

The three seats up for grabs in the Latin America and the Caribbean region – successful candidates in each category must obtain an absolute majority of valid votes cast by the 192 General Assembly members – went to Chile, Brazil and Argentina.

In the Eastern European category, Slovakia and Ukraine won the two available seats, while Serbia was unsuccessful.

Six countries contested the four positions distributed to Asian States, with Japan, Bahrain, the Republic of Korea and Pakistan winning the most votes to join the panel, and Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste missing out.

The closest contest occurred in the race for the two vacant seats in the Western European and Other States category. France scored 123 votes and the United Kingdom picked up 120, edging out Spain, which garnered 119 votes.

General Assembly spokesperson Janos Tisovszky told reporters that there were 190 valid votes and two invalid votes in the Western European and Other States category. Ten of the valid votes cast were abstentions.

Some of the successful candidates today had been due to retire on 19 June, when their current term on the HRC expires – they were Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Ukraine, Brazil, France and the United Kingdom.

Under Council rules, members serve for three-year periods and cannot run for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms. Overall, the 47 members include 13 from Africa, 13 from Asia, six from Eastern Europe, eight from Latin America and the Caribbean, and seven from Western Europe and Other States.

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GIVE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – BAN KI-MOON

New York, May 15 2008 7:00PM
Attitudes towards the world’s 650 million people living with disabilities need to change so that their right to participate fully in the information society is honoured, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

In a statement released to mark <"http://www.itu.int/wtisd/index.html">World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which will be observed on Saturday, Mr. Ban said, “it is vital that we change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities, ensuring that their fundamental rights and freedoms are honoured, including the right to fully participate in the information society.”

Mr. Ban’s statement was also timed to mark the end of a major trade fair on information technology being staged in Egypt by the UN International Telecommunication Union (<"http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2008/13.html">ITU).

“The phenomenal growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs) over the past 25 years has seen the birth of a dazzling array of new technologies to empower persons with all kinds of disabilities to take active roles in mainstream society,” Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the ITU, said today.

Egypt’s first lady Suzanne Mubarak received an ITU award and made the keynote address, calling for the engagement of children and youth with disabilities as active partners in society from their early years. Mrs. Mubarak also backed the implementation of the Cairo Declaration on Supporting Access to ICT Services for Persons with Disabilities.

Today’s two other ITU prize winners were the DAISY Consortium, which is a worldwide organization of libraries and ICT companies that promotes global standards and technologies that are accessible to people with print disabilities, and Ms. Andrea Saks, who has promoted access to the Internet for people with disabilities and who comes from a family of deaf telecommunications pioneers.

Around 200 companies from 45 countries exhibited products at the trade fair which attracted some 70 heads of international companies and 50 government ministers.

It was also announced that the next ITU global trade fair will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2010.

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GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN CONTINUE IN PHILIPPINES, UN FINDS

New York, Apr 29 2008 6:00PM
Both rebel and Government forces have killed and maimed children during ongoing conflicts in the Philippines, according to a report released today by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2008/272">report states that 19 children were killed in conflict situations between July 2005 and November 2007, while 42 were maimed. Just over half of these cases were perpetrated by Government security forces, a fifth were attributed to the Abu Sayyaf Group/Jemaah Islamiya rebels, and 8 per cent to the communist insurgents, the New People’s Army (NPA).

The report also says there is evidence that Government paramilitary forces and rebel groups, including the NPA and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, recruited children during the same period.

Overall, the Secretary-General’s report finds that around half of verified grave violations against children were carried out by Government security forces, a third by the NPA, and 15 per cent by the Abu Sayyaf Group/Jemaah Islamiya. But the report adds that the lower number of cases reported for the rebels is most likely due to a lack of access to these groups.

The Secretary-General recommends that State and non-State actors enter into dialogue with the UN to end the recruitment of children as well as other grave violations of children’s rights.

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS BODY BEGINS FIRST-EVER EXAMINATION OF ALL COUNTRIES’ RECORDS

New York, Apr 7 2008 5:00PM
The Universal Periodic Review, a new mechanism to examine the human rights record of every United Nations Member State, was launched today at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Over the next two weeks, a first group of 16 countries – starting with Bahrain and Ecuador – will have their records scrutinized, as part of the Review, one of the reforms which differentiate the Council from the Commission on Human Rights, which it succeeded in 2006.

The Review meetings will feature interactive discussions between the States in question and a working group comprises all of the Council’s 47 members, according to a UN spokesperson.

The discussions will be based on national reports and information from a variety of sources, including treaty bodies, Special Rapporteurs – independent experts on specific topics that report to the Council – non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions and academics.

Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, India, Indonesia, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Tunisia and the United Kingdom are the other countries being reviewed over the next two weeks.

Under the Review’s work plans, 48 countries are scheduled to be reviewed each year, so that the UN’s complete membership of 192 countries will be reviewed once every four years.

Last month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Council to assure that all countries were scrutinized equally. “The Review must reaffirm that just as human rights are universal, so is our collective respect for them and our commitment to them,” he said.

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FRUITION OF GROUNDBREAKING TREATY ON DISABILITY RIGHTS HAILED BY UN OFFICIALS

New York, Apr 4 2008 6:00PM
The top United Nations human rights and development officials today warmly welcomed the news that yesterday the first international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities got its twentieth ratification, meaning that the landmark treaty will now come into force on 3 May.

“I am extremely happy,” Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/1AD533A6AB95F873C1257421003A8DA8?opendocument">said in Geneva, noting that people with disabilities and their supporters struggled for a very long time to achieve this result.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of this ground-breaking Convention, which fills an important gap in international human rights legislation affecting millions of people around the world.”

The 50-article Convention asserts the rights to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation and equal recognition before the law for persons with disabilities.

It also addresses the need for persons with disabilities to have access to public transport, buildings and other facilities and recognizes their capacity to make decisions for themselves.

The convention’s Optional Protocol, which will also be binding starting 3 May, allows individuals to petition an international expert body with grievances.

“Persons with disabilities all across the world have faced discriminatory treatment and egregious human rights violations on a daily basis,” Ms. Arbour said. “Now, finally, we have a solid international legal framework in place that should allow them to cast off restrictions that have been placed on them by the rest of society.”

At UN Headquarters in New York today, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary for Economic and Social Affairs, also greeted the Convention’s entry into force with enthusiasm.

“This Convention is not just the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the twenty-first Century with a strong development dimension,” said Mr. Zukang, who was joined at a press conference with the Permanent Representatives of Jordan, Tunisia and Ecuador – the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth ratifiers, respectively.

“It is also a treaty negotiated as quickly as ever at the United Nations and it will be one of the fastest to enter into force,” he added.

The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly on 13 December 2006, and was opened for signature and ratification on 30 March 2007. Acquiring the 20 required ratifications can sometimes take several years.

In addition to the States that have now signalled their ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a further 106 states have taken the preliminary step of signing the Convention, thereby signalling their intention to ratify it somewhere down the line.

“To have 126 signatories in the first year is impressive,” said Ms Arbour. “But we will continue to urge all governments to follow the first 20 States' example by signing and ratifying as soon as possible,” she added.

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WORLD HAS COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO ELIMINATE RACISM, BAN KI-MOON SAYS

New York, Mar 21 2008  4:00PM
Racism still hurts too many individuals and communities around the world, Secretary-Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on all countries and civil society groups to play their part in the fight to stamp out both racism and racial discrimination.

In a message to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is celebrated today, Mr. Ban said next year's formal review of actions taken since the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance adopted its Declaration and Programme of Action offered an opportunity to make important progress.

"Racial discrimination is a concern to all peoples and countries," he said. "This review process is an opportunity to engage in an inclusive and transparent manner on an issue that demands our urgent and close attention.

"I call on all countries and civil society to make constructive use of the time between now and the formal review process to work out their differences so that we can seize this opening to boost our collective efforts to stamp out racism. This issue is too important; we cannot fail."

The Secretary-General noted that the General Assembly proclaimed 21 March as the International Day to honour the memory of the scores of peaceful protesters who were massacred on this day in 1960 in the South African township of Sharpeville as they demonstrated against the racist apartheid-era 'pass laws.'

"There has been significant progress since then, not least through the dismantling of the apartheid system. But racism continues to plague too many individuals, communities and societies the world over."

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UN AGENCIES URGE BOLSTERED RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REGARDLESS OF HIV STATUS

New York, Feb 28 2008 12:00PM
Two United Nations agencies have issued a joint call to boost protection of the human rights of people regardless of their sexual orientation or their actual or presumed HIV status.  

In a <"http://data.unaids.org/pub/PressStatement/2008/080226_humanrights_en.pdf">statement, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en/">UNAID and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged “all governments to be vigilant in respecting and protecting the rights of individuals in this regard, in particular the rights of all to be free from murder, torture, violence, arbitrary arrest and vilification, regardless of their HIV status or sexual orientation.”  

The bodies voiced their concern over reports of forced HIV testing, arbitrary detention on the basis of HIV status and the disclosure of one’s HIV status without consent.  

“Such punitive measures violate individuals’ rights and make it more difficult to reach those in need of HIV prevention, treatment and care services,” UNAIDS and OHCHR noted.  

They also pointed out that homophobia, where it exists, “fuels the HIV epidemic,” calling for the issue to be addressed as a crucial component of HIV responses on a national level.  

Action to tackle HIV which is based on respect for human rights, tolerance and unfettered access to HIV prevention and treatment is most effective, the statement said.  

In a related development, a UNAIDS-backed biannual global conference on finding safe, effective and accessible microbicides – which could be used by women to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases – has wrapped up in New Delhi, India.  

“Developing an effective microbicide will be a critical step forward in the AIDS response,” UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said at the close of the four-day meeting, which brought together over 1,000 researchers, public health workers, communities and advocacy organizations.  

“To provide women with HIV prevention technology they can use themselves will be nothing short of revolutionary.”  

This has been a year of mixed results in candidate microbicide clinical trials, with one trial halted early due to safety concerns while another microbicide was found to be safe but not effective in blocking HIV transmission.    

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THOUSANDS OF LANGUAGES FACE EXTINCTION, UN WARNS AT START OF INTERNATIONAL YEAR

New York, Feb 21 2008  7:00PM
The International Year of Languages kicked off today with a warning from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that more than half the world’s 6,700 spoken languages are threatened with extinction and every two weeks on average one language disappears somewhere around the world.

In a message marking International Mother Language Day, which was also celebrated today, <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=41781&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura stressed the importance of all languages to everyday life.

“Far from being a field reserved for analysis by specialists, languages lie at the heart of all social, economic and cultural life,” Mr. Matsuura said, explaining that ‘Languages matter!’ is the UNESCO slogan for the International Year.

The agency held a series of events – including a round table, a seminar, several presentations and an information workshop – at its Paris headquarters to mark the Day and launch the International Year.

International Mother Language Day has been celebrated on 21 February each year since 2000, and this year UNESCO said it had placed special emphasis on international instruments and standards that encourage multilingualism.

The agency warned that when a language fades, so does a part of the world’s cultural tapestry, adding that globalization is placing many languages under ever greater threat. Today, experts estimate that 96 per cent of the world’s languages are spoken by only 4 per cent of the total population.

“Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression – valuable resources for ensuring a better future are also lost,” UNESCO said in a statement.

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UN RIGHTS EXPERTS WELCOME AUSTRALIA'S APOLOGY TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

New York, Feb 18 2008  5:00PM
A group of independent United Nations human rights experts have welcomed Australia's recent apology to its indigenous peoples for the pain and indignity they endured under the Government's past laws and policies. The apology, made in a speech delivered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the Federal Parliament on 13 February, "will strengthen the moral fabric of the country and reinforce the Aboriginal contribution to Australian society," the experts said in a statement issued today in Geneva. "We are specially moved by the apology offered to the members of the Stolen Generation and their families, victims of a deliberate policy of assimilation of the Aboriginal culture that contradicted the basic human rights principles of equality and dignity," the group added.   "Australia's efforts to acknowledge historical injustices and to promote reconciliation set an example of how to enhance harmonious and cooperative relationships between indigenous peoples and States, in the spirit of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples." In carrying out measures to protect and promote the rights of Aboriginal peoples, the experts encouraged the Government to examine the recommendations made by several Special Rapporteurs who visited the country in recent years.

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UN CHIEF HAILS CREATION OF NEW CENTRE ON ‘RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT’

New York, Feb 14 2008  4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the establishment in New York of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, a doctrine that holds States responsible for shielding their own populations from genocide and other major human rights abuses and requires the international community to step in if this obligation is not met.

“The birth of this new initiative holds great promise in supporting the endeavours of the international community to take the principle of the responsibility to protect from concept to actuality, from word to deed,” said Mr. Ban in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3000">statement delivered by Vijay Nambiar, the Secretary-General’s Chief of Staff.

“You will help ensure that the responsibility to protect is known, understood and enjoyed by everyone, everywhere,” he said, pointing out that  those who most need their rights protected often also need to be informed that the obligation exists for them.

The new Centre is housed at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Affairs of the CUNY Graduate Center named for the late UN Under-Secretary-General and 1950 Nobel Peace Laureate.

The Secretary-General called the responsibility to protect, sometimes known as ‘R2P,’ “a solemn commitment by the international community” and a “profound moral imperative in today’s world.”

Working together, he said that “we can deliver on the promise of the responsibility to protect, and we can transform this idea from an abstract obligation into what it truly is: one of humanity’s highest calling.”

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www.cageprisoners.comA Moroccan man wanted by Spain in connection with the 9/11 attacks has lost a four year extradition battle after the House of Lords overturned a High Court decision in April 2007 which held his detention was unlawful and that he should be extradited to Spain.

In a statement released by his solicitor today, Mr Hilali said, “Today is a disgraceful day for British values. I am very disappointed at the way the British have harassed me over the last 9 years even though I have never been charged or convicted of any criminal offence.

In 1999 I was tortured in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco in the presence of British MI6 officers because I refused to become a spy for them. My extradition to Spain is a smoke screen to conceal Britain’s true intentions of sending me to Morocco to face torture leading to death. If I am ultimately sent to Morocco and tortured Britain will be held legally and morally responsible.

I am a victim of British state terror. Before lecturing the world on justice, democracy and human rights Britain should get it own house in order first.”

TAKE ACTION FOR FARID HILALI

• Campaign Pack: Justice for Farid Hilali: Abuse of Extradition Process by S! panish Authorities
  
  
• Action Alert: Protest Farid Hilali's Extradition
  

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ARAB RIGHTS CHARTER DEVIATES FROM INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

New York, Jan 30 2008  2:00PM
The Arab Charter on Human Rights contains provisions that do not meet international norms and standards, including the application of the death penalty for children, the treatment of women and non-citizens and the equating of Zionism with racism, the United Nations human rights chief said today.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour issued a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/6C211162E43235FAC12573E00056E19D?opendocument">statement saying that her office “does not endorse these inconsistencies [and] we continue to work with all stakeholders in the region to ensure the implementation of universal human rights norms.”

The Arab Charter entered into force earlier this month after seven countries ratified the text, prompting Ms. Arbour to release a statement last Thursday in which she noted that while human rights are universal, “regional systems of promotion and protection can further help strengthen the enjoyment of human rights.”

Ms. Arbour said today that throughout the development of the Charter, her office shared concerns with the drafters about the incompatibility of some provisions with international norms and standards.

“These concerns included the approach to death penalty for children and the rights of women and non-citizens. Moreover, to the extent that it equates Zionism with racism, we reiterated that the Arab Charter is not in conformity with General Assembly Resolution 46/86, which rejects that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.”

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UN RIGHTS EXPERTS VOICE DEEP CONCERN AT ETHNIC DIMENSION OF KENYAN VIOLENCE

New York, Jan  4 2008 12:00PM
A group of 14 independent United Nations human rights experts on issues ranging from racism to sexual violence to freedom of belief today voiced deep concern at the growing inter-ethnic conflict in Kenya, citing the deaths of dozens of civilians, including children and women, after a mob set fire to a church where they had taken sanctuary.  
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“In this regard, we are profoundly alarmed by the reports of incitement to racial hatred and the growing frictions between the different ethnic groups,” the experts said in a statement, calling on all sides to rapidly end the violence that erupted after President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition leader Raila Odinga in the country’s recent elections.
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“In the light of historical precedents in the region, we strongly appeal to the Kenyan authorities, as well as political, ethnic and religious leaders, to put an end to what may become the dynamics of inter-ethnic killings, while also calling upon the international community, including the United Nations Security Council, to fulfil its responsibilities in this regard,” they added.
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Rwanda, to the west of Kenya, was the scene of genocide in 1994, when ethnic Hutu extremists massacred some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Ethnic conflict between Hutus and Tutsis has also killed hundreds of thousands of people over the past four decades in Burundi, Rwanda’s southern neighbour.
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In a litany of “great concern,” the experts cited the tragic loss of life, the massive displacement, especially in the Rift Valley, which threatens enjoyment of the right to food, health, housing and education, and reports of gang rapes and the attendant likelihood of HIV infection.    
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They also noted reported curbs on free expression, in particular a ban prohibiting live coverage of events. “While we recognize the prerogative and duty of the Kenyan authorities to maintain public order, we are, however, alarmed by reported instances of use of excessive force by Kenyan security forces against demonstrators and other civilians,” they added.
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“We urge the incumbent Kenyan authorities to take all necessary steps and measures to bring an end to the present situation, including by addressing appropriately questions raised with regard to the latest election results.  We also call upon the leaders of political parties to show restraint and control over their followers and supporters.”
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has already deplored the violence that has reportedly claimed more than 300 lives and displaced or otherwise affected more than 100,000 others, and UN agencies are helping to provide humanitarian aid. Mr. Ban said today he had spoken by phone to President Kibaki.
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The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will shortly provide food through the Kenya Red Cross for 100,000 people displaced in the Northern Rift Valley.
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“The biggest problem is the difficulty for trucks carrying WFP food to reach areas in western Kenya,” the agency said today, noting that virtually all movement of food both for western Kenya and the entire region, including Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was frozen for days because of insecurity.
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Some 200 trucks were loaded with WFP food in the Kenyan port of Mombasa from a ship that arrived over Christmas carrying 30,000 metric tons – enough to feed 1.5 million people for a month – for Uganda, southern Sudan, Somalia and the eastern DRC. The food for Somalia will be sent by sea, but the rest has to go by land.
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Some trucks left Mombasa but then were stranded because of insecurity on main roads and checkpoints set up by vigilantes in western Kenya. Fifteen trucks are stranded in or near Nairobi, 60 in Mombasa and others in Eldoret, near the site of the church massacre. Each truck carries 34 tons of food. “WFP is holding urgent talks to resolve this issue and get food to those who need it in Kenya and elsewhere,” the agency said.
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The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also working with the Kenya Red Cross to send essential supplies to children affected by the violence, and has said it is ready to assist up to 85,000 people with shelter and non-food items.

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