Berhane Tewolde’s Development Blog

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2008

GENEVA – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called today for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. By function of this blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months.  This is in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law.  It must end now, she said.

Continue Reading…

… says UN expert

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 18 Nov 2008

GENEVA - Access to improved sanitation is a matter of human rights - it is a matter of human dignity, said the UN Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations attached to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque.

There is compelling evidence that sanitation brings the single greatest return on investment of any development intervention (roughly $9 for every $1 spent). Yet it remains the most neglected and most off-track of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets.

Continue Reading…

UN Experts Call on Italy to Uphold Human Rights in its response to immigration and in fighting mafia crimes and terrorism

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 17/11/2008

STATEMENT BY THE UN WORKING GROUP ON ARBITRARY DETENTION AT THE CONCLUSION OF ITS MISSION TO ITALY, Rome, 14 November 2008.

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, My name is Aslan Abashidze, and I would like to welcome you to this meeting with the press held by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at the end of its official visit to Italy, which started on 3 November and ends today.

I would first wish to briefly introduce the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD). It was set up by the former Commission on Human Rights in 1991. The current Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the Working Group. The Working Group is composed of five independent experts representing the five regional groups of the United Nations and serving in their personal capacities. Two of the five members of the WGAD, Mr. Garretón and myself, form part of this official delegation. In this respect, because the delegation was formed only by two of the five members, I would like to emphasise that what we will present to you are preliminary findings. They will be examined and deliberated by the entire Working Group at its next session, at which the Working Group will adopt a report on this visit. The report will be made public.

Continue Reading…

Berhane Tewolde-Medhin (Asst. Secretary General, Interfaith International, Tel. +4178 819 31 66):

LE RÉCIT: Excisée à l’âge de 8 ans par sa mère, en Erythrée, Warda vit depuis vingt ans dans la Cité de Calvin. Ses deux premières filles ont grandi dans une société occidentale avec le secret de leur mutilation subie au pays. Warda et sa confidente Terhas Tewelde: «Pouvoir se confier à quelqu’un qui nous comprend aide à accepter et à ne pas laisser perdurer ces traditions barbares.»

Continue Reading…

Received by mail:

From: Geneva Institute for Human Rights GIHR
Date: 12 Nov 2008

The Geneva Institute for Human Rights GIHR, in cooperation with The University of Berne, Institute of Public Law, Professor Walter Kalin, is organizing the  Seminar:

Women’s and Girl’s Rights in Islam, 25 November 2008, 9:00am – 18:00pm, Kuppelraum, main building, University of Berne, Switzerland:

The Geneva Institute for Human Rights is pleased to announce that it will be holding a seminar on women’s and girl’s rights in Islam. The main aim of the seminar is to understand what women’s and girl’s rights are in Islamic law and how that compares with International human Rights laws. The seminar brings a number of experts in modern Islamic thinkers and human rights, including Al-Imam Alsadig ElMahdi, Professor Nawal Alfaouri and Dr Zeinab Radwan. Everybody is welcome to participate, registration costs 75.00 CHF (includes lunch and coffee break).

To register visit the website for an application form or contact: Seminar, by GIHR, for further information.

Nazar Abdelgadir, Executive Director GIHR, Tel   +41227885015, Fax +41227885016, Website.

In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 61/149, decided to convene in 2009 a review conference on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. To this end, it requested the Human Rights Council to prepare this event, making use of the three existing and ongoing follow-up mechanisms, to formulate a concrete plan and to provide yearly updates and reports on this issue starting in 2007.

The United Nations Human Rights Council is acting as the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference: …

… What are the objectives of the Review Conference? In August 2007, during its organizational session, the Preparatory Committee for the Conference set forth the objectives of the Durban Review Conference as follows:

• 1. To review progress and assess implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action by all stakeholders at the national, regional and international levels, including assessing contemporary manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, through an inclusive, transparent and collaborative process and identify concrete measures and initiatives for combating and eliminating all manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in order to foster the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action;
• 2. To assess the effectiveness of the existing Durban follow-up mechanisms and other relevant United Nations mechanisms dealing with the issue of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in order to enhance them;
• 3. To promote the universal ratification and implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and proper consideration of the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;
• 4. To identify and share good practices achieved in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

(full text).

Continue Reading…

See on the RealNewsNetwork this video with Pepe Escobar: McCain insists on demonizing Russia - he’s not even listening to his own heroes, 6.15 min, October 10, 2008.

59th Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme, 6-10 October 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This statement has been drafted in consultation with, and is delivered on behalf of, a wide range of NGOs and aims to reflect the diversity of views within the NGO community.

Since the meeting of the Executive Committee last year, NGOs had hoped to be able to bring a more positive message to this year’s session. Sadly, however, we have again witnessed numerous situations in which the rights of refugees, other forcibly displaced populations, and stateless persons have been flouted and where humanitarian organisations have been denied access to assist and protect these populations.

We see it as our role and responsibility to bring a reality check to the Executive Committee by highlighting a number of countries and issues where the rights of refugees and other populations of concern to UNHCR are at stake. We hope that the ExCom – in this session and in its other meetings – will find ways to address the challenges we present so that this forum can better fulfil its responsibility to protect the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless persons.

Continue Reading…

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 7 Oct 2008

Dear All, Kindly find attached a letter of invitation for participation in the First United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, scheduled to take place between 15 and 16 December 2008 in Room XVIII, Palais des Nations.

Please inform the Forum on Minority Issues’ Secretariat regarding the participation of a representative by 15 November 2008.Ms. Sylvie Saddier-Calame of the Forum on Minority Issues’ Secretariat can be contacted by e-mail.

Kindly note also that relevant information regarding registration and accreditation can be found on the Forum’s web site.

Best regards, OHCHR Civil Society Unit.

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 6 Oct 2008

OHCHR PRESS RELEASE - Pillay calls on states to act:

Pillay calls on states to act on promises to fight racism and intolerance (Mind the 54 sec-video, click on the OHCHR-link: The High Commissioner for Human Rights launches the Dignity and Justice for Detainees Week Initiative).

GENEVA (OHCHR) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Monday said that “racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance are problems that occur shamefully on a daily basis across the world,” and called for a more concerted effort by states to act on promises to tackle these “odious practices.”

Referring to a landmark blueprint document agreed by governments attending the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, Pillay said “implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action still lags sorely and lamentably behind the solemn commitments that states pledged to fulfil seven years ago.”

She urged governments “to travel that extra mile that makes historic change possible,” adding that pledges “must be reflected in policies, institutions and legislation which benefit individuals and communities by tangibly improving their lives.”

Continue Reading…

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR Press info
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008

The Statement:

Thirteen independent experts of the UN Human Rights Council issued the following statement at the start of Dignity and Justice for Detainees Week - a global  initiative launched by the High Commissioner for Human Rights - which takes place from 6-12 October 2008:

GENEVA: “We strongly support the High Commissioner’s initiative on improving respect for the human rights of detainees. As mandate holders of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, we visit places of detention in many countries and receive information from all around the world. A serious problem we encounter is that often there are no proper records of those deprived of liberty, or, worse, they are held in places of detention that are not officially recognized. It is also of great concern that many people should not be deprived of their liberty at all, since their detention is arbitrary. Others are being detained solely on the basis of administrative orders unrelated to the criminal justice system, for example irregular migrants. Deprivation of liberty as such, whether lawful or not, makes persons extremely vulnerable to a broad range of human rights violations.

Continue Reading…

… and invitation to meeting with Bureau of the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference, Oct. 6 to 17, 2008

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 3 Oct 2008

Dear All, In view of the second substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for the Durban  Review Conference to be held in Geneva between 6 and 17 October 2008, please find the link to the relevant documentation currently available on the OHCHR website.

Furthermore, a meeting will be held between the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee and NGOs accredited to the session, scheduled to take place at lunchtime on Monday 6 October 2008 in Palais des Nations, Geneva. An announcement will be made on Monday 6 October, during the session of the Prepaatory Committee, regarding the room where the meeting will take place.

Kind regards, OHCHR Civil Society Unit.

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 26 Sep 2008

Dear All, You are all cordially invited to a meeting with the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi.

The meeting, which will offer an opportunity to exchange views and debrief on the 9th session of the Council, will take place on Wednesday 1 October 2008, from 11.30 to 13.00, in Palais des Nations, Geneva, in Room XXI.

With kind regards, OHCHR Civil Society Unit.

Linked with United Nations Multimedia Services.

Received by mail:

From: ngonews…un.org
Date: 19 Sep 2008

United Nations Multimedia Services:

Dear Representatives, As On September 25 all heads of States and governments will gather at the United Nations to discuss the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, we would like to facilitate your work covering this important event.

The United Nations News and Media Division has many products and services for you, all free of right and free of charge.

AVAILABLE TO ALL THROUGH INTERNET:

• - UN Radio: short reports, magazines and breaking news produced on a daily basis live from UN’s Headquarters in New York. In Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Kiswahili.
• - UN Photo: a visual record of high level meetings at Headquarters and selected coverage from around the world in a rich collection of images of the UN’s past and present. In high-resolution.
• - UNifeed:  broadcast quality video for easy download from the Internet, three to six stories a day, with sound bites and natural sound, accompanied by shot lists and scripts that can be adapted into local languages.

AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST:

• - 21 Century: a monthly 26-minute news magazine in English that puts a spotlight on the world’s burning issues. The episodes cover the most important issues affecting the world. In English.
• - UN in Action: reports from all over the world on all activities of the United Nations, including human rights, peace, security, environment, development and humanitarian assistance. Iin English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Continue Reading…

Address by Ms. Navanetham Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the occasion of the opening of the 9th Session of the Human Rights Council, 8 September 2008, Geneva.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Members of the Human Rights Council, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to thank the President of the Human Rights Council for his very kind words and to congratulate him for his able leadership of this premier intergovernmental human rights body.  It is a pleasure and a great honour for me to address the Council today.  I stand before you mindful of, and humbled by, the magnitude of the tasks ahead, as well as eager in my new capacity, as I have been throughout my career, to contribute to promoting and protecting human rights, equality, and justice for all.

Continue Reading…

INFORMATION FROM GENEVA WELCOME CENTER

Received by mail:

From: ETAT.GE
Date: 5 Sept. 2008

Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une Journée conviviale tous publics sur la Genève internationale, le samedi 6 septembre: Voir la suite sur leur website … :

A la découverte de la Genève internationale est un projet pédagogique qui a pour but de:

• Faire connaître la Genève internationale aux élèves du secondaire.
• Soutenir et fournir l’information aux enseignant(e)s.
• Créer une passerelle entre les organisations internationales et les jeunes.

Le programme vous permet de découvrir les différents domaines d’activité de la Genève internationale : humanitaire, santé, environnement, droits de l’Homme, développement, etc.

Nous présentons chaque thématique à travers: … (voir le texte entier).

Links:

Voir le Frontpage de  Genève Internationale: la page d’accueil en français, le homepage in english;

La Genève Internationale;

International and Non Governmental Organizations.

… (41st session): Concluding Observations

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: 29 Aug 2008

Dear Subscribers, We are pleased to provide you herewith the eleventh 2008 distribution of treaty body recommendations through the listserve administered by the Human Rights Treaties Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Please do not reply to this message.

For your information, we attach the concluding observations adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its 41st session held from 30 June to 18 July 2008 in New York, in respect of reports submitted by 8 States parties.  The documents are provided in their advance unedited version and in the original language of adoption.  The final versions, in all six official languages of the United Nations, will be available on the Treaty Body Database of the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Continue Reading…

From: OHCHR
Date: 27 Aug 2008

PRESS RELEASE, 27 August 2008.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is concerned about the recent violent protests in Indian-administered Kashmir that have reportedly led to civilian casualties as well as restrictions to the right to freedom of assembly and expression.

OHCHR calls on the Indian authorities and in particular security forces to respect the right to freedom of assembly and expression, and comply with international human rights principles in controlling the demonstrators. The use of force should be proportionate to the threat posed and firearms must only be used in dispersing a violent assembly to protect individuals against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. The Acting High Commissioner calls for thorough and independent investigations into all killings that have occurred so far.

Continue Reading…

… BY CLEAR BREACH OF LAW IN NEW LIBERIA  DEATH PENALTY LEGISLATION

Received by mail:

From: OHCHR
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008

Geneva: - The Human Rights Committee, the UN body in charge of monitoring compliance of States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols with their obligations under these treaties, was very concerned to learn that, on Tuesday 22 July 2008, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia signed into law legislation envisaging the death penalty for a number of crimes. The new law provides that “in the event death occurs during the commission of a crime of armed robbery, terrorism or hijacking, the accused […] shall be sentenced to death by hanging or imprisonment for life without possibility of parole”.

Continue Reading…

Received by mail

From: OHCHR
Date: 25/08/2008

Press Release:

Brasilia : - “Despite advances, exercise of the right to self-determination for indigenous peoples – that is, real control of their own lives and lands – is still a major challenge for Brazil.” This was the main observation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, S. James Anaya, as he concludes a 12-day visit to Brazil.

The Special Rapporteur’s visit came after a request by several indigenous organizations throughout the country. The purpose of the visit is to investigate and report on the human rights concerns of indigenous peoples and engage in a constructive dialogue with the Government of Brazil. The Government’s cooperation with the visit is an important component of its partnership with the United Nations to build democracy and respect for human rights.

Continue Reading…

Received by mail:

From: UNHCR
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008

Donate Today.

Dear supporter, High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres arrived in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

After visiting two collective centres and meeting displaced people living in desperate conditions he pledged to do all he could to mobilize international assistance.

More on this story.

Meanwhile, UN refugee agency staff are rapidly distributing aid — yesterday a UNHCR-chartered plane reached Batumi in western Georgia, previously cut off from humanitarian assistance. Its cargo included 200 tents, 15,000 blankets, 3,000 kitchen sets and 6,000 jerry cans.

Continue Reading…

Received by mail:

From: Berhane
Date: 15/08/2008

Social Forum 2008 in Geneva, 1-3 September 2008.

About the Social Forum:

The Social Forum is a unique space for interactive dialogue between the United Nations human rights machinery and various stakeholders, including grass-roots organizations, and underlines the importance of coordinated efforts at national, regional and international levels for the promotion of social cohesion based on the principles of social justice, equity and solidarity as well as to address the social dimension and challenges of the ongoing globalization process.

Continue Reading…

First session of the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council:

1. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) wishing to accredit representatives to the first session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee are invited to send their request to the secretariat of the Human Rights Council by fax to the following number:

Fax: +41 22 917 90 11
Telephone: +41 22 917 96 41

Continue Reading…

Bonjour à tous (tes), Pour votre information, suite à notre participation, de l’UPR sur l’inde, vous trouvez dans notre site Tchad agir pour l’Environnement la vidéo de la réaction de la fédération de Sikh de grande de Bretagne, sur le discours de l’Ambassadeurs de l’Inde.

ITU SG: Cluster of WSIS-related events, Geneva, 13-30 May 2008:

Please go here for Registration.

SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS AND CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL MIGRANT WORKERS AND MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT TO MARK INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY

The special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Jorge Bustamante, and the Chairman of the Committee on the protection on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families, Prasad Kariywasam, issued the following statemennt on the occasion of International Migrants Day which is commemorated on 18 December.
Continue Reading…

General Assembly GA/SM/386

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

The following statement on the terrorist bombings in Algeria was issued today by the Spokesperson for General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim:

Continue Reading…