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30 October, 2004
 

Table Of Contents

UN Launches Fresh Approach To Try To Bolster Human Rights Protection In Countries 1

Seeking to bolster its support programmes around the world, for human rights launched a new system-wide the United Nations on 27 October approach to helping countries promote and protect the civil liberties of their citizens.

The ultimate aim of the initiative, known as "Action 2," is to ensure that the rights of individuals are respected and protected - not only to the benefit of individuals but also as a foundation for sustainable peace and development, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour.

"What we are seeking is nothing less than a fundamental improvement in the chances of each and every individual to live a life of security and dignity: in this sense, Action 2 goes to the core of the very purpose of our Organization," she said at the launch ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New York.

As part of the new approach, the UN will try to strengthen individual countries' national protection systems, from ensuring domestic laws comply with international standards to improving the performance of  courts and correctional systems to promoting the work of ombudsmen and human rights defenders.

Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), noted that while support for human rights has always been at the heart of the UN's mission, for too long during the Cold War years, discussion of the concept as it related to development was too often distorted by political rhetoric - civil and political rights on the one hand and economic and social rights on the other were regarded not as two sides of the same coin, but as competing visions for the world's future.

"Fortunately, we have moved well beyond that confrontational discussion to a wider recognition that both sets of rights are inextricably linked," he said. "The goal is to achieve all human rights - civil, cultural, economic, political and social - for all people. Access to education, healthcare, shelter and employment is as critical to human freedom as political and civil rights are. And when adhered to in practice, as well as principle, the two concepts make up a virtuous circle of freedom and development, hand in hand."

Underscoring that theme, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, said that the promotion and protection of human rights lay at the very heart of humanitarian action. The very right to life and survival is the core principle which compels humanitarians to act, he added.

Noting examples in Darfur, Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where basic human rights were flagrantly violated, Mr. Egeland said, "All serve as compelling reasons why the UN must take humanitarian action and be better able and better equipped to work with national partners to extend protection to the innocent victims of conflict and violence."

Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that the UN system's experience with a human rights-based approach to development and humanitarian operations so far has resulted in deepening support to national efforts, "through better analyses of the economic and social environment in which people live, through strengthened partnerships with both the state and civil society, facilitating the participation of a wide range of actors, and through involvement in issues related to governance, such as legislative reform and accountability mechanisms which allow people to claim their rights."

 

Many Countries Still Appear Willing To Use Torture, Warns UN Human Rights Official 2

Torture, and cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment continue to be meted out by many States, often in the name of fighting terrorism, a United Nations human rights expert warns as he calls for a complete prohibition on the practice.

The warning came from Theo van Boven, Special Rapporteur on torture, as he presented his annual report to the General Assembly's social, humanitarian and cultural committee.

In his report, Mr. van Boven says the legal arguments proffered by countries to defend torture are never valid, regardless of whether there is "a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency."

Mr. van Boven also says some countries are trying to water down the definition of torture in the hope that some practices - including the deprivation of essential human needs, the issuing of death threats or suffocation with a wet cloth - can be considered permissible in exceptional circumstances.

"The condoning of torture is per se a violation of the prohibition of torture," he states in his report, adding that international law is unambiguous on the illegality of the behaviour. "Moreover, domestic law cannot be invoked as a justification for failure to comply with international treaty obligations and customary international law."

Mr. van Boven says he received numerous reports during the past year of nations attempting to avoid the ban on torture, especially during attempts to gain information from suspected terrorists. Their methods include holding the suspect in painful positions, depriving them of sleep or light for long periods, placing hoods over their heads, stripping them naked and threatening them with dogs. Some reports indicate the torture has been inflicted by private contractors.

In the report, the Rapporteur also voiced concern that: 

* Secret places of detention, where suspects are kept incommunicado for prolonged periods, are being maintained.

* The national authorities of some States may deem evidence obtained under torture as admissible during judicial hearings.

* Many countries appear willing to breach the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning someone to another State if there are substantial reasons for believing they may be tortured there.

Mr. van Boven notes that several countries did not respond to his requests to make inspection visits, including the United States in the case of the detention facilities it runs in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

 

UN Rights Expert Warns Against Measures To Restrict Freedom Of Religion 3

The growing tensions between religious communities in many countries will only worsen if governments try to restrict the right to freedom of religion or belief, a United Nations human rights expert warns.

Asma Jahangir, the newly appointed Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, says in her office's annual report to the General Assembly that governments must play "a delicate role" to ensure that religious tensions do not transform into violent confrontations.

"Increasing polarization between various shades of opinion and across religious lines has to be addressed at a national level. Open discourse at the regional and international levels is also necessary," she states. 

Presenting her report on 27 October to the General Assembly's social, humanitarian and cultural committee (also known as the Third Committee), Ms. Jahangir said some States had unduly restricted freedom of religion when they introduced anti-terrorism measures, thereby running the risk of breeding further intolerance.

In the report, based mostly on the work of her predecessor Abdelfattah Amor, Ms. Jahangir criticizes the move of some countries to restrict the practice of certain religious rites or ceremonies in the belief that those rites encourage intolerance.

"Such measures would be counter-productive and would be violative of the international norm of freedom of religion or belief." 

Ms. Jahangir also notes the numerous reports of intolerance or hate towards Muslims and Islam, as well as "an equal number of reports of the use of highly inflammatory speech against other religions and their followers by certain recognized Muslim individuals and Islamic groups."

She cautions governments in these situations to remain steadfastly neutral and to not propose laws that could discriminate between various religious communities.

The report also details the Rapporteur's communications to 29 nations about concerns of possible restrictions of freedom of religion there, and those countries' responses.

 

Human Rights Of Migrants Deteriorating, Warns UN Expert 4

Migrants face increasingly harsh conditions around the world, from exploitation in the workplace to frequent episodes of xenophobia or racism to detention if their status is irregular, a United Nations human rights expert says.

Gabriela Rodríguez Pizarro, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, says the phenomenon of people-smuggling is also worsening, driven by criminal organizations.

In a report to the General Assembly on her work between August 2003 and August this year, Ms. Rodríguez Pizarro states there has been "a continuing deterioration in the human rights situation of migrants."

She says this is occurring at the same time as the rights of migrants are being ignored during debates in receiver countries about immigration policy.

Ms. Rodríguez Pizarro calls on countries around the world to ratify the global conventions protecting the rights of migrant workers and their families and outlawing the illegal trafficking of people.

She says the regularization of the status of migrants "must be carried out with absolute respect for the human rights of those concerned, so that they cannot be blackmailed if regularization is left to their employers."

The Special Rapporteur also calls for the overhaul of traditional ways of managing migration, saying they are no longer effective in an increasingly globalized world where people in poor States can see obvious and large disparities in wealth and development.

Welcoming some initiatives that promote public consultation in the framing of migration policy, Ms. Rodríguez Pizarro says that countries should share responsibility for accepting and dealing with migrants, rather than treating the issue as one of internal security or specific economic interests.

 

UN Expert Decries Global Shame Of Rising Numbers Of Hungry 5

Although the world has more than enough food to sustain all people, a dozen children under the age of five are dying every minute from hunger-related diseases and the number of malnourished is on the rise, a United Nations experts says in a new report.

Jean Ziegler, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, says 842 million people were permanently or gravely undernourished last year, an increase of 2 million on the previous figures. Hunger levels have now risen every year since the World Food Summit in 1996 called for global action to stem the trend.

In a report to the General Assembly, Mr. Ziegler says it is indefensible that so many small children are still dying because they do not have enough food to eat. 

"How can we continue to live with this shame?" he asks, declaring that the time has come "to enforce the right to food."

Mr. Ziegler says hunger is neither inevitable nor acceptable. "We live in a world that is richer than ever before and that is entirely capable of eradicating hunger," he writes. "There is no secret as to how to eradicate hunger. There is no need for new technologies. There is simply the need for political commitment to challenge existing policies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer."

The expert expresses doubt that the world can meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that calls for the halving of the number of hungry people by 2015. While some countries have made gains in the last decade, many others have regressed, including India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sudan.

The Rapporteur states he is particularly concerned by the situation in Sudan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the occupied Palestinian territories and Cuba.

Mr. Ziegler calls for urgent action by Khartoum and Pyongyang to protect the citizens of their countries, and says the Israeli Government must respect its obligations as the occupying Power so that Palestinians enjoy the right to food. He also urges the United States "to refrain from unilateral measures that affect the right to food" of Cubans.

 

Three UN Electoral Workers Abducted In Afghanistan 6

Three international staff contracted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to work on Afghanistan's first-ever presidential elections earlier this month have been abducted by a group of armed men from a UN vehicle in the country's capital, a UN spokesman said on 28 October.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan learned of the abduction, which took place at approximately 1 p.m. local time in Kabul, "with deep regret and dismay," Fred Eckhard said in New York. 

"Very few details are known at present," the spokesman added. "The United Nations is in close contact with the authorities and is hoping for the staff members' immediate and unconditional release."

 

Murder Of Bangladeshi Journalist Condemned By UNESCO Chief 7

The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 27 October condemned the murder of a Bangladeshi journalist and voiced concern about the increasing frequency of such killings in the country.

"Attacks on media professionals assault democracy, which depends on citizens' ability to make informed choices," Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said in a statement issued at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. "Journalists play an indispensable role in informing society and feeding open debate. Attacks against them and their independence therefore undermine society at large."

Shahid Anwar, assistant editor of the Daily Asian Express, was reported to have been shot on 24 October by unidentified attackers who stormed his office in Dhaka. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), he is the second journalist killed in Bangladesh in two months and the fifth this year.

Mr. Matsuura said he was "deeply concerned" over the rise in the number of assassinations of journalists in Bangladesh. "These crimes mark a deterioration in the media's capacity to exercise their professional commitment to collect and disseminate facts and opinions, and must not go unpunished," he said.

 

UN Peacekeeping Missions Leading Effort To Protect Children Caught In War, Envoy Says 8

United Nations operations deployed to strife-torn countries are leading the effort to protect the youngest victims of war, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict says.

"There is no sector of the UN where more progress has been made than the peace and security sector of the UN, by which I mean in the Security Council and in peacekeeping operations," Olara Otunnu told the UN News Service on 26 October.

As evidence, he pointed to the fact that the protection of children is increasingly incorporated into the mandates of peacekeeping operations, while the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations have prepared a training package on the issue for those deploying to the field.

Above all, the envoy cited the "complete innovation" of stationing designated child protection advisers in the office of the senior official heading the peacekeeping mission to ensure "that the issue of child protection is being taken seriously, is being mainstreamed and has truly become part of the raison d'être of peacekeeping missions."

Asked about media reports regarding abuses by peacekeepers, Mr. Otunnu said child protection officers are mandated to refer any allegations of abuse to the highest authority for action. "That is part of their responsibility," he said. "If there are abuses, then they bring to the attention of the head of mission that this is happening and something must be done about it right away."

The UN has a strict "zero tolerance" policy in place. "We must be very vigilant that any misbehaviour, any abuses and exploitation are dealt with swiftly and without complacency," he said.

The Special Representative was first appointed in 1997, and subsequent resolutions of the Security Council mandated that peacekeeping missions protect children.

"We've come a very long way as far as incorporating and making child protection an important aspect of the work of peacekeepers," Mr. Otunnu said.

At the same time, he called for intensified action to address key questions: "Is enough being done to really focus on the needs of children, whether it is demobilizing them from armed groups, whether it is investing enough to rehabilitate schools, whether it is ensuring that girls who have been exposed to sexual violence are given the attention they deserve?" he asked.

Mr. Otunnu emphasized that good intentions must be backed by funds. "We need to be sure that in terms of resources we are not giving lip service," he said.

 

MINURSO Extended Through April 2005 9

The Security Council on 28 October unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations mission in Western Sahara through 30 April 2005, and asking Secretary-General Kofi Annan to report further on the possibility of reducing the size of the operation.

The Council action comes after Mr. Annan reported the previous week that parties in Western Sahara have made no progress over the last six months towards agreement on a peace plan originally proposed last year by his former Personal Envoy James Baker.

In his report, the Secretary-General gave two options for the Council to consider: either maintaining the status quo of 203 military observers monitoring the ceasefire line or the withdrawal of no more than 37 of them, which would still enable the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to carry out its work without disruption.

The Council asked Mr. Annan to report back within three months with more details on the two options, as well as on the evolution of the situation.

 

Security Council Urges Stepped-Up Efforts To Protect Women From Violence In War 10

The Security Council on 28 October called on the United Nations to make a comprehensive, system-wide effort to end the continuing violence against women and girls in war and to give women a much stronger voice during post-conflict peace processes.

After a day-long debate on women, peace and security, the Council released a presidential statement asking Secretary-General Kofi Annan to outline an action plan by October next year showing how the UN can achieve those goals.

Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, which holds the Council's rotating presidency for this month, said the plan would include a detailed timetable for implementing such targets as eliminating gender-based violence and boosting women's participating in peacekeeping and peace-building operations.

Mr. Jones Parry said gender perspectives must be integrated into the planning and running of every peace and security operation by the UN, including its peacekeeping missions, so that women can fully participate in them.

The statement also:

· Urged Mr. Annan to increase his efforts to "identify suitable female candidates" to fill posts in peacekeeping, conflict prevention or humanitarian operations, especially senior posts.

· Called for an end to the culture of impunity for the perpetrators of physical or sexual violence against women and girls in war.

· Recommended all staff involved in conflict or post-conflict operations to be given specific training so they can recognize and respond quickly and appropriately to gender-based violence.

· Stressed the need for increased support programmes for victims of gender-based violence.

The current debate was held in part to measure what progress has been made since the Council adopted a resolution in 2000 that decried gender-based violence and called for an overhaul in the planning of peace and security operations so that women's perspectives are always included.

Earlier, describing the international response so far as "completely inadequate," the head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) demanded a drastic improvement in both attitude and action to end the "massive and systematic" violence against women and girls.

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, told the Council that victims of violence still faced stigma or shame, most perpetrators went unpunished and there were not nearly enough resources devoted to tackling the problem.

Ms. Obaid said most of the progress since the Council resolution of 2000 has been in creating better policies and guidelines, and not on the ground in those States where women and girls are at greatest risk.

Ms. Obaid said it was vital that police officers, security personnel, UN peacekeepers and humanitarian staff are trained to identify and tackle vigorously violence against women, and that more women are placed to work in these "male-dominated arenas."

"We do not need a few good women sprinkled here and there," she said. "We need gender parity so women in positions of power can stop abuses of power."

Ms. Obaid said one of the worst aspects of gender-based violence was the lingering damage it does to both the individual victims and to the society as a whole. Many women and girls suffer physically and psychologically for years, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS spread through communities, and family structures are permanently undermined.

Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said people-trafficking and sexual exploitation occur during UN peacekeeping operations on a scale "which has yet to be fully acknowledged and effectively addressed."

She said "there can be no tolerance" for the behaviour, adding Mr. Annan has made clear the responsibility of every UN staff member, and particularly senior managers, to ensure that the exploitation does not occur.

"Sexual predatory practice by international `interveners' cannot just be condemned as the isolated, deplorable actions of a few `bad apples,'" Ms. Arbour said.

Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said that while many challenges remain, the UN is working much harder today than it did in 2000 to ensure that the needs and perspectives of women are included in its conflict and post-conflict operations.

Speakers representing dozens of countries then addressed the Council, outlining the steps they have made in their own States and calling for much greater international cooperation to end violence and increase women's role in peace-building and peacekeeping.

 

ISDR: Rich Nations Can Also Suffer From Natural Disasters 11

The deadly typhoons and earthquakes that have recently struck Japan illustrates that even wealthy countries are vulnerable to natural hazards, the head of the United Nations disaster-reduction body said on 26 October.

Sálvano Briceño, Director of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), called on countries to step up their education, environmental protection, land-use planning and development projects so that they can prepare better for the inevitable hazards and reduce their risk and scale of exposure to many disasters.

Global warming is also having an impact, he said, increasing the likelihood of more frequent and more severe tropical storms.

At least 80 people were killed and more than 370 people injured when Typhoon Tokage, a so-called super-typhoon, lashed Japan last week. It was only the latest and deadliest of a record 10 typhoons that struck the Asian nation this season.

A series of strong earthquakes over the weekend also killed 25 people in Niigata Prefecture, which is about 250 kilometres northwest of Tokyo. Many homes, buildings and roads were damaged or destroyed.

Mr. Briceño said Japan was one of the world's best-prepared nations against the impact of earthquakes and typhoons, and the death toll would have been much higher if the events occurred in another country.

He said the series of tragedies "reminds us that all countries, rich and poor, are subject to increasing threats from social vulnerability and natural hazards," adding that affluent and impoverished countries need to work together to form common solutions and strategies for dealing with disasters.

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction will be held next January in Kobe, Japan, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the massive earthquake which struck the city and surrounding areas.