Wednesday, June 29, 2011
UN URGES EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA TO STOP SENDING CHILDREN TO STATE-RUN HOMES
UN URGES EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA TO STOP SENDING CHILDREN TO STATE-RUN HOMES
New York, Jun 29 2011 5:10PM
Two United Nations entities have urged governments in Europe and Central Asia to immediately end the practice of placing young children in State-run homes for infants because of the risk of neglect and abuse.
New York, Jun 29 2011 5:10PM
Two United Nations entities have urged governments in Europe and Central Asia to immediately end the practice of placing young children in State-run homes for infants because of the risk of neglect and abuse.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) yesterday <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_59030.html">launched a campaign against sending children to State-managed homes after two new reports documented abuses of children in such institutions.
The reports showed that across Europe and Central Asia, including in States that are members of the European Union (EU), more than a million children and adults are living in long-term residential care, where they languish, often for a lifetime.
Hundreds of thousands of babies with disabilities are routinely placed in State-run homes, severely hampering their development, with many suffering in appalling conditions, according to the reports.
The report by OHCHR, entitled <i>Forgotten Europeans – Forgotten Rights</i>, outlines international and European human rights standards relevant to the situation of people in institutions.
The UNICEF document, entitled <i>At Home or in a Home – Formal care and adoption of children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia</i>, provides an overview of the major trends and concerns about children in formal care and institutions, as well as adoption in 21 countries and one entity in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
At a meeting in the European Parliament hosted by Irish legislator Mairead McGuinness, the two UN entities urged governments across the region to make the needs and rights of the youngest children a priority in policy-making, budget allocation and services development, while following international and European standards.
The call to action includes restricting placement of children in institutions to short-term emergency measures or a planned stay not exceeding six months – and only when it is absolutely necessary and in the best interests of the child.
"Children belong where their best interests are met – in loving, caring homes, not in institutions where we know they all too often receive substandard care," said Anthony Lake, the UNICEF Executive Director.
"We need to support initiatives that help families stay together by increasing their access to social services – and governments need to invest in building stronger social protection systems that reach the most vulnerable families and most disadvantaged communities."
Jan Jarab, OHCHR's regional representative for Europe, said: "Many Central and Eastern European countries have largely maintained the system of large-scale residential institutions for children of all ages.
"Placement of children into institutions – including those under three years of age – is still the society's main response to disability, poverty or perceived lack of parental skills, rather than a measure of protection from individual abuse, from which these societies often fail to protect children."
Jun 29 2011 5:10PM
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UPCOMING THAI POLLS SHOULD BE FREE, FAIR AND PEACEFUL – UN CHIEF
New York, Jun 29 2011 4:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he is closely following the situation in Thailand ahead of this Sunday's national elections and hopes the polls will be credible and free from violence.
New York, Jun 29 2011 4:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he is closely following the situation in Thailand ahead of this Sunday's national elections and hopes the polls will be credible and free from violence.
"He expects the elections will be conducted peacefully and in a fair, credible and transparent manner so as to contribute to reconciliation and the consolidation of democratic norms in the country," according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=5386">statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.
"He urges all parties to refrain from violence before, during and after the elections and to accept and respect the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box," the statement added.
The opposition candidates who will face off against incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva include Yingluck Shinawatra, whose older brother, the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
Jun 29 2011 4:10PM
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HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS PERSIST IN NEW ANTI-TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGIME – UN EXPERT
HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS PERSIST IN NEW ANTI-TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGIME – UN EXPERT
New York, Jun 29 2011 4:10PM
An independent United Nations human rights expert today said that the new procedure adopted by the Security Council on the listing of individuals and organizations under the international sanctions regime against terrorism still fails to address the human rights shortcomings in the process.
New York, Jun 29 2011 4:10PM
An independent United Nations human rights expert today said that the new procedure adopted by the Security Council on the listing of individuals and organizations under the international sanctions regime against terrorism still fails to address the human rights shortcomings in the process.
The Council, in two resolutions adopted on 17 June, split the sanctions it has imposed on Al-Qaida and those against the Taliban, creating two lists of individuals and organizations so that they can be treated separately.
Sanctions originally created for the Taliban were converted into a global Al Qaida terrorist listing regime, while the Taliban will be covered by resolution 1988 which is based on a territorial limitation and the identification of the situation in Afghanistan as constituting a threat to international peace and security.
In a <"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11191&LangID=E">statement issued in Geneva, Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, said "the Al Qaida sanctions regime under resolution 1989 does not, judged by the letter of the resolution, remedy the human rights shortcomings expressed in relation to the earlier consolidated list."
Judicial challenges to the listings are likely to continue, he said.
"Due to the unsatisfactory level of due process guarantees such as disclosure of information and a right to an effective remedy, the strengthened role of the ombudsperson is unlikely to satisfy national or European courts that the safeguards at the United Nations level are sufficient, so that these courts could allow deference instead of exercising their jurisdiction over the national or European measures for the implementation of the sanctions," said Mr. Scheinin.
However, he added that his assessment may change if Security Council members are prepared to secure the following conditions:<BR>
<LI>Any listing proposal require the submission of the full set of information that is used as the substantive basis for the listing proposal;</LI>
<LI>The person or entity subjected to the listing proposal has the right and practical means to effectively challenge the proposal;</LI>
<LI>The delisting ombudsperson has access to the full set of information used for the listing;</LI>
<LI>The delisting recommendations by the ombudsperson or delisting proposals by the designating State are in practice respected.
"If these conditions are met in the implementation… the Special Rapporteur finds it likely that national or European courts will require listed individuals or entities to exhaust the delisting procedure of the ombudsperson before exercising their jurisdiction in relation to the national or European implementing measures," said Mr. Scheinin.
Jun 29 2011 4:10PM
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UNESCO HAILS RELEASE OF TWO FRENCH JOURNALISTS AND THEIR AFGHAN INTERPRETER
UNESCO HAILS RELEASE OF TWO FRENCH JOURNALISTS AND THEIR AFGHAN INTERPRETER
New York, Jun 29 2011 3:10PM
The United Nations agency tasked with upholding press freedom today welcomed the release of two French journalists and their local interpreter who had been held hostage in Afghanistan for 18 months.
New York, Jun 29 2011 3:10PM
The United Nations agency tasked with upholding press freedom today welcomed the release of two French journalists and their local interpreter who had been held hostage in Afghanistan for 18 months.
The reporter Hervé Ghesquière and the cameraman Stéphane Taponier, who worked for France 3 television channel, were kidnapped along with their interpreter Reza Din and two others while they were working on a documentary in eastern Afghanistan in December 2009.
Mr. Ghesquière, Mr. Taponier and Mr. Din were reportedly released today, with the two others freed months earlier.
In a statement the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) hailed the news and thanked all parties who ensured the release of the three men, particularly France and Afghanistan.
"We also think of all journalists who, around the world, find themselves prevented from doing their work, and are unjustly harassed or pay with their life or freedom for the fundamental right to information," said Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General. "We solemnly call for their immediate release."
Jun 29 2011 3:10PM
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BANGKOK DECLARED WORLD BOOK CAPITAL 2013 AT UN CONFERENCE
BANGKOK DECLARED WORLD BOOK CAPITAL 2013 AT UN CONFERENCE
New York, Jun 29 2011 2:10PM
An international committee has <"http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/bangkok_designated_world_book_capital_2013/">designated Bangkok as World Book Capital 2013, the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) reported today.
New York, Jun 29 2011 2:10PM
An international committee has <"http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/bangkok_designated_world_book_capital_2013/">designated Bangkok as World Book Capital 2013, the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) reported today.
The city was selected as the 13th World Book Capital by a committee made up of representatives from the publishing world and UNESCO, which met at the UN agency's Paris headquarters.
The committee said it selected Bangkok "for its willingness to bring together all the various stakeholders in the book supply chain and beyond, actors involved in the publication chain for a range of projects proposed, for its community-focused and the high level of its commitment through the proposed activities."
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova congratulated Bangkok "for the rich and varied programme it has prepared and committed itself to, that gives special emphasis to young people, marginalized groups and the development of reading for all.
"With its accent on cooperation and dialogue, at local, national and international levels, this programme responds perfectly to the objectives of the World Book Capital project, which is attracting the attention of an increasing number of cities worldwide."
The World Book Capital selection committee includes representatives from the International Publishers Associations (IPA-UIE), the International Booksellers Federation (IBF), the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and UNESCO.
Each year this committee attributes the title to a city which has committed itself to promote books and reading, and to highlight the vitality of literary creativity. The nomination does not imply any financial prize, but an exclusively symbolic acknowledgement of the best programme dedicated to books and reading, UNESCO said.
Previous World Book Capitals were: Madrid (Spain, 2001), Alexandria (Egypt, 2002), New Delhi (India, 2003), Antwerp (Belgium, 2004), Montreal (Canada, 2005), Turin (Italy, 2006), Bogotá (Colombia, 2007), Amsterdam (the Netherlands, 2008), Beirut (Lebanon, 2009), Ljubljana (Slovenia, 2010), Buenos Aires (Argentina, 2011) and Yerevan (Armenia, 2012).
Jun 29 2011 2:10PM
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SECURITY COUNCIL EXTEND TERMS OF JUDGES AT UN TRIBUNAL FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
SECURITY COUNCIL EXTEND TERMS OF JUDGES AT UN TRIBUNAL FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
New York, Jun 29 2011 2:10PM
The Security Council today extended the terms of judges serving on the United Nations tribunal created to try perpetrators of the worst crimes committed during conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s to ensure that the court is adequately staffed to complete its work.
New York, Jun 29 2011 2:10PM
The Security Council today extended the terms of judges serving on the United Nations tribunal created to try perpetrators of the worst crimes committed during conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s to ensure that the court is adequately staffed to complete its work.
In a unanimous resolution, the Council decided to extend the terms of office of eight permanent judges at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) who are members of the trial chambers until 31 December 2012 or until the completion of the cases to which they are assigned.
The terms of nine ad litem judges – who are limited to particular cases – were also extended until 31 December 2012 or until the completion of the cases to which they are assigned.
The Council "reiterates the importance of the International Tribunal being adequately staffed to complete its work expeditiously and calls upon relevant United Nations bodies to intensify cooperation with the Secretariat and the Registrar of the International Tribunal and to take a flexible approach in order to find practicable solutions to address this issue as the International Tribunal approaches the completion of its work, and at the same time calls upon the International Tribunal to renew its efforts to focus on its core functions," said the resolution.
It called on all States, especially those that emerged from the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, to intensify cooperation with and to render all necessary assistance to ICTY, particularly in the arrest of Goran Hadžic, a key war crimes suspect who remains at large.
The Council commended States that have concluded agreements for the enforcement of sentences of those convicted by ICTY or have otherwise accepted such convicts to serve their sentences in their territories, and urged countries to renew their commitment to the enforcement of sentences and to positively consider requests from the tribunal in this regard.
It also urged States that have not concluded agreements for the enforcement of sentences of ICTY convicts to consider entering into such pacts.
Jun 29 2011 2:10PM
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