The U.N. General Assembly had voted to create the first international arms treaty, which will make it more difficult to sell weapons to governments and groups that engage in war crimes and genocide. [Washington Post] Three million hectares of untouched Amazonian rainforest in Ecuador are set to be auction off to Chinese oil companies. Indigenous [...]
Tag Archives: United Nations
UN demands ‘immediate suspension’ of Amazon gas plans
The United Nations has demanded an immediate halt to the expansion of a major gas project in the Peruvian Amazon, over concerns that it poses a grave risk to the lives of uncontacted Indians living nearby. In a letter to the Peruvian government, the UN’s Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) requested the ‘immediate suspension’ of [...]
Israel secretly repatriated 1,000 to Sudan, without informing UN
‘The Haaretz’ reported on Feb 26, 2013: Though Israel claims the people’s return was voluntary, this claim was rejected by UNHCR, which says there is no ‘free will from inside a prison.’ Israel has “voluntarily” returned at least 1,000 people to Sudan, an enemy country that has vowed to punish any of its citizens who [...]
Press Review: Land grabs in Ethiopia & Private health care clinics scam India’s poor
Save the Children accuses Nestlé and other food giants of violating codes by undermining breastfeeding campaigns in the developing world. [The Guardian] Millions of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable citizens are forcibly relocated as the Ethiopian government encourages land grabs by Indian corporations. [The Guardian] Private health care clinics in India are blamed for performing unnecessary surgeries [...]
Somalia: No authority to rape
My name is Laila and I’m a journalist. I recently wrote a story about a young woman brutally gang-raped by government soldiers in Somalia, hoping that her bravery in telling such a painful story would bring attention to the awful rape problem there. Instead, the government used my article to jail a rape victim and another journalist covering [...]
Press Review: Arctic resources need protection & Mongolia’s mineral boom
As melting ice makes the Arctic’s abundant mineral, energy, and wildlife resources easier to access, the United Nations’ Environmental Programme asks the Arctic Council to guard them from exploitation. [The Guardian] Protesting against religious authorities who oppose women’s rights, Lebanese women are demanding the approval of a new law that would protect women from domestic [...]
Press Review: Bhutan goes organic & Drilling in Peru’s Manú National Park
Bhutan prepares to become the first country to transform 100% of its agriculture to organic methods. [The Guardian] After years of denial, evidence has surfaced that the big energy company Pluspetrol is planning to tap gas reserves in Peru’s Manú National Park. [The Guardian] Environmentalists call Brazil’s plans to fill the Amazon forest with 168 [...]
Press Review: Protest movement in Saudi Arabia & Guatemala shocked by violent crimes against women
China’s extreme air pollution problem might finally force the government to stop downplaying the problem and move towards action. [The Economist] A new UN report finds evidence of increased use of torture in Afghan jails and secret prisons. [The Guardian] New images from Nasa show the long-term damaging effects of climate change on the size [...]
Press Review: Sexual violence in Syria & North Korea’s crimes against humanity
The International Rescue Committee is reporting widespread sexual violence against Syrian women and girls who have taken refuge in camps where there is no support to help them heal physically or mentally. [The Guardian] South African activists attempt to change its society’s ambivalent attitude towards rape. [BBC] A year after Kim Jong-un came to power [...]
Press Review: Malnutrition stunting a generation in Africa & The international anti-corruption movement
Malnutrition is stunting a generation in Africa, where two in five children are stunted so severely that they are both physically and mentally impaired. [Washington Post] The international anti-corruption movement is becoming a human rights movement as people from all backgrounds recognize the value of justice and the rule of law. [Slate] In Mali, where [...]
Palestine UN status upgrade should open door to justice
Palestine’s historic recognition as a non-member observer state of the United Nations brings with it obligations under international law, Amnesty International said today. The vote at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday was decided by 138 votes in favour, 41 abstentions, and 9 against. Palestine is in a position to ratify the [...]
Hours for Palestine
Update: The UN General Assembly has decided with a majority of 138 of 193 votes: From now on, Palestine holds a “non-member observer state” which means a huge step towards a stronger self-determination for Palestinians and another step towards a two-state solution. ***************************************************************************************************************************** In hours, the UN will face a historic vote on Palestinian statehood. While extremists in Israel [...]
