Sunday, April 22, 2018
News and Views from the Global South
Human Rights
Authoritarian Govts Tighten Grip on Press Freedom
The 25th celebration of World Press Freedom Day will be led by UNESCO and the government of Ghana in Accra on May 2-3. The theme is “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law,” covering the issues of media in respect to the judicial system and transparent political processes.
Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 18,575 in 2018; Deaths Reach 559
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 18,575 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea through the first 108 days of 2018, with about 40 per cent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece (38 per cent) and Spain, at roughly 20 per cent. This compares with 43,645 arrivals across the region through the same period last year, and 205,613 at this time in 2016.
PM’s Call to the World Very Timely
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's call to the international community to put more pressure on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees is very timely, because, it seems, only international pressure can make Myanmar act according to the deal. Myanmar's assertion that it has repatriated the first Rohingya family of five from Bangladesh just goes to show how insincere it is in honouring the repatriation agreement that was signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar last November. Rights activists and international relations experts have aptly called the move by Myanmar "a public relations stunt."
Child Soldiers Released, But Risk Remains
More than 200 child soldiers were released by armed groups in war-torn South Sudan, and help will be needed to ensure their safe and bright future, according to a UN agency.The release took place in Western Equatoria State and follows a similar release last month that saw 300 children freed.
Football Greats Line up for Match for Solidarity
A host of footballing greats have confirmed their participation in the Match for Solidarity organised by UEFA and the United Nations in Geneva.013 - Ronaldinho and Figo to captain all-star teams to raise money for charity in joint UEFA-UN initiative
Homebound: Hardship Awaits Internally Displaced Iraqis
With upcoming elections in May, the Iraqi government is urging Internally Displaced People (IDPs) to return home. After the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, an increase in security and number of returnees to their region of origin is expected; however, many IDPs see no way to leave the camps just yet.
After More Than a Decade, Rights of Indigenous Peoples Not Fully Realized
First, I want to talk about how we got here.It was nearly 100 years ago, when indigenous peoples first asserted their rights, on the international stage. But, they did not see much progress. At least until 1982 - when the first Working Group on Indigenous Populations was established.
Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 17,461 in 2018; Deaths Reach 559
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 17,461 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea through the first 105 days of 2018, with about 43 per cent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece (36%) Spain (20%) and Cyprus (less than 1%).
DR Congo’s Mai-Ndombe Forest ‘Savaged’ As Landless Communities Struggle
Thousands of logs loaded into makeshift boats at the port of Inongo at Lake Mai-Ndombe stand ready to be transported to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A Child of War Dedicates Herself to Peace
“I was so angry, I felt like I wanted to blow up the whole world, but I didn’t. I decided I wouldn’t be pushed to become evil. I would choose peace.”Dalia Al-Najjar has crammed a great deal into her short life. At 22, the Palestinian refugee has already lived through three wars and has spent every spare moment between siege and ceasefire studying, volunteering, working, blogging, on the daily struggle to live in Gaza – and planning how to change the future.
Keeping Power in Check – Media, Justice and the Rule of Law
Rarely has the press been as powerful as it is today. Thanks to the advent of social media, the use of which has grown exponentially, the combination of the formal press, newspapers, television and radio is now strengthened, and itself even kept in check by social media. Jo and Joanne citizen have found a voice, not infrequently with the power of a political and social tsunami.
IOM Grantees Preserve the Custom of Making Ukrainian Crafts
A man living in the Government-controlled part of the conflict-affected eastern Ukraine and two women, who moved from the non-government controlled area to Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, have chosen folk crafts for their business. With curly clay ornaments and the sophisticated traditional embroidery stitches, they earn their living, and, to some extent, try to put the country back together.
Getting Away with Murder in Slovakia
Sitting in a cafe in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, Zuzana Petkova admits that like many other investigative journalists in the country today, she is scared.
Pre-election Tension Threatens Free Speech in Brazil
Gunshots, eggs and stones thrown, blocked roads and other forms of aggression against politicians and journalists in recent weeks generated fears that the violence will increase the uncertainty over the October elections in Brazil.
Middle East: a Threat to World Peace & Security, Warns UN Chief
The situation in the Middle East is in chaos — to such an extent it has become a threat to international peace and security.The region is facing a true Gordian knot – different fault lines crossing each other and creating a highly volatile situation with risks of escalation, fragmentation and division as far as the eye can see with profound regional and global ramifications.
UN Cracks Down on Peacekeeping Troops over Human Rights Abuses
The United Nations, whose peacekeepers have come under increased scrutiny because of widespread charges of sexual abuse and human rights violations, claims it is now committed to ensuring that all personnel serving with the UN meet the “highest standards of conduct, competence and integrity, including respect for and commitment to human rights.”
Food Is the Answer: Perugia International Journalism Festival
The twelfth International Journalism Festival on April 12-15 has drawn 710 speakers from 50 different countries, becoming the biggest journalism festival in Europe.
Joint efforts to Strengthen Collaboration in Afghanistan on Returns and Reintegration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan are working closely to ensure sustainable return and reintegration in Afghanistan in close collaboration with the Government of Afghanistan and other partners.
First They Came for the Rohingya
In recent months, international media coverage of Myanmar has focused on the plight of the Rohingya people in the west of the country. And for good reason: Since August 2017, brutal army attacks on this Muslim ethnic minority have sent more than 750,000 people — 90 percent of the Rohingya population living in Rakhine state — fleeing over the border to Bangladesh, in what can only be described as a coordinated campaign of genocide.
Death Sentences Keep Sliding, Says Amnesty International
As the United Nations continues to lead the global fight to abolish the death penalty, countries in sub-Saharan Africa have recorded a significant decrease in death sentences, according to a new report released by Amnesty International (AI).In its 2017 global review of the death penalty, AI has singled out Guinea, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Chad for their positive steps amongst abolitionist states in sub-Saharan Africa.
Code for Media & Government
The government and the national media will both find a new set of principles, just unveiled by a group of Commonwealth associations in London, extremely useful in protecting freedom of expression in Pakistan and enabling the media to play its due role in securing the people’s right to good governance.Next Page »
One world, one humanity, now one court to defend its rights. Another step towards universal human rights, but not remotely a step far enough. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights more than half a century ago, but that has done little to stop violations the world over, just as the Geneva Convention has not protected prisoners of war enough. Democracy itself and the freedom it presupposes has not been protective enough. This is the century to move from politicisation of human rights towards humanising political ways. IPS keeps an eye on that difficult path.
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