Gustavo Capdevila

HUMAN RIGHTS: Reforms to ‘De-Politicise’ UN Commission’s Work

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights anticipates a major debate in this year's sessions on far- reaching reforms designed to reduce the political weight of governments when it comes to assessing rights abuses.

WEEKLY SELECTION-KURDISTAN: UN Committee Expresses Concern for Kurds

By Gustavo Capdevila

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination declared its concern Wednesday over the "suppression of the fundamental rights and the identity of the Kurds as a distinct people."

HUMAN RIGHTS: UN Committee Expresses Concern for Kurds

By Gustavo Capdevila

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination declared its concern Wednesday over the "suppression of the fundamental rights and the identity of the Kurds as a distinct people."

LABOUR: First Southern ILO Director Takes His Post

By Gustavo Capdevila

Chile's Juan Somavia, is the new director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) - the first Southerner to head the entity in its near 80 years of operation.

TRADE: WTO Elections in Times of Conflict

By Gustavo Capdevila

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) decided to speed up the election process for the new director general, despite the institution going through some of the greatest difficulties in its short history.

DEVELOPMENT: Countries of the South Gear Up for Debate with North

By Gustavo Capdevila

The countries of the developing South are working to come up with a firm, homogeneous stance in preparation for the 10th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD-X), to be held in Bangkok in February 2000.

HUMAN RIGHTS: Abuses Against Lawmakers On the Rise

By Gustavo Capdevila

Violations of the rights of parliamentarians are on the rise, despite a simultaneous political opening, said members of the human rights committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The abuses, however, are becoming more subtle.

TRADE: Thai Candidate Consolidates Lead in WTO Race

By Gustavo Capdevila

Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Supachai Panichpakdi broadened his lead over the other three candidates for director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), although the complexity of the selection process makes it impossible yet to confirm his election.

DISARMAMENT: Climate Favourable for Ban on Fissile Material

By Gustavo Capdevila

The annual sessions of the Conference on Disarmament opened in Geneva amidst a climate favourable to negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

TRADE: Election of WTO Director-General Derailed – Again

By Gustavo Capdevila

The election of the new director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) could be further delayed due to a new snag in the process designed to come up with a consensus among the Geneva-based body's 134 member states.

RIGHTS-AMERICAS: Indigenous Committee To Lobby OAS

By Gustavo Capdevila

Indigenous groups from throughout the Americas plan to use their weight in the region to lobby the Organisation of American States (OAS) to approve a declaration on the rights of native peoples.

DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN-TRADE: UN Calls for Equitable Internet Access

By Gustavo Capdevila

The United Nations (UN) shares ideas of the potential benefits of electronic commerce commonly raised by the industrial powers, but warnes that access is barred to many by technological inequities.

DEVELOPMENT-TRADE: UN Calls for Equitable Internet Access

By Gustavo Capdevila

The United Nations (UN) shares ideas of the potential benefits of electronic commerce commonly raised by the industrial powers, but warned access is barred to many by technological inequities.

HUMAN RIGHTS: UN Accuses Governments of Double Talk on Migrants

By Gustavo Capdevila

A United Nations working group accused governments of double talk on the human rights of immigrants world- wide.

ECONOMY: Socialist International Proposes a Return to Regulation

By Gustavo Capdevila

The economic platform of the Socialist International (SI) endorses the principles of the market economy, while reintroducing the concept of regulation in order to overcome the recent financial turmoil.

FOOD-SOMALIA: International Call for Famine Avoidance Action

By Gustavo Capdevila

The threat of famine looms over 300,000 people of southern Somalia, warned several UN agencies, in a call for funds from the international community.

POLITICS-UNITED NATIONS: Francophone World Questions English Bias

By Gustavo Capdevila

Some 3,000 tongues are spoken in the 186 member states of the United Nations, but English reigns supreme in the world forum, participants in a recent debate on pluri- lingualism in international institutions complained.

HEALTH: WHO Launches Campaign Against Tobacco Industry

By Gustavo Capdevila

The World Health Organisation (WHO) proposed opening discussion of an International Framework Convention of Tobacco Control Tuesday - this substance is expected to cause 10 million deaths worldwide in the year 2020.

ECONOMY-ASIA: Crisis Hits Poor Farmers Hardest

By Gustavo Capdevila

Analysis of the financial crisis in Asia has concentrated on how its effects big bankers overlooking the privations of the poorest people of the rural zones, complained international officials.

TRADE: Developing Countries Fighting Fate in the Air

By Gustavo Capdevila

Fate may have placed the developing world close to earthly calamity and far from paradise, but if the region's plans for access to air transport prosper, destiny may well be out-manoeuvred, at least on this front.