October 2020 — Page 3 of 17 — Human Rights & Charity

Rights expert urges greater protection for mass graves: proof of ‘heinous events’

Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions, called for greater support on Tuesday, to countries and communities where these sites are located to ensure they are treated with respect, and in accordance with human rights standards.

‘Spaces of intimate sorrow’

“Mass graves are places of evidence crucial to effective pursuit of formal justice”, she told the UN General Assembly in presenting her annual report.

“They hold the remains of those denied identity in death. They are spaces of intimate sorrow for loved ones. And, they are places of public record – proof that heinous events took place which must never be forgotten.”

Mass graves can be found in every region of the world, said Ms. Callamard, whose mandate covers all countries.

They can be the result of repression, conflict, or linked to criminal activity, or due to natural disasters or pandemics.

Whatever the situation, “they always embody human rights violations”, she stated.

Unacknowledged, desecrated or destroyed

“Ours is a human history marred by massacres, in which so often those responsible have not only walked free but are later even celebrated, with statues erected in their memory gracing our court houses, town halls and local parks”, said Ms. Callamard.

“But just contrast that with the way so many killing sites and mass graves are treated: left unacknowledged, unprotected, unpreserved and, when not covered up, desecrated or destroyed. It may even become a crime to mention them in public.”

In her report, Ms. Callamard outlines the historical and global neglect of mass graves, and the need for greater support to countries and communities.

She also highlighted the lack of a coherent human rights framework for their treatment.

“My report offers a human rights framework by which to strengthen the respectful and lawful handling of mass graves; an approach in which the diversity of the claims, rights and obligations are recognised and in which a fair balance can be struck across those many interests,” she said.

Central role for families, survivors, communities

The rights expert emphasized that victims’ families, as well as survivors and affected communities, must be empowered to actively and meaningfully participate in decisions surrounding the management of mass graves.

To help guarantee fair participatory processes, she recommended that a legal guardian be appointed for the mass grave.

Where relevant, crime scene managers also should be appointed. These officials would be responsible for ensuring that decision-making processes give attention to diverse stakeholders’ claims and that State obligations are implemented.

Human rights approach ensures respect

As an independent expert, Ms. Callamard is neither a UN staff member, nor is she paid by the Organization.

She receives her mandate from the UN Human Rights Council through its special procedures mechanism for monitoring specific thematic issues, or country situations.

The Special Rapporteur called for States to further support the development of standards and best practices for the respectful and lawful management of mass graves.

The move will ensure that they are included in transitional justice and peace-making efforts and that their management is well resourced. 

“More coherent human rights action must be taken also to ensure that present and future generations never forget the heinous crimes that led to these many mass graves and work actively to ensure that repetition of that violence is never allowed,” said Ms. Callamard.

“It is only through human rights-based interventions that these massacre sites of massive suffering and mass death can become sites of dignity, respect and places for the deep communal learning essential to non-repetition.”

UN builds momentum for restoring forests as world enters key decade for ecosystems

The world has made considerable progress in the past decade, according to the new edition of FAO’s international forestry journal Unasylva, entitled Restoring the Earth – the next decade, since 63 countries, subnational governments and private organisations have already committed to restoring 173 million hectares, and regional responses are making significant advances in Africa and Latin America.

Meet the challenge

The goal is to meet the “Bonn Challenge” – the world’s largest voluntary forest landscape restoration initiative, which was launched in 2011. It is a global target to bring 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands into restoration by 2020 and 350 million by 2030.

“Societies worldwide will need to be convinced of the global restoration imperative by rational economic argument, compassion for current and future generations, and an emotional connection to nature”, according to the authors of one article in the journal.

The Unasylva issue looks at prospects for meeting the Bonn Challenge and mechanisms for measuring and accelerating progress, and examines work going on in China, Kenya, Brazil, Madagascar, Cambodia and Sao Tome and Principe.

It also discusses how restoration work can be scaled up, including various initiatives that are underway to increase funding and boost local stakeholders and technical assistance.

Enormous potential

“These have enormous potential to be mainstreamed because of their cost-effectiveness, adaptability, applicability to many ecosystems and contexts, and ease of implementation”, the opening editorial in Unasylva said.

Next year sees the start of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,  a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, which runs from 2021 until the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030.

“There is a great opportunity for the Bonn Challenge process and its contributing regional platforms to provide a model for aspiring actors to embrace or reinforce restoration efforts in other ecosystems, such as wetlands and coral reefs,” senior officials at the  International Union for Conservation of Nature wrote in one of the articles in Unasylva.

UN chief hails Republic of Korea’s vow to achieve carbon neutrality

The UN chief was “very encouraged” by President Moon Jae-in’s announcement on Wednesday of South Korea’s commitment to get to net zero emissions by this date, according to a statement issued by his Spokesperson.

Growing group of nations

“With this announcement the Republic of Korea, the world’s 11th largest economy and sixth largest exporter, joins a growing group of major economies committed to lead by example in building a sustainable, carbon neutral and climate resilient world by 2050”, the statement said.

President Moon made the vow in a speech to the national assembly to “actively respond” to climate change, in line with a $35 billion New Green Deal, announced in July, on ending investment in coal.

The Secretary-General described it as “a very positive step in the right direction after Korea’s exemplary Green New Deal”, the statement continued.

The announcement came just two days after Japan said it will get to net-zero emissions by 2050, which Mr. Guterres also welcomed.

More ambitious targets

The UN chief has long made climate action a top priority of his tenure.

Speaking to international finance ministers earlier this month, he called for countries to step up commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, in terms of harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

He urged nations to submit more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) spelling out action to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change, as required under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

The Secretary-General is now looking forward to concrete policy measures that will be proposed and implemented by South Korea, the statement said.

This includes submitting a revised NDC “which is more ambitious and consistent with its new commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050” in time for the next UN climate change conference, scheduled for next year.

Global foreign direct investment halved amid pandemic, but China remained resilient

FDI includes cross-border mergers and acquisitions, international project finance, and corporate investments in new “greenfield” projects abroad, and it can be an indicator of the growth of the corporate supply chains that play an important role in world trade.

Worse than expected

James Zhan, the director of UNCTAD’s Division on Investment and Enterprise, said the slump in FDI flows in the first half of the year was more drastic than expected.

“This was due to the lockdowns around the world, which slowed existing investment projects, and the prospects for deeper recession which led the multinationals to reassess new projects. And that’s the current mood of the investors – they try to be very conservative at this stage”, he said at a press conference in Geneva.

All major forms of FDI and all regions suffered from the slowdown, although developed economies were worst hit, with FDI flows of $98 billion in the six months – a 75 per cent reduction from a year previously.

China holds course

However, China was bucking the trend, with FDI flows relatively stable at $76 billion in the first half of the year, while Hong Kong bounced back as an FDI destination after a weak 2019.

“Overall investment flows into China remain at a high level and this is partly because China was one of the very few countries, among the first, to control the pandemic and to resume its production system in the country.

“In the meantime the Chinese government put in place effective measures to retain investment, to service operations of the multinationals operating in the country, and also put in place new measures to attract investment”, Mr. Zhan said.

Most of the FDI heading to China went into high-tech industries. The value of Mergers and Acquisitions transactions into China, grew by 84 per cent, mostly in information services and e-commerce industries, while several multinational companies also expanded their investments into China, he added.

Global outlook highly uncertain

The global outlook remains highly uncertain, with question marks over the duration of the pandemic and the effectiveness of the policy response, but prospects for the full year remain in line with UNCTAD’s earlier projection of a 30-40 per cent decline, Mr. Zhan said.

The rate of decline in developing economies is expected to flatten because of the signs of impending recovery in East Asia, but the global decline is expected to continue, with a further reduction of 5-10 per cent foreseen in 2021, the UNCTAD official added.

FDI is the most important source of external funding for developing economies – outstripping remittances, bank loans and overseas development assistance.

The current value of FDI invested in projects around the world is equivalent to 42 per cent of annual global GDP, said Mr. Zhan.

UN Syria envoy places hope in new talks, works towards lasting ceasefire

The so-called Small Body of the Constitutional Committee was supposed to have reconvened this month, Geir Pedersen told a video-teleconference meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday, where he again called for greater efforts towards a ceasefire.

But while the Government side wanted the agenda to focus on national foundations and principles, the opposition – represented by the Syrian Negotiation Commission – preferred to keep attention on the preamble, constitutional principles, rights and freedom, and the structure of the proposed new constitution.

‘Bridging compromise’

“As facilitator, I proposed over a month ago a bridging compromise”, Mr. Pedersen said, adding that recent days have seen “some valuable narrowing of differences” that could pave the way to consensus between the co-chairs on the agenda for the next two meetings.

“Of course, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, but assuming full agreement is confirmed, the plan would be to re-convene on 23 November in Geneva”, he said.

He emphasized that progress in the Constitutional Committee – which last met in August after a nine-month hiatus – could open the door to deeper and wider progress if participants work continuously and credibly, and if their efforts are matched by confidence-building steps by Syrian parties and international players.

He added that without a political deal to implement Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) – which calls for a ceasefire and political settlement to the Syrian conflict, now in its tenth year – “dangers will only accrue”.

While frontlines have not shifted in eight months, and the number of civilian fatalities reportedly at their lowest levels since 2011, violence continues, including a targeted airstrike Monday in north-west Syria followed by retaliatory shelling today. Both incidents are reported to have generated casualties.

Tensions inside and out

Tensions meanwhile persist among the five foreign militaries active in Syria, while Security Council-listed terrorist groups, including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), remain a significant danger, the special envoy said.

“Yet despite these incidents, front lines are not changing and it out to be possible to work towards a nationwide ceasefire while ensuring that significant continuing dangers posed by proscribed terrorist groups are addressed cooperatively and effectively, and in line with international humanitarian law,” he said.

The 150-member Constitutional Committee is a key part the United Nations’ effort for a Syrian-owned and Syrian-led end to a devastating conflict that has seen more than 5 million Syrians flee the country, 6 million internally displaced and 13 million in need of humanitarian assistance.

It is made up of equal number of delegates from the Government, opposition and civil society, with its 45-member Small Body tasked with undertaking key preparatory work.

COVID hampering humanitarian efforts – Lowcock

Briefing the Council on the dire humanitarian situation, Mark Lowcock, the UN’s top humanitarian official, said that it is particularly worrying about COVID-19 spreading in urban centres – including the capital Damascus – as well as in crowded displacement camps, settlements and collective shelters.

As in many other countries, the scale of the outbreak is likely to be far greater than the number of confirmed cases – currently about 13,500 – suggests, he said, adding that the overwhelming number of confirmed cases resulted from community transmission.

“The situation of families across Syria is truly desperate,” he added, with bread shortages reported in several regions and seasonal wildfires, among other factors, limited food production. Several aid convoys have meanwhile been delayed by a lack of fuel.

Pakistan: Schools ‘must never be targeted’, UNICEF says after deadly blast

“Education is the fundamental right of every girl and boy, everywhere”, stressed Aida Girma, UNICEF’s Representative in the country. “Schools must never be targeted”.

According to news reports, the lethal blast targeted the Jamia Zubairia religious school, or madrassa, in the Dir Colony Area of Peshawar, while students were studying.

Latest reports indicate that more than 130 were injured, and that most of the 500 or so students who had gathered for a lecture at the school, were between 20 and 30 years old.

Ms. Girma underscored that schools “must remain safe learning environments at all times to protect the growth and healthy development of children, adolescents and young people”.

UN Office joins nation ‘in shock and grief’

“We stand together in shock and grief after the heinous attack today on Jamia Zubairia madrassah, Peshawar, where children take classes”, tweeted the UN Office in Pakistan.

“We are appalled by this attack on children while they were in a place of prayer and learning”, it added, offering condolences to the victims and their families.

Peshawar is the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. No group has so far claimed that it carried out the attack.

According to news reports, the Pakistan Taliban group has released a statement denying any involvement, condemning the targeting of a religious school as a “reprehensible act”.

This latest incursion comes two days after a bombing in the south-western city of Quetta killed three people.
UNICEF noted that in 2018, there were a string of attacks on a dozen mostly girls’ schools in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district and a school was also targeted in Chitra.

In December 2014, foreign terrorist fighters attacked the Army Public School in Peshwar, killing nearly 150 staff and children.

Yemeni children suffer record rates of acute malnutrition, putting ‘entire generation’ at risk

New analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global standard for gauging food insecurity, revealed that in some areas more than one in four children were acutely malnourished.

“Acute malnutrition rates among children below five years old are the highest ever recorded in parts of southern Yemen, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification”, said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson, Marixie Mercado. “This new analysis released today puts the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition this year at 587,573, which is an increase of around 10% since January this year.”

Nationwide crisis

The IPC analysis looked at southern parts of Yemen, but a forthcoming analysis of northern areas is expected to show equally concerning trends. 

Ms. Mercado said the most significant increase in southern areas was a 15.5% rise in children with severe acute malnutrition, a condition that leaves children around 10 times more likely to die of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, malaria or acute respiratory infections, all of which are common in Yemen.

World Food Programme (WFP) spokeperson, Tomson Phiri, said the IPC forecast showed that by the end of 2020, 40% of the population in the analysed areas, or about 3.2 million people, would be severely food insecure.

“Those predictions, from what we are gathering on the ground, are likely to be an underestimate. It is highly likely that the situation is worse than initially projected as conditions continue to worsen beyond the forecast levels. Why is this so? The underlying assumptions of the projections have either been, or are close to being surpassed”, he said.

At the time the data was gathered, it was assumed that food prices would be stable, but that was no longer the case.

Devastating food price increases

“In fact, food prices have skyrocketed and are now on average 140% higher than pre-conflict averages. For the most vulnerable, even a small increase in food prices is absolutely devastating”, Mr. Phiri said.

“Our colleagues on the ground are also telling us that the situation is worse than in 2018 when WFP expanded assistance by over 50% and in the process averted a possible famine. Those gains in 2018-2019, I’m afraid we might be losing them as the conflict continues to intensify and economic decline continues unabated.”

Some families were being displaced for the third or even the fourth time, he said.

“And each time a family is displaced, their ability to cope, let alone to bounce back, is severely diminished.”

‘Entire generation’ at risk – Grande

Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said the UN had been warning since July that Yemen was on the brink of a catastrophic food security crisis.

“If the war doesn’t end now, we are nearing an irreversible situation and risk losing an entire generation of Yemen’s young children”, she said in a statement.

Jens Laerke, spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told the Geneva briefing that Yemen needed help.

“What can the world do right now? We have been warning for several months now that Yemen was heading towards a cliff. We are now seeing the first people falling off that cliff. Those are the children under five years of age. One hundred thousand of them are at risk of death, we are told. The world can help. The world can help by supporting the humanitarian response plan”, Mr. Laerke said. 

Massive underfunding

“I’m sorry to keep repeating that over and over again. It is massively underfunded. It is only 42% funded. It asked for $3.2 billion. We are 10 months into the year. That is way below the funding levels we’ve seen in the past few years. So there is something the world can do. Money can help, and I think, of course, that now is the time to provide that money.”

A staggering 80 per cent of Yemen’s population – over 24 million people – require some form of humanitarian assistance and protection, including about 12.2 million children. A total of 230 out of Yemen’s 333 districts (69 per cent) are at risk of famine. 

Despite a difficult operating environment, humanitarians continue to work across Yemen, responding to the most acute needs. However, funding remains a challenge: as of mid-October, only $1.4 billion of the $3.2 billion needed in 2020 has been received. 

Tanzania: UN chief calls for safe, peaceful voting process

In a statement from his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres urged political leaders and their supporters to participate in the polls peacefully and refrain from violence.

He also called on the authorities to provide a safe and secure environment, which will allow Tanzanians to exercise their civil and political rights, the statement said.

An inclusive electoral process and a broad effective participation of political parties and their candidates, particularly women, remain essential for safeguarding the progress made by the east African nation in consolidating stability, democracy and sustainable development, the statement added.

The polls are to be held on Wednesday, 28 October.

‘Shrinking of democratic space’

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that it has been following “with concern” the shrinking of democratic space in the country.

At a regular media briefing, in Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani spoke of “worrying reports” of intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrests and physical attacks against political opponents, journalists, women human rights defenders, and other activists.

“This repression of dissenting voices intensified in the lead up to the elections, when the rights to freedom of expression and political participation should be upheld, not repressed,” she added.

The OHCHR spokesperson raised particular alarm over reports that three people were reportedly killed on Monday night and others injured on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago where police fired live ammunition in clashes with opposition supporters.

“We urge the authorities to ensure prompt, transparent, independent investigations into the incident and urge all actors to refrain from any acts of violence,” she said.

Equality, sustainability should guide COVID-19 recovery, say governments at regional forum

Gathered virtually for the thirty-eighth session of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), top officials highlighted the multifaceted impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, which have exposed deep development gaps in the region.

Solidarity ‘our only lifeline’

Addressing the session’s opening on Monday, via a video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the importance of multilateralism and cooperation, in the face of the pandemic that has spared no country or person from its effects.

“The pandemic marks a before and after, and it is sending a clear message to the world: solidarity is, today more than ever, our only lifeline,” he said, recalling his July report on the effects of the global crisis in the region.

“In it, we analyzed multiple inequalities and vulnerabilities and highlighted the need for a profound change in the development model,” he added.

ECLAC is the highest UN intergovernmental platform in the region to discuss pressing economic and social development issues. The central themes under discussion over the three-day session is recovery from the pandemic with equality and sustainability.

Replace privilege with equality

Also speaking on Monday, Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, highlighted the importance of a “virtuous combination” of social, environmental and economic policies.

The paper, Building a New Future: Transformative Recovery with Equality and Sustainability, to be unveiled on Tuesday, outlines the reasons, she continued.

“With this document we set forth in black and white the urgent need for growth to support equality, and for equality to support growth,” said the head of ECLAC.

“We propose to replace the culture of privilege with a culture of equality that guarantees rights, builds citizenship, and spreads capabilities and opportunities. New forms of global governance are needed to collectively provide global public goods, such as universal health care, climate security and protection of the atmosphere, financial stability, peace and human rights,” she added.

Alarming figures

According to the UN regional body, the Latin American and Caribbean economy could see a economic contraction of -9.1 per cent, and regional trade by -14 per cent. Unemployment is feared to increase, affecting 44 million people, and poverty rise could hit 45 million, severely impacting women, young people, indigenous, people of African descent and migrants.

Against this backdrop, Ms. Bárcena outlined key proposals to connect the emergency with the recovery.

These include expanding emergency basic income to cover the entire population living in poverty for 12 months; extending maturities and grace periods for loans to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises; introducing a basic digital basket to support digital inclusion for the millions of households not connected; and adopting expansionary fiscal and monetary policies to sustain a longer period of spending with non-conventional domestic and international instruments.

She also called for debt relief in the Caribbean and alleviating interest payments in Central America through subregional resilience funds; designing recovery and investment plans around dynamic sectors; and closing gaps to achieve universal health and social protection regimes.

2020 Climate Action Award winners shine ray of hope

While COVID-19 is the world’s most clear and present danger, climate change is a menace that threatens all future generations, according to the head of the UN climate change convention.

“The last eight months have been a nightmare for many throughout the world”, said UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, pointing out that the pandemic has “altered lives, economies and the nature of business on every continent—from the largest cities to the smallest villages”.

And while it is “the most urgent threat facing humanity today”, she quickly added, “we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term.”

Building sustainably

The UNFCCC chief attested that the convergence of these two crises has “opened a window of opportunity to build forward – to build cities and communities that are safe, healthy, green and sustainable”.

“Nothing exemplifies this better than the efforts of our 2020 award-winning activities to address climate change”, she upheld.

This year’s award-winning projects demonstrate leadership on climate change by nations, businesses, investors, cities, regions and civil society as a whole.

They range from the Caribbean’s only carbon-neutral hotel, to the world’s inaugural green bonds platform and the first all-women solar team in Lebanon.

Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the winners, saying that they “provide tangible proof that climate action is under way around the world”.

“It is exciting to see these climate solutions, which reinforce my call for decisive leadership on climate change by Governments, businesses and cities, and for a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic”, stated the UN chief. “Let us keep pressing ahead to build a more sustainable and equitable future for all”.

Spearheading momentum

As Governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the awards are part of a wider effort to mobilize climate action and ambition.

They also set the stage for two upcoming climate change events. The Race To Zero Dialogues, from 9 to19 November, will serve as critical input to the UNFCCC Climate Dialogues to advance work governing the rules of the Paris Agreement, which runs from 23 November to 4 December.

The UN Global Climate Action Awards are spearheaded by the Momentum for Change initiative at UN Climate Change and each project presents an innovative solution that both addresses climate change and helps drive progress on other SDGs.

“It is crucial we celebrate all actors who are leading the way,” said Gabrielle Ginér, Chair of the Advisory Panel.

“The recipients of the UN Global Climate Action Awards send a strong political signal to all nations – and through their leadership and creativity, we see essential change”. The 2020 winning activities, selected by an international Advisory Panel, can be found here.

Momentum for Change recognizes real climate action on the ground. Watch the animated video, narrated by Mark Ruffalo.

Month: October 2020