August 2022 — Page 3 of 14 — Human Rights & Charity

UN independent expert proposes action plan to boost human rights in Cambodia

UN Special Rapporteur Vitit Muntarbhorn announced the plan on Friday at the conclusion of an 11-day mission to the country.

Although Cambodia has achieved much internationally-recognised progress, and ratified most core human rights treaties, he noted that a “pervasive paradox” persists.

“Since 2017, when the main opposition party was disbanded unjustly by judicial order, the country has effectively been under single-party rule, with all seats of the National Assembly in the hands of that monopoly,” he said.

Bright future, severe challenges

While in Cambodia, Mr. Muntarbhorn was able to visit a peaceful demonstration by workers from the NagaWorld casino, who have been protesting massive layoffs.

The rights expert travelled to the city of Sihanoukville, where he met with local government officials to learn about local cybercrime and “surreptitious syndication” linked with human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

He also met with communities displaced or evicted by the competition for land and flooding, due in large part to “unbalanced development”, and with opposition party members and independent commentators who have faced harassment or legal proceedings.

“I am pleased to have met with and learned from all those who generously shared their time, thoughts and experiences with me with characteristic Cambodian warmth. This is a country with a bright future, but it faces a number of severe human rights challenges in the lead up to next year’s general election,” he said.

Reform draconian laws

The Special Rapporteur urged the government to adopt his 10-point Action Agenda to improve human rights in the country,

It calls for opening up civic and political space by suspending and reforming draconian laws, ensuring election-related personnel are separated from political parties, and ending prosecution of political opposition and human rights defenders.

He also recommended releasing all those currently in prison, dropping charges against persons whom the authorities see as adversaries, and improving the quality of law enforcers through proper selection, incentivisation and distance from political authority.

Trafficking victims in ‘living hell’

Mr. Muntarbhorn said human trafficking victims who are duped into working for online scam companies in Cambodia were experiencing a “living hell”, often resulting in torture and even death. He offered several measures to address the situation.

With Cambodia’s recent transformation from trafficking source to trafficking destination country, the rights expert proposed applying existing telecom laws and a proposed government plan to identify scams and trafficking victims in a victim-friendly manner. He also recommended holding participatory public inquiries.

“Countries are now waking up to the phenomenon [of trafficking to the country] and Cambodia needs to activate counter-measures more strongly, while welcoming international cooperation and support,” he said. 

About UN Rapporteurs

UN Special Rapporteurs like Mr. Muntarbhorn are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva, to report on specific country situations or thematic issues.

These independent experts operate in their individual capacity and are neither UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. 

Ukraine: Top UN aid official appeals for access across contact line

“Winter is coming,…[and] all we want to do [is] provide insulin to the hospitals, provide blankets, provide mattresses…it’s not complicated”, said Denise Brown, the Resident Coordinator for the UN in Ukraine.

She is currently on a three-day mission to eastern and central Ukraine (Kryivyi Rih, Kharkiv and Dnipro) to assess the humanitarian situation first-hand. 

‘Constant’ negotiations

Ms. Brown told reporters in Geneva that the UN was “constantly negotiating” for access, “up and down” the line that divides those fighting the war stemming from Russia’s invasion on the 24 February, in the south and east.

Ms. Brown also said that she had no way of confirming what relief items, “if anything”, Russia had reportedly sent to non-Government-controlled areas. Aid organizations “just have no reliable way of crossing the frontline”.

But she said that she was “hopeful that the Russian Federation will provide the security guarantees that we require to go across”.

So far they have “reached less than a million people in the non-government controlled areas” and she warned, “if farmers can’t reach their land, that’s going to have a huge impact on their economic situation.”

Fearful winter ahead

The UN aid coordinator also warned that winter is fast approaching in Ukraine and that she did not believe that vulnerable communities in the east and south had what they needed to survive.

Six months since Russia’s invasion, nearly 18 million people, around 40 per cent of the country’s entire population, need humanitarian aid.

Many elderly people were living in damaged houses and the lack of access to gas or electricity in large parts of the east “could be a matter of life or death” if people could not heat their homes, Mrs. Brown said in a statement.

Regarding OCHA’s plans for winter, Mrs. Brown explained, “we will have to work differently …we can only assume” that people caught in a war “do not have what is necessary to make it through,” the season, “which starts early and lasts long”.

Humanitarian community delivering

On a positive note, the Humanitarian Coordinator pointed out that the war has not prevented the humanitarian community from delivering: “Since the start of the war, we’ve reached over 12 million people,” providing “cash transfers, health care, shelter… access to clean water, protection, rehabilitation”.

Agricultural production is also “now finally moving” due to the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain initiative. This “will have an impact on families, on farmers and their communities and on the food insecure, particularly in the Horn of Africa right now,” she added.

Having met people uprooted by the war, Mrs. Brown said “morale and hope was still there”. While internally displaced people told her they are grateful for support from the UN and NGOs, they “still want to go home”.

Security Council: Managing Israel-Palestine conflict ‘no substitute’ for meaningful political process

“Such a strategy will require significant steps from all sides,” said Tor Wennesland. It must involve strengthening the ability of the Palestinian Authority to engage with Israel on political, economic and security issues, as well as working towards the return of the legitimate Palestinian Government to the Gaza Strip, he affirmed.

He called for reducing tensions and violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

“Unilateral steps that perpetuate negative trends need to stop”, he insisted. The space for Palestinian economic activity and further improvements to access and movement in Gaza and the West Bank should also be expanded.

Ceasefire averts full-scale war

Describing gains, he reported that the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, remains in effect and a “fragile calm” has been restored in Gaza.

The Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings have been open since 8 August and the United Nations is working with partners to ensure the urgent delivery of assistance to those most in need.

To be sure, the ceasefire prevented the situation from escalating into a full-blown war, he told ambassadors.

Unresolved drivers of conflict

Violence has increased across much of the occupied West Bank. Israel’s settlement activity continues, along with demolitions and evictions, while fiscal and political challenges threaten the Palestinian Authority’s effectiveness in delivering public services.

The West Bank and Gaza remain politically divided. Gazans suffer under economic and movement restrictions linked with Israel’s “closure regime”, the nature of Hamas rule and the ever-present threat of violence. “Unless these fundamental issues are addressed the cycle of acute crisis, followed by short-term fixes will persist,” he warned.

Regional dynamics

Turning to the Golan, he said the ceasefire between Israel and Syria was generally maintained, despite several violations of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement of Forces.

In Lebanon, the lack of progress with reforms, deadlock of Government formation and increasing strain on institutions such as the armed and security forces weighs heavily on State authority.

In the south, tensions persisted in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) area of operations, with at least four firing ranges – unknown to Lebanese authorities – observed in regular use south of the Litani River.

“This is a blatant violation of resolution 1701 (2006),” he explained, as are Israel’s regular and ongoing violations of Lebanon’s airspace.

A call to action

“The status quo is not a strategy,” he said. He urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders, regional countries and the broader international community to take firm action to enable a return to meaningful negotiations.

The ‘last standing pillar’ for refugees

Reinforcing that point, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said the agency is the lifeline for one of the most underprivileged and desperate communities in the region.

“Going to school, getting health services or receiving a food parcel are, for many Palestinian refugees, their only sources of normality,” he said.

For these refugees, UNRWA remains the “last standing pillar” of the international community’s commitment to their right to a dignified life and a just, lasting solution, he stressed. He appealed to Member States that have reduced their funding to reconsider the impact of that decision on the region’s stability.

World reaches ‘tragic milestone’ of one million COVID-19 deaths so far in 2022

“We cannot say we are learning to live with COVID-19 when one million people have died with COVID-19 this year alone, when we are two-and-a-half years into the pandemic and have all the tools necessary to prevent these deaths,” said Tedros, speaking during his regular briefing from Geneva.

He again urged all governments to step up action to vaccinate all health workers, older persons, and others at highest risk, as part of efforts towards inoculating 70 per cent of the global population.

Progress for priority groups

Tedros said he was pleased to see that some countries with the lowest vaccination rates are now gaining ground, especially in Africa.

In January, WHO and partners launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, focused mainly on the 34 countries that were at or below 10 per cent coverage. All but six are on the continent.

Today, only 10 countries still have less than 10 per cent coverage, most of which are facing humanitarian emergencies. 

Vaccinations still lagging

Although welcoming progress on coverage of high-priority groups, Tedros stressed that more must be done as one-third of the world’s population remains unvaccinated.

This includes two-thirds of health workers, and three-quarters of older persons in low-income countries.

“All countries at all income levels must do more to vaccinate those most at risk, to ensure access to life-saving therapeutics, to continue testing and sequencing, and to set tailored, proportionate policies to limit transmission and save lives. This is the best way to drive a truly sustainable recovery,” he said.

Monkeypox reversal

Meanwhile, intense Monkeypox transmission continues in the Americas region, although the number of cases globally fell by more than 20 per cent last week.

While most cases in the early stage of the outbreak were in Europe, with a smaller proportion in the Americas, the situation has now reversed.

Currently, less than 40 per cent of reported cases are in Europe and 60 per cent are in the Americas.

There are signs that the outbreak is slowing in Europe, Tedros reported, where a combination of effective public health measures, behaviour change, and vaccination, are helping to prevent transmission.

“However, in Latin America in particular, insufficient awareness or public health measures are combining with a lack of access to vaccines to fan the flames of the outbreak,” he said.

Tedros thanked vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic, which on Wednesday signed an agreement with WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas to support access to its Monkeypox vaccine in Latin America and the Caribbean.

He expressed hope that the development will help to bring the outbreak under control in the region.

‘Comprehensive’ solution needed to end mass displacement of Rohingya

Some one million refugees remain in the vast camps of Cox’s Bazar, without any immediate prospect of being able to return home, which more than 150,000 mostly-Muslim Rohingya are still “confined in camps” in their native Rakhine state, said a statement issued on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

And following the military coup of February 2021, the humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Myanmar itself, has rapidly deteriorated, making conditions even less conducive to refugees’ return.

Participation crucial

“The Secretary-General notes the unflagging aspirations for an inclusive future among the country’s many ethnic, and religious groups and underlines that the full and effective participation of the Rohingya people is an inherent part of a Myanmar-led solution to the crisis”, the statement said.

“Greater humanitarian and development access for the United Nations and its partners to affected areas is crucial. Perpetrators of all international crimes committed in Myanmar should be held accountable. Justice for victims will contribute to a sustainable and inclusive political future for the country and its people.”

Intensifying crisis

Speaking in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Michelle Bachelet, said that Myanmar’s Tatmadaw forces had maintained and even escalated operations against civilians in residential areas in southeast, northwest and central regions, 18 months since they overthrew the democratically-elected overnment.

The use of air power and artillery against villages and residential areas has “intensified”, the UN human rights chief said, while also warning that recent spikes of violence in Rakhine – the historic former home of ethnic Rohingya – could upset the relative calm in the region, and that the last fairly stable area of the country may not avoid a resurgence of armed conflict.

Rohingya communities have frequently been caught between the Tatmadaw and rebel Arakan Army fighters or have been targeted directly in operations. Over 14 million need humanitarian assistance.

Generosity of Bangladesh

UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, said during her four-day mission to Bangladesh to highlight the poignant anniversary, that “we cannot let this become a forgotten crisis”.

In what were described as “productive discussions”, she thanked Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership and expressed the UN’s deep appreciation to the people and Government of Bangladesh for their immense contribution.

“The generosity of Bangladesh and host communities towards Rohingya refugees in their time of need conveys a critical need for greater international and regional commitment to burden share and ensure that the Rohingya do not become forgotten,” Special Envoy Heyzer said.

“I will continue to advocate for greater leadership of countries in the region in supporting Bangladesh and leveraging their influence with Myanmar to create conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees.”

She stressed that Rohingya people continue to undertake perilous land and sea journeys that expose them to criminal exploitation including human trafficking and gender-based violence, and emphasized that it was ultimately Myanmar’s responsibility to establish conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to Myanmar of all refugees and those forcibly displaced.

Stand in solidarity

The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramilla Patten, also urged greater international action, and for countries to stand in solidarity with the Rohingya survivors of grave international crimes to ensure access to justice and redress, which is foundational for recovery and peace.”

“In 2017 and 2018 during my visits to the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, I had witnessed firsthand the visible scars on women and girls from the sexual violence they endured. All of the women I spoke with said they wanted to see the perpetrators punished. They all – without exception – demanded justice”, she added.

Since 2010, the annual reports of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence have documented patterns of sexual violence crimes perpetrated against the Rohingya, and in 2019 the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (IIMM) concluded that “rape and sexual violence are part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate, terrorize or punish a civilian population, and are used as a tactic of war” – one of the hallmarks of the military operations conducted by the Tatmadaw.

Growing recognition

She said momentum was growing in Myanmar for leaders to recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic nationality, entitled to citizenship and other collective and individual rights, and to ensure accountability and reparations. This encouraging shift means no more that the people of Myanmar are confronting history and are willing to work towards lasting solutions to build peace and reconciliation.

“We must heed the call of the people of Myanmar and work collectively towards ensuring justice which has been delayed for far too long. I reiterate my call for enhanced efforts by the international community to continue supporting the dignity and well-being of the Rohingya community and to ensure that perpetrators will be held accountable and that survivors will have effective access to reparations and redress. I call for the collective search of lasting solutions for one of the most persecuted people on earth.”, the Special Representative concluded.

Ukraine: Cluster munitions pose long-term risk to civilian safety

Cluster bombs are weapons designed to be scattered over large areas, containing several hundred “mini-bombs” called sub-munitions. As they make no distinction between civilians, civilian property and military targets, cluster bombs violate the rules of international humanitarian law.

Cluster munitions are not only dangerous in the short-term, but pose severe long term risks to local communities.

It is reported that up to 40 per cent of cluster munitions do not explode on impact, allowing for decades of intermittent detonations and prolonged disruptions. Of the 149 new cluster bomb casualties in 2021, all were caused by cluster munition remnants, showcasing the longevity of their impact.

Ukraine deaths

The report reveals that since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February, Russian forces have “repeatedly” used cluster munitions.

Ukrainian forces had also reportedly used cluster munitions several times, the group said, which found that the weapons had been mostly used in populated areas. 

Specifically, deployment of cluster munitions in Ukraine have killed 215 civilians and injured 474. The report further indicated a 302 per cent increase in victims, since 2020.

Jeff Meer, US Executive Director of Humanity & Inclusion, in reference to cluster munitions in Ukraine, noted that, “they also damaged healthcare facilities, factories, and homes.”

International Approach

The 2022 Cluster Munition Monitor also assesses the implementation of the Oslo Convention. Since 2010, the Convention has banned the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

The Monitor indicates that since the convention came into force, 35 State Parties have destroyed 1.5 million cluster munition stockpiles, comprising 178 million sub-munitions. This represents 99 per cent of all cluster munitions declared by State Parties.

New uses of cluster munitions has been isolated to the war in Ukraine. Reflecting on this, Mr. Meer concluded: “Warring parties must immediately cease all use of cluster munitions, which have already killed or wounded hundreds of civilians in Ukraine this year. States must pressure countries that use cluster munitions to stop.”

UN spotlights ‘invisible’ value of groundwater during World Water Week

“It is our duty to ensure groundwater has its rightful place in all of our action plans,” said Gilbert Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water, in his video message to an online session, titled “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible.”

99 per cent

According to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2022, groundwater accounts for 99 per cent of all liquid freshwater on Earth. However, this natural resource is poorly understood and consequently undervalued and mismanaged.

Noting that demand for water is growing, Mr. Houngbo, who is also President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), underscored the urgent need for policymakers to understand groundwater’s critical role and better manage the competing demands of water and sanitation systems, agriculture, industry, ecosystems and climate change adaptation.

See the unseen

World Water Week 2022 – taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, from 23 August to 1 September – features many discussions, both online and in person, under the theme: “Seeing the Unseen: The Value of Water”.

The session on groundwater, which also included presentations from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and others, was among the several activities UN-Water is co-hosting to highlight the interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water and sanitation) and other Goals.

Decade of action

These deliberations are expected to help bring the water agenda to the forefront, ahead of the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater in Paris in December and the UN Water Conference in New York in March 2023, formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028).

The primary aim of the Conference is to raise awareness of the global water crisis and decide on a concerted action to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Russia’s war with Ukraine needs to end, UN’s Bachelet urges Vladimir Putin

Speaking to journalists in Geneva just days before her term as High Commissioner for Human Rights comes to an end, Ms. Bachelet also said that she was still “trying very hard” to finalise publication of her Office’s long-awaited report on the situation of the mainly Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority in China’s Xinjiang province.

“We’re working on the report, I had fully intended for it to be released before the end of my mandate and I will try,” she said. “We have received substantial input from the Government that we will need to carefully review (as) we do every time with any country.”

Ms. Bachelet noted that she had raised concerns with senior Chinese officials about human rights violations in the province, including reports of arbitrary detentions and ill-treatment in institutions, during her official visit in May, adding that her Office’s report looks “in depth” at these and other accusations.

Terrifying months for Ukraine

On Ukraine, the High Commissioner described the past six months since the Russian invasion as “unimaginably terrifying” for the people of Ukraine.

Nearly seven million people had had to flee the country and millions more had been internally displaced, said Ms. Bachelet, who also noted that of the 5,587 confirmed civilians killed, nearly 1,000 were children.

And amid increasing concerns about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant complex and accusations by Ukrainian and Russian forces that each has been shelling it, the UN rights chief insisted that “both parties” should respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law “at all times and in all circumstances”.

Violent escalation in Myanmar

Marking five years since more than 700,000 ethnic Rohingya fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown, Ms. Bachelet insisted that Myanmar’s human rights “catastrophe” had continued to worsen.

The High Commissioner said that Myanmar’s Tatmadaw forces had maintained and even escalated operations against civilians in residential areas in southeast, northwest and central regions, 18 months since they overthrew the Government.

Today in Myanmar, more than 14 million people need humanitarian assistance and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continues to document gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law on a daily basis, Ms. Bachelet said.

This includes “repression against protesters and attacks against civilians that may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes”, the High Commissioner continued.

No leadership ‘vaccum’

With her term as the UN’s rights chief ending on 31 August and her successor unannounced, Ms. Bachelet insisted that there would be “no vacuum of leadership”.

Some 50 candidates had apparently expressed an interest in the job, she told journalists, adding that every effort was being made to appoint a new High Commissioner as soon as possible.

Afghanistan: UNHCR alarm over forced refugee returns from Tajikistan

In the latest incident, some five Afghans, including a family comprising three children and their mother, were returned home to Afghanistan, despite UNHCR’s protests.

“Tajikistan must stop detaining and deporting refugees, an action that clearly puts lives at risk,” said Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR’s Director of International Protection. “Forced return of refugees is against the law and runs contrary to the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee law.”

Separate from legal ramifications, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also expressed concern on Thursday over the ability of returning refugees to make a living.

Richard Trenchard, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Afghanistan, warned that, “almost half the total population face acute food insecurity – hunger on a daily basis.”

The legal and physical perils faced by returning refugees have therefore been compounded by the ongoing food insecurity crisis, which has become more acute in the year since the Taliban takeover.

Funding Intervention

To combat this nascent crisis, the United States Government has announced an $80 million grant to the FAO. Specifically, the grant will be used to build Afghan resilience and bolster efforts to provide food security in the face of continuing drought, economic crisis and conflict.

The five-year contribution from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will meet farmers’ immediate needs and build healthier, more climate-smart and resilient livelihoods.

Through increasing nutritious food production, fostering environmental sustainability, promoting climate-smart agricultural practices and supporting the diversification of household incomes, FAO aims to revive struggling food markets.

As Mr. Trenchard reflected, “USAID’s generous support will help Afghanistan’s farmers to begin seeing beyond the current crisis and start laying foundations for future recovery.”

Bolstering livelihoods

The direct outcome of investments by the US and FAO will be the increased production and processing of nutritious food. However, the butterfly effect of such development will be improved economic resilience, enhanced public health, and strengthed community security.

Significant environmental benefits will also be achieved through the planting of new forests, climate-smart pasture development, river bank management and reducing soil erosion.

The projects have been designed to encourage engagement by historically oppressed groups in safe income-generating activities.

FAO fosters gender inclusive and intergenerational collaboration to enhance access to local markets and create microfinancing opportunities.

These initiatives target various products including dairy, livestock, crops and aim both to give people tools such as zero-energy cold storages, micro solar dryers and equipment for safe collection and handling of milk and to expand frayed market infrastructures.

Therefore, these schemes are essential because they will not only meet immediate needs, but also eliminate the potential for future insecurity, FAO said.

Ethiopia: Massive fuel theft puts WFP operations in Tigray at risk

Armed men entered the WFP compound in the regional capital, Mekelle, on Wednesday and seized 12 tankers filled with fuel, which had recently been purchased. The supply had only arrived a few days earlier.

David Beasley, the WFP Executive Director, issued a statement condemning the theft, which occurred as fighting has resumed between Ethiopian forces and separatists following a five-month humanitarian truce.

Closer to starvation

It now will be impossible for WFP to distribute food, fertilizer, medicines and other emergency supplies across Tigray, where an estimated 5.2 million people face severe hunger.

“The loss of this fuel will push communities in Tigray, already struggling with the impacts of the conflict, further towards the brink of starvation,” said Mr. Beasley.

WFP also will be prevented from powering generators and vehicles, critical for staff and humanitarian partners supporting vulnerable populations.

“We demand the Tigrayan authorities return these fuel stocks to the humanitarian community immediately.  As the next harvest is not until October, our deliveries of life-saving food could not be more urgent or critical to the survival of millions,” said Mr. Beasley.

WFP are working around the clock to get assistance to those most in need, he added, “but we need fuel, funding, and full movement of supplies across the lines of control to maximise deliveries across Northern Ethiopia.”