Several special procedures mechanisms intervene directly with Governments on specific allegations of violations of human rights that come within their mandates. The intervention can relate to a human rights violation that has already occurred, is ongoing, or which has a high risk of occurring. The process, in general, involves sending a letter to the concerned State requesting information and comments on the allegation and, where necessary, asking that preventive or investigatory action be taken. Communications may deal with individual cases, general trends and patterns of human rights violations occurring in a particular country, cases affecting a particular group or community, or the content of draft or existing legislation considered to be not fully compatible with international human rights standards. Occasionally communications are also sent to intergovernmental organisations or Non-State actors to ensure that there are no protection gaps.
The decision to intervene is at the discretion of the special procedure mandate holder and will depend on the various criteria established by him or her, as well as the criteria laid out in the Code of Conduct. The criteria will generally relate to: the reliability of the source and the credibility of information received; the details provided; and the scope of the mandate. However, it must be emphasized that the criteria and the procedure involved in responding to an individual complaint vary, so it is necessary to submit a communication in accordance with the specific requirements established by each special procedure. Communications can be sent by mandate holders irrespective of whether an alleged victim has exhausted all domestic remedies.
The world is less than 500 days away from the targeted day to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight goals and 18 targets set by the United Nations and governments to tackle some of the worst problems that have impeded developing nations. While there has been much debate on the suitability of these targets since they were first launched in 2000 after the Millennium Summit, the culmination of this process in 2015 and the Post-2015 Development Agenda are opportunities to reflect and call for greater attention to the issues that the MDGs strived to address. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)[1][1][1] are critical to achieving the MDGs, in developing the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and in general ensuring a world that is just, equitable and inclusive, and where the marginalised, including women and girls, are empowered. Even before the MDG process in 2000, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)[2][2][2] in 1994, which resulted in the Programme of Action (PoA), and the Fourth World Conference on Women[3][3][3] in 1995, which resulted in the Beijing Platform for Action, advocated the essentiality of these needs and rights internationally, regionally and nationally.
Introducing Religious Fundamentalism
Извор: WUNRN – 27.08.2014
[1][1][1] Thanenthiran S., Racherla S.J.M., and Jahanath S. (2013) http://www.arrow.org.my/publications/ICPD+20/ICPD+20_ARROW_AP.pdf
[2][2][2] Please see https://www.unfpa.org/public/icpd
[3][3][3] Please see http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/
Highlights from Women, Business and the Law 2014
Almost 90% of the 143 economies covered by Women, Business and the Law 2014have at least one legal difference restricting women’s economic opportunities.
Twenty-eight economies have 10 or more legal differences for men and women in the areas covered by Women, Business and the Law. Among these, 25 are in the Middle East and North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The 50 Years of Women’s Legal Rights database has made it possible to take two Women, Business and the Law indicators (Accessing institutions and using property) backward in time for 100 economies for 50 years. The results are striking: more than half of the restrictions in these two indicators in place in 1960 had been removed by 2010.
Over the past 50 years, economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean have reformed the most in Accessing Institutions and using property.
Over the past two years the most reforms have occurred in CȰte d’Ivoire, Mali, the Philippines and the Slovak Republic for the six indicators measured by Women, Business and the Law.
But many restrictions remain. In 15 economies husbands can object to their wives working and prevent them from accepting jobs.
Women, Business and the Law 2014 – Removing restrictions to Enhance Gender Equality
It is hard enough for women's and human rights NGO's to raise funds during this global recession, in times of austerity, in multiple and protracted crises; but the increasing limitations put on NGO funding, and especially foreign funding, are a violation of the right of association,and a threat to NGO survival.
This is particularly happening for women's and human rights NGO's which advocate for core human rights, many of which are enshrined in international treaties.....economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights +. NGO's that advocate on specific issues that are divisive such as girls' education, forced and child marriage, reproductive health and rights, may find their voices limited or silenced by restrictions on their funding by governments and other controlling powers. We must strategize together to defend our rights to exist as gender and rights NGO's. We must try to publicize violations against our very existence. And, when possible, we best collaborate and network, to save our organizations, our missions, those we serve, and human rights, equality, empowerment, and social justice which are vital, especially for women and girls.
Violations of the right of NGOs to funding: from harassment to criminalization – Annual report 2013
Извор: WUNRN – 26.08.2014
The EGI provides the first quantitative data on governments’ performance translating the gender and environment mandates in the three Rio Conventions and CEDAW into national policy and planning. The resulting information will help policymakers, civil society, and others evaluate progress and identify where the gaps lie in achieving gender equality in the environmental context. The Environment and Gender Index (EGI) brings together variables that measure environment and gender in a composite index. The EGI ranks and scores 72 countries worldwide along 27 dimensions divided into six categories: Livelihood, Ecosystem, Gender-based Rights & Participation, Governance, Gender-based Education and Assets, and Country-Reported Activities.
