Choice of Jordanian Prince Lauded
The UN secretary-general said Friday he will appoint Jordan's ambassador as the new high commissioner for human rights, bringing to that post a voice from the Middle East at a time when such rights are under strain in some countries in the region.
Ban Ki-moon's office announced Prince Zeid al Hussein, a longtime diplomat and former UN peacekeeper, has been nominated to replace Navi Pillay.
Pillay has been a forceful spokeswoman, most recently this week when she was the most prominent UN official to speak out on the 25th anniversary of China's crushing of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, in which hundreds were killed. Ban made no comment this week on the Tiananmen crackdown.
The South African-born Pillay's term as high commissioner for human rights was originally set to end in 2012 but was extended for two years.
Joint press release, Brussels, 28 May 2014 - The undersigned civil society organisations welcome the European Commission’s decision announced today to take no further action on the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “One of Us”.
The “One of Us” initiative could have had catastrophic consequences for maternal and global health in low- and middle income countries. In standing firmly against it, the Commission has reaffirmed its support for, and international commitments to, maternal health, family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) more broadly.
“While recognising the importance of the newly-created ECI tool in bringing ordinary citizens closer to the EU institutions, the Commission’s response has taken into account the devastating impact that “One of Us” could have had on the EU’s development objectives,” commented Neil Datta, Secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development. “I am glad the Commission has listened to the global consensus supporting the 222 million women in developing countries who want and need voluntary family planning simply to exercise the human right to have the size of family they would like, rather than to the religious zealots who organised “One of Us,” Mr Datta continued.
Any individual, non-governmental organization, group or network may submit communications (complaints/appeals/petitions) to the Commission on the Status of Women containing information relating to alleged violations of human rights that affect the status of women in any country in the world. The Commission on the Status of Women considers such communications as part of its annual programme of work in order to identify emerging trends and patterns of injustice and discriminatory practices against women for purposes of policy formulation and development of strategies for the promotion of gender equality.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Any person or organization with a communication should write by 1 August 2014. More information.
Извор: UN WOMEN – 09.06.2014
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Publishes a Comprehensive Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes
Today, 5 June 2014, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mrs Fatou Bensouda, has published a Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes (Policy Paper). This comprehensive Policy Paper will guide the Office of the Prosecutor in its work in fighting against impunity for sexual and gender-based crimes, and promote transparency and clarity, as well as predictability in the application of the legal framework of the Rome Statute to such crimes. In turn, the policy will contribute to ensuring not only the effective investigation and prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes, but also to enhancing access to justice for victims of these crimes, through the ICC. Sexual and gender-based crimes are among the gravest under the Rome Statute and investigating and prosecuting such crimes is a key priority for the Office.
Author: Daniela Rosche, Policy Advisor, Women’s Rights and Gender Justice
At least one in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, often perpetrated by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a fundamental human rights issue and a central challenge to development, democracy and peace.
Oxfam is very concerned that efforts to eliminate violence against women do not match the scale of the problem. In fact, while the need to end violence against women is broadly recognized, levels of violence worldwide point towards a huge gap between rhetoric and action.
The international community is failing women on this issue and will continue to fail if we do not step up our efforts.
As governments, decision makers and civil society embark on a review of the Beijing Platform for Action and consider a framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there is an opportunity to close the gap and renew our commitment to the elimination of violence against women.
