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26 February 2014
On 24 February 2014 the members of the Caribbean’s political and economic body Caricom met in order to discuss their campaign for reparation by former slave-owning nations in Europe – principally the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The claim is channelled through the UN Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which can be employed as a forum for negotiation according to Caricom. If no agreement is concluded, however, the Caribbean leaders will take their claim to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). (more…)
Source: The Guardian | UK sternly resists paying reparations for slave trade atrocities and injustices
24 February 2014
The top United Nations (UN) official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) expressed concern after a political rally in South Kivu turned violent, leaving dozens of people injured. Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known by the French acronym MONUSCO said: “I wish to remind the shared responsibility of political actors as well as administrative and security officials (…) Preserving peace and security for all as well as respect for human rights is everyone’s responsibility.”
MONUSCO is mandated by the UN Security Council and has among its primary tasks to protect civilians in the country.
Source: UN News Centre | UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo meet with injured after political rally turns violent
20 February 2014
A call for papers and panel proposals has been issued for the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) 2014 Human Rights Conference entitled Human Rights under Pressure: Exploring norms, institutions and policies, which will be held on 29-30 September 2014 in Copenhagen.
See for the call here.
20 February 2014
The Guardian reports that Ecuador pursued a secret 1 billion US dollar deal with a Chinese bank to extract oil from under the Yasuni national park in the Amazon, while at the same time committing to a high-profile project to keep the ITT oil in the ground in exchange for international donations. The government of Ecuador abandoned the Yasuni-ITT Initiative last year, but according to a former ambassador of the initiative, Atossa Soltani, from NGO Amazon Watch, the negotiations with China raise doubts about whether Ecuador was ever truly committed to the plan to protect the Amazon.
An Ecuadorian government document, titled China Development Bank Credit Proposal, clarifies that the oil fields are meant to be explored by two state-run Chinese firms. Ecuador’s president Correa stated that Ecuador abandoned the Yasuni-ITT initiative due to a lack of donations – over 2 million US dollar in the government trust and slightly less than 10 million US dollar in a trust established and administered by the UN Development Programme, in spite of a final target of 3.6 billion US dollar. Others blame Ecuador’s relationship with China and pressure from the country’s oil sector, in which Chinese companies have a near monopoly.
Source: The Guardian | Ecuador pursued China oil deal while pledging to protect Yasuni, papers show
19 February 2014
According to Reuters, Russia and NATO are drawing up plans for an exceptional joint naval operation in the Mediterranean to protect the United States (US) ship that will destroy Syria’s deadliest chemical weapons at sea.
A source at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and several NATO sources in Brussels confirmed that a joint operation to guard the ‘Cape Ray’ is under discussion. Under the plan being discussed, NATO and Russian warships would share the task of protecting the Cape Ray, a US cargo ship that will process at sea about 500 tonnes of chemicals that are too dangerous to deal with on land. NATO and Russia are reportedly still trying to iron out some issues such as a unified command structure, the rules of engagement, and response procedures in case the convoy faces danger. (more…)
Source: Reuters | Exclusive: Russia, NATO plan joint operation on Syria's chemical weapons