Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Peace

From February 18^th through February 21^st, an Open-Ended Inter-Governmental Working Group (OEWG) met to discuss the Draft United Nations Declaration on the Right to Peace. Delegations from nearly 80 States, and nearly 30 Civil Society Organizations, along with several intergovernmental organizations participated in the meeting.

IIMA participated in all sessions, and had the opportunity to give an Oral Statement during the session of the meeting focused on Article 4 on Peace Education. Maria D’Onofrio spoke on behalf of the Institute, underlining the importance of peace education for child development and for protection of human rights as a whole. Moreover, she advocated that, instead of developing new ideas and definitions, the OEWG should define peace education as human rights education with a particular focus on conflict resolution.

The Rabat Plan: Challenging Hatred while Preserving Free Expression

On Thursday, February 21^st, 2013, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay participated in an event to launch the, “Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”  

The plan was inspired by several events in recent decades, from the role of media in spurring the Rwandan genocide to the recent film, “The Innocence of Muslims,” that led to retaliatory riots across the world.  As the High Commissioner said, “this spiral of violence has made it incumbent on us to renew the search for correct balance between freedom of expression [...] and the equally vital need to protect individuals and communities from discrimination and violence.”

We share the pain of the Institute for the loss of Mother Marinella Castagno

Meeting of the NGO Platform on Right to Education in preparation of the High Level Panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming

The Platform on the Right to Education is composed of NGOs committed to this Right.

On 29^th of January, the platform met to prepare a statement for the High Level Panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming which will be held on March 1^st, 2013, during the 22^nd session of the HRC. This Panel will focus on human rights and the post-2015 development agenda, with a particular focus on the right to education.

Preserving the Integrity of the Universal Periodic Review: The Case of Israel’s Non-Cooperation

On January 29, 2013, the State of Israel was scheduled to undergo its second Universal Periodic Review (UPR), but the Israeli Mission to the UN did not present its report to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), or attend the designated session.

 Other States made statements regarding this unprecedented occurrence. Many shared the concern that by breaking the pattern of cooperation, Israel has opened the door to non-cooperation by others. All States present expressed enormous respect for the UPR, but disagreed about how to respond to the situation in order to preserve the universality and integrity of the mechanism, and thus, its unique role in promoting human rights.

IIMA delivers an oral statement on Peace Education during the CSO meeting on the Right to Peace (January 24, 2013)

On 24 January 2013, the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Coalition on the Right to Peace organized a meeting in preparation for the first session of the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Right to Peace to be held from 18-21 February 2013. Established by the Human Rights Council in July 2012 through resolution 20/15, the OEWG has been charged with “progressively negotiating a draft UN declaration on the right to peace on the basis of the draft submitted by the Advisory Committee, and without prejudging relevant past, present and future views and proposals.”

10 December 2012, Human Rights Day

On 10 December we celebrated the International Human Rights Day. 

The date was chosen to remember the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 in Paris. The Declaration was the first universal enunciation of human rights which posed the basis for the development of human rights globally.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - 25 November

In 1999, the UN General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is an occasion for governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to raise public awareness on violence against women. 

International day of the Child

(ANS – Rome) - On the occasion of the World Day for Prayer and Action for Children around the world the Rector Major invites every Salesian community in the world to strengthen its commitment to promoting and safeguarding the right of every child in the world to be registered at birth.

My dear brothers and sisters, Salesians, Salesian Sisters,  members of the Salesian Family, young people involved in volunteer movements.

International Children's Day

Today, 20 November, we celebrate worldwide the International Children's Day , the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Adolescent (CRC), 1989.

“Offering our lives to promote life” - XXV Anniversary of VIDES International

Young people gathering from all over the world under the flags of 34 countries, the sharing of concrete experiences in the field, and the joy to be together to discover again and re-read through today reality the mission of VIDES. These were the ingredients for the success of the  X International Conference of VIDES (International Volunteerism Organization for Women, Education and Development) under the title “Recall, Rejoice, Renew”, which took place from November 1^st to 4^th, in Trevi (Italy).  Almost 200 hundreds VIDES volunteers and Salesian Sisters met to share their work on the ground, as well as to renew their   commitment with the society through the Salesian Charisma and the youth leadership. 

The IIMA Human Rights Office has new logo

Let us introduce our new logo on this blog.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Today October 17th we celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year since 1993, when the General Assembly, by resolution 47/196, designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries - a need that has become a development priority.

The first International Day of the Girl Child and The Global Launch of “Because I am a Girl” Campaign

On 11th October 2012, the first international day of the girl child was designated by the United Nations to encourage global action on girls’ rights. On this occasion, PLAN International (http://plan-international.org/) launched its global campaign “Because I am a Girl (BIAAG)” to ensure to millions of girls the access to education and other basic services, livelihood, participation and protection. The event “BIIAG” was sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Canada, Finland, Peru, Switzerland and Turkey. 

IIMA at the high-level panel on the occasion of the 10th International Day against the Death Penalty

On the 10^th of October, the European Union together with the delegations of Mexico, Mongolia and Switzerland organized at the UN in Geneva a high-level panel discussion gathering UN experts, activists, politicians, and members of victims' families from all over the world. The aim was to reflect together on the issue, highlighting the progresses made, the experience gained and the challenges remaining for abolition and restriction of the use of death penalty.

Conference on Female Genital Mutilation at the United Nations in Geneva.

On 10^th October IIMA participated in a panel organized by the Global Alliance against FGM on the most effective approaches for a successful fight against genital mutilation of babies, girls and women.

Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”. 

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considers the report of Togo

The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) discussed the situation of women in Togo during its fifty-third session (1 - 19 October 2012).

During the discussion with the national delegation of Togo, the Committee pointed out controversial subjects such as polygamy, the low rate of women’s political participation, early marriage, early pregnancy, the situation of women in rural area and women with disabilities. The delegation of Togo emphasized the efforts made by the government to promote the rights of women, including the adoption of a new legislation related to quotas for women’s participation in the field of agriculture and in security forces, as well as the improvement of health and education policies targeting women’s problems. It also asked the Committee for support and assistance.

Meeting with Patrizia Scannella from Amnesty International

On October 2^nd 2012, Ms. Patrizia Scannella from Amnesty International office in Geneva met the staff of IIMA Human Rights Office, in order to share best practices and main challenges experienced during her advocacy work in Geneva.  In particular, she presented Amnesty International and its commitment for the protection of human rights in 80 countries worldwide. She focused on the support offered to the Special Procedures, through the preparation of documentation, organization of meetings with NGOs in the field, and advocacy work to ensure that main concerns raised are included in the reports of the Special Rapporteurs.

International Day of Non-Violence

In 1869 was born Mahatma Gandhi. 

October 2 is the International Day of Non-Violence

The UN Human Right Council concludes the work of the 21st Ordinary Session

On 28th of September the Human Rights Council concluded the 21^st regular session adopting 33 resolutions on a wide range of issues of undeniable social, judicial and political relevance.

Under the Agenda Item 3 (on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development) the Council adopted 20 Resolutions, among which the most important are on the protection of human rights of indigenous peoples, on the fight against maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights, on the implementation of the right to truth, on regulation of the use of mercenaries, on the dissemination of the Guiding Principles on transnational enterprises, on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, and human rights and international solidarity.