"YOUTH EMPOWERMENT: WHICH STRATEGIES?" IIMA and VIDES presenting their best practice at the UN.

 On June 4th, at the United Nations in Geneva, IIMA and VIDES Human Rights Office organised, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Uruguay and with the co-sponsorship of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and of Permanent Missions of Costa Rica, France and Holy See, the side event: “Youth Empowerment: which strategies?”. The side event’s goal was to invite all the participants, especially States, to reflect on how young people can become real protagonists of their lives and catalysts for social change.   

The Ambassador of Uruguay, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, presided over the Side Event as moderator. The panel was composed by: the Ambassador of Costa Rica, H.E. Christian Guillermet, the Apostolic Nuncio H.E. Mgr. Silvano Tomasi,  the Vice Minister of Labour and Social Security on the Uruguayan Government Dr.Nelson Loustaunau, the Human Rights Officer Mr.Christian Courtis of the Office of the High Commissioner  for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Child and Youth Advisor of OHCHR Ms. Imma Guerras, Ms. Maria D’Onofrio of VIDES International, the Assistant Director General for Policy of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Mr. Josè Manuel Salazar, Ms. Molly Kaniampadickal, and Mr. Thomas Vattathara of IIMA India.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2013

“Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Foodprint”

We would like to celebrate the World Environment Day 2013 through the Message of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon:

"We live in a world of plenty, where food production outstrips demand, yet 870 million people are undernourished and childhood stunting is a silent pandemic.  To create the future we want, we must correct this inequity.  We must ensure access to adequate nutrition for all, double the productivity of smallholder farmers who grow the bulk of food in the developing world, and make food systems sustainable in the face of environmental and economic shocks.  This is the vision of my Zero Hunger Challenge, launched last year at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

One way to narrow the hunger gap and improve the well-being of the most vulnerable is to address the massive loss and waste inherent in today’s food systems.  Currently at least one third of all food produced fails to make it from farm to table.  This is foremost an affront to the hungry, but it also represents a massive environmental cost in terms of energy, land and water. 

The Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education presents its report to the Human Rights Council

The 31^st of May, the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Mr. Kishore Singh, was held during the 23^rd session of the Human Rights Council (item 3).

The report of Mr. Singh focused on the justiciability of the Right to Education which aims to identify different ways to enforce this right through the establishment of judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms at the national and international level. In fact, he stressed how the improvement of access to justice for all victims of violations of the right to education should be considered a priority by Member States. He paid special attention to the access to education for vulnerable and marginalized groups as well as the need to progressively improve quality of education and equality of opportunity in education. The importance of partnerships with civil society actors and the media was also highlighted.

SYRIA AS A PRIORITY FOR UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER.

On the 27^th of May the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navy Pillay, opened the 23^rd session of the Human Rights Council expressing her deep concern for the brutal human rights violations presently occurring in Syria, and she strongly urged the International Community to act to put an end to the violence and come to an immediate and lasting solution to the conflict.  She defined the Syrian situation as “an intolerable affront to the human conscience”.  While strongly condemning the violations of human rights and of the international humanitarian law perpetrated by regime’s forces as well as by the rebels, the High Commissioner affirmed that the International Community cannot and must not continue to ignore the plea of the Syrian people. “I fear that we in the international community are failing to meet our fundamental obligations to the victims”. Ms Pillay urged the States to work to put an end to this humanitarian disaster, even if, she affirmed “it sometimes seems that we can do little more than cry out in the darkness and try to count the dead”.

Third International Conference "VOLUNTEERISM - AVENUE FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION"

The Conference «Volunteerism – Avenue for Social Transformation» is an annual international forum aimed at forming effective cooperation among volunteers from different countries and at disseminating information and experiences of successful social voluntary practices.

This year the Conference took place on the 14^th and 15^th of May 2013 at Palais des Nations in Geneva.

15th May: International Day of Family

Today we want to propose to you the Message of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the International Day of Family 2013:  

"Families hold societies together, and intergenerational relationships extend this legacy over time.  This year’s International Day of Families is an occasion to celebrate connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family.  It is also an opportunity to reflect on how they are affected by social and economic trends – and what we can do to strengthen families in response.

Unemployment is forcing many young people, often eager for independence, to rely on their parents longer than they would have hoped.  The lack of affordable and quality childcare is complicating efforts by parents in dual-earner families to combine their work and home obligations.  Inadequate pensions and care for older persons demands more attention as we succeed in our goal of extending lives.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights opens fiftieth session with an important innovation.

On April 29, 2013 the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), opened its fiftieth session with an important innovation: on the fifth of May of this year, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will enter into force, meaning that victims of violations of rights stated in the Covenant will be allowed to submit statements to the Committee and seek justice at the international level.

The role of statistics in migration policies

On April, 22 2013 the IIMA Human Rights Office took part in a meeting concerning “The role of migration statistics for treaty reporting and migration policies”, at Palais Wilson in Geneva.   The discussion was organised by the UN Committee in the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW) and also attended by representatives of Governments, UN Committees, International Organizations and various NGOs. The meeting was aimed at focusing on the importance of statistics concerning migrant workers, particularly immigration and the basic human rights of the workers and their families. Many authoritative experts, including representatives of the Program on the Elimination of Child Labour of the ILO (International Labour Organization), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Organization of Migration (IOM), underlined that the lack of precise data and accurate statistics is a major roadblock that denies the ability to elaborate adequate policies for migrants, especially protection of their rights.

“Human Dignity and Human Rights” - 10th Training Course of IIMA and VIDES International

The 10th training course organized by IIMA, in collaboration with VIDES International, was recently conducted for several of those responsible for IIMA in Europe. The training was divided in two sessions, the first of which was held in Geneva from February  24th to March 2nd, and the second from March 9th to 15th at the IIMA Human Rights Office. The course was intended to offer training on UN mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights and the role of IIMA and VIDES as NGOs contributing within this system. The training course followed a theoretical and practical approach that combined presentations at the IIMA office with attending meetings of the Human Rights Council at Palais des Nations and of the Human Rights Committee at Palais Wilson (Geneva).

Annual full-day on the rights of the child.

On Thursday, March 7, the United Nations Human Rights Council held its “Annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child.”  In accordance with resolution 19/37, this year’s session featured a panel discussion focused on the right of the child to the highest attainable standard of health. IIMA Human Rights Office and the participants in 10th training course organized by the Office had the opportunity to observe the discussions.

Visit of the General Mother

The Salesian community in Veyrier and the IIMA Human Rights Office joyfully welcomed Sister Yvonne Reungoat, the Superior Mother General of the Salesian Sisters, from March 3^rd through 6^th, 2013.

During her visit, Mother Yvonne took part in the second week of the 22^nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. She observed presentations from several Special Rapporteurs: Olivier De Schulter, Special Rapporteur on Right to Food, Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Juan Mendez, Special Rapporteur on Torture, and Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.  

Panel on Human Rights Mainstreaming (Geneva, 1 March 2013)

“Education is a major driving force for human development”, stated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the opening of the High Level Panel on Human Rights Mainstreaming, held on the 1st of March during the 22th Session of the Human Rights Council. In addition, he argued that education “opens doors to the job market, combats inequality, improves maternal health, reduces child mortality, fosters solidarity, and promotes environmental stewardship. Education empowers people with the knowledge, skills and values they need to build a better world”

On March 21, we celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

HABEMUS PAPAM!!!

Yesterday evening, Wed. March 13, 2013, the cardinals met in conclave and elected the new Pope: the Jesuit Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who chose the name Francesco. A crowd of thousands welcomed him, despite poor weather. With his smile and his simple words, the new Pope has now established a relationship of mutual exchange between himself and the whole community. After praying for Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI before the blessing and the final plenary, in fact, he asked the community for a moment of silence to pray and bless his mandate. The first South American Pope deserves our solidarity and prayers. Long live the Pope!

Today, 8 March, we celebrate the International Women’s Day.

For more information: http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/sgsmessage.shtml

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.