The United Nations Announces the Appointment of a New Secretary General

On October 5^th, the United Nations Security Council unanimously nominated António Guterres to replace Ban Ki-moon as the 9^th UN Secretary General. The appointment will be formalized after the 71^st session of the UN General Assembly to take place later this month. Guterres hails from Portugal, where he was Prime Minister from 1995 until 2002. In 2005, he took on the position of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The election of Guterres came as a surprise, as the climate seemed to favor the election a woman from Eastern Europe. However, this man is considered to be a very skilled and suitable person to take on the role of Secretary General.  Guterres will be transitioning to his new role on January 1^st, 2017.

Human Rights Council Session: Week 3 Summary (Sept. 26-30)

The last week of the HRC session began with the Annual Discussion on the Integration of a Gender Perspective.  The panel discussed issues of import that still affect women in some parts of the world such as female genital mutilation and sexual violence in prisons.  But there appears to be some hope of improving gender perspective and integration through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).  Gender-related recommendations are the second most prevalent theme in the UPR; however, we were reminded of the Chinese saying that “the blossoming of a single flower does not indicate it is springtime” so further scrutiny needs to be conducted to ensure quality and action-oriented recommendations on the topic of gender integration.

International Day of Non-Violence

Today is the International Day of Non-Violence, celebrated since 2007 on October 2nd on the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Ghandi. This pioneer of the strategy of non-violence said that this philosophy “is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man." Recognizing the many wars being fought around our world, this message is imperative in order to move towards a “culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.”

The Right to Play for Refugee and Migrant Youth

On 28 September 2016, Greece’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva (UNOG) organized a high-level side event on the topic: Sports and sport values education as means to promote local integration and enhance the protection of human rights of refugees and migrants.  The central theme of the panel was how sports can be an entry point for refugee and migrant children to integrate into their host communities.  For these children and young people, sports can play a healing role that can bring a sense of normalcy to their uncertain lives and reduce the sense of marginalization.  International organizations like the IOC, IOM, and HCR have used sports to help refugee and migrant youth through: integration into host communities; fostering trust between cross-border communities; youth rehabilitation; building “safe places” for sports in areas with a high refugee population. The goal of these programs is to develop youth in a positive manner and to provide skills and hope where the absence thereof could lead children to resort to violent extremism or other adverse consequences.

Annual Discussion on Gender Integration at the HRC

On the 26^th of September 2016, the United Nations in Geneva held the annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective throughout the work of the Human Rights Council and that of its mechanisms, focusing specifically on the theme: gender integration in the resolutions and recommendations of the Human Rights Council.  The panel was chaired by H.E. Mr. Choi Kyong-lim, President of the Human Rights Council. The opening statement was delivered by Ms. Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. Ms. Gilmore painted a solemn picture of the status of gender equality in our world, emphasizing that true equality is not about men or women, boys or girls, but rather about human beings. She called for the need for the discussions about gender equality to move away from UN documents and into practice in country resolutions. Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of including the innovative approaches of young people in order to achieve this goal of gender parity. After commending Ms. Gilmore for her powerful words, the moderator of the panel, Ms. Rama Mani, Senior Research Associate at University of Oxford Centre for International Studies and Co-Founder of Rising Women Rising World, took the floor. Before introducing the panelists, Ms. Mani emphasized the importance of including civil societies in discussions about gender, as well as the need to strengthen the idea of women and girls as agents, rather than objects or victims.

Half-Day Panel Discussion on Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls

On the 20^th of September 2016, the United Nations in Geneva held its annual half-day discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples, the theme of which was: the causes and consequences of violence against indigenous women and girls, including those with disabilities.

The panel was chaired by H.E. Mr. Choi Kyong-lim, President of the Human Rights Council (HRC). Mr. Adam Abdelmoula, Director of the HRC and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) gave the opening statement.  

Mr. Abdelmoula highlighted the need to raise the status of indigenous woman as equal and valuable partners; to acknowledge historical abuses against indigenous communities and end this people’s vulnerability; ensure that the justice system is responsive to the needs of indigenous peoples; break cycles of violence, among other suggestions. His statement was followed by remarks of the moderator of the panel, Mr. Albert Kwokwo Barume, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People. Mr. Barume thanked the HRC for the panel and particularly for conscientiously making the event accessible to persons with disabilities. This was achieved by providing live sign-language interpretation as well as displaying subtitles in English during the entire discussion. 

New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants

At the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants that was held in New York on September 19, 2016, world leaders came to a consensus on addressing the issue of large movements of refugees and migrants.  The New York Declaration contains a list of commitments for Member States to follow some of which are of key interest to IIMA and its activities such as:

• Protecting the human rights of all refugees and migrants, regardless of status. This includes the rights of women and girls and promoting their full, equal and meaningful participation in finding solutions.

• Ensuring that all refugee and migrant children are receiving education within a few months of arrival.

VIDES speaks about Youth Empowerment at HRC panel

On September 22, 2016, VIDES International Representative Maria D’Onofrio spoke at a panel discussion on youth and human rights that was held during the 33^rd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in the Palais des Nations in Geneva.  The panel discussion was mandated by HRC resolution 32/1 of June 30, 2016 and its objective was to identify challenges, best practices and lessons learned in the exercise of human rights by young people, as well as relevant opportunities for the empowerment of youth in the exercise of their rights. 

Youth empowerment through human rights was the key theme addressed by Ms. D’Onofrio in her opening statement. She highlighted the importance of access to quality education and effective implementation of children’s rights up to 18 in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child has key conditions to empower youth and to unlock their potential as promoters of human rights.