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. ...

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.  During the Panel Discussion, several experts in the field of children’s rights and education took the floor. Ms. Alison LeClaire Christe, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada,...

On the 10th 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. Ms. Kyuing-wha Kang, United Nation Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights opened the panel stating that currently 141 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. However,...

On 10th 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”.  Mariam Namogo, Coordinator of the project SILE (Soutien aux Initiatives Locales dans la Lutte contre l’Excision), from Mali, stated that women education is...

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...

On October 2nd 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. Patrizia also...

On 28th of September the Human Rights Council concluded the 21st 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,...

During the week of 17-22 September, at the XXI Session of the Human Rights Council,  the International Institute of the Daughters of Maria Ausiliatrice (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) and VIDES International presented four oral statements during the discussion of item 6 related to the adoption of the Universal Periodic Revsion (UPR) reports on Ecuador, Brazil, Poland and South Africa.  In a general vision of youth envolvement and effective participation in the activities carried out by IIMA and VIDES International, four young people from Mexico, Republic of Korea and Italy, took the floor before  the Council as spokesmen of...

On the 17th of September, the Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic.                                       Mr. Paulo Pinheiro, Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry, expressed concern that the violations of human rights are committed in Syria by both parties: Government forces and anti-Government armed groups. Therefore, he stated that, in compliance with International Criminal Law, perpetrators should be held responsible for such violations...