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June 4, 2012
in News EN

On the 22nd and 23rd of May the Committee Against Torture (CAT) held and interactive dialogue with a delegation from Cuba led by Rafael Pino Becquer, Deputy Attorney General of Cuba, following the submission of a national report. Among the topics discussed were: Habeas Corpus, prison conditions, abusive treatment within prisons, police conduct, forced emigration, the harassment of individuals, attacks on political activists and their families, the definitions of crimes within the Cuban Criminal Code, conditions within psychiatric hospitals and individuals judged “socially dangerous”. At points the committee experts referred to specific, sometimes high profile, cases to support their questions and in...

May 30, 2012
in News EN

On 24th May IIMA and VIDES Human Rights Office’s team attended the reception by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the Office of the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva for the presentation of Ms. Bianca Pomeranzi, Italian candidate to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Ms. Pomeranzi has devoted her life to women’s rights protection and promotion both at national and international level. She was co-founder of the Italian Association Women for Development (AIDOS) and Advisor for Equal Opportunities of the Italian Government and of the Italian Delegation at UN. She is currently...

May 17, 2012
in News EN

Experts of the United Nations called the European Union to take the lead in promoting the adoptation of a global financial tax to offset the costs of the current economic crisis. As they see it, the actions taken so far to overcome the crisis, including varying austerity programmes, risk causing significant human rights regressions. A financial transaction tax is an alternative which does not entail these same risks. They called attention to the fact that a similar tax exists in South Korea and suggest that such a tax may shift the burden from the citizens to the private sector. According to them “EU...

May 17, 2012
in News EN

Ban Ki-moon declares support for families in need of work On the 15th of May, the International Day of Families, Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the united nations, issued a statement highlighting the need for decent work for families. He emphasised the growing importance of work-family policies, drawing attention to the need to help workers meet the emotional and financial needs of their families. "Millions of people around the world lack decent working conditions and the social support to care for their families. Affordable quality childcare is rarely available in developing countries, where many parents are forced to leave...

May 11, 2012
in News EN

On the 1st of May, the Secretary-General met the leader of the opposing party in Myanmar, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, for the first time at her house in Yangon. Mr. Ban-Ki Moon thanked her for her commitment and perseverance towards democracy, development and human rights, affirming that she  has been “a symbol of hope for human rights for all, all around the world.”  In April, Myanmar citizens headed to the polls to vote for representatives of the Parliament, with Ms. Suu Kyi winning a position in the Lower House of Parliament. These elections were part of a series...

April 27, 2012
in News EN

On the 26th of April, IIMA attended a panel on “Humanitarian Principles in a Changing World: Bridging the Gap between Policy and Practice”, organized by Caritas Internationalis. The meeting was opened by the speech of the moderator, Mr. Alistair Dutton, Humanitarian Director of Caritas Internationalis, which presented the four humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality, humanity and impartiality, recalling that September 11th was a turning point for humanitarian interventions. After the moderator’s speech, Mr. Jan Weuts, Emergency Aid Coordinator of Caritas Belgium, explained that humanitarian workers are adversely affected by the fact...

April 20, 2012
in #youth, News EN

On the 18th of April, IIMA participated in a discussion on “Youth Employment” organized by the International Catholic Centre in Geneva (ICCG). The meeting featured Mr. Larry Kohler, member of the Executive Committee of the International Catholic Center of Geneva and former ILO officer, as well as the participation of representatives of some Catholic-based NGOs. Mr. Kohler painted a picture of the situation of youth employment around the world: over 75 million youth worldwide are looking for work and young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than...

April 20, 2012
in News EN

On the 16th of April, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, invited the leaders of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC to a briefing on the Secretary-General’s five-year action agenda. The meeting focused on the key challenges before the United Nations and the role of civil society in addressing these challenges. Mr. Ban Ki-moon's agenda consisted of five priorities: sustainable development, prevention, world safety and security, supporting nations in transition, and working with and for women and young people.In regards to sustainable development, the...

April 20, 2012
in News EN

On the 2nd of April, 2012, the UN General Assembly convened a high-level meeting in New York to discuss how well-being and happiness can be used as parameters for measuring countries’ development, which depends not only on economic factors. The meeting was organized by Bhutan, who has recognized the supremacy of national happiness over national income since the early 1970’s. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said that economic, social and environmental well-being is indivisible and essential for sustainable development. For this reason, these three elements must have equal importance...

April 19, 2012
in #youth, News EN

The General Secretary of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon took part this Tuesday (11th April 2012) in an ongoing dialogue with the youth of the whole world. The participants represented all the continents. The six youngsters had been selected for the consultations between the UN, civil society and as representatives of the universities. They discussed different topics, such as youth unemployment, technology, and the rights of women, thanks to Google+.Ban Ki-Moon stated that his ears are always open to hear the voice of the youth, as he can learn a...

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