Emeritus Superior General of the Institute of Mary Help of Christians On July 1, 2019, Mother Antonia Colombo, emeritus Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) passed away at Varese, Italy. She was born in Lecco, Italy on April 12, 1935. She made her religious profession on August 6, 1959 and in the same year she graduated in Law. She then taught Law for one year at the International Institute of Pedagogy and Religious Sciences. From 1960 to 1963, she studied...

On the occasion of the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council, IIMA and Vides International, together with the permanent Mission of the Philippines, organized the side  event: “Promoting a Safe and Empowering Environment for all Children and youth - best practices for child and youth protection and participation through human rights education” held at the Palace of the Nations on September 25, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by sixteen Permanent Missions: Egypt, El Salvador, Italy, Portugal, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Poland, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Thailand, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Spain, Holy See, Uruguay; and also...

The 38th regular session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) was officially opened on 18th June 2018 by H.E. Ambassador Vojislav Šuc, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and HRC President. After which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, gave the oral update on the situation of human rights worldwide and on the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 22nd June was an important day for IIMA, Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice, VIDES International, the...

On 1st February 2018, at Club Suisse de la Presse, a civil society hearing on the 1988 Iran Massacre was held. The organizers were: Justice for Victims of 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI), Foundation Danielle-Mitterrand – France Libertés, Partito Radicale (Italy), Women’s Health & Research Institute of Australia (WHRIA), and the International Educational Development. The speakers included: Ms. Kirsty Brimelow, QC, Professor Jean Ziegler, Dr. Juan Garcés, Mr. Tahar Boumedra, and Mr. Eric Sottas. Ms. Kirsty Brimelow, QC, who laid out the historical context of the massacre, stressed how this event...

Organized by UN-Habitat and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, a very interesting Panel Discussion on “Reviewing State of Safety in Cities”, was held on June 28th in Room XXV of Palais des Nations. This event was organized in the scope of the outcomes of the UN “Habitat III” conference, resulting in the “New Urban Agenda”, and to facilitate partnership between local and national governments, civil society and other stakeholders to fully endorse the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.   During the Panel, it was examined how nowadays’ speed of urban development brings...