#Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation

[waterday]

Thematic Report to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly “Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems”.

The Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, is inviting inputs from States and other stakeholders to inform his thematic report on “Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems”. The report will be presented at the United Nations General Assembly's 79th session in October 2024.

The Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation understands that the dominant systems of large-scale food production and comercialication are harming the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation worldwide. For the Special Rapporteur, under the argument of producing more and more food for a growing world population, the right to food is often used as an argument to justify unsustainable water management, overusing water sources and affecting aquatic systems, resulting in contamination or scarcity of water needed for human use. As reflected in Special Rapporteur´s report A/HRC/54/32 of 2023, guaranteeing the human right to water for the most impoverished requires restoring the good state of the aquatic ecosystems on which they depend for their water supply. In addition, over-exploitation and pollution of aquatic ecosystems often undermine small-scale food production for self-consumption in impoverished rural communities.

In this connection, the Special Rapporteur would like to call member states, non-state actors, civil society, academia, indigenous peoples, individuals, and other relevant stakeholders to send their contributions and experiences related to the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems and freshwater sources and the systems used to produced food. The Special Rapporteur would appreciate receiving inputs on the interlinkages between both rights and the positive and negative experiences on sustainable (or unsustainable) use of water sources by food systems, including court rulings at global, regional, national, and local levels.

The Special Rapporteur wishes to thank States, indigenous peoples, civil society organisations, academic institutions, businesses, international organisations, individuals, and other stakeholders for their continued engagement with this mandate.

Key information sought: To facilitate the reception of inputs, the Special Rapporteur prepared a list of key information which he considers essential for the report. The list could be answered entirely or partially according to the expertise and experience of those actors willing to contribute to the Report. List of topics: English | Français | Español

How inputs will be used

All submissions will be published on the website of the mandate. Non-state actors could request the confidentiality of the submission.

Next Steps

Please send your contributions via email, indicating “Input Water and Food Nexus” in the email subject line. Your contribution should be sent by no later than 15 March 2024

Email address: [email protected] AND to [email protected]. Email subject line: Input water and food nexus Word limit: 2500 words File formats: Word, PDF Accepted languages: English, Spanish, French

#Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation #sdg6 #water resources #water governance #human rights approach #call for imputs #safe drinking water #OHCHR #Water and Food Nexus #UNGA79 #water management #water goals #member states #non-state actors #civil society #academia #indigenous peoples #individuals #stakeholders

[worldriversday]

Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems.

Call for inputs for upcoming thematic report "Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems".

#OHCHR #call for imput #water and food nexus #water management #water governance #safe drinking water #Special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation #riverkeepers #rivers

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Canada's failure to provide First Nations with clean drinking water constitutes a flagrant human rights violation, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to water and sanitation says. 

The official, following a whirlwind formal Canadian tour, expressed a litany of concerns in a preliminary report delivered verbally on Friday in Ottawa. 

"I finish this almost two-week visit with mixed feelings: admiration but also frustration and even indignation," Pedro Arrojo-Agudo told reporters at the Lord Elgin hotel.

"I have witnessed the marginalization of First Nations on reserves, where in many cases the human rights to drinking water and sanitation are not respected."

Arrojo-Agudo's brisk tour of Canada included stops in Ontario, Nunavut, British Columbia and Alberta. He met with government officials, civil society groups, Indigenous people and others in Ottawa, Iqaluit, Toronto, Fort McMurray, Alta., Vancouver and Smithers, B.C.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @vague-humanoid, @newsfromstolenland, @palipunk

#cdnpoli #human rights abuses #Indigenous persecution #water

[head-post]

UN expert: Israel “must stop using water as a weapon of war”

Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, urged Israel on Friday to allow clean water and fuel to flow into Gaza to activate the water network before it was “too late.”

“Every hour that passes with Israel preventing the provision of safe drinking water in the Gaza strip, in brazen breach of international law, puts Gazans at risk of dying of thirst and diseases related to the lack of safe drinking water.”

Arrojo-Agudo recalled that the deliberate blockade of vital supplies violates both international humanitarian and human rights law. He warned that this could lead to more civilian casualties already affected by the bombardment of Gaza.

He emphasised that the water and sanitation crisis would hit children first, especially those under five years of age, and then women.

These frequently invisible casualties of war are preventable, and Israel must prevent them.

Read more HERE

#world news #world politics #news #united nations #middle east conflict #middle east news #middle east crisis #middle east war #israel palestine conflict #palestine #palestinians #israel #israel vs palestine #israel politics #israel gaza #israel news #gaza news #gaza strip #gazaunderattack #gaza

[tieflingkisser]

Withholding tax revenue and revoking banking waivers could paralyze Palestinian economy - UN experts warn

GENEVA, Thursday, April 25, 2024 (WAFA) - Unilaterally cutting off Palestinian banks from the global banking system would be a violation of the fundamental principles of international law, two UN experts warned today after an Israeli Minister threatened to revoke a protection waiver issued annually to two banks in Israel that maintain connections to Palestinian financial institutions. “Cutting off Palestinian banks from the global banking system unilaterally also violates the principle of sovereign equality of states, the principle of non-intervention into the domestic affairs of states, the principle of cooperation in good faith,” the experts said. “The impossibility of bank transfers will affect all people of Palestine indiscriminately, exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, and affect all fundamental human rights, including the right to food, right to water and sanitation, right to health, freedom from torture and the right to life.” The Palestinian economy runs on the Israeli shekel and its financial dealings with the rest of the world must go through the Israeli banking system. Isolating the Palestinian Authority from the financial world will cripple the Palestinian economy, the experts warned, recalling that the protection waivers guaranteed under the Oslo and Paris Accords. Since the 1990s peace accords, Israel has also collected tax revenue on behalf of Palestinians and transferred the funds to the Palestinian authority. A large portion of these funds is used for wage payments. Since 24 January 2024, the monthly tax revenue previously allocated to the Palestinian Authority’s public sector employees in Gaza has been transferred to a Norwegian-based trust account. However, the Norwegian fund cannot release the money to pay public sector employees in Gaza without Israel’s permission. “Because a significant proportion of taxes in the Palestinian Authority’s budget is collected by Israel, the Palestinian Authority is vulnerable to unilateral suspensions by Israel of transfers of clearance revenue, qualifying as unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law,” the experts said. The experts have established communication channels with the Israeli Government to address these concerns. They called for interim measures to prevent irreparable harm and potential breaches of international law. The experts are Professor Attiya Waris, an Independent Expert on Foreign Debt and human rights, and Professor Alena Douhan, a Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

#palestine #free palestine #news

[xxxjarchiexxx]

Casualties

11,470 killed*, including 4,707 children, and more than 29,000 wounded in Gaza

More than 200 Palestinians killed and 2,750 injured in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem

Israel revises its estimated October 7 death toll down from 1,400 to 1,200

*This figure covers the casualties from October 7 to November 16. Due to breakdowns in communication networks within the Gaza Strip (particularly in northern Gaza), the Gaza Ministry of Health has not been able to regularly update its tolls.

Key Developments

Israeli forces ordered the immediate evacuation of Al-Shifa’ hospital on Saturday morning — leaving only 120 patients in critical state and five doctors on the premises.

Civilians flee Al-Shifa’ carrying people in wheelchairs and gurneys, amid reports that Israeli forces barred men from entering southern Gaza.

Israeli forces reportedly took the bodies of 18 Palestinians from Al-Shifa’, with no information on their whereabouts.

An Israeli airstrike on al-Fakhura school in Jabalia refugee camp on Saturday has killed at least 50 people.

Scores of deadly Israeli airstrikes pummel Gaza schools, mosques, and homes, killing at least 26 in the southern town of Khan Younis.

Israel decides to allow two trucks’ worth of fuel a day into Gaza — a paltry amount that has nonetheless angered the government’s most extreme members.

Forty-eight Democrats send letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on the White House to pressure Israel to let more fuel into Gaza.

The WHO says Gaza’s health system is “on its knees”.

Israeli media reports that Israeli army killed Vice President of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmed Bahr.

Fighting continues between Palestinian resistance groups and Israeli ground forces in northern Gaza and Gaza City.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces bombed the Fatah party headquarters in Balata refugee camp, killing five.

At least two other Palestinians die in the West Bank after being shot by Israeli forces, while armed confrontations continue in several areas of the occupied territory.

Palestinians raise the alarm about growing Israeli settler threat of takeover of Palestinian homes in the Old City’s Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem.

Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon continue to trade fire with Israeli forces, as Lebanese media reports several wounded and an aluminum factory hit in southern Lebanon.

The International Criminal Court said on Friday that five countries had sent referrals requesting it investigate whether Israel’s actions in the wake of October 7 constituted crimes.

Israel’s Channel 12 says Hamas fighters who staged Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 most likely weren’t aware that a music festival was taking place in Reim. 

Saturday marks the first anniversary of the adoption of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. U.N.’s Martin Griffiths says “there is no greater reminder of the importance of its universal endorsement and implementation” than the current situation in Palestine.

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation calls on Israel to “stop using water as a weapon of war.”

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi tells conference in Bahrain: “Israel says it wants to wipe out Hamas. There’s a lot of military people here, I just don’t understand how this objective can be realised.”

Thousands of Israelis, including opposition leader Yair Lapid, march to prime minister’s office in Jerusalem calling for the return of hostages held by Hamas.

Biden’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk says humanitarian relief to Gaza hinges on release of Israeli hostages, as Qatari mediators were reportedly negotiating this week for the release of around 50 civilian hostages held by Palestinian resistance groups in exchange for a three-day ceasefire.

Despite numerous reports of Washington applying more pressure onto Israel in private, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel that Tel Aviv doesn’t feel that the U.S. is closing its “window of support”.

Israeli army generals express concern over behavior of a number of soldiers in Gaza, including playing soccer and racing military vehicles. 

#free palestine

[rivaltimes]

More and better Spanish Cooperation in water and sanitation

More and better Spanish Cooperation in water and sanitation

The world is facing an increasingly intense water crisis: pollution, scarcity, degradation of aquatic ecosystems, diseases linked to consumption and poor sanitation… These are just some of the effects of the problem pointed out in the last report of the rapporteur UN special on human rights and the environment. And this is aggravated by the climate emergency. We are therefore facing a global…

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[allthebrazilianpolitics]

So, in Brazilian environmental justice news, toxic and radioactive substances have been found high above tolerated levels in the tap water of 763 cities in Brazil.

It already makes 13.7% of the country's cities in total (5,570), and 25% of the ones tested in the investigation. Large cities and capitals, like São Paulo, Brasília, and Florianópolis, are also affected, and these problems were found in almost every state. You can check specific cities in the Water Map website.

The data are the results of tests carried out by companies or supply agencies and sent to the Ministry of Health's Sisagua (Water Quality Surveillance Information System for Human Consumption). Tests are done after treatment and most of these substances cannot be removed by filters or boiling water.

Daily consumption increases the risk of cancer, genetic mutations, hormonal, kidney, liver, and nervous system problems – depending on the product. These products have different and more silent dynamics than contamination by bacteria. Symptoms of contamination with toxic chemicals and radioactive substances can take years, but when they do appear, they are in the form of serious illness. Studies that associate these products with cancer, genetic mutations, and several other health problems are stamped by the most respected health bodies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the regulatory agencies of the European Union, United States, Canada, and Australia.

The tests are financed with public money and who pays the water bill, but the results are under lock and key. Supply companies should inform the population whenever a substance appears above the limit, as determined by the ordinance on potability of water. But that doesn't happen.

The Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (Sabesp), responsible for water distribution in more than 370 cities in São Paulo, including the capital, only discloses what it calls “basic parameters”, such as color, turbidity, and fecal coliforms. Not even by searching the site can one access information about chemicals above the limit.

The same problem was found with Water and Sanitation Company of Santa Catarina (Casan) and Ceará Water and Sewerage Company (Cagece).

In the United States and the European Union, anyone can consult tests for all substances present in water. And in many of these countries, companies monitor more substances and alert consumers in case of problems.

“If microbiological contaminants are found, for example, a determination to boil water is sent to consumers via email, text message, radio, etc.”, says Dorte Skræm of Danva, an organization representing water services in Denmark. According to him, transparency is total. “There was a case [of contamination] a few years ago that involved 500,000 residents, the media covered it and it was used to inform consumers.”

Warnings like this should have occurred in the 763 municipalities that identified tests above the threshold.

“The picture revealed by these data is serious.”, says Leo Heller, researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Water between 2014 and 2020. “They show omissions and failures of agencies and services that are part of an important chain of responsibilities”.

Ironically, the main causes of water problems in Brazil are substances generated by the treatment itself. When chlorine interacts with elements such as algae, sewage, or pesticides, so-called “disinfection by-products” are born.

They are over safety thresholds in 493 cities, 21% of the tested. “It is evident that it is important to treat the water to remove microorganisms, but it is not acceptable to eliminate biological risks and generate chemical risks.”, says Heller. In addition to the public agencies that should carry out the monitoring, it is also up to industry and agribusiness to control the release of toxic substances into the environment. “But the ones at the center [companies and supply agencies] are who should guarantee quality.”

The lack of transparency is such that inspectors do not always have access to data. In almost half of the municipalities (48%) the supply companies did not report results to Sisagua. This is serious, since it is through Sisagua that municipal or state health departments monitor water.

There are problems even in the cities that test the most, such as São Paulo. Sabesp claims that the results above the limit are specific cases and that they do not indicate problems in the water standard. The company informs that it makes its assessment by a moving average, but does not disclose this data. When questioned, Sabesp refused to send the results or the criteria for calculating the average. When contacted, the Municipal Health Department admits that it also did not have access to this data.

Radioactive substances appear above the limit in 22 Brazilian municipalities, most of them in Minas Gerais. They can be in the water due to industrial residues, but also naturally, due to the presence of uranium and other ores.

There are 50 cities with pesticides over the limit. These cases should also raise high alert due to their danger: 19 of the pesticides monitored in Brazilian water are so dangerous to health that they have been banned in the European Union. Five are “eternal substances”, so resistant that they never degrade.

Source, summarized and translated by the blogger.

#brazil #brazilian politics #politics #environmentalism #environmental justice #sanitation #translations and summaries #mod nise da silveira #did the alt description for the image work? #currently using tumblr's beta version of post editor on pc

[ninma]

A look at Dream's punishment through irl rules and taking into account UN's rules regarding prisons. Because it is just interesting and it proves how there is NO justification for it. But mostly because it's interesting to look at and you may learn a thing or two.

I have seen too many times people trying to justify Dream's punishment. I did research and read through multiple articles and documents (over 73 pages of two different documents) about the more legal sides of his punishment. While Quackity's physical torture is obvious, I am here to address that even before that it was still very illegal. I know it is fictional! This is just a look into the real life facts and rules regarding prisons because it is interesting to look at Dream's punishment and Pandora's Vault under the light of these. So keep that in mind while reading this!

Welcome to my ted talk with actual facts and be prepared for quite the ride!

While yes, he has done bad things...however he has not done something so bad that he deserves a punishment so cruel that it's considered too inhumane for even mass murderers. Like actually! Stay tooned and you'll see what I mean.

His sentence is indefinite solidary confinement. Which is defined by the united nations as:

"the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact."

This means his punishment fits the definition for all his time (including visits) except when Tommy was locked inn and now with Quackity (although I'd consider the last one a turn for the worse). Now that we have that cleared up- lets get into the rule breaking. But first, let me introduce you to The Mandela Rules!

"The Mandela Rules reinforce human rights principles, including

 the recognition of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman

 or degrading treatment or punishment and effective guidance 

to national prison administrations for persons deprived of their liberty"

Now that we have established that, lets get into this concerning fact train!

Rule 43

1. In no circumstances may restrictions or disciplinary sanctions amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The following practices, in particular, shall be prohibited:

(a) Indefinite solitary confinement;

(b) Prolonged solitary confinement;

(c) Placement of a prisoner in a dark or constantly lit cell;

(d) Corporal punishment or the reduction of a prisoner’s diet or drinking water;

(e) Collective punishment.

Yeah...pretty clear breaking of 4/5 there. They can't even break e! Not to mention the pretty explicit breaking of d that was probably a surprise. You can count it as them breaking 4/4 if you count the fact that they can’t even break e. Rest assured my friend, this is just the beginning.

Rule 44

For the purpose of these rules, solitary confinement shall refer to the confinement of prisoners for 22

 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact. Prolonged solitary confinement shall refer to 

solitary confinement for a time period in excess of 15 consecutive days.

Already broken this one too huh. Even visiting days counts because I don't think anyone has been there for hours and I also don't think Sam's interactions would be long enough or count as meaningful human contact. The time with Tommy and Quackity is the only time it dosen't count as solidary. So this is getting...very much concerinng. But this is still only the start.

Rule 45

1. Solitary confinement shall be used only in exceptional cases as a last

 resort*, for as* short a time as possible and subject to independent

 review, and only pursuant to the authorization by a competent authority. It

 shall not be imposed by virtue of a prisoner’s sentence.

2. The imposition of solitary confinement should be prohibited in the case

 of prisoners with mental or physical disabilities when their conditions

 would be exacerbated by such measures

Woops...so not only is it illegal as a punishment...but also the "he is a psychopath" argument (which is already a bad stereotype, but I won't get into psychology here. It's a common misconception and c!Tommy not knowing is almost to be expected. However please do not say that someone, character or real person, have a mental disorder or illness without proper knowledge about psychology and in the case of characters we shouldn’t put labels unless the writer has said that they have taken mental disorders or illnesses into account when making the character) just got yeeted out the window. Actually that argument just took a loop and now is an argument for the other side. It makes sense because as it says: it exacerbates their preexisting mental illnesses. Which is why it's prohibited. 

"In no case may a detainee’s contact with the outside world be

 dependent on his or her cooperativeness, be used as a disciplinary

 sanction or form part of the sentence."

  - Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Civil and Political Rights, Including the Questions of Torture and Detention, ¶ 43, Comm’n on Human Rights,

“…The medical officer should visit prisoners held in solitary confinement

 every day, on the understanding that such visits should be in the interests

 of the prisoners ’ health. Furthermore, prisoners held in solitary

 confinement for more than 12 hours should have access to fresh air for at

 least 1 hour each day” - Subcomm. on Prevention of Torture [SPT]

Wow Sam...it is almost impressive in a dark way just how explicitly these are broken. The Warden's very punishments for disobedience just straight up counts as torture. And for the obvious record I highly doubt Quackity's daily visits to the green bloob counts as anything but 'the interests of the prisoners' health'. You can disagree here...but I am being very sarcastic.

Rule 22

1. Every prisoner shall be provided by the prison administration at the

usual hours with food of nutritional value adequate for health and

strength, of wholesome quality and well prepared and served.

Raw potatoes every day for the rest of your life..eehhh no thanks. If Dream ever gets out he will probably join me in the 'eating potatoes trauma' box. As funny as that sounds, it isn't a joke. I was force fed potatoes as a child and I hated it to the point where it gave me a mental block that stops me from eating them as my body just does not want to swallow it. It's a problem. But I can joke about it. Maybe Tommy will join us too, although it wasn't really the eating potatoes that caused that trauma...rip. Rest in anything but potatoes.

Rule 42

General living conditions addressed in these rules, including those related

to light, ventilation, temperature, sanitation, nutrition, drinking water,

access to open air and physical exercise, personal hygiene, health care

and adequate personal space, shall apply to all prisoners without

 exception.

I think it's pointless to say more on that topic as it's pretty much already summed up. Let us now move over to what are probably some of the qoutes so specific that it's scary.

“Furthermore, [the Committee] is concerned about the use of solitary

 confinement for indefinite periods of time.... Full isolation of 22 to 23

 hours a day in supermaximum security prisons is unacceptable

(art. 16).” - Committee. against Torture [CAT]

Oh wow.. talk about on the nose. I should've just started with this one as it pretty much says pretty clearly how it is unacceptable. Like yikes...can you get more specific? It is just downright ridiculous at this point. (-_-;)

“Solitary confinement, when used for the purpose of punishment,

 cannot be justified for any reason, precisely because it imposes severe

 mental pain and suffering beyond any reasonable retribution for

 criminal behaviour and thus constitutes an act defined in article 1 or article

 16 of the Convention against Torture, and a breach of article 7 of the

 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

Ahaha...ha....yeah for those who justify it...the convention against torture is very much against it being justified...Imagine if the characters could read these rules, that'd be interesting. Although I am pretty sure they don't follow realism for the imprisonment. As I have already said; this is just an interesting look at the irl rules and how Dream's punishment and Pandora's Vault stand under light of them.

“No prisoner, including those serving life sentence [sic] and prisoners on

 death row, shall be held in solitary confinement merely because of the

 gravity of the crime.”

 - Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Like...there are no loopholes here. It is so extremely clear that it truly is darkly impressive how the characters don't seem to have a second thought about this. How do you accidentally sentence someone to a lifetime of torture without realizing? If they do know...It'd be very dark.

Btw Tommy's exile and his time in prison doesn't count as solidary confinement. Just to clear that up.

It amazes me how badly they break these rules...I know they probably didn't take the realism into consideration. However it is still kind of darkly impressive. Especially considering how scary specific they break them too. Even though this is just a interesting (I was about to write fun, however I wouldn't count realizing how inhuman the prison is is 'fun'. But it is interesting) look at Dream's punishment and Pandora's Vault under the light of real life rules for prisons. (lol my paranoid self have said this so much)

These facts also proves how saying it's justified...is kind of morally bad. Not attacking anyone! I just want to also say how while it is pure fiction and the characters in the story can have whatever opinion they want as they are characters. However when it comes to fans approving and justifying it without taking time to consider how it really isn't something that can be justified (real or no). You can have whatever opinion you want, however just maybe take some of what you have learned today and reflect over it? To think twice after having received new information dosen't hurt. I am not here to tell you what to think, so rest easy. Only to share some facts^^ (*so obviously scared of offending anyone*)

I recommend taking some time to look it up yourself if you want to look further into it. The psychological aspects of it is also interesting to look at!

I hope you have learned something here today and found this post and my research interesting! I spent hours on this so I hope you have enjoyed this! I originally posted this on reddit and I was very surprised at how many stopped by to read it and therefore I choose to post it here as well because you learn something and hopefully also gained a new perspective. 

Ninma over and out!

#dream smp #pandora's vault

[indizombie]

You can't put a value on water as you do with other traded commodities. Water belongs to everyone and is a public good. It is closely tied to all of our lives and livelihoods, and is an essential component to public health. Water is already under extreme threat from a growing population, increasing demands and grave pollution from agriculture and mining industry in the context of worsening impact of climate change.

Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, United Nations' special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

#Pedro Arrojo-Agudo #water #public good #public health #pollution #population growth #agriculture #mining #climate change

[firelynxinbloom]

The United Nations has made a statement regarding the protests against racial inequality in the United States. It reads:

"The recent killing of George Floyd has shocked many in the world, but it is the lived reality of black people across the United States. The uprising nationally is a protest against systemic racism that produces state-sponsored racial violence, and licenses impunity for this violence. The uprising also reflects public frustration and protest against the many other glaring manifestations of systemic racism that have been impossible to ignore in the past months, including the racially disparate death rate and socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disparate and discriminatory enforcement of pandemic-related restrictions. This systemic racism is gendered. The protests the world is witnessing, are a rejection of the fundamental racial inequality and discrimination that characterize life in the United States for black people, and other people of color.

The response of the President of the United States to the protests at different junctures has included threatening more state violence using language directly associated with racial segregationists from the nation’s past, who worked hard to deny black people fundamental human rights. We are deeply concerned that the nation is on the brink of a militarized response that reenacts the injustices that have driven people to the streets to protest.

Expressions of solidarity—nationally and internationally—are important but they are not enough. Many in the United States and abroad are finally acknowledging that the problem is not a few bad apples, but instead the problem is the very way that economic, political and social life are structured in a country that prides itself in liberal democracy, and with the largest economy in the world. The true demonstration of whether Black lives do indeed matter remains to be seen in the steps that public authorities and private citizens take in response to the concrete demands that protestors are making. One example is nationwide calls to rollback staggering police and military budgets, and for reinvestment of those funds in healthcare, education, housing, pollution prevention and other social structures, especially in communities of color that have been impoverished and terrorized by discriminatory state intervention.

Reparative intervention for historical and contemporary racial injustice is urgent, and required by international human rights law. This is a time for action and not just talk, especially from those who need not fear for their lives or their livelihoods because of their race, colour, or ethnicity. Globally, people of African descent and others have had to live the truths of systemic racism, and the associated pain, often without meaningful recourse as they navigate their daily lives. International leaders that have spoken out in solidarity with protestors, and with black people in the United States should also take this opportunity to address structural forms of racial and ethnic injustice in their own nations, and within the international system itself.

UN experts:

E. Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

Ahmed Reid (Chair), Michal Balcerzak, Dominique Day, Sabelo Gumedze, and Ricardo A. Sunga III,Working Group of experts on people of African descent

Ikponwosa Ero, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism

Leigh Toomey (Chair-Rapporteur), Elina Steinerte (Vice-Chair), José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Sètondji Roland Adjovi, and Seong-Phil Hong,Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Githu Muigai (Chair), Anita Ramasastry (Vice-chair), Surya Deva, Elżbieta Karska, and Dante Pesce, Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Rhona Smith, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia

Yao Agbetse, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic

Nourredine Amir (Chair), Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Saad Alfarargi, Special Rapporteur on the right to development

Catalina Devandas-Aguilar, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities

Kombou Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur on the right to education

David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment

Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food

Yuefen LI, Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights

David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression

Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association

Baskut Tuncak, Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes

Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context

Livingstone Sewanyana, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order

Obiora C. Okafor, Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity

Alice Cruz, Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members

Alioune Tine, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali

Chris Kwaja (Chair), Jelena Aparac, Lilian Bobea, Sorcha MacLeod, and Saeed Mokbil, Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination

Felipe González Morales, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants

Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues

Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar

Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons

Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967

Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

Joe Cannataci, Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy

Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

Mama Fatima Singhateh, Special Rapporteur on sale and sexual exploitation of children

Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences

Isha Dyfan, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia

Aristide Nononsi, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan

Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism

Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children

Fabian Salvioli, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence

Alena Douhan, Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights

Dubravka Šimonovic, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences

Léo Heller, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation

Meskerem Geset Techane, Elizabeth Broderick (Chair), Alda Facio, Ivana Radačić, and Melissa Upreti (Vice Chair), Working Group on discrimination against women and girls

The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures' experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity."

#personal blog #black lives matter #black lives movement #united states #UN #united nations #historical moment #USA #human rights #blm #racism #america #politics #protests #protest

[antoine-roquentin]

In 1996, Reisman observed sanctions rarely reach their targets – the political and military elite – and deeply impacted the population in Haiti. It is indeed impossible to separate sanctions from their economic and social impact on a population. Studies demonstrate sanctions have the same effect as war. This is why the Iranian authorities have focused on denouncing the sanctions on human rights grounds. Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran’s representative to the United Nations, stated sanctions were morally wrong and violate basic human rights.

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur for Iran, also noted the impact the sanctions have on the population. The UN special rapporteur also commented on the negative effect of unilateral coercive measures. Idriss Jazairy said:

These unjust and harmful sanctions are destroying the economy and currency of Iran, driving millions of people into poverty and making imported goods unaffordable […] The current system creates doubt and ambiguity which makes it all but impossible for Iran to import these urgently needed humanitarian goods. This ambiguity causes a ‘chilling effect’ which is likely to lead to silent deaths in hospitals as medicines run out[.]

The rapporteurs are correct to point out the human rights’ violations. The right to health is currently being breached. Iran has developed a public insurance coverage, the bimeh, which has been unable to provide full coverage due to the economic impact of the sanctions. As a result, the poorest cannot have access to full medical services. Citizens who can afford private healthcare insurance have seen the list of services covered drastically reduced. As a result, Iranians are converging towards a saturated and impoverished public health system. Other health ramifications are difficult to quantify, for example, suicides or addiction as a result of job loss.

Past and current sanctions have breached the right to life. The sanctions have caused a major disruption to the distribution of medical supplies and medicine. Individuals have struggled to buy the relevant medicine to treat life-threatening diseases like cancer. Some have tried to buy cheaper medicine online or on the black market, often with disastrous outcomes. While no statistics are available, it is clear that Iranians have died as the result of the lack of available medicine. The sanctions have also made it impossible to buy pieces for aircrafts or cars. As a result of the lack of proper engineering support, two planes crashed in early January 2019.

The right to food is also limited as prices soar. Meat and fruits have become a luxury. The development of a black market means that the most vulnerable individuals cannot buy some food while the elite may purchase whatever. The sanctions also bear on fertilizers so crops have not been producing enough, making Iran even more dependent on imports blocked by sanctions. This happens at a time of severe drought caused by climate change stressing the need to take care of the water system and sanitation facilities. However, this impossible without the relevant engineering pieces. This, in turn, impacts the right to development.

Education is also struck. In rural areas, children must contribute to labor rather than attend schools or are unable to purchase school books and any other relevant educational material due to their price. The sanctions have also impacted Iranians abroad as illustrated by the inability of students to pay their university fees or individuals who are being de-risked through the freezing of a bank account.

Women’s rights are also impacted by the sanctions. Urban women recently have been empowered through work and were pushing back the age of marriage and child-bearing. This fragile uprising is now threatened as women are either unable to find work or are the first ones dismissed during slews of layoffs. The conservative leaders then use the economic situation to justify new laws on family or work that limit women’s contribution to the public sphere as well as their presence in society.

Iran is also host to one of the largest refugee communities in the world. As the authorities are unable to provide for their own, they have cracked down on refugees to ensure their prompt departure, fuelling in part the migration towards Europe.

The right to work is also at stake as many citizens have lost their jobs. In November 2018, workers at a sugar cane plant in Ahvaz went on strike due to unpaid wages. The economic crisis has caused protests, sit-ins, and demonstrations leading to internal tensions. The authorities have responded by arresting some of the trouble-makers to lessen chances minorities or woman would join the protests. Although women and minorities’ have protested, such popular movements are still marginal.

Consequently, the over-whelming blow of sanctions effects mostly the vulnerable: children, women, refugees, the insolvent, people with disabilities, the infirm, and minorities. It is therefore clear and evidenced that the sanctions are impacting the human rights of Iranian citizens.

[lollipoplollipopoh]

🏡 'Shameful': What's driving the global housing crisis? | Talk to Al Jazeera by Al Jazeera English Despite an uneven global economic recovery since the 2008 financial crisis, adequate and affordable housing is increasingly out of reach to hundreds of millions of people, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha. In her latest report on global housing need, Farha wrote that the world's money markets have priced people out of cities, with speculators and investors treating housing as a "place to park capital". Farha, who presented her findings before the Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2017, said that "housing has lost its social function and is seen instead as a vehicle for wealth and asset growth. It has become a financial commodity, robbed of its connection to community, dignity and the idea of home." Leilani Farha spoke to Al Jazeera about the growing global housing crisis and the steep challenges ahead for the more than one billion people who do not have adequate housing. At an estimated global net worth of $163 trillion, the residential real estate market is equivalent to more than twice the world's total economy and dwarfs the approximate seven-trillion-dollar-value of all the gold ever mined, Farha told Al Jazeera. Housing is viewed as a way to "grow wealth and that has changed the way in which housing operates", she said. "It means ... you have investors, private equity firms, vulture funds, buying up housing. Who is their principle concern? It's their investor and if they're using housing to satisfy their investor interests, what do they have to do with that housing if it's rental housing? It's obvious, they have to increase the rents." The right to adequate housing is enshrined in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights, which states that "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care." Housing "has tentacles into every other human right, practically. Housing is not just about four walls and a roof [but] about living in a place where you have peace, security and most importantly, dignity. And once you start playing with the idea of dignity, you can imagine what that means. It means living in a place with proper sanitation and basic services ... toilets, running water." Adequate housing is also about "security of tenure", Farha explained. "You should not be fearful that you're going to lose your home [at any time]." Today, approximately 900 million people are living in "informal settlements" without the security of tenure - entire communities that have grown up in slum-like conditions. These communities are often razed by profit-driven developers and governments with little notice and no offer of substitute housing. Forced eviction is "considered a gross violation of human rights ... No community should be evicted unless there is absolutely no viable alternative." The incidence of homelessness is also rising. "If you look at North America, if you look at Europe, what are we seeing? Rising rates of homelessness in the richest countries in the world. That, to me, is where we get into extremely shameful territory, extremely shameful. Why is that? How is it acceptable that GDPs are increasing all the time ... and homelessness is rising all the time?" "I don't think that homelessness has been viewed as the human rights issue that it is. I don't think it's been given the urgency of political will, of social policy that it deserves and so, I think that's also part of the problem ... Once people lose their housing and become homeless, they often are open to any of a number of social ills," Farha said. "People are always like, 'Oh, the people who are homeless, they're all crazy; they all have psychological problems'. Many, many people who hit the streets are completely of sound mind. It's the trauma of being on the street that can trigger psycho-social disability ... The trauma of living on the street is what often leads people to do things like drugs." Asked whether the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development, which includes solving the problem of inadequate housing, can be achieved by its target date, Farha said that "we have to strive to reach that goal in 12 years. States have that obligation, they've made that commitment ... I think that huge strides could be taken ... [to] ensure accountability of governments to the people, that ensure equality, those sorts of things ... If that was guiding housing policy, maybe we would inch towards that 2030 deadline and More from Talk To Al Jazeera on: YouTube - http://aje.io/ttajYT Facebook - https://ift.tt/2l6jJAS Twitter - http://twitter.com/talktoaljazeera Website - https://ift.tt/2zpEegN - Subscribe to our channel: https://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: https://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

#youtube #video #news #aljazeera

[citiesandslums]

Why Making Housing a Human Right Could Solve Homelessness in the United States

by Marcus Bradlee

In 2017, United Nations Special Rapporteur Leilani Farha came to the Bay Area to investigate potential human rights violations related to the homelessness crisis. After witnessing the homeless encampments in San Francisco and Oakland, she created a final report to present to the UN. Her final report stated that the conditions of the unhoused citizens were “cruel and inhuman.” Farha observed several human rights violations, including denial of access to water, sanitation and health services, and other basic necessities. She also believes that the fact that they are unhoused is a human rights violation in itself; Farha sees housing as a human right rather than a commodity. In the past, she has called out the Bay Area for not providing enough affordable housing. This visit from Farha should have been a huge wake up call for the Bay Area and the United States. This country has clearly been neglecting this homelessness crisis and not dealing with it at a national level. The United States certainly has the resources to significantly diminish the homeless population, and at the very least uphold basic human rights for its citizens. In fact, if this issue continues to get worse, the problem of managing homelessness will cost a ton of money, money which could be used to help eradicate the issue. If the United States were to officially make adequate housing a human right, it would put the country on the right track towards eliminating homelessness.

Isn’t housing already considered a human right?

In 1948, the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was the first international agreement on the basic principles of human rights, and would become part of the International Bill of Human Rights. It would serve as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations, and it was created to universally protect human rights. Article 25 of the UDHR states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” The UN also has documentation which specifies in depth what adequate housing means, including protection against forced evictions, the right to choose one’s residence, and equal and non-discriminatory access.

Even though adequate standards of living and the stipulations of the right to housing are explicitly included in the UDHR, the fact remains that it is only a declaration, and at most they serve as guidelines or suggestions for countries to uphold in order to protect human rights. The International Bill of Human Rights is in no way legally binding to any of the members of the United Nations, therefore in the case of a human’s right to housing, no country is legally obligated to build or provide adequate housing to those who wish to claim it. This is why in the United States, there is no right to shelter, with the exception of emergency housing in California, Massachusetts, and New York. Even in these states, it is more likely for families to receive this emergency housing rather than long-term homeless people.

How would making housing a human right affect the current homelessness crisis?

Since 2008, Finland’s homelessness policy has been based on its Housing First approach. Finland’s constitution includes a right to accommodation if life or health is in danger without arranged accommodation. Unlike other countries, Finland believes in providing each homeless person with permanent housing, accompanied by individually tailored health and support services. Before 2008, Finland, like many other countries, followed the “staircase” approach, in which unhoused people have to achieve several rehabilitation milestones before they are qualified to be given permanent housing.

Starting in 2008, Finland devised an action plan which sought to eradicate homelessness entirely once complete. For the 7 years, Finland would focus their efforts on eradicating long term homelessness, meaning they would be targeting people who have been unhoused for more than one year and unhouse people dealing with physical or mental disabilities. Beginning in 2016, Finland would then turn its focus on preventative measures, ensuring that the rate of homelessness would no longer be increasing. Finally in 2020, Finland could begin working towards eradicating homelessness entirely, and they plan to do so by 2025. Because of their robust plan of action and complete dedication to the homelessness issue, Finland is the only country in the European Union with a declining rate of homelessness.

What would it look like in the US?

To put it simply, the United States would need to amend its constitution to include the right to housing. On paper, this does not seem like it would be a complicated thing to do. The framework already exists as part of the UDHR, and can be used to inspire amendments and ratifications which make this human right official; human rights should be human rights. Not only is the right to adequate a human right, but access to social services and health services are directly related to the issue of housing. As it was discovered in Finland, a huge part of dissolving the long term homeless population involved providing individually tailored health and support services to those in need. This was a huge part of the Housing First approach, where Housing First also included health care and other support.

In terms of providing the actual permanent residences for citizens, new construction is almost necessary. In Finland, old hostels were converted into permanent housing for previously unhoused people, but construction is still necessary to accommodate everyone. Converting old buildings into permanent housing is a great way to save money, and could be especially effective considering the number of vacant lots appearing after the pandemic. Because the UDHR or the International Bill of Human Rights does not obligate a country to provide housing, once it is amended into the constitution, it will become a responsibility for the government to uphold the constitutional amendment.

This process will obviously come at a cost, however managing homelessness will come at a much greater cost in the long run as opposed to dedicating resources and not having to worry about homelessness continuing to escalate. If homelessness is on the rise, so will the cost to manage it.

Conclusion: should the United States officially adopt housing as a human right?

Adopting housing as a human right by amending the constitution will force the United States government to maintain their responsibility to protect human rights within the country. The main issue with this is the need for housing and cooperation within the government. A change like this would take a lot of work, especially considering that the United States has yet to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the Equality Act, which would make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their gender or sexuality. It is also extremely hard to build affordable housing. Aside from the extremely specific zoning laws and the miles of bureaucratic red tape, the political divide alone, like NIMBY vs YIMBY, makes affordable housing a tough sell. And of course as we saw with Finland, there would also need to be robust social support services and health services available. I do believe that a constitutional amendment could turn things around, but right now it might not be the most realistic solution.

Works Cited

Beckhardt, Molly, et al. “Housing Is a Human Right. It Should Not Be Predicated on the Money in One's Pocket.” The Appeal, https://theappeal.org/housing-is-a-human-right/.

Bendix, Aria. “UN Report: San Francisco's 'Cruel and Inhuman' Homelessness Crisis Is a Human Rights Violation.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 30 Oct. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-homelessness-cruel-un-human-rights-report-2018-10.

“Eradicating Homelessness in Finland: The Housing First Programme.” Centre For Public Impact (CPI), https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/case-study/eradicating-homelessness-finland-housing-first-programme.

Iotkovska, Svilena. “Helsinki Seeks to Eradicate Homelessness by 2025.” TheMayor, TheMayor, 14 Oct. 2021, https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/helsinki-seeks-to-eradicate-homelessness-by-2025-9115.

Kumar, Raksha. “If Housing Is a Human Right, Why Can't Everyone Claim It?” The Correspondent, 11 Sept. 2020, https://thecorrespondent.com/681/if-housing-is-a-human-right-why-cant-everyone-claim-it/90090721248-39f7f226.

Maclean, Chelsea. “California's 2021 Housing Laws: What You Need to Know: Insights.” Holland & Knight, https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2020/09/californias-2021-housing-laws-what-you-need-to-know.

The Right to Adequate Housing - OHCHR. United Nations, https://ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FS21_rev_1_Housing_en.pdf.

Rosalsky, Greg. “How California Homelessness Became a Crisis.” NPR, NPR, 8 June 2021, https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/06/08/1003982733/squalor-behind-the-golden-gate-confronting-californias-homelessness-crisis.

“U.S. Finally Ratifies Human Rights Covenant.” The Carter Center, https://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc1369.html.

“Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.

[24buzzfeed]

UN concerned about conditions of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia

Hundreds of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia have been detained in several immigration detention centers for deportation. These workers live in difficult, unsanitary and inhumane conditions in addition to the psychological and physical abuse they have been subjected to for several months. The world - Saudi Arabia   On January 28, 2021, a number of UN Special Rapporteurs sent a letter to Saudi Arabia on the current situation of migrants stranded in overcrowded detention centres for long and indefinite periods.   The letter was signed by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the Special Rapporteur on torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to Safe Drinking Water and sanitation.   Pointed decisions to the terrible situation of detention centres, where there was no assessment of individual persons to address the need for detention, and that migrants can get legal assistance to challenge the legality of their detention. They added that the centres allegedly lacked adequate water and sanitation with almost no drinking water. The letter also states that migrants receive only a small piece of bread during the day and rice in the evening.   The special rapporteurs pointed out that 2 housing centers and other centers throughout the country, detained hundreds of migrants from Africa and Asian countries. There are also rooms full of women and children too.   According to the letter, the migrants have been detained for six months and at least two men for more than a year. Some have been subjected to torture and inhuman treatment, such as whipping and electrical wiring. These physical abuses occurred when detainees complained about conditions of detention or sought medical attention. The letter also stated that three men died of ill-treatment including the suicide of a minor.   Furthermore, the rapporteurs noted that the long - term risk faced by migrants is exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic, especially in the absence of appropriate prevention measures and exposure to unsanitary and overcrowded conditions of detention, the risk of infection has increased.   The detainees have not been tested for coronavirus, and according to the letter the rooms are full of people making it almost impossible to lie down or maintain distances. They added that among these migrant workers are victims of human trafficking and others from asylum seekers. The letter raised concerns about hundreds of asylum seekers being held without access to international protection or other protection mechanisms.   The special rapporteurs expressed in their letter expressed serious concern about the safety of immigrant detainees at immigration detention centers densely and other health conditions may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment since they can't maintain a physical distance necessary as a preventive measure of SGRF-19. They explained that the international standards emphasize that states must ensure that persons detained on the same level of Health available in the community, which applies to all persons regardless of nationality or citizenship or immigration status, particularly during health emergencies. The rapporteurs also expressed concern that the alleged indefinite and prolonged detention of hundreds of migrants could amount to arbitrary detention, not to mention the Prohibition of the detention of migrant children under international law.   The letter raised concerns that hundreds of migrants could be deported without individual assessments of their protection needs and procedural safeguards, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement and the Prohibition of collective expulsion. Without an individual assessment, some migrants may be persecuted if returned.   The European Saudi Organization for human rights welcomes the UN's sharing of its concerns about the poor situation of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. And with the special rapporteurs on it the duty of Saudi Arabia to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of individuals deprived of their liberty and physical integrity and to ensure the right to sanitation for all migrant workers detained. It also notes that the conditions of migrants contradict Saudi Arabia & apos; s claims that it has taken comprehensive and non-discriminatory measures to combat the coronavirus. The organization maintains that refoulement obligations are an absolute and non-derogable right under international customary rules as well as the Universal Declaration of human rights.   #news #covid #india #instagram #love #coronavirus #follow #like #media #music #breakingnews #instagood #fashion #viral #trending #politics #noticias #memes #new #corona #usa #football #bhfyp #sports #tv #indonesia #berita #photography #currentaffairs #bhfyp Read the full article

[gov-info]

December 15, 2017

Press Release: "American Dream is rapidly becoming American Illusion," warns UN rights expert on poverty” [Spanish]

Full Report [English] [Spanish]

Sections:

Introduction (below)

The human rights dimension

Who are ‘the poor’?

The current extent of poverty in the US

Problems with existing policies

The undermining of democracy

An illusory emphasis on employment

Shortcomings in basic social protection

Indigenous peoples

Children in poverty

Adult dental care

Reliance on criminalization to conceal the problem

The gendered nature of poverty

Racism, disability, and demonization of the poor

Confused and counter-productive drug policie

The use of fraud as a smokescreen

Privatization

Environmental sustainability

Principal current governmental responses

Tax reform

Welfare reform

Healthcare reform

New information technologies

Coordinated entry systems

Risk assessment tools in the pre-trial phase

Access to high-speed broadband access in West Virginia

Puerto Rico

About the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

I. Introduction

1. I have spent the past two weeks visiting the United States, at the invitation of the federal government, to look at whether the persistence of extreme poverty in America undermines the enjoyment of human rights by its citizens. In my travels through California, Alabama, Georgia, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Washington DC I have spoken with dozens of experts and civil society groups, met with senior state and federal government officials and talked with many people who are homeless or living in deep poverty. I am grateful to the Trump Administration for facilitating my visit and for its continuing cooperation with the UN Human Rights Council’s accountability mechanisms that apply to all states.

2. My visit coincides with a dramatic change of direction in US policies relating to inequality and extreme poverty. The proposed tax reform package stakes out America’s bid to become the most unequal society in the world, and will greatly increase the already high levels of wealth and income inequality between the richest 1% and the poorest 50% of Americans. The dramatic cuts in welfare, foreshadowed by the President and Speaker Ryan, and already beginning to be implemented by the administration, will essentially shred crucial dimensions of a safety net that is already full of holes. It is against this background that my report is presented.

3. The United States is one of the world’s richest, most powerful and technologically innovative countries; but neither its wealth nor its power nor its technology is being harnessed to address the situation in which 40 million people continue to live in poverty.

4. I have seen and heard a lot over the past two weeks. I met with many people barely surviving on Skid Row in Los Angeles, I witnessed a San Francisco police officer telling a group of homeless people to move on but having no answer when asked where they could move to, I heard how thousands of poor people get minor infraction notices which seem to be intentionally designed to quickly explode into unpayable debt, incarceration, and the replenishment of municipal coffers, I saw sewage filled yards in states where governments don’t consider sanitation facilities to be their responsibility, I saw people who had lost all of their teeth because adult dental care is not covered by the vast majority of programs available to the very poor, I heard about soaring death rates and family and community destruction wrought by prescription and other drug addiction, and I met with people in the South of Puerto Rico living next to a mountain of completely unprotected coal ash which rains down upon them bringing illness, disability and death.

5. Of course, that is not the whole story. I also saw much that is positive. I met with State and especially municipal officials who are determined to improve social protection for the poorest 20% of their communities, I saw an energized civil society in many places, I visited a Catholic Church in San Francisco (St Boniface – the Gubbio Project) that opens its pews to the homeless every day between services, I saw extraordinary resilience and community solidarity in Puerto Rico, I toured an amazing community health initiative in Charleston (West Virginia) that serves 21,000 patients with free medical, dental, pharmaceutical and other services, overseen by local volunteer physicians, dentists and others (WV Health Right), and indigenous communities presenting at a US-Human Rights Network conference in Atlanta lauded Alaska’s advanced health care system for indigenous peoples, designed with direct participation of the target group.

6. American exceptionalism was a constant theme in my conversations. But instead of realizing its founders’ admirable commitments, today’s United States has proved itself to be exceptional in far more problematic ways that are shockingly at odds with its immense wealth and its founding commitment to human rights. As a result, contrasts between private wealth and public squalor abound.

7. In talking with people in the different states and territories I was frequently asked how the US compares with other states. While such comparisons are not always perfect, a cross-section of statistical comparisons provides a relatively clear picture of the contrast between the wealth, innovative capacity, and work ethic of the US, and the social and other outcomes that have been attained.

By most indicators, the US is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. It spends more on national defense than China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, United Kingdom, India, France, and Japan combined.

US health care expenditures per capita are double the OECD average and much higher than in all other countries. But there are many fewer doctors and hospital beds per person than the OECD average.

US infant mortality rates in 2013 were the highest in the developed world.

Americans can expect to live shorter and sicker lives, compared to people living in any other rich democracy, and the “health gap” between the U.S. and its peer countries continues to grow.

U.S. inequality levels are far higher than those in most European countries

Neglected tropical diseases, including Zika, are increasingly common in the USA. It has been estimated that 12 million Americans live with a neglected parasitic infection. A 2017 report documents the prevalence of hookworm in Lowndes County, Alabama.

The US has the highest prevalence of obesity in the developed world.

In terms of access to water and sanitation the US ranks 36th in the world.

America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, ahead of Turkmenistan, El Salvador, Cuba, Thailand and the Russian Federation. Its rate is nearly 5 times the OECD average.

The youth poverty rate in the United States is the highest across the OECD with one quarter of youth living in poverty compared to less than 14% across the OECD.

The Stanford Center on Inequality and Poverty ranks the most well-off countries in terms of labor markets, poverty, safety net, wealth inequality, and economic mobility. The US comes in last of the top 10 most well-off countries, and 18th amongst the top 21.

In the OECD the US ranks 35th out of 37 in terms of poverty and inequality.

According to the World Income Inequality Database, the US has the highest Gini rate (measuring inequality) of all Western Countries

The Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality characterizes the US as “a clear and constant outlier in the child poverty league.” US child poverty rates are the highest amongst the six richest countries – Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Norway.

About 55.7% of the U.S. voting-age population cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election. In the OECD, the U.S. placed 28th in voter turnout, compared with an OECD average of 75%. Registered voters represent a much smaller share of potential voters in the U.S. than just about any other OECD country. Only about 64% of the U.S. voting-age population (and 70% of voting-age citizens) was registered in 2016, compared with 91% in Canada (2015) and the UK (2016), 96% in Sweden (2014), and nearly 99% in Japan (2014).

  About the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights: Professor Philip Alston is the current Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council and undertakes the following main tasks: (1) conducting research and analysis to be presented in separate thematic reports to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly; (2) undertaking country visits and reporting on the situation in those countries in relation to the concerns of the mandate; (3) sending letters to governments and other relevant entities in situations in which violations of human rights of people living in extreme poverty are alleged to have taken place.

The mandate on extreme poverty was first established in 1998 by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and was taken over by the Human Rights Council in June 2006. It is one of a number of mandates that together form what is known as the United Nations system of special procedures. For more information on those procedures see: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx

#un #economics #taxes #asap