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Author: Ingrid Nifosi-Sutton

On Mandela’s 100th Birthday

On Mandela’s 100th Birthday

  Today is the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela, one of the most exceptional and transformational political leaders of all times.  This important day of remembrance comes at a moment that is particularly troubling from a human rights perspective: racism is rampant; children’ s most basic rights are violated on account of their nationality and migrant status of their parents; multilateralism appears to be on the retreat; every day there are migrants, including migrant children, that drown in the Mediterranean Sea;…

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A NEW ROLE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT: THE UN COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN’S GENERAL RECOMMENDATION No. 37

A NEW ROLE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT: THE UN COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN’S GENERAL RECOMMENDATION No. 37

On February 7, 2018, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) issued General Recommendation No. 37 on gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change.  The recommendation provides guidance to the 189 State parties to the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on the fulfillment of their treaty obligations in the fields of disaster risk reduction and climate change. The Recommendation is groundbreaking in many…

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HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD DISCUSS THE GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA WHEN HE WILL MEET WITH LEADER KIM JONG UN

HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP SHOULD DISCUSS THE GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA WHEN HE WILL MEET WITH LEADER KIM JONG UN

It is a welcome development that President Trump will soon meet with North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong Un.  The meeting may represent a turning point in the diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea, and unravel highly pressing security issues for the US, Northeast Asia and the international community as a whole. President Trump should heed the point of view of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  He should combine talks on…

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THE CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO: HOW IMPLEMENTATION OF A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO DISASTER MANAGEMENT WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE

THE CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO: HOW IMPLEMENTATION OF A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO DISASTER MANAGEMENT WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE

      The end of summer 2017 has posed extraordinary disaster management challenges for the US.  Between August 26 and September 20, 2017, Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas, Hurricane Irma affected Florida, and Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. While the US responded swiftly and with urgency to the damage Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused in Texas and Florida, the relief delivered in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria has fallen short.  The assistance that local and federal authorities…

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The Persistence of Extreme Poverty in the US: Recent Findings of the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights

The Persistence of Extreme Poverty in the US: Recent Findings of the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights

“In Alabama, I saw various houses in rural areas that were surrounded by cesspools of sewage that flowed out of broken or non-existent septic systems. The State Health Department had no idea of how many households exist in these conditions, despite the grave health consequences.”[1]  “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 […].”[2] These are only a few examples…

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