Archive for March, 2007

Council of Europe Proposes Measures for Combatting Racism in Schools

March 22nd, 2007 at 10:08am

On March 21, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Council of Europe published a list of 40 measures to reduce racism in and through school education. The Council recommended that governments begin to implement these measures immediately.

For more information, see here. The list is also available here.

UN Seeks New Camp Sites for Internally Displaced Persons in Sudan

March 20th, 2007 at 08:02pm

Camp sites for internally displaced persons in Sudan are quickly nearing maximum capacity as people continue to flee the ongoing conflict in Darfur. The UN estimates that 80,000 people have fled the Darfur region since January. The UN is seeking new camp sites to shelter internally displaced persons, and has already identified one new site near the close-to-capacity Zam Zam camp.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21926&Cr=sudan&Cr1=

Council of Europe Secretary General Denounces Execution in Iraq

March 20th, 2007 at 12:56pm

Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has condemned the hanging of Taha Yasin Ramadan, a former Vice President to Saddam Hussein. A short press release, issued today, can be found here.

ICC Judge Resigns

March 19th, 2007 at 07:44pm

The International Criminal Court announced today the resignation of Judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips for personal reasons. The Assembly of States Parties will elect a judge to fill the resulting vacancy.

http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/236.html

Chiquita Pleads Guilty to Funding Terrorist Organization

March 19th, 2007 at 07:43pm

The United States Department of Justice announced today that Chiquita Brands International has pled guilty to one count of transacting business with a designated global terrorist, Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia.  Among other terms of the plea agreement, Chiquita is to pay a $25 million fine.

The DOJ’s press release is here:  http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/March/07_nsd_161.html

Sudan Suspends Cooperation with ICC

March 19th, 2007 at 11:19am

Responding to accusations by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor that Sudanese officials were connected to war crimes in Darfur, the Sudanese government has announced that it is suspending all cooperation with the court.

The International Herald Tribune covers the story here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/18/africa/AF-GEN-Sudan-ICC.php

IDB Forgives Latin American, Caribbean Debt

March 19th, 2007 at 08:51am

The Inter-American Development Bank announced on Friday its approval of a US$ 3.4 billion debt relief package for Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua that will free up resources for health care, education, and infrastructure in the region’s most underdeveloped countries. The measure, which passed with wide support, will cancel 100 percent of loans outstanding in the five countries as of Dec. 31, 2004. In addition to the $3.4 billion in principal payments, the IDB will further forgive $1 billion in interest for a total of $4.4 billion in debt relief.

See:
http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/vernoticia.do?id=10083&formato=HTML and
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031602376.html

RDC to Submit CAFTA Claims Against Guatemala for Arbitration

March 16th, 2007 at 10:39pm

On March 13, Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) filed its Notice of Intent to Submit Claims to international arbitration against the Republic of Guatemala under the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). RDC’s press release noted that this action would be the first use of investor-state dispute resolution under Chapter 10 of CAFTA.

RDC’s press release can be found here.

UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors Releases “Key Messages”

March 16th, 2007 at 08:14pm

The United Nations Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors, established by the United Nations for a two-year term following the 2005 International Year of Microcredit to advise the UN system and member states on global issues relating to inclusive finance, has released “Five Key Messages for Four Key Audiences.” The statements of best practices for expanding access to finance for the poor are addressed to four key stakeholder audiences: governments, regulators, development partners and the private sector. The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund stressed that the Advisors, fully engaged in advocacy, will bring these messages to the target audiences “to underscore the constructive role each of those groups can play in broadening access to financial sectors.”

Text of the “Key Messages” and further information on their announcement is available here.

More information regarding the UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors is available here.

Anti-Torture Committee Issues Public Statement on Chechnya

March 15th, 2007 at 09:52am

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment issued a public statement on March 13 concerning the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. The statement was made subject to Article 10, paragraph 2, of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which authorized the statement mechanism when a State Party refuses to comply with Committee recommendations. This is the third such statement on Chechnya issued since 2001.

For the text of the statement, see here.

Terry Davis, the Council’s Secretary-General, endorsed the statement, calling it “regrettable but fully justified.” For his complete reaction, see here.

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