Citizens for Justice and Peace
UN: Over 100 Human Rights Defenders killed in Colombia in 2017
22-Dec-2017
Reuters has reported that the United Nations has said that 105 human rights activists have been killed in Colombia this year. Last year, Colombia’s government signed a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), ending a civil war that lasted more than 50 years. The UN’s human rights office in the country…
Over 110 million people displaced due to weather events between 2012-16
22-Dec-2017
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released its Frontiers 2017 report earlier this month at the United Nations Environment Assembly. According to the report, 41 million were displaced due to conflict between 2012 and 2016. Meanwhile, 117 million people were displaced due to “weather-related disasters” in that same period. For example, the report notes that, since…
UN Special Rapporteur denied access to Myanmar
22-Dec-2017
Myanmar’s government has notified United Nations Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee that she has been denied access to the country, and cooperation has been rescinded for the length of her term. Lee, who was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar in 2014, said, “This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a…
WHO releases $1.5 million to combat diphtheria in Cox’s Bazar
20-Dec-2017
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released $1.5 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to be put towards expanding health operations in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar, which is currently home to several hundred thousand Rohingya refugees. This money will be used to combat the outbreak of diphtheria among these refugees. There have already been more…
UNICEF: 50 million children displaced
20-Dec-2017
The United Nations’ children fund has reported that around 50 million children globally are in the process of migrating, with 28 million children being forced out of their homes because of conflict, Voice of America (VOA) reported. UNICEF spokeswoman Sarah Crowe told VOA that in 2017, “We have seen some 400 children, estimated 400 children…
Reporters Without Borders: 65 journalists killed in 2017
20-Dec-2017
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international non-governmental organisation that protects and defends the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, has reported that 65 journalists were killed worldwide this year. Of these, 50 were professional journalists, 7 were citizen journalists, and the remaining were media workers, according to RSF. The group has said…
Myanmar, Bangladesh establish joint working group for Rohingya repatriation
19-Dec-2017
Following a meeting held in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Myanmar have established a joint working group to begin the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees that have taken shelter in Bangladesh, the Dhaka Tribune reported. The group will be comprised of 15 members from each country. Previously, Bangladesh had informed the United Nations that a joint working…
Pakistan pushes out several foreign aid groups
19-Dec-2017
The Guardian has reported that, in recent days, Pakistan’s interior ministry has issued letters to 29 international non-government organisations (INGOs) directing them to shutter their offices and leave the country within 60 days, by the end of January. These include ActionAid, which works against injustice and poverty, and Marie Stopes International, which supplies contraception and abortion…
UN refugee chief lauds Djibouti’s new refugee rules
19-Dec-2017
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, during his recent visit to Djibouti, lauded the country’s acceptance of more than 27,000 refugees from four neighbouring nations, UNHCR reported. He also a commended the Djibouti government’s move to consider all refugee camps as villages. “This is extremely important as it means that refugees will…
UN experts call for action to end arbitrary detention in Sri Lanka
18-Dec-2017
In an announcement, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention “has identified significant challenges to the enjoyment of the right to personal liberty in Sri Lanka, resulting in arbitrary detention across the country.” In a statement, the Working Group said, “The…