People in Georgia are increasingly able to access publicly financed health coverage, but high out-of-pocket costs continue to place a burden on those seeking care, according to findings published in a new WHO/Europe report.
The publication Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Georgia is based on data collected annually between 2013 and 2018. Today’s report is part of a series of country-based reviews monitoring financial protection in health systems across the WHO European Region.
“In 2013 Georgia introduced a series of important reforms that dramatically increased the share of the population entitled to publicly financed health services,” said Silviu Domente, WHO Representative in Georgia. “The data in the report, however, point to a situation where gaps still persist in terms of protecting people from financial hardship caused by out-of-pocket payments for health care.”
In 2013 Georgia introduced its Universal Health Care Programme, which extended access to publicly financed health services to most of the population. The reforms led to a much needed increase in public spending on health, but out-of-pocket payments have remained high, with 1 in 6 households experiencing catastrophic health spending. The impact of out-of-pocket payments has been particularly felt by poorer households.
“The data in the report show that the reforms did not provide enough coverage of outpatient medicines, which are the main driver of catastrophic out-of-pocket payments in Georgia,” explains Triin Habicht, Senior Health Economist at the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing. “Out-of-pocket payments account for 48% of overall spending on health, higher than the average for the WHO European Region.”
Financial protection and universal health coverage
Financial protection is measured using two main indicators: catastrophic out-of-pocket payments and impoverishing out-of-pocket payments.
According to WHO’s new analysis, Georgia has a relatively high incidence of impoverishing and catastrophic health spending when compared to other countries in Europe. The report notes that this is primarily due to limited coverage of outpatient medicines, a complex system of user charges (co-payments) without an annual cap on co-payments or exemptions for poorer people or those with chronic conditions, and the prioritization of inpatient and emergency care over primary care.
People often pay out of pocket to bypass primary care and seek care directly from specialists, partly due to a low level of trust in primary care providers.
Increased public investment in health still needed
Strengthening financial protection will require increased public spending on health, especially in primary care, as well as action to address gaps in coverage and make better use of resources. The report recommends that the government should invest in improving the quality of primary care; prioritize greater protection from out-of-pocket payments for low-income households and people with chronic conditions; and introduce stronger regulation of health service volumes and prices (including medicine prices).
WHO supports countries to move towards universal health coverage – leaving no one behind Financial protection is central to universal health coverage, which means everyone can access the quality health services they need without experiencing financial hardship. Universal health coverage is at the heart of the European Programme of Work, WHO/Europe’s strategic framework.
Through the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, WHO/Europe undertakes context-specific monitoring of financial protection in over 30 countries, including Georgia. The WHO Barcelona Office also provides tailored technical assistance to countries to reduce unmet need and financial hardship by identifying and addressing gaps in coverage.
CHICAGO (CBS) — Many COVID-19 vaccinations sites have been offering incentives, like tickets to Six Flags or passes to Lollapalooza.
But one suburban college wants to give the gift of education to those that have received their vaccine. READ MORE:Child Tax Credit: When Is Your First Monthly Check Coming?
CBS 2’s Meredith Barack reports from Harper College, where the school will give out 10 scholarships.
Harper College is able to do so through a philanthropic gift and federal stimulus dollars.
It’s a drawing open to anyone, as long as you are vaccinated by Wednesday July 14.
Iuliia Sipiereski got her first COVID vaccine on Wednesday during a pop-up clinic at Harper College.
“I was taking so many classes, and work, I do work also and I just really didn’t have time, in case I would have like a fever or something,” Sipiereski said.
The nursing student didn’t just walk away with protection from the virus, but gift cards that can be used towards books and food on campus.
It isn’t the only incentive the school is offering for those who have received a COVID vaccine.
Harper College is also giving away 10 scholarships.
She said she wanted the institution to be a part of the solution as it relates to getting life back to normal.
“We believe in empowering individuals as the seek to retool and figure out their next steps in their journey as they come out of the pandemic,” Proctor said. “We thought offering this opportunity would be a great way to do that.”
Dr. Proctor said a scholarship can remove barriers to student success.
“This is a great way for individuals to come back or consider higher education and really change their lives,” Proctor said. “It’s a win-win-win in terms of the individual, our community and certainly the lives that they’ll impact and we get to impact as an institution.”
A win Iuliia, who will be working two jobs to pay for tuition next semester, hopes she walks away with.
“I do take a lot of classes and it’s not cheap, even though it’s Harper,” she said. “The books are especially expensive. So, of course, that would be a tremendous help.”
You have until 9:00 a.m. Thursday July 15 to enter into the scholarship drawing.
Although a new European Union (EU) climate initiative unveiled on Wednesday could change global trade patterns to favour countries where production is relatively carbon efficient, its value in mitigating climate change will likely be limited, the UN trade and development agency, UNCTAD, has warned.
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) comes into force in 2023 as part of new measures to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, including taxes on imports such as oil, coal and gas.
In tandem with the EU announcement, UNCTAD has published a report examining the potential implications for countries both within and outside the regional bloc.
“Climate and environmental considerations are at the forefront of policy concerns, and trade cannot be the exception. CBAM is one of these options, but its impact on developing countries also needs to be considered,” said Isabelle Durant, the UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General.
Cutting ‘carbon leakage’
The CBAM will help reduce “carbon leakage”, a term that refers to transferring production to jurisdictions with looser constraints on emissions, the report confirmed.
However, its value in mitigating climate change is limited, as the mechanism would cut only 0.1% of global CO2 emissions.
“While the mechanism seeks to avoid the leakage of production and CO2 emissions to the EU’s trading partners with less stringent emissions targets, it’s so far unclear how it can support decarbonization in developing countries,” UNCTAD said.
“Reducing these emissions effectively will require more efficient production and transport processes.”
Support green production
UNCTAD also addressed concerns expressed by EU trade partners who believe the CBAM would substantially curtail exports in carbon-intensive sectors such as cement, steel and aluminium.
Changes may not be as drastic as some fear, the agency said.
Exports by developing countries would be reduced by 1.4 per cent if the plan is implemented with a tax of $44 per tonne of CO2 emissions, and by 2.4 per cent at $88 per tonne.
Effects would vary significantly by country, depending on their export structure and carbon production intensity.
At the $44 per tonne price, developed countries would see their incomes rise by $1.5 billion, while income in developing countries would fall by $5.9 billion, according to the report.
UNCTAD encouraged the EU to consider using some of the revenue generated by the CBAM to accelerate cleaner production technologies in developing countries.
“This will be beneficial in terms of greening the economy and fostering a more inclusive trading system,” said Ms. Durant, the agency’s interim chief.
A Fascinating Tale of Lies and Conspiracies at the Heart of EU Rule of Law
LONDON, LONDON, UK, July 14, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — When Judge Malcolm Simmons gave evidence before the Kosovo Parliament on 12 July 2021, he referred to interference by mission management in judicial decisions and judges being accused of corruption if they made decision unpopular with mission management.In 2016 a fellow judge employed in the mission hacked into Judge Simmons’ private emails. He gave copies of those emails to senior staff of the EU in Brussels. Those emails revealed Judge Simmons was a whistleblower and that since 2013 he had reported to both the UK Foreign Office and to the EU Anti-Fraud Agency serious misconduct involving senior staff of the EU mission. Following receipt of those emails the EU commenced a disciplinary investigation against Judge Simmons.
The persons in charge of those disciplinary proceedings were persons who were in receipt of his private emails and the persons Judge Simmons had accused of serious misconduct. The investigators, including a former Judge of the European Court of Justice, were also in possession of his private emails.
Judge Simmons demanded an independent investigation into the hacking of his private emails. That request was refused by the European External Action Service in Brussels, the equivalent of the US Department of State. Instead, an investigation was conducted by EULEX. When Judge Simmons insisted that the former judge of the European Court of Justice who was investigating the allegations against him be interviewed, he was informed by EULEX that the investigation into the hacking of his private emails had been “closed”. He was given no explanation. Judge Simmons demanded to see the investigation file to see what steps the investigators had taken and who had been interviewed. When Judge Simmons was eventually given access to the investigation file, it contained only one document and that was the notification to him informing him the investigation had been closed.
Despite repeated requests of the UK Foreign Office, the EEAS failed to initiate an independent investigation into the hacking of his private emails.
The investigation against Judge Malcolm Simmons was led by the very people he had accused of serious misconduct. They referred the case to a disciplinary Board. The board comprised three members. Only one member of the Board was a judge. The other two members included a Logistics Officer who was subordinate to the very persons Judge Simmons had accused of serious misconduct!
In its judgments, the European Court of Human Rights has been very clear: disciplinary boards in proceedings against judges should comprise a majority of judges. In the case of Judge Simmons, only one member was a judge.
That was not the only abuse of the disciplinary process. The Board ignored important exculpatory evidence, including three statements of very important witnesses, including senior judges. In addition, Judge Simmons was not permitted to be present when other, important, witnesses were examined by the Board. Instead, he was sent what the Board referred to as a “resume” of their evidence. Judge Simmons had no opportunity to challenge their evidence or ask the witnesses questions.
Judge Malcolm Simmons filed an appeal that was heard by an appeals board comprising three EU judges. That appeal was heard in May 2019.
The Appeals board ignored judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and ignored International Conventions and Charters that state that, in disciplinary proceedings against a judge, at least a majority of the panel should be judges.
Of greater concern was the fact the Appeals Board ignored Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights that provides Judge Simmons was entitled to be tried “…by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law.” In his case, a member of the Board was subordinate to a person Judge Simmons had accused of serious misconduct. Clearly, this was not an impartial tribunal.
Therefore, not only did the Board in his case not comprise a majority of judges in clear contravention of international law and practice, the Board was also not impartial.
The request of Judge Simmons that his case be referred to an independent court was refused by the EU.
In his statement, Judge Simmons said he would call evidence of interference in other investigations.
The Kosovo Parliament will decide whether to open a full enquiry.
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p class=”contact c4″ dir=”auto”>Edward Montague Edward Montague Associates +44 7881962265 email us here Visit us on social media: Twitter LinkedIn
Rejoicing in the Buddha’s first teaching, when he set the wheel of Dharma in motion.
All merit created on this day is multiplied 100,000 times.
“The essence of the Buddha’s teachings is expressed in the Four Noble Truths. By understanding them, we’ll enter the path to liberation and enlightenment.” Ven. Thubten Chodron, Taming the Mind
With these words, Abbey founder and abbess Venerable Thubten Chodron sums up the significance of the Buddha’s fundamental first teaching when he explained the Four Truths of the Aryas, beings who have broken through innate ignorance to see reality as it is.
Thes four are also well known as the Four Noble Truths.
If we understand even a little why this teaching is so precious, we’ll understand why we celebrate Wheel-Turning Day.
Four Truths
In Buddha’s first teaching he described the unsatisfactory nature of our lives and the causes of our suffering.
He also explained the possibility of freedom from these sufferings and the paths to bring it about.
These Four Truths of the Aryas give us encouragement, hope, and inspiration.
In her book, Open Heart, Clear Mind, Venerable Chodron quotes Juan Mascano, Spanish academic and educator, lecturer at Cambridge University, who writes:
“The message of the Buddha is a message of joy. He found a treasure and he wants us to follow the path that leads us to the treasure. He tells man that he is in deep darkness, but he also tells him that there is a path that leads to light. He wants us to arise from a life of dreams into a higher life where man loves and does not hate, where man helps and does not hurt.
“His appeal is universal, because he appeals to reason and to the universal in us all: ‘It is you who must make the effort. The Great of the past only show the way.’ He achieved a superior harmony of vision and wisdom by placing spiritual truth to the crucial test of experience; and only experience can satisfy the mind of modern man. He wants us to watch and be awake, and he wants us to seek and to find.”
Thus we can see why Wheel Turning Day is a very auspicious occasion to engage in virtuous action!”
A data collection and analysis initiative led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Union Commission (AUC) has revealed 7 billion trees outside forests for the first time, among other findings. The survey is the first consistent land use representation of the continent and discloses more forests and more arable lands than were previously detected.
FAO and the AUC presented the findings today of the Africa Open DEAL (Data for Environment, Agriculture and Land) initiative which has made Africa the first continent to complete the collection of accurate, comprehensive, and harmonized digital land use and land-use change data. It provides a detailed snapshot of the continent, captured through more than 300 000 sampling points between 2018 and 2020.
“The Africa DEAL shows that science and innovation can provide real solutions and that collaboration and pooling experience leads to the best results. It supports the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and better lives for all,” said QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General, speaking by video at the online event.
Other findings announced today are that the area of the continental Great Green Wall initiative has 393 million hectares of land with restoration potential and opportunities and that 350 million hectares of cropland are cultivated in Africa, more than double that of the European Union.
The findings reveal huge opportunities for the management of the environment, agriculture, and land use in Africa, and increase countries’ ability to track changes and conduct analyses for informed sustainable production, restoration interventions, and climate action. Attendees at today’s event also heard how countries can detect where deforestation is happening, where settlement land is encroaching on cropland or grassland, and where wetland is being lost.
“This collaboration has provided an assurance that we can still turn the tide, that we can still restore degraded land for agricultural use, through models such as agroforestry, that we can still halt desertification, that we can still fight climate change, and above all that we can still restore hope for humanity despite the odds,” said Josefa Sacko, the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment.
Pan-African environmental data collection brings exciting knowledge
FAO and the AUC, with the support of the Panafrican Agency for the Great Green Wall, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), and 30 African countries, coordinated the data collection operation on a scale unseen before in agriculture, environment, and land use.
Analysts were trained to use Collect Earth, an open-source tool developed by FAO with the support of Google. Over 100 parameters were collected on each sampling point of about 0.5 hectares, including tree counts, farmlands, wildfires, and existing infrastructure. Data were analysed to highlight land-use change over the past 20 years and the potential for restoration at the national level for every country. The very high-resolution imagery allowed analysts to assess places with difficult field accessibility which led them to discover the 7 billion previously unrecorded trees.
“The Africa Open DEAL tells us there are 350 million hectares of cropland cultivated in Africa, double the amount of the European Union. So why should we still be talking about continued hunger in Africa? We now have new, accurate information to use in our fight against hunger on the continent,” said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa.
Empowering data users with geospatial technology
This new digital geospatial technology brings great opportunities to data users and provides open access to earth observation and climate data with free computational capacity. Africa Open DEAL data and information are embedded within FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative geospatial platform and are accessible to anyone through EarthMap (bit.ly/3kcEJ74).
The fact-based information builds on the data foundations of the Great Green Wall which has created unique knowledge and biophysical baseline data through the Action Against Desertification programme. “The proof of the concept of the Africa Open DEAL is firmly anchored in FAO’s large-scale restoration model in support of the Great Green Wall,” said Moctar Sacande who coordinates the Action Against Desertification programme at FAO.
The Africa Open DEAL initiative is possible thanks to partnerships with and funding support from the European Union, Germany, and Turkey. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
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This Administration is deeply dedicated to addressing racial injustice and inequities at home and abroad. On the global stage, the United States is leading by example.
Last month, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on racism and police brutality against Africans and people of African descent at the hands of law enforcement around the world, which includes examination of such cases in the United States. As the President has repeatedly made clear, great nations such as ours do not hide from our shortcomings; they acknowledge them openly and strive to improve with transparency. In so doing, we not only work to set the standard for national responses to these challenges, we also strengthen our democracy, and give new hope and motivation to human rights defenders across the globe.
It is in this context that the United States intends to issue a formal, standing invitation to all UN experts who report and advise on thematic human rights issues. As a first step, we have reached out to offer an official visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism and the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues. I also welcome the UN Human Rights Council’s adoption today in Geneva of a resolution to address systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in the context of law enforcement. I look forward to engaging with the new mechanism to advance racial justice and equity.
Responsible nations must not shrink from scrutiny of their human rights record; rather, they should acknowledge it with the intent to improve. I urge all UN member states to join the United States in this effort, and confront the scourge of racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia. Because when all people – regardless of their race or ethnicity – are free to live up to their full potential, our collective security is strengthened. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Department of State.
Reconstruction of Florida Avenue and 9th Street NW (from T Street to Barry Street) Virtual Public Meeting on July 13, 2021
(Washington, DC) — The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host a virtual pre-construction public meeting to present the Florida Avenue and 9th Street NW Reconstruction Project. DDOT is reconstructing Florida Avenue and 9th Street from T Street to Barry Place, located in the NW quadrant of Washington, DC. To provide safer access for all modes, this project will improve the conditions of the existing roadway, as well as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, landscaping, drainage, traffic signals and streetlights. Bike lanes and shared use lanes from T Street to Barry Place will also be installed.
Construction is anticipated to begin in July 2021, beginning at the intersection of 9th Street and T Street and continuing north to the intersection of Florida Avenue and Barry Place. Project completion is expected in Summer 2022.
This public meeting will give residents, businesses, and stakeholders an opportunity to learn more about upcoming construction. For more information about the project, please contact Samuel Ayodele ([email protected] or 202-497-1316) or visit the project webpage at rebrand.ly/FloridaAveNW.
WHAT: Reconstruction of Florida Avenue and 9th Street NW from T Street to Barry Place, NW Virtual Public Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, July 13, 2021, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
If you need special accommodations, please contact Cesar Barreto at (202) 671-2829 or [email protected] 72 hours in advance of the meeting. If you need language assistance services (translation or interpretation), please contact Karen Randolph at (202) 671-2620 or [email protected] 72 hours in advance of the meeting. These services will be provided free of charge.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, its projects, programs, activities, and services on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related statutes.
In accordance with the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977, as amended, D.C. Official Code sec. 2-1401.01 et seq. (Act), the District of Columbia does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, or place of residence or business. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, which is prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in a violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subject to disciplinary action.
AYUDA EN SU IDIOMA
Si necesita ayuda en Español, por favor llame al 202-671-2700 para proporcionarle un intérprete de manera gratuita.
AVISO IMPORTANTE
Este documento contiene información importante. Si necesita ayuda en Español o si tiene alguna pregunta sobre este aviso, por favor llame al 202-671-2620. Infórmele al representante de atención al cliente el idioma que habla para que le proporcione un intérprete sin costo para usted. Gracias.
AIDE LINGUISTIQUE
Si vous avez besoin d’aide en Français appelez-le 202-671-2700 et l’assistance d’un interprète vous sera fournie gratuitement.
AVIS IMPORTANT
Ce document contient des informations importantes. Si vous avez besoin d’aide en Français ou si vous avez des questions au sujet du présent avis, veuillez appeler le 202-671-2700. Dites au représentant de service quelle langue vous parlez et l’assistance d’un interprète vous sera fournie gratuitement. Merci.
GIÚP ĐỠ VỀ NGÔN NGỮ
Nếu quý vị cần giúp đỡ về tiếng Việt, xin gọi 202-671-2700 để chúng tôi thu xếp có thông dịch viên đến giúp quý vị miễn phí.
THÔNG BÁO QUAN TRỌNG
Tài liệu này có nhiều thông tin quan trọng. Nếu quý vị cần giúp đỡ về tiếng Việt, hoặc có thắc mắc bề thông báo này, xin gọi 202-671-2700. Nói với người trả lời điện thoại là quý vị muốn nói chuyện bằng tiếng Việt để chúng tôi thu xếp có thông dịch viên đến giúp quý vị mà không tốn đồng nào. Xin cảm ơn.
The South African Council of Churches has expressed deep concern at the violence and destruction of property engulfing the country after the imprisonment of the former president Jacob Zuma on charges relating to corruption.
“This violence is resulting in untold suffering,” the SACC said in a July 12 statement.
On July 13, the BBC reported that the death toll in South Africa had risen to 72 after violence engulfed parts of the country after the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma.
The toll includes 10 people killed in a stampede during looting the previous day at a shopping center in Soweto, the mainly black city that is part of Johannesburg.
The 79-year-old Zuma was sentenced last month for defying a constitutional court order to give evidence at an inquiry investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in office until 2018.
The military has now been deployed to help the police overstretched since the unrest began last week.
South African police said in a statement that they had identified 12 people suspected of provoking the riots and that a total of 1,234 people had been arrested.
The right to protest must be exercised with responsibility, the churches’ statement notes.
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa called it some of the worst violence witnessed in South Africa since the 1990s, when apartheid was ending, with this week fires set, highways blocked, and businesses and warehouses looted in major cities and small towns in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said that demonstrators and looters attacked at least four community radio and have robbed and assaulted journalists covering the unrest over the past 10 days.
In another instance a bystander recorded on phone camera a uniformed police officer looting and filling his car up with stolen goods.
The SACC said, “There are some who genuinely believe that Mr. Zuma was denied justice; others explain that he was given enough space to express himself in the judicial system, which he rejected.
“Regardless of what anyone believes, and whether, the public protests result from our limited understanding of the complicated legal processes or not, is beside the point,” said the SACC.
PROTESTS OPEN SPACE FOR CRIMINALITY
“The reality is that the protests arising from this have opened the space for large-scale criminality that is fed by poverty, a nothing-to-lose mindset, and the deep-seated anger in the absence of hope.
“In this, we now have wanton destruction and even the possible involvement of organized crime whose purpose will be to undermine the country’s institutions permanently. In this category are those who seek to target strategic installations, which takes the problem to another level of calculated lawlessness.”
The SACC urgently appealed for an end to the violent protests spilling into criminal acts of wanton vandalism and looting that should not be sustained in a constitutional democracy.
“A nation, whose legal and constitutional institutions are challenged through violence, will take decades of deep suffering, if ever, to recover.”
The churches’ statement praised the police for “their restraint in handling this vandalism under extreme provocation and physical threats.”
They noted that policing is totally overwhelmed, and the military was stepping in to curb the destruction.
“We may yet again face a different challenge of the potential militarization of our society with regrettable outcomes,” said the SACC in an apparent reference to the days when churches were at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid.
In the 1980s, the South African authorities brought in the military to help police quell resistance against the racist apartheid system.
The SACC is an ecumenical association of affiliated Christian Churches, and blocks of churches such as The Evangelical Alliance and the Council of African Independent Churches, and the International Federation of Christian Churches.
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The Human Rights Council this morning adopted three resolutions on human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS, and on violence against women and girls: preventing and responding to all forms of violence against women and girls with disabilities.
Concerning the situation of human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, the Council expressed grave concern at the reports of serious human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law allegedly committed by all parties in the Tigray region since the start of the conflict on 4 November 2020; and called for the swift and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the Tigray region. It underscored the need to hold accountable all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses. The Council requested the High Commissioner to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its forty-eighth session during an enhanced interactive dialogue. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 20 in favour, 14 against and 13 abstentions.
On human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS, the Council urged States to break the cycles of HIV transmission by ensuring that all people receive adequate HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and support throughout their life cycles. It requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report describing the action being taken and recommending action to be intensified or initiated to meet the innovative targets on societal enablers, and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its fiftieth session. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 42 in favour, none against and five abstentions.
On accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: preventing and responding to all forms of violence against women and girls with disabilities, the Council called upon States to take immediate and effective action to respond to all forms of violence against women and girls, and to support and protect all victims and survivors by, inter alia, ensuring that sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are fully realized, including for victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s forty-seventh regular session can be found here.
The Council will next meet at 2:15 p.m. this afternoon to continue taking action on draft resolutions.
Action on Resolution under the Agenda Item on the Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
Action on Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia
In a resolution (A/HRC/47/L.20/Rev.1) on the situation of human rights in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, adopted by a vote of 20 in favour, 14 against and 13 abstentions, the Council expresses grave concern at the reports of serious human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law allegedly committed by all parties in the Tigray region since the start of the conflict on 4 November 2020; and calls for the swift and verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the Tigray region. The Council underscores the need to hold accountable all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law committed in the context of the Tigray conflict, and recognizes in this regard the importance of preserving and analysing evidence with a view to advancing accountability. The Council requests all parties to comply with obligations under international humanitarian law to respect and protect all civilians, including humanitarian personnel and civilian objects, and all medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities, and to take all steps required to allow and facilitate the full, safe, immediate and unimpeded access of humanitarian actors for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all persons in need, while respecting the humanitarian principles and applicable international law. The Council also requests the High Commissioner to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its forty-eighth session during an enhanced interactive dialogue, and at its forty-ninth session during an interactive dialogue, on the situation of human rights in the Tigray region and on progress made in the context of the joint investigation.
The results of the vote were as follows:
In favour (20): Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay.
Against (14): Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Namibia, Philippines, Russian Federation, Somalia, Togo, and Venezuela.
Abstentions (13): Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Gabon, Indonesia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan and Uzbekistan.
Prior to adopting the resolution, the Council voted on and rejected 16 amendments, namely L.30, L.31, L.32, L. 66, L. 68, L.69, L.70, L.71, L.72, L.73, L.74, L.75, L.76, L.77, L.78 and L.79.
Action on Resolutions under the Agenda Item on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the Right to Development
Action on Resolution on Human Rights in the Context of HIV and AIDS
In a resolution (A/HRC/47/L.15) on human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS, adopted by a vote of 42 in favour, none against and 5 abstentions, the Council urges States to break the cycles of HIV transmission by ensuring that all people receive adequate HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and support throughout their life cycles, including specialized care for HIV and other chronic conditions linked to ageing, response to drug-resistant strains of HIV, and resistance to antiretrovirals as well as antimicrobial resistance, and, in this context, to establish effective systems for monitoring, preventing and responding to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV and antimicrobial resistance. The Council further requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report, in consultation with Governments, civil society, community-led organizations and other stakeholders, describing the action being taken and recommending action to be intensified or initiated to meet the innovative targets on societal enablers, as recognized in the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS adopted by the General Assembly in 2021, and to address the remaining gaps, and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its fiftieth session. The Council also requests the High Commissioner to invite contributions to the report by Member States and all other stakeholders, including relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, the special procedures, in particular the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the treaty bodies, regional human rights and health organizations and bodies, national human rights institutions and civil society, including persons living with, presumed to be living with, at risk of or affected by HIV.
The results of the vote were as follows:
In favour (42): Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Against (0):
Abstentions (5): China, Eritrea, Gabon, Libya and Russian Federation
Prior to adopting the resolution, the Council voted on and rejected 10 amendments, namely L.33, L.34, L.35, L.36, L.37, L.38, L.39, L.40, L.41, and L.42.
Action on Resolution on Accelerating Efforts to Elimination All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls
In a resolution (A/HRC/47/L.18/Rev.1) on accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: preventing and responding to all forms of violence against women and girls with disabilities, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council calls upon States to take immediate and effective action to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by, inter alia, fostering respect for the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, promoting empowering portrayals of women and girls with disabilities and awareness-raising campaigns of their capabilities and contributions, and refraining from supporting or funding campaigns that perpetuate stigmatization or stereotyping of women and girls with disabilities. The Council also calls upon States to take immediate and effective action to respond to all forms of violence against women and girls, and to support and protect all victims and survivors by, inter alia, ensuring that sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are fully realized, including for victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, by addressing the social and other determinants of health, removing barriers, developing and enforcing policies, good practices and legal frameworks, and strengthening health systems that make quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health-care services, information and education universally accessible and available and inclusive.
Prior to adopting the resolution, the Council voted on and rejected 2 amendments, namely L.57 and L65. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The COVID pandemic has taken four million lives, devastated the global economy, pushed a further 124 million people into extreme poverty and continues to inflict profound suffering – dramatically impacting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN chief said on Tuesday at a key international forum.
“Nearly one person in three around the world could not access adequate food in 2020 – an increase of nearly 320 million people in one year”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Opening of the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN’s core review platform of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs.
Devastating repercussions
He painted a grim picture of an estimated 4.6 per cent drop in the global GDP during last year; the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs lost in working hours.
He said two-in-three students were still affected by school closures – with many, particularly girls, who may never return, contributing to a surge in child marriage and increased child labour.
“Violence against women has risen to shocking levels, with reports doubling and tripling in some places”, he added, while pointing to the added burden of unpaid domestic and care work that is “squeezing women out of the labour force”.
Climate, inequality
Meanwhile, the climate crisis and growing inequality, have become even more dangerous as carbon dioxide concentrations have soared to the highest level in three million years, some “148 per cent above pre-industrial levels”, said Mr. Guterres.
Biodiversity is declining at an “unprecedented and alarming rate”, with one million species risking extinction and 10 million hectares of forests lost annually.
And inequality is at unsustainable levels as the net worth of some 2,500 billionaires increased by over $5.2 billion per day during the pandemic, while four billion are still without any form of basic social protection.
“All the while, conflicts and crises have left one per cent of the world’s population forcibly displaced”, the UN chief said.
Still hope
Noting that “we are moving farther away from our goals”, the Secretary-General highlighted that those living in poverty is expected to represent seven per cent by 2030 – only marginally below 2015 levels – while temperature increases have put us “on the verge of the abyss”.
However, he maintained that the situation “can and must” be turned around.
“We have the knowledge, the science, the technology and the resources”, said the UN chief. “What we need is unity of purpose, effective leadership from all sectors, and urgent, ambitious action”.
Call to action
The Secretary-General emphasized that the Forum can “help turn the tide” during this “pivotal time”.
To end the pandemic and get the SDGs back on track, he called for decisive action in four key areas, beginning with global access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests, treatments and support.
He stressed the need for “urgent, ambitious climate action, including on finance”, and thirdly, for investing in more equal and inclusive societies.
Finally, he said development finance would underpin the cost of decisive action: “Let us renew our determination to build a strong, sustainable and inclusive recovery from the pandemic, and to take decisive action together to defeat the climate crisis and keep the promise of the 2030 Agenda.”
UN Photo/Manuel Elías
Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level political forum on sustainable development.
Bold solutions needed
The President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Munir Akram, urged the world to rally around the SDGs to prevent the next pandemic.
“Critical times call for bold solutions”, he said. Mr. Akram hailed the HLPF as an opportunity to demonstrate the solidarity and cooperation needed for a global recovery strategy.
“At the HLPF, we set course towards the Global Goals and a greener, safer, more just future. Join us”.
Meanwhile, General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, called the future of sustainable development “inclusive, resilient and green” and encouraged the participants to “seize this moment” and build back better.
The Holy See Press Office noted that on Tuesday afternoon Pope Francis visited with young patients at the pediatric oncology ward of the hospital. The department is located on the same floor where the Pope is recovering from his surgery just over a week ago.
Equitably “redirecting, repurposing or eliminating incentives” that harm biodiversity by at least $500 billion per year is just one of the 21 ambitious targets of a new draft agreement released by a UN body in the lead up to the landmark November climate conference, COP26, in the United Kingdom.
The CBD goals aim to stem and reverse ecological destruction of Earth by the end of the decade, and included a plan to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and sea areas, halve the nutrients lost to the environment and eliminate plastic waste.
“The framework aims to galvanize this urgent and transformative action by Governments and all of society, including indigenous peoples and local communities”, said CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema.
Reduce extinctions tenfold
The draft framework for humanity to live “in harmony with nature” by 2050 was adopted by the CBD’s 196 member parties, with four broad milestone goals which need to be reached by the end of this decade.
“The framework aims to galvanize this urgent and transformative action by governments and all of society, including indigenous peoples and local communities”, she added.
It aims to expand ecosystems by 15 per cent to support healthy and resilient populations of all species and reduce extinctions by at least tenfold.
And by 2030 it aims to safeguard 90 per cent of the genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species.
Valuing nature
By 2050, nature’s contributions to people must be “valued, maintained or enhanced through conservation”, according to the second goal. But by 2030, they must inform all relevant public and private decisions and restore the long-term sustainability of those in decline.
The third goal, to fairly share the use of genetic resources for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, sets out the shorter-term target of increasing monetary benefits to providers, including holders of traditional knowledge, as well as non-monetary allowances, such as their increased participation in research and development.
Finally, to implement the framework by 2050, the aim is to progressively close the gap between available financial resources by up to $700 billion per year and by the end of the decade, deploy capacity-building and development, greater technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer.
Sweeping goals
More than two years in development, this latest draft will be tweaked during online consultations among Governments later this summer before being presented for final text negotiation at a key summit of the CBD’s meeting of its 196 parties in the Chinese city of Kunming.
“Urgent policy action globally, regionally and nationally is required to transform economic, social and financial models so that the trends that have exacerbated biodiversity loss will stabilize by 2030 and allow for the recovery of natural ecosystems in the following 20 years, with net improvements by 2050”, said Ms. Maruma Mrema.
China has striked India yet again. This time over His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebrations in Ladakh. Officials have confirmed to CNN-News18 that on July 6, Chinese army entered the Indian territory in Demchok with banners and objected to locals celebrating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday. “The incident happened on July 6 at Doley Tango near Koyul which is around 30 kilometers southeast of Demchok,” a source told news18.
In Ladakh, there is a place called – Shiwaye-Tsel (a palace in Leh). There the celebrations used to go on for three days to mark the Dalai Lama’s birthday. People from border areas would come and participate in a horse race; dance performances are held by artists from Kargil, Nubra, Zanskar, and Leh. Similar celebrations are also held in Arunachal Pradesh as well.
In videos which have now surfaced, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) can be seen standing across river Indus with banners. A second video shows villagers holding the Dalai Lama’s portrait atop a vehicle as a small cavalcade rallies around the village. Officials said while the festivities were on, Chinese kept a vigil from distance and conveyed their objection. “They didn’t enter the village but did transgress a bit into Indian territory,” an official told News18.
According to officials, Chinese troops stayed on the Indian territory for about 30 minutes. At least five vehicles can be seen in the video. Locals said Chinese troops were accompanied by civilians.
The banner that Chinese carried said, “Tibetans living on the other side of the LAC bordering India are fully supported by the Chinese,” a source said. Another officer told News18 that the Chinese were reiterating their oft-repeated message that Tibet and China are one.
India and China have been locked in a dispute over eastern Ladakh since the Galwan incident of June 2020. While India at commander level talks has sought restoration of status quo as it existed pre-April 2020, the Chinese side have refused to discuss Demchok and Depsang flashpoints, according to officials. Two sides have had 11 rounds of military talks to resolve the eastern Ladakh flashpoints but friction points remain over Gogra, Hot springs, Demchok and Depsang.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had greeted the Dalai Lama on his 86th birthday last week. Since becoming Prime Minister in 2014, this is the first time Narendra Modi has openly confirmed communicating with the Dalai Lama.
In a tweet on Tuesday morning, PM Modi said, “Spoke on phone to His Holiness the @DalaiLama to convey greetings on his 86th birthday. We wish him a long and healthy life.”
“Most importantly, all Tibetans are urged to recite the Chenrezig mantra, Om Mani Padme Hung, over 1000 times, or at least 10 rounds of the rosary. The six-syllable mantra is associated with the Bodhisattva of compassion and the patron saint of Tibet, Chenrezig. For Tibetans, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the human manifestation of Chenrezig. Every year, Trungkar is celebrated with grandeur, glory, and festive spirit.
Nearly one-tenth of the world population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished in 2020, said the United Nations latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) released on Monday. It projected that around 660 million people may still face hunger in 2030, 30 million more people than in a scenario in which the pandemic had not occurred, due to the lasting effects of Covid-19 on global food security.
SOFI is the annual flagship report jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The aim is to track and inform on progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition and to provide in-depth analysis on key challenges for achieving this goal in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The SOFI 2021 report noted the sharpest rise in hunger came in Africa, where 21 per cent of the people – 282 million — are estimated to be undernourished. However, more than half of the world’s undernourished people live In Asia – 418 million, or 9 per cent of the population. In Latin America, 60 million, or 9.1 per cent of people are undernourished.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the new “tragic data” shows that between 720 million and 811 million people in the world faced hunger last year — as many as 161 million more than in 2019. More than 2.3 billion people, which represents 30 per cent of the global population, lacked year-round access to adequate food, according to the report.
“Despite a 300 per cent increase in global food production since the mid-1960s,” the UN chief said, “malnutrition is a leading factor contributing to reduced life expectancy.” “In a world of plenty, we have no excuse for billions of people to lack access to a healthy diet. This is unacceptable.”
Emily Farr of the humanitarian organization Oxfam said the pandemic was the last straw for millions of people already battered by the impacts of conflict, economic shocks and a worsening climate crisis.
Children paid a high price, with 149 million of those younger than 5 estimated to have stunted growth, and more than 45 million children are wasted or too thin for their height, the report said. Paradoxically, nearly 39 million children were overweight.
“A full 3 billion adults and children remain locked out of healthy diets, largely due to excessive costs,″ the U.N. agencies said, and COVID-19 made things worse. “In many parts of the world, the pandemic has triggered brutal recessions and jeopardized access to food,″ the UN said in a summary of its findings. ”Yet even before the pandemic, hunger was spreading; progress on malnutrition lagged.” “Disturbingly, in 2020 hunger shot up in both absolute and proportional terms, outpacing population growth,” the report’s authors concluded. The report said some 9.9 per cent of the world’s people were estimated to have been undernourished last year, compared to 8.4 per cent in 2019.
The United Nations said the pandemic undercut a key U.N. goal of achieving zero hunger by 2030. Based on current trends, it estimates that the goal will be “missed by a margin of nearly 660 million people,” and that some 30 million of that figure “may be linked to the pandemic’s lasting effects.” Guterres said he is convening a global Food Systems Summit during this September’s annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly “to urgently make a change.” He said a pre-summit meeting in Rome at the end of this month is to work out “how we must address hunger, the climate emergency, incredible inequality and conflict, by transforming our food systems.”
Among the U.N.’s recommendations was one calling for strengthening “the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity,” such as through programmes to lessen the impact of “pandemic-style shocks” or steep food price increases. The report also called for tackling poverty and structural inequalities, and intervening along supply chains to lower the cost of nutritious food.
Maximo Torero, FAO’s chief economist, said removing 100 million people from chronic undernourishment would require an additional $14 billion a year until 2030. To achieve the goal of zero hunger by 2030, about $40 billion would be.” (Source: UN, FAO, AP)
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): Maryam Rajavi: This is a litmus test of whether the international community will engage and deal with this genocidal regime or stand with the Iranian people.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): Maryam Rajavi: Raisi must be prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1988 massacre and the massacres before and after that.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): 3rd Day of the Free Iran World Summit; Global Support for the Iranian People’s Uprising & the Democratic Alternative.
(PMOI / MEK Iran)&(NCRI): Before addressing the Summit, Mrs. Rajavi visited the Khavaran Memorial, which was built in Ashraf 3, Albania, to honor the memory of the 30,000 martyred political prisoners during the summer of 1988 massacre, and paid tribute to those martyrs.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): It is here that we remember the great Mojahed, the late author Hamid Assadian, who throughout these three decades tried to expose the executioners and to keep alive the memory of the victims.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): These martyrs were executed based on Khomeini’s fatwa and by Raisi and other ruling criminals because they refused to repent and remained steadfast in their beliefs and commitment to freedom.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): They try to defame the very PMOI, 90% of whose martyrs chose to be hanged for fidelity to the political and ideological policies of the PMOI.
(PMOI / MEK Iran) and (NCRI): But neither concealing the crime, nor hiding the graves of the martyrs, nor distorting the identities of the martyrs will be able to hinder or stop the call-for-justice movement.
Maryam Rajavi: Raisi must be prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1988 massacre and the massacres before and after that.
On behalf of the Iranian Resistance, Mrs. Rajavi vowed that the Iranian Resistance would continue its resistance until it succeeds in taking back Iran from the grip of the murderous ruling regime.”
— NCRI
In this summit, which simultaneously commemorates the victims of the 1988 massacre, the presence of great and esteemed friends of the Iranian Resistance is a source of support for our people, especially for the victims’ families.
At a time when their cries of innocence were silenced by the label of terrorism, you and the voice of your conscience broke the deafening silence.
You are pioneers of a brilliant policy on the Iranian issue, which points to the right side of history.
You are the ones who repeatedly said that seeking out moderates in this savage regime is a mirage and an illusion. And now that Khamenei has made a mass murderer his president, everyone is acknowledging that you were right. Yes, you spoke the truth. In time, the validity of your positions on the People’s Mojahedin, the Iranian Resistance, and the democratic alternative will be proven. I applaud and praise all of you.
The regime represents only 1.5% of people
Dear friends,
When it comes to the Iranian people’s relationship with the regime, the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi, the henchman of the 1988 massacre, to the presidency of the mullahs’ religious dictatorship is a reflection of the era of its overthrow.
In terms of history, a regime that has laid its foundations in a sea of blood of the People’s Mojahedin has personified the ultimate product of its 42-year history in a murderous henchman.
And in political terms, it is the end for illusions of moderation within the regime. It marks the failure of Western governments’ policy of complacency toward religious fascism.
Now, they have handed over the executive branch to a mass murderer, the judiciary to a professional assassin, and the legislative branch to a club wielder who has openly declared: “I am one of the club wielders, and I am proud to have wielded the stick against Massoud Rajavi (the Leader of the Iranian Resistance) since 1979.”
Truly, he is the embodiment of obscenity and wickedness. Indeed, if the religious dictatorship was not on the verge of demise, why would it need to put a band of cannibals in charge of the system?
At the end of the election charade (in June), based on the reports from more than 1,200 of its journalists and reporters in 400 cities of Iran and more than 3,500 video clips, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced that the turnout was less than 10%.
But today, I will deliberately examine the results announced by the mullahs’ Ministry of Interior:
In Shiraz, which Massoud Rajavi has called the capital of the 2019 uprising, some 70 percent of voters refused to vote. In Tehran, with 9 million residents, 80% of voters did not participate.
In Tehran Province, which includes the rebellious cities of Shahriyar, Qal’eh Hassan Khan, and Islamshahr, 70% refused to vote.
The City Council elections were even more disastrous. In some metropolitans, void ballots came in first. The voter turnout in Tehran was 14% and in Tabriz, only 1.5%. Yes, this regime represents only 1.5 percent of the population.
The whole story is that the objective conditions for the regime’s overthrow are in place. As far as the Iranian people are concerned, they are, as always, redoubling their resolve to overthrow the religious dictatorship in the face of the regime’s new repressive and aggressive posture.
Dealing with murderer Raisi is the international community’s litmus test
As far as the international community is concerned, this is a test of whether it will engage and deal with this genocidal regime or whether it will stand with the Iranian people.
We say to the world community, especially to Western governments, that Mullah Raisi is a criminal guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity in 1988.
He is guilty because as one of the regime’s highest Judiciary officials during the last 40 years, he played a decisive role in the execution and murder of the Iranian people’s children.
He is guilty because he is one of the leaders of a regime that killed 1,500 youths during the November 2019 uprising, a figure that researchers say is actually three times higher.
Raisi is guilty because even today he defends all his past crimes and insists on continuing them. As Amnesty International’s Secretary-General said, “That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance, and torture is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran.”
On behalf of the Iranian people and their Resistance, I emphasize that the United Nations and the international community should recognize the 1988 massacre in Iran as genocide and a crime against humanity.
I call on the UN Security Council to take action to hold the leaders of the mullahs’ regime, especially Ali Khamenei, Raisi, and Ejeii, accountable for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. The United Nations must not allow Raisi to participate in the next session of the General Assembly. This would be an unforgivable insult to the people of all countries who send their representatives to the United Nations.
We will fulfill these demands at all costs. It was this Resistance that one day forced Khomeini to drink the poison chalice of ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq war. It was this Resistance that one day caught Ali Khamenei by exposing the regime’s nuclear program. And it will be this Resistance that will one day pour the poison chalice of human rights down the throat of this religious dictatorship. This will certainly become reality.
The question is adhering to or renouncing one’s positions
Dear friends,
The 1988 massacre was one of the darkest moments in Iran’s contemporary history. In the words of Baroness Boothroyd, the former speaker of the UK House of Lords, it is the greatest crime against humanity since the Second World War, which has gone unpunished.
At this point, let’s go back 33 years. Let us imagine the scene of questions and answers, each of which determined the fate and life of a prisoner.
In small rooms in the prisons of Evin, Gohardasht, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Ahvaz, and dozens of other cities, prisoners were condemned to death without having committed any crime.
On the one side sat the mullahs and the executioners of the death commissions. One of the most savage and cruel figures among these demons was Ebrahim Raisi.
On the other side is a lone prisoner in the dock. He/she has not committed any crimes. In the eyes of the prosecutors, however, the prisoner represents the “crime” of a movement. The prisoner has no lawyer but must defend the rights of an oppressed nation. There are no witnesses to this unfair trial. He/she is the only witness.
Most astonishingly, the questions are not about the commission of any crime, but inquire about which side of history is the prisoner on?
Here are the questions:
Are you prepared to denounce the PMOI and its leadership? Are you willing to join the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and fight against the PMOI? Are you willing to provide information on former comrades… and “co-operate” with intelligence officials? Are you willing to participate in firing squads? Are you willing to hang a monafeq (a pejorative epithet for members and supporters of the PMOI)? Are you prepared to express “repentance” about your political opinions and activities? Are you prepared to declare loyalty to the Islamic Republic (through written and/or televised “confessions”)? Are you willing to walk through an active minefield to assist the army of the Islamic Republic? I quoted these appalling questions, which were posed to the victims of the 1988 massacre, from Amnesty International’s investigative report. (1)
The subject of these questions was not spurious allegations like participation in prison revolts or misconduct during captivity. The subject of these questions was not even the prisoners’ connection with the PMOI’s military operation (in July 1988).
Khomeini had already determined the core issue in two successive religious decrees. His decree specifically concerns the PMOI. The decree says that “those who persist in their allegiance to the PMOI in prisons across the country are at war with God and are sentenced to death.”
At the time, Khomeini’s Chief Justice asked him whether this sentence applied to those PMOI members who had been sentenced to death and who refused to change their position, or whether it also applies to those PMOI members who were merely serving their prison term but still adhered to their beliefs.
Khomeini’s clear and concise answer was: “Anyone, at any stage, is sentenced to death if he maintains his positions as a hypocrite (i.e. People’s Mojahedin).” The distillation of the two decrees of Khomeini and the short version of the questions in these show trials are: Do you stand by your position as a People’s Mojahedin?
The Mojahedin answered yes to this question and accepted to be executed. On the 30th anniversary of the 1988 massacre, Amnesty International wrote in its report: “Across the country, the victims were primarily supporters of the PMOI, both men and women. In Tehran province, hundreds of men affiliated with leftist opposition groups were also executed.”
Amnesty International added: “In Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan provinces, the waves of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings also targeted hundreds of prisoners affiliated with the Kurdish opposition groups Komala and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).”
Thus, the massacre of the Mojahedin-e Khalq was carried out throughout the country. At the same time, the regime’s murderous machinery re-arrested many former prisoners or persons suspected of supporting the PMOI and sent them to execution chambers.
All of them faced the same question that determined their fate: Do you maintain your positions on the PMOI? Since that day and until today, this question has not ceased to confront us. It is the question of our time. It is the question of being faithful to one’s positions or not. But the PMOI, as the Quran says, did not abandon its position. We have answered yes to this question and we will answer yes again and again. We will never abandon the resistance to free the Iranian people and to overthrow the regime.
A persevering generation for Iran’s liberation
My dear compatriots,
In the summer of 1988, after the mass murderer Raisi and his accomplices sentenced them to death, the PMOI heroes walked through the corridors leading to the execution chamber while shouting “Down with Khomeini! Long live freedom! Long live Massoud Rajavi!”
This is freedom’s blood-drenched anthem and the song of perseverance of a generation determined to write a new destiny for the Iranian people and history.
One of these heroines was the U.S.-educated Zohreh Ain-ol-Yaqine, then head of Isfahan Teachers’ Association. She wrote in a letter from Evin Prison, “I thought about everything that has happened so far and went through everything in my mind. I think that everyone sings a song during his/her lifetime and dies. But what remains, in the end, is a pure and untainted form of humanity that lives on.”
Another one of these heroes was Rahim Rajli. He wrote in his will, “I love life with all its beauties; I love everything that blooms (…) I do not wish to die. But for the sake of life, I embrace the crimson death with open arms. And if I have the honor of falling as a martyr on this path, send my greetings to Massoud [Rajavi], and tell him that Rahim kept his promise and he has become a Rajavi.”
This is the blood-drenched commitment of all generations of the PMOI, as Maryam Golzadeh-Ghafouri wrote: “As long as there is even a single Mojahed, he/she will not let the revolution be stopped. The People’s Mojahedin will sacrifice everything he/she has in order to free Iran and the Iranian people from captivity.”
Massoud Rajavi’s Campaign for Justice
Dear friends,
The massacre of the People’s Mojahedin had another important aspect, which comprised of a vast effort to cover up this crime. But from the very first weeks after the start of the massacre, Massoud Rajavi issued a wave of statements, revelations, and calls for justice in Iran and abroad.
As early as August and September 1988, in multiple letters and telegrams to the UN Secretary-General, he made numerous revelations about the massacre. Among other things, he revealed the contents of Khomeini’s two main religious decrees. On August 25, 1988, he wrote to the UN Secretary-General that Khomeini had issued a decree in his own handwriting ordering the execution of PMOI political prisoners.
In December of the same year, in an interview with Voice of Mojahed Radio, Massoud Rajavi explained that “On two occasions, Khomeini personally issued the executive orders to the head of the Judiciary Moussavi-Ardebili, stressing, among other things, that in the case of the Mojahedin (…) anyone who insists on his/her positions (…) is sentenced to death and must be executed immediately.”(2) This was twelve years before Ayatollah Montazeri (Khomeini’s ousted heir apparent) published the text of this decree in his book.
In my view, what Massoud (Rajavi) has done goes far beyond the relentless campaign of the last four decades. By safeguarding the very values and principles cherished by the victims of the massacre through seeking justice for them, he has defended their dignity and honor to the greatest possible extent. This call-for-justice campaign will continue until achieving victory for the cause of these martyrs, namely, the liberation of the Iranian people.
It is very noteworthy that in the April 1989 letter dismissing Mr. Montazeri, which was about 700 words long, Khomeini referred to the PMOI nine times, accusing Mr. Montazeri of assisting the Mojahedin in their attempts to find out the number of execution victims through him. More importantly, he said that after him, Ayatollah Montazeri would hand over the country to the liberals and through them to the PMOI. And because of this, he explains, Montazeri lost the competence and legitimacy to lead the regime in the future.
As attested to by the events of the past 33 years, the revelations about the 1988 massacre are the outcome of a relentless campaign seeking justice. The Iranian people’s Resistance, the families of martyrs, political prisoners, torture victims, and thousands of survivors of the 1988 massacre who are based in Ashraf-3, are the ones responsible for this campaign…
We have said and we continue to say yes to the great question of our time. We will overthrow the clerical regime by relying on the Iranian people and the great Army of Freedom.
Glory to the martyrs! Long live the Iranian people!
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Maryam Rajavi addresses first day of Free Iran World Summit
As the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 26) is set to take place in Glasgow, 1-12 November 2021, Global Prayer and Action Chain, a group of faith based organisations from around the world have joined forces to launch intense prayer and action for climate justice. The initiative is also collecting signatures for a petition, which will be delivered to the COP Presidency. It will demand that the round of talks do not end in the same manner as in recent years with, at best, incremental progress and a lack of ambition adequate to the science.
COP26 is a crucial moment in the fight for climate justice. It has already been delayed for a year and the time for countries to implement ambitious climate action is long past. Many countries are still not making the changes needed to stop climate change and help those already suffering from its worst impacts. Many world leaders are more concerned about protecting their own wealth or distracted by other issues, and are failing to tackle the global climate crisis affecting the entire planet, and in particular the world’s most vulnerable people.
“In solidarity with the most vulnerable people who are already facing the devastating impacts of climate change and as people of faith, we believe that every person matters to God and every person deserves to be protected from climate change,” said Rev. Dr Peter Pavlovic, Secretary of the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN).
“We need everyone to join us in calling for climate justice to achieve change. Jesus said ‘if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.’ Together, we can persuade world leaders to put aside their differences and implement ambitious climate action,” he added.
The Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) have published today a Guidance on due diligence to help EU companies to address the risk of forced labour in their operations and supply chains, in line with international standards. The Guidance will enhance companies’ capacity to eradicate forced labour from their value chains by providing concrete, practical advice on how to identify, prevent, mitigate and address its risk.
Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said: “There is no room in the world for forced labour. The Commission is committed to wiping this blight out as part of our broader work to defend human rights. This is why we put strengthening the resilience and sustainability of EU supply chains at the core of our recent trade strategy. Businesses are key to making this happen, because they can make all the difference by acting responsibly. With today’s Guidance, we are supporting EU companies in these efforts. We will ramp up our due diligence work with our upcoming legislation on Sustainable Corporate Governance.”
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “Forced labour is not only a serious violation of human rights but also a leading cause of poverty and an obstacle to economic development. The European Union is a global leader on responsible business conduct and business and human rights. The Guidance we publish today translates our commitment into concrete action. It will help EU companies to ensure their activities do not contribute to forced labour practices in any sector, region or country.”
The Guidance explains the practical aspects of due diligence and provides an overview of EU and international instruments on responsible business conduct that are relevant for combatting forced labour. The EU has already put in place mandatory standards in some sectors and actively promotes the effective implementation of international standards on responsible business conduct.
Promoting responsible and sustainable value chains is one of the pillars of the recent EU trade strategy. The Guidance delivers on the strategy by helping EU businesses already take the appropriate measures, bridging the time until legislation on Sustainable Corporate Governance is in place. This upcoming legislation should introduce a mandatory due diligence duty requiring EU companies to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for sustainability impacts in their operations and supply chains. Subject to the upcoming impact assessment, this will include effective action and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that forced labour does not find a place in the value chains of EU companies.
EU trade policy already contributes to the abolishment of forced labour through its various instruments. EU trade agreements are unique in including binding commitments to ratify and effectively implement all fundamental ILO Conventions, including those on forced labour. Those conventions include an obligation to suppress the use of forced or compulsory labour in all its forms. This commitment extends to the countries benefitting from the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (GSP+) under the EU’s General Scheme of Preferences (GSP). All 71 beneficiary countries of the General Scheme of Preferences are obliged to not commit serious and systematic violations of the principles of the fundamental ILO Conventions.
The Guidance also delivers on a number of the priorities of the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024 in the area of business and human rights. Those priorities include the eradication of forced labour and the promotion of internationally recognised due diligence standards.
The pandemic has profoundly affected young people, for whom lockdown measures have drastically reduced opportunities to learn, work and socialize. The toll it has taken on their mental health has been particularly heavy, compounded by a limited ability to make their voices heard. In addition, public discourse has often branded youth as main transmitters, or “superspreaders”, of the virus.
On top of the difficulties young people have faced, governments and health systems have struggled to meet their needs during the pandemic. This was the clear conclusion at the recent Policy Forum on Behavioural and Cultural Insights, which brought together Member States to discuss the impact of the pandemic on the Region’s youth on 10 June.
Speaking to the 50 assembled participants of the Forum, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, spoke of the “immense gratitude” that young people deserved from the public health sector and wider society for their sacrifices over the last 16 months. He highlighted the importance of creating meaningful engagement with young people, noting that, “if we are to take young people’s experiences and well-being seriously, we must take youth participation seriously”.
Hearing from young people
Marius Schlageter, Vice-President of the German Federal Youth Council, called for the recognition of young people as a marginalized demographic. “They are unable to vote and run for office, so they are not represented in our democracy. Therefore, a special effort needs to be made to recognize the needs of young people within policy,” he pointed out.
The participation of young people in decision-making is crucial to ensuring that health officials can deliver the very best, targeted youth welfare interventions. This is especially important regarding access to services like mental health support. Examples of ways to hear from young people were shared at the policy forum, ranging from surveys and social media engagement to direct engagement with marginalized young people and the inclusion of youth groups in the policy process itself.
A need for youth-specific health interventions
Behavioural and cultural approaches to health and health behaviour provide insights into the needs of young people, and identify where governments have fallen short. Young people behave differently and perceive risk differently than other age groups and thus must be approached with original, bespoke measures. It is now time to use these lessons learned constructively, not just in the coronavirus pandemic response but across all areas of health.
Efforts to involve young people in the pandemic response and to engage with their unique needs have already been undertaken across the European Region. In Belgium and Kazakhstan, social media platforms like Instagram have been utilized to communicate pandemic measures and to receive feedback from young people themselves. The practical value of youth participation has been felt acutely in the Republic of Moldova, where youth organizations play a key role in decision-making processes at national level, using an online government platform to make sure their voices are heard. Likewise, in Sweden, efforts are being made to collaborate with influencers and ambassadors, as well as youth organizations at national level.
Mental health services have also been of paramount concern across the European Region, with mental health hotlines and crisis centre networks strengthened in the Czech Republic, and the launch of peer-to-peer systems to help young people find mental health support in Slovakia.
Planning for the future
The Policy Forum was therefore a vital opportunity for countries to pool expertise and resources, including perspectives from young people present at the forum, on how to improve youth well-being. A key takeaway from the Forum was the need to involve young people, and youth strategy, in emergency preparedness measures for future pandemics, recognizing the critical role young people have played throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
This has been particularly notable in the way young people complied with lockdown measures that have been especially life-saving for older generations, despite the more limited threat of coronavirus to themselves. Insights gathered throughout the pandemic could also inform future responses to other health issues affecting young people, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.
Committing to youth involvement
Dr Kluge emphasized three core priority areas for public health engagement with youth following the pandemic: first, health officials and governments must invite young people to the table, ensuring they also have a say in which other groups are engaged; second, the health sector must reach out beyond young people in political parties or in medicine and talk to groups across society, particularly to more vulnerable young people; and third, we must recognize that young people are already involved in community groups and campaigns, trying to make a better world.
There will be ongoing challenges for young people, and many of the impacts may only be felt when the European Region steps out of the pandemic. Ensuring that significant support is provided for young people and their wider social groups will be a crucial plank in all pandemic recovery measures.
The Policy Forum on Behavioural and Cultural Insights was established in 2020 to facilitate discussion between countries about the COVID-19 pandemic response and has been running regularly since December last year. The event was organized by the WHO European Region’s Behavioural and Cultural Insights unit and Emergencies Programme.
BIC GENEVA — In recent months, the Iranian government’s decades-long campaign of hate speech and propaganda against the Bahá’ís in Iran has reached new levels, increasing in both sophistication and scale. The unfolding strategy to demonize the Bahá’í community is reflected in a growing and coordinated network of hundreds of websites, Instagram accounts, Telegram channels, and Clubhouse rooms.
“History is replete with the victims of grievous crimes incited by hate speech,” says Diane Ala’i, Representative of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) to the United Nations in Geneva. “We are concerned that the increasing spread of disinformation targeting the Bahá’ís may signal a severe increase in the persecution meted out against them.”
A video released yesterday by the BIC calls on people to join the global outcry over the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Government officials, human rights activists, religious figures, and other prominent people are raising alarm about the intensification of the state-sponsored anti-Bahá’í propaganda, as history shows that flagrant violations of human rights often take place in a climate of hate and disinformation.
Canadian Member of Parliament Kerry Diotte states: “I wanted to join the chorus of many people in the world who are concerned about the persecution of people of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran. Religious freedom is one of the most basic elements of civilization. This religious persecution of the Bahá’í must stop.”
The CIJA, which represents hundreds of thousands of Jewish Canadians across Canada, issued a statement expressing grave concern about the latest developments in Iran. “As Jews, we understand the deadly consequences of a relentless repetition of falsehoods and myths against an entire community. Left unchecked, the Iranian regime’s indoctrination will instill a belief that Bahá’ís are outsiders in their own land, who deserve to be discriminated against and even subjected to violence.
“This must stop. Canada must play a role in holding Iran to account for the countless human rights violations it commits against the Bahá’ís with impunity.”
In the United States, a congressional human rights commission has invited a representative of the Bahá’í community to testify about the status of the Bahá’ís in Iran at a hearing today.
Nadine Maenza, Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), says, “We are dismayed by news that Iran has expanded anti-Bahá’í incitement in state-sponsored media. Iran must guarantee Bahá’ís and other religious minorities in Iran freedom of religion or belief.”
Rev. Dr. Patrick McInerney, director of the Catholic Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations in Sydney, Australia, says, “I deplore the recent escalation of hate speech and incitement to hatred against Bahá’ís and their religion in Iran. Don’t let history repeat itself. Stop hate propaganda against the Bahá’ís. In place of hate, let there be respect, compassion, and love.”
Spreading falsehoods has been a central weapon in the Iranian government’s assault against the Bahá’ís since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The goal is to demonize the Bahá’ís and to try to provoke public hatred for the community, thus justifying crimes against them, a very common tactic used by oppressive governments throughout history.
Despite this vile and ongoing campaign, the Bahá’ís in Iran have neither the right to legally appeal against these statements nor are they permitted to respond and present their own case to their fellow citizens in any of the country’s media, all of which are government controlled.
Slideshow 5 imagesA new microsite of The Bahá’ís of Iran website has been set up to provide credible information from independent sources in an effort to respond to baseless accusations and misinformation produced by the machinery of propaganda targeting the Bahá’ís.
A new microsite of The Bahá’ís of Iran website called Raasti (Truth) has been set up to provide accurate information, including from independent sources, in an effort to respond to baseless accusations and misinformation produced by the machinery of propaganda targeting the Bahá’ís in Iran.
A video released yesterday by the BIC calls on people to join the global outcry over the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran, launching the hashtag #StopHatePropaganda on Twitter.
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