UN Women, 20 June 2012 The Women Leaders’ Forum, a discussion between civil society, government and public sector representatives with UN heads of agencies, has broadened the dialogue on gender equality and sustainability at Rio +20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainability. Organized by UN Women in collaboration with the Government of Brazil and other partners, the day-long event highlighted the central role of women in sustainable development, and the ways that robust policies can  improve women’s lives by reducing poverty, advancing their economic opportunities, and protecting them from adverse health and environmental challenges. It also highlighted the inequalities that continue to slow global progress towards a green economy and a protected environment. Delivering the opening and closing remarks, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet stressed the critical role of the women’s movement. “Twenty years ago, the Rio ... Read the full article

Say NO-UNiTE to End Violence Against Women, 28 March 2012 Shishir Chandra is a community organizer with Men’s Action for Stopping Violence Against Women (MASVAW) in Uttar Pradesh, India, an alliance of individual men and organizations that are committed to reducing gender-based violence through education and advocacy. Here he talks about the struggle to challenge gender roles for both men and women in India, and why he believes that young men can and should step up to the challenge.   1. Why do you think it’s important for young people to get involved in these issues? Although gender equality is such a burning issue, not many youth in India get an opportunity to get involved in advancing gender equality. Young men and boys all over India have had many difficult experiences regarding gender ... Read the full article

*This text can be found on the AHRC Urgent Appeals homepage. It was written for civil society, across Asia. A need for dialogue Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, and gender equality, among many others. Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to ... Read the full article

Taken from 'Defamation of Religions: International Developments and Challenges on the Ground' for the SOAS International Human Rights Clinic Project and the Cairo Institute on Human Rights Studies. As now established, international support for the OIC-sponsored resolutions has been waning since a high point in 2006, despite the minor concessionary changes in language. This section aims to establish the present consensus on the concept at the UN, both in the reception of the resolutions in the past year and through the expressions of official opinion via various other UN fora. The 2010 resolution at the HRC in March 2010 saw its lowest margin yet, placing it just four votes from defeat: 20 states in favour and 17 against. Although a small number of states moved to abstain after holding positions against the resolution, no new states chose to support it. Both ... Read the full article

South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, 22 April 2011 Since Architecture for Humanity first made its mark in 1999 with a competition to design transitional housing for returning refugees in Kosovo, it has used designers’ competitive streaks to its advantage. Its competitions have produced the ultimate mobile health clinic for AIDS victims in Sub-Saharan Africa, a factory to connect indigenous chocolate producers in the Ecuadorian Amazon with the global marketplace, and many more. Each competition has garnered fame and funding, showing in travelling exhibitions and drawing a range of panellists, from architect Frank Gehry to actor Cameron Diaz. The blueprints are uploaded on the Open Architecture Network (www.openarchitecturenetwork.org ) for use across the world, while the winning prototype is funded and built. This may present an interesting challenge for the 2011 competition, which will ask architects to repurpose disused military installations for ... Read the full article

Section 3: Case studies from three OIC States. Taken from 'Defamation of Religions: International Developments and Challenges on the Ground' for the 2010 SOAS International Human Rights Clinic, with the Cairo Institute on Human Rights Studies. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has a majority Muslim population and has passed some of the world’s strictest national laws on blasphemy and the defamation of religion. Its provisions are established in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), its Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and its constitution. Many of these provisions were introduced or strengthened between 1977 and 1988 during the reign of military dictator Zia ul-Haq, who is known for his ‘Islamisation’ of the country, mostly under martial law. The following section on Pakistan will present an overview of the state’s laws on religious defamation and blasphemy, including recent amendments and aspects of the ... Read the full article

Human rights, law and development Online The Asia Sentinel: www.asiasentinel.com The Historical Justice and Memory Research Network at the at The Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Australia: www.historicaljusticeandmemorynetwork.ne Groundviews, Sri Lanka: www.groundviews.org The Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk The Asian Human Rights Commission: www.humanrights.asia The Sri Lanka Guardian: www.srilankaguardian.com Open Democracy: www.opendemocracy.net The Social Science Research Network: www.ssrn.com Say-NO-UNiTE: http://saynotoviolence.org/ UN Women: www.unwomen.org Books, Journals and Newspapers Article 2, Hong Kong Criminal Law Reform and Transitional Justice: Human Rights Perspectives for Sudan, (as sub-editor), Ed. Lutz Oette of the Redress Trust, UK Ethics in Action, Hong Kong Sri Lanka: Women's Insecurity in the North and East, (as researcher), The International Crisis Group, Brussels The Law and Society Trust Review, Sri Lanka The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Design/Travel Online Architecture Week: www.architectureweek.com Juli B: www.julib.com  Smart Travel Asia: www.smarttravelasia.com Time Magazine: www.time.com Books and Guides Fodor's Guide to Hong Kong 2011; Shopping chapter, USA BC Restaurant Guide 2006 (Contributor), Hong Kong BC Restaurant Guide 2006 (Contributor), Hong Kong Bradmans Asia Guide; ... Read the full article

‘The World's Forgotten', Asia Sentinel Hong Kong, 19 April 2010, reprinted as an Op-ed in the Jakarta Globe, Indonesia Millions of detainees across the globe remain in filthy, crowded and unsanitary prisons (See online version here) As the UN's top investigator into torture and punishment prepares to end his term later this year, he has focused on a group people whom he has long called the globe's "most vulnerable" to discrimination and to neglect. Detainees, says Dr Manfred Nowak, have become the world's forgotten. The theme has become central to the Austrian professor's six-year tenure, and in the most recent session of the Human Rights Council this March he strongly reiterated his call for a new convention to protect them. Where other forms of discrimination are strongly represented in global social movements, the plight of those considered "criminal" tends ... Read the full article

January 8, 2010, Guardian Weekly, UK Reprinted in the Sri Lanka Guardian For an uncut version of the interview, click here. (Link coming soon) Joseph Jubelag narrowly escaped the November massacre in Maguindanao, the Philippines, which claimed the lives of 57 people – 31 of them fellow journalists. They were allegedly murdered by a candidate for governor, part of a ruling family dynasty accused of war lordism. Jubelag expects the trial to bring a backlash against the private militias that are allowed to be kept by politicians for reasons of national security, as well as against President Arroyo for her past protection of the notorious clan. In the Philippines, local governments are allowed to ... Read the full article

August 22, 2009, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong August 27, Sri Lanka Guardian, Sri Lanka, and and as ‘Thankless tasks: Rights defenders in Sri Lanka & Pakistan’ in Selected Articles on politics, human rights & the rule of law in South Asia, Article 2, Vol. 08 - No. 03, September 2009 (PDF) As a truth commission secretary MCM Iqbal helped gathered evidence on thousands of forced disappearances in Sri Lanka, only to see it disappear itself As President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaks of ushering Sri Lankans into a new era of peace, a slight, bespectacled man in his sixties watches him from across an ocean with the weariness of a man who has tried and failed to call his bluff. MCM ... Read the full article