MIL OSI – Source: Emailwire – Six new judges sworn in today at the seat of the International Criminal Court (EMAILWIRE.COM, March 10, 2015 ) Today, 10 March 2015, six new judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) were sworn in at a ceremony held at the seat of the Court in The Hague (Netherlands). Judges Marc Perrin de Brichambaut (France), Piotr Hofmański (Poland), Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Bertram Schmitt (Germany), Pter Kovcs (Hungary) and Chang-ho Chung (Republic of Korea) were elected for nine-year terms during the thirteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute in December 2014. Judges Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Piotr Hofmański, Bertram Schmitt, Pter Kovcs and Chang-ho Chung will commence their service on a full-time basis at the Court on 11 March 2015. Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua will commence at a later date. The judges made a solemn undertaking in open court before the President of the ASP, Minister of Justice of Senegal, H.E. Mr Sidiki Kaba, stating: “I solemnly undertake that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as a judge of the International Criminal Court honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously, and that I will respect the confidentiality of investigations and prosecutions and the secrecy of deliberations”. ASP President H.E. Mr Sidiki Kaba speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of six new ICC Judges in The Hague on 10 March 2015 ICC-CPI ASP President H.E. Mr Sidiki Kaba welcomed the new judges to the Court: “It is a historic responsibility but also a great privilege. Your responsibility is to apply the law, to respect the spirit of the Rome Statute, and to work independently, thereby carrying out the functions which the States entrusted you with. But I do not doubt that you will perform your duties with independence, impartiality and competence. ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song stated: “From tomorrow the new judges will be working together with their colleagues to reinforce the rule of law and continue to implement and develop a system of international criminal justice of which the ICC and its States Parties can be proud. In doing so, I am sure they will always remember the countless people around the world, especially the victims and vulnerable, who look to this Court with hope and expectation for a better, more just future.” Also attending the ceremony were the judges of the International Criminal Court, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, ICC Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart, and ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel, together with a large number of diplomats and other high-ranking guests, representatives of other international organisations in The Hague and members of the civil society. The International Criminal Court has a bench of 18 judges who are nationals of States Parties to the Rome Statute. Judges are chosen from among persons of high moral character, impartiality and integrity who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices. The election of the judges takes into account the need for the representation of the principal legal systems of the world, a fair representation of men and women, and equitable geographical distribution. -–  ]]>

MIL OSI – Source: United Nations – Equality means business: UN urges private sector to help close gender gap 10 March 2015 – Although businesses were not part of the discussions at the historic Beijing Women’s Conference 20 years ago, it is now clear that achieving gender equality will require the concerted efforts of the private sector, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told participants at the annual Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) event at UN Headquarters. “Removing the barriers that keep women and girls on the margins of economic, social, cultural and political life must be a top priority for us all – businesses, Governments, the United Nations and civil society,” Mr. Ban said at the 59th Commission on the Status of Women side-line gathering. “As we reflect on the Beijing+20 findings and prepare to implement the sustainable development goals that will guide us for the next 15 years, until 2030, it is extremely positive to see so many business leaders stepping up to work with us,” Mr. Ban added, who was joined at the event by Former United States Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, his Special Envoy for Climate Change, Mary Robinson, and Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Following the opening segment, several panels took place on women and business. The Women’s Empowerment Principles provide a roadmap for businesses to play their role in respecting and supporting women’s rights. Launched by the Secretary-General in 2010, the initiative aims to engage businesses to advance gender equality and sustainability. In the past five years, it has reached nearly 1000 companies, each of which has made a commitment at the highest level to implement the seven guiding Principles. “I am particularly gratified that seven Women’s Empowerment Principles are resonating around the world, helping hundreds of companies to identify gaps and scale up their efforts to implement gender equality and empower women in their workplaces, marketplaces and communities,” the UN chief said. There are many examples of companies that are taking real steps to close the gender gap, Mr. Ban said. From a global electrical energy company linking gender diversity performance with financial bonuses to a sanitation company in India headed by a female CEO making bio-friendly toilets available to poor communities and from a Turkish bank designing products to support women entrepreneurs to a renewable energy company in Brazil setting up a domestic violence support system. To that end, Mr. Ban encouraged businesses supporting Women’s Empowerment Principles to join UN Global Compact and communicate their progress annually. Taking to the podium next in her keynote address, Hillary Clinton said today’s gathering comes at a pivotal moment in gender equality: “We are here to build on the progress of the past and the promise of the future.” Men and women who understand that gender equality is “not just morally right but the smart thing to do” are growing in numbers. “We may be approaching critical mass but we have to keep on pushing because what we are doing here today is smart for companies and for countries.” “Some of you were with me at the Beijing Conference where remarkably leaders pledged to work for the full participation of women and girls,” Mrs. Clinton said. Out of Beijing came the Beijing Platform for Action and in many parts of the world it turned into an “organizing document.” UN women was created, the Security Council recognized the role of women in peacekeeping missions, the World Bank promoted women’s role in development, and national laws were passed to close gender gaps in health and education. “Now, 20 years later, it is our job to keep ambition alive,” Mrs. Clinton urged, noting that all the evidence reveals that despite the obstacles that remain, there has never been a better time in history to be born a girl. A girl born in Lesotho 20 years ago could not hope to own property, now she can. A girl born 20 years ago in Rwanda grew up in the shadow of genocide and rape, and now there are more women serving in her country’s Parliament than in anywhere else in the world. But despite all this progress, “we are still not there yet”. More than 30 million girls never go on to secondary schools. More than one million girls are never born because of gender-based selection mainly in China and India. More than half the nations in the world still have no laws on the books combating gender-based violence and an estimated one in three women is subject to it. “Rights have to exist in practice not just on paper, and laws have to be backed up with resources not just political will,” Mrs. Clinton declared. She said that deep-seeded cultural bias continues to hold girls back. “Join us in making absolutely clear that the full participation of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century. We can’t afford to leave anyone behind.” In the United States alone, if the workforce gap between men and women closed the economy would grow by 10 per cent. These numbers are significant for other countries as well. She emphasized the importance of gender-equality being included in the proposed sustainablde development goals (SDGs). “When I was Secretary of State and I would speak with my colleagues around the world about these issues there was a moment when I saw their eyes would glaze over, ‘I know she’s going to talk to me about women and I’ll smile until we get on to more important issues,’ they would think. But that has changed now,” she said, adding that the progress of the last 20 years was no accident; it took commitment, accountability, unity and hard work. “These issues remain deeply personal for me. My late mother was born in the United States before women could vote and before there were employment opportunities, but she had real grit and grace and gave me the drive to have integrity and provide a service to others. We each know so many women whose names will never be in the headlines and we can take a moment to think about the teachers and mentors who have changed our lives and now it is time to do that for the next generation.” Mary Robinson said the women’s empowerment principles were the “best step forward that the UN Global Compact has taken in the last 15 years,” and she stressed the extent of her support for their understanding of the importance of forging the relationship. Underlining the importance of fully integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment into the several important international processes going on in 2015, she focused her comments on addressing what she called the “double injustice” of climate change and gender inequality. Gender equality, she noted, was recognized within the post-2015 development agenda and the sustainable development goals through Goal 5, but was not as secure in the climate process. She described her disappointment at the recent meeting in Lima of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) at the failure of negotiators to be specific about the link between climate change and gender equality but she added that she had seen an improvement in Geneva, where “relatively good” gender language and human rights language had entered into the text. “We need that balance to ensure that we will achieve our objectives,” she said, as she outlined the gravity of the climate change crisis facing the world, including the human rights dimensions faced by countries like Kiribati, which purchased land from Fiji because of the existential threat posed by climate change. If the response to climate change is such that people have to move from the land where “the bones of their ancestors” are buried, it is clear that a people-centred approach was not being taken to tackling the crisis. She closed on a personal note, saying that she was motivated as a grandmother to consider what her grandchildren would say about the work done by leaders in 2015, because she knew it would hugely impact their lives in 2050. “That’s why we need this grand alliance,” she said of the link between women and the business sector, “because we have a lot to do to secure a very good, legally binding agreement in Paris,” she said referring to a crucial meeting of UNFCCC parties set for the end of the year. –]]>

MIL OSI – Source: United Nations –  New UN-backed report reflects ‘crushing’ impact of conflict in Syria on its people 10 March 2015 – Four years of armed conflict, economic disintegration and social fragmentation in Syria have hollowed out its population by 15 percent, forced some 10 million people to flee their homes and reduced life expectancy by two decades – from nearly 76 years of age to 56 – according to a United Nations-backed report released today on the “catastrophic” impact of the conflict. “While crushing the aspirations of the Syrian people and their ability to build and form institutions that can restore human security and respect human dignity and rights, the armed conflict has depleted the capital and wealth of the country,” according to the Syria: Alienation and Violence, Impact of the Syria Crisis Report, produced by the Syrian Centre for Policy Research with the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). “Measured in terms of human development capacity and choices, the [Human Development Index] HDI value of Syria degraded by 32.6 per cent since 2010, falling from just below a middle ranking position to 173rd position of 187 countries,” it said. Syria has become a country of poor people, with an estimated 4 in every 5 Syrians now living in poverty – 30 percent of the population having descended into abject poverty, according to the report. The report details the tragic context facing all people in Syria, including the lives of Palestine refugees that have not been spared the trauma, UNRWA says, noting that the agency delivers humanitarian aid to 460,000 refugees who are wholly dependent on it to help them meet minimum daily needs. During the last four years, more than 10 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes and neighbourhoods because of violence, fear, intimidation and homelessness. “The population of Syria was hollowed out by 15 percent as 3.33 million Syrians fled as refugees to other countries, together with a 1.55 million persons who migrated to find work and a safer life elsewhere,” the report explained. “Within the remaining population of Syria, some 6.80 million people had been internally displaced.” The report drew attention to “the appalling loss of life,” as the death toll increased in the past year reached 210,000 persons. And together with the 840,000 people who were wounded, 6 per cent of the population were killed, maimed or wounded during the conflict, it said. “Equally horrendous is the silent disaster that has reduced life expectancy at birth from 75.9 years in 2010 to an estimated 55.7 years at the end of 2014, reducing longevity and life expectancy by 27 per cent,” the report noted. In the midst of this social disintegration and economic degradation, the education, health and social welfare systems are in a state of collapse. The report said that education is in a state of collapse with half of all school-age children no longer attending school, with almost half of all children already losing three years of schooling. “Total economic loss since the start of the conflict until the end of 2014 is estimated at $202.6 billion, with damage to capital stock accounting for 35.5 per cent of this loss,” it said. “Total economic loss is equivalent to 383 per cent of the GDP of 2010 in constant prices.” The report concluded that “the people of Syria are now forced to live under a terrible state of exception, estrangement and alienation with a massive social, political and economic chasm dividing them from those involved in violence and the institutions of violence.” And humanitarian interventions are unable to keep pace with the rapidly escalating needs of the poor and displaced, who are increasing exposed to insecurity and sectarian violence. The report said its aim is to estimate, document and analyze the catastrophic socioeconomic impact of the ongoing armed conflict, and highlight some of the pitfalls and gaps in applying mainstream analytical framework due to the complexity and specificity of Syrian crisis. –]]>

MIL OSI – UK’s record on implementing human rights judgments risks being undermined