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Network Newsletter  Rights and Democracy Network Number 30 March 16, 2010 Newsletter Sections |
A Look Back at the Network’s Western Regional Event
The Rights & Democracy Delegation at the University of Saskatchewan hosted the 2010 Western Regional Event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from February 18 to 21, 2010. Representatives from all eight university delegations in the western provinces explored the theme of “Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights: Global Perspectives.” Highlights included traditional pipe ceremonies with an elder from Saskatchewan, a compelling presentation on "Indigenous Peoples at Risk of Extinction: the Case of Colombia" by Colombian constitutional lawyer Federico Guzman, a live conversation between Saskatoon and Panama City by Skype with a representative of the Intercontinental Network of Indigenous women, a simulation workshop on human rights and foreign investment by Vancouver Island University professor Catherine Schittecatte and Network member Lise Garden, not to mention snowshoeing and a tipi-raising at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Congratulations to the members of the University of Saskatchewan delegation, as well as to the presenters and participants, for contributing to the success of this event and for inspiring each other to continue to promote indigenous peoples’ rights. To see photos of the event taken by organizer Kim Chatfield, visit: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=196135&id=514646342 and http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=196142&id=514646342.
Coming up in Montreal: The Network’s Eastern Regional Event
The four student delegations in Montreal (McGill, Concordia, UQÀM, and Université de Montréal) have organized a very dynamic and content-filled programme of activities for this year's Eastern Regional Event that takes place in Montreal from March 18 to 20. Through workshops and public events such as those listed below, some 20 delegates from universities in Ontario, Québec, and New Brunswick will look at ways to support the advancement of human rights in Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, the Philippines, and those of migrant workers in the southern United States.
The co-hosting Montreal university delegations would also like to invite all on-line members of the Network to truly interesting public events on key themes, namely:
- Wednesday, March 17 at 7pm: a panel on foreign investment and human rights featuring human rights experts, private sector and civil society representatives. For more information, click here.
Thursday, March 18 at 7 pm: the North American premiere of the documentary “Rights Undermined in the Open Sky” followed by a discussion with R&D field partners from Ecuador. For more information, click here.-
Friday March 19 at 11:30 at McGill: the McGill Delegation presents a panel of experts that will explore the situation of human rights in Zimbabwe and how it affects the quality of education for law students in Zimbabwe. For more information about this free event please click here. - Friday March 19 at 7:30 pm at UQÀM: the UQÀM Delegation presents a benefit showcasing music and contemporary African dance to help women victims of politically-motivated violence in Zimbabwe. For more information about this event, please click here.
Network Consultative Committee
The Network team has decided to put the launch of the Network Consultative Committee on hold until the situation at Rights & Democracy is more favourable to its creation and the creative discussions that it will foster. We will send you an update as soon as we are able.
The Université de Montréal delegation takes action for Haiti
The Université de Montréal delegation held a roundtable on February 5 called “Innovation and Human Rights: the Case of Haitian Refugees in Montreal”. Speakers, who included Janet Dench from the Canadian Council for Refugees, Lauren Ravon from Rights & Democracy, Sylvain Thibault from the Montreal Community Mission, and Marjorie Villefranche from the Maison d’Haïti discussed the immediate impacts of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti and Haitian refugees who have recently settled in Montreal. The future of Haiti was also discussed, including the importance, now more than ever, of implementing human rights in this country. This roundtable, which was planned long before the earthquake hit, and included a winter clothing drive for refugee families in Montreal, was a big success. Learn more about their project by checking out these photos and this article published in the Université de Montréal newspaper.
Congratulations to the winners of the Université de Montréal delegation photography contest winners!
The “Innovation: right ahead!” human rights photo contest launched by the Université de Montréal delegation closed on March 1. Congratulations to Béatrice Châteauvert-Gagnon, winner of the Jury Favourite Prize, and Geneviève King Ruel, winner of the Impact of the message Award. Our congratulations also go to all of the photographers who submitted photos for the “Innovation: right ahead!” exhibition which has been held from March 10 to 15, 2010 at the Université de Montréal. These photos enliven a campus hallway at U de M, between the Chez Valère cafeteria and the computer store. To see all of the photos on line, including the winners, click here. (password: jury2010).
Contribute to McGill’s Books to Zimbabwe Project!
The McGill Delegation’s book drive project is gaining momentum. The first boxes of used texts books on international law and human rights collected last year on campus were hand-delivered to the University of Zimbabwe’s Faculty of Law Library by Rights & Democracy staff. The delegation has also received a USD $12,500 grant from the UK-based Oak Foundation to build on last year’s book drive. Thanks to this grant and new field information highlighting the pertinence of the McGill delegation’s project, the students can now scale up their work to help Zimbabwean students get the knowledge they need to defend human rights in their country. To find out more about how you can support the book drive, click here or visit their Facebook page here. (Photo Credit: Zedlafor, taken from Flick.)
University of Alberta Delegation Collects Panties for Peace!
The Network delegation at the University of Alberta has just launched a campaign in support of the women of Burma. Their week-long campaign started on March 2nd with the projection of the acclaimed documentary “Burma VJ,” nominated in the best documentary category of the 2010 Oscars. UofA's campaign continued on March 8th with a presentation by guest speaker and R&D Asia regional officer, Mika Lévesque, who has worked with partner organizations in support of women's rights and democratic development in Burma for two decades. The Delegation collected women's panties all week to help strip the Burmese military of their power and end human rights violations in Burma. To know more about this week-long event read the article published in The Gateway. To know more about the Panties for Peace Campaign, click here.
Université Laval Delegation Sheds Light on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
On February 24, the Université Laval Delegation hosted a panel discussion that brought together Ghislain Picard, First Nations Chief for Québec and Labrador, Michèle Audette, of the Health and Social Services Commission for Quebec and Labrador First Nations,
and Martin Hébert, professor of anthropology at Université Laval. In front of more than a hundred attentive students and members of the public, they discussed indigenous rights in Latin America and Quebec. Kiosks showcasing different indigenous initiatives added to the learning experience. If you missed this event, but would like to attend others organized by the Delegation, please click on their Facebook page here or visit their Network page at http://dd-rd.net/delegation/laval/. The Delegation is planning a dynamic event about human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-April.
Glendon College Delegation presents Arts for Haiti Fundraiser
On February 24, the Glendon Delegation and their college's student union organized a public event in support of Haiti that was filled with poetry, spoken word, dance and music. A slide show focused on the destruction of January's earthquake in Haiti and the importance of continuing human rights efforts in this country amidst the crisis. Money raised by the Delegation and its student union went to Kay Fanm, a longstanding partner organization of Rights & Democracy in Haiti whose offices were damaged during the earthquake. Kay Fanm advocates for women's rights and runs a home for women and girls seeking refuge in the wake of violence. You can still make an online donation through Canada Helps (Note: within the Fund/Designation list, please select Kay Fanm “The Women's House”).For more information on the Delegation and future events, please visit the Facebook page or visit their Network page at http://dd-rd.net/delegation/york/.
Four months at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
by Lmor Jop
The Rwandan Genocide
Approximately 800,000 people: this is the estimated number of Rwandans massacred during one of the largest genocides the African continent has ever known. The murder of President Habiyarimana on April 6, 1994 was the event that set things in motion for the massacre aimed at Rwanda's Tutsi population.
The Criminal Tribunal
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is based in Arusha, in the north of Tanzania, a location chosen mainly for this country's political stability. The UN has deployed exceptional means to secure the site in order to minimize risk of terrorist attacks such as the incident that occurred in Dar es Salaam in 1998.
The Internship
I spent four months in the External Relations and Strategic Planning Division of the ICTR from June to October 2009. The first thing that caught my attention, besides the imposing white 4X4s parked in the courtyard, was the diversity of languages and nationalities of the people working at the Tribunal. Even in the Press Department, in addition to hearing English, which is one of the main languages spoken, you can often hear French, Swahili, Hindi, Wolof, making the work environment quite unique. During my stay in Arusha, I wrote press releases announcing the arrival of a Maltese or Russian judge or wrote up a biography of a magistrate hailing from the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis of the West Indies. (Photo Credit: Katie Martin, "Rwanda's Most wanted" A Collection of Genocide Photographs (Nov 2007) taken from Flick.)
One of the events that affected me the most during my internship was the capture of two of the main accused. Over a period of eight weeks, a team of investigators managed to detain two major fugitives. The first one, Grégoire Ndahimana, was apprehended on August 11, 2009 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the second, Idelphonse Nizeyimana, fell into their hands on October 5, 2009 when he was about to board a flight at Kampala Airport in Uganda. These events happened one after the other, which kept us very busy for a few weeks while we toiled away dealing with these cases.
Nizeyimana, a former high-ranking officer, is one of the accused whose trial is a priority at the ICTR. The day following his arrest, he was transferred to the UN Detention Facility (UNDF) in Arusha and his trial began in the following weeks. A certain period of time elapsed between the time of Nizeyimana's arrest and when our office received information about his arrest and the publication of the press release. In fact, on the orders of the boss, we could not confirm the information to journalists from the international press given that the accused had not yet been placed under custody of the UNDF. You can imagine that the boss was not very pleased when he saw a BBC reporter recounting the information from his base in Nairobi.
Working for 16 weeks in the UN system was an experience of a lifetime. I learned more in three months than what you learn in a whole year at university.
My hope now is to see the remaining 11 fugitives in the hands of the law so their trials may serve as a lesson not only for leaders in Africa but also for those in the rest of the world as well.
This text does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Network or that of Rights & Democracy.
To read more Stories from the Field...
Indigenous women of the Americas face double discrimination
International Women's Day 2010
March 8, 2010 -- International Women's Day is an important opportunity to remember the double discrimination faced by Indigenous women throughout the Americas, says Rights & Democracy. If being born a woman is a disadvantage, it is doubly so in the case of Indigenous women of the Americas.
In Canada, nearly 40 per cent of Indigenous women live in poverty – more than twice the number of non-native women and many more than the number of native men living in similar circumstances. This situation only gets worse in other regions of the Americas, where Indigenous communities live in extreme poverty. Mortality rates for infant girls and illiteracy among Indigenous women are substantially higher in these communities, and their precarious living conditions put them at greater risk of human rights violations.
Visiting Haiti, Ban pledges that world will remain at its side
Haitians build temporary homes in Port-au-Prince
Mr. Ban met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and toured a camp that is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on a one-day visit to the Caribbean country ahead of the international donors' conference for Haiti that will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 March.
14 March 2010 – Shelter remains the biggest and most urgent priority in Haiti, two months after it was struck by a catastrophic earthquake, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he visited the country for the second time since the disaster and stressed that the world has not forgotten its people's plight.
Olympics and World Cup soccer must take up cause of right to housing – UN expert
“I am particularly concerned about the practice of forced evictions, criminalization of homeless persons and informal activities, and the dismantling of informal settlements in the context of mega-events,” said Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing. Stepped-up demand for space to erect sports venues, hotels and roads can result in the demolition of existing buildings. “The importance given to the creation of a new international image for the cities, as an integral part of the preparations for the Games, often implies the removal of signs of poverty and underdevelopment through reurbanization projects that prioritize city beautification over the needs of local residents,” said the new report, released yesterday.
9 March 2010 – The Olympic Games and the football World Cup must champion the right to adequate housing, with such ‘mega-events’ often driving people out of their homes, according to a new United Nations report by an independent human rights expert.
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 21
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws".
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/racial/
World Health Day - 7 April 2010
1000 Cities, 1000 Lives
With the campaign 1000 cities, 1000 lives, events will be organized worldwide during the week of 7 – 11 April 2010.
The global goals of the campaign are:
1000 cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.
1000 lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.
The Network’s on-line forum announces job and internship opportunities in Canada and around the world. To access the forum, you must be a member of the Rights & Democracy Network. Become a member by signing up here: http://www.dd-rd.net/members/
If you are already a member, visit the Forum’s jobs and internships section by clicking here: http://www.droitsdemocratie.net/network-forum/index.php?login_lang=en.
We welcome your feedback on our stories. Articles on your experiences related to human rights and democratic development in developing countries are also truly appreciated. Send your comments and articles to the editor by email to network@dd-rd.ca (please write “For Network Newsletter” in the subject field).
The Network Team:
Coordinator: Elana Wright (interim)
Liaison Officer: Nelly Desrosiers (interim)
Administrative Assistant: Lise Masse
Rights & Democracy Network
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Montreal, Quebec H2L 4P9 CANADA
Phone: 514 283-6073
Toll-free: 1-877-736-3833
Fax: (514) 283-3792
network@dd-rd.ca
www.rightsdemocracy.net
Available issues :
Issue 31 (June 1st, 2010)
Issue 30 (March 16, 2010)
Issue 29 (November 9,2009)
Issue 28 (September 25, 2009)
Issue 27 (July 28, 2009)
Issue 26 (March 27, 2009)
Issue 25 (January 29, 2009)
Issue 24 (December 9, 2008)
Issue 23 (October 29, 2008)
Issue 22 (August 27, 2008)
Issue 21 (July 23, 2008)
Issue 20 (April 24, 2008)
Issue 19 (March 27, 2008)
Issue 18 (January 24, 2008)
Issue 17 (December 20, 2007)
Issue 16 (November 27, 2007)
Issue 15 (November 6, 2007)
Issue 14 (October 18, 2007)
Issue 13 (September 25, 2007)
Issue 12 (September 11, 2007)
Issue 11 (Summer 2007)
Issue 10 (April 13, 2007)
Issue 9 (November 2006)
Issue 8 (August 2006)
Issue 7 (May 4, 2006)
Issue 6 (April 12, 2006)
Issue 5 (March 21, 2006)
Issue 4 (March 1, 2006)
Issue 3 (February 16, 2006)
Issue 2 (January 31, 2006)
Issue 1 (January 17, 2006)
