New Zealand’s child poverty, inadequate housing, incarceration and violence has “shocked” a United Nations committee reviewing the country’s human rights record. Members of a committee overseeing the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) were last month incredulous at some of New Zealand’s worst statistics, chief human rights commissioner David Rutherford said. Continue Read more
Posts Tagged ‘United nations’
Killer robots will make war more inhumane
Monday, April 16th, 2018
Developing and using killer robots – fully automated lethal weapons systems – would make warfare even more inhumane, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic says. Jurkovic is the Vatican observer to the United Nations (UN) agencies in Geneva. He told a UN session for the “Group of Governmental Experts” on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) that autonomous systems Read more
Down’s syndrome abortions: genocide Archbishop tells UN
Monday, March 26th, 2018
Aborting a child because it has Down’s syndrome violates human rights and can be considered genocide. “Here at the United Nations (UN) there is much sincere talk and normally passionate action to fight against unjust discrimination,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations. He pointed to a double standard when he appeared Read more
UN human trafficking seminar seeks preventative measures
Monday, March 19th, 2018
A human trafficking seminar looking at ways to prevent the sale of people was held in New York last week. The seminar was co-sponsored by the Vatican’s mission to the United Nations (UN). Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican representative to the UN, says women and girls are especially vulnerable to being ensnared by traffickers. He Read more
South Sudan suffering: too much, too long
Monday, December 11th, 2017
Conditions in South Sudan are appalling. United Nations (UN) officials have expressed concern about the fate of the South Sudanese people. The mandate for the UN peacekeeping mission in the country is set to expire. Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the UN Security Council the South Sudanese people “have simply suffered far too much for far too Read more
Rohingya refugees – Pope appeals for international help
Monday, December 4th, 2017
Pope Francis wants the international community to take “decisive measures” to resolve the problems causing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee Myanmar. He also says it is “imperative” for world governments to immediately provide assistance to help the Bangladeshi government cope with Asia’s worst refugee crisis in decades. Bangladesh has opened its borders Read more
Politicial racism condemned, migrants welcomed
Monday, November 27th, 2017
In a message the Vatican translated into eight languages, Pope Francis has sharp words for politicians he says are stoking racism. Migration has become a top political issue in many countries including the United States, Italy, Australia and Germany. Francis’s speech was released in the lead-up to the 2018 World Day of Peace which will Read more
Nuclear disarmament: religion is key say Nobel Prize alumni
Monday, November 13th, 2017
There is a major role for faith-based groups to help create a nuclear weapon-free world, Nobel Prize winners said at a nuclear disarmament summit at the Vatican last week. They suggested faith groups could use their ability to mobilise people and public opinion, and lay out the moral and spiritual case for disarmament. The Nobel Read more
Religious freedom scarcely exists
Thursday, October 26th, 2017
Religious freedom is an oxymoron for about three-quarters of the world, according to a United Nations investigator. Ahmed Shaheed, who is a human rights expert, has been investigating religious rights. He has asked for the repeal of all laws that undermine people’s right to freedom of religion or belief, or discriminate against that right. “Increases Read more
One in nine of us lacks basic food
Thursday, October 19th, 2017
There are now 108 million people suffering from hunger and 800 million without basic food, says Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations (UN). Auza was speaking during a UN Committee debate on “Agricultural Development, Food Security and Nutrition”. Quoting Pope Francis, he told the Committee the solution can Read more