“This morning we heard the views of members of Afghan civil society, women and men, who provided us – the Special Envoys and the UN – with valuable insights on the rights of women and minorities in the country, girls’ education, the media, business and many other issues,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. told the media in Doha, after the third meeting of special envoys for Afghanistan.
“They shared their views and perspectives on the Doha process, as well as on the engagement between Afghanistan and the international community in general… our exchange was extremely important and useful,” she added.
The ongoing talks in Doha marked the first time that the Taliban’s de facto authorities attended the discussions. They did not participate in the first and second rounds, held in May 2023 And February 2024.
The consultations build on the proposals set out in an independent study into an integrated and coherent approach, carried out by Feridun Sinirliogluin line with Security Councilresolution 2679.
Dialogue built on honesty
Ms. DiCarlo stressed that this is just the beginning of this process and that it will take time and patience.
She added that there is a need to build trust on all sides, stressing that the dialogue must be based on honesty and principles – those of the UN Charter and the various human rights treaties to which Afghanistan is a party.
However, the main goal remains to help all Afghan people, she said.
In response to questions about whether she believes that human rights and civil rights are an internal issue in Afghanistan, Ms. DiCarlo stressed that she had made it clear during the talks that Afghanistan has signed a number of treaties and international agreements that focus on human and civil rights, and that Afghanistan as a country is bound by these agreements, therefore it is not an internal issue.
Human rights experts call on Belarus to pardon elderly people in prison
Independent UN human rights experts have called on the Belarusian authorities to: to grant clemency or to pardon the sentences of elders imprisoned on political charges.
In a press release, the experts – including the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus – said they had received a list of 63 people over the age of 60, including 15 women, who had been imprisoned for “real or suspected political opposition.”
Most are serving sentences of up to 25 years, some are in pre-trial detention and others are receiving mandatory psychiatric care. Several prisoners suffer from chronic illnesses, acute conditions or disabilities.
“According to various sources, prisoners on these lists are exposed to various forms of ill-treatment, including incommunicado detention and denial of prompt and adequate medical care, as well as restrictions on correspondence and money transfers,” the experts said.
Last month, the Belarusian parliament proposed an amnesty for people who have reached retirement age. However, the amnesty would not apply to prisoners convicted of crimes such as gross violation of public order, endangering national security, defaming the president or discrediting Belarus.
“Which are often abused for politically motivated prosecutions,” the experts noted.
They also pointed out that Belarusian legislation on combating terrorism and extremism is incompatible with international human rights law. They also reiterated their call on Belarus to comply with its international obligations and release all those wrongly convicted for exercising their human rights.
Appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and being part of his Special proceduresThe Special Rapporteurs are mandated to monitor and report on countries or thematic human rights situations. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary.
Human Rights Commission urges India to stop detention of Rohingya refugees
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called on India to stop the arbitrary mass detention of Rohingya refugees and to refrain from forcible deportation and return to Myanmar, where they may face serious human rights violations.
The Committee said it was “concerned about reports of arbitrary mass detention of the Rohingya, including children, in inadequate conditions and in some cases without fair trial or access to legal representation.”
Concerns were raised about reports of ‘several cases of forced deportations and returns to Myanmar between 2018 and 2022, as well as the continued risk of deportation of the remaining Rohingya in India, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement.’
It also called on India to end the arbitrary mass detention of the Rohingya, and to use immigration detention only as a last resort – for the shortest possible period – and to provide legal safeguards and access to legal counsel to the detained Rohingya.
The Committee further called on India to “end racial discrimination against the Rohingya and remove restrictions that prevent them from exercising their rights without discrimination, particularly with regard to access to employment, health care and education, notably by ensuring the issuance of long-term visas and other identity documents.”
The Commission is a body consisting of 18 independent experts who supervises the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by the States Parties.
The members are elected by the States Parties to the Convention and serve in their personal capacity, independently of the UN and governments.
Global trade to rise in early 2024, adding $350 billion in goods and services
Global trade trends turned positive in the first quarter of 2024, with the value of trade in goods increasing by about 1 percent quarter-on-quarter and that in services by about 1.5 percent, the UN trade and development body said (UNINFORMED) reported.
The increase was fueled by positive trade dynamics for the United States and developing countries, particularly the major Asian developing countries, UNCTAD said. Global Trade Update for July 2024.
“This is expected to add about $250 billion to goods trade and $100 billion to services trade in the first half of 2024, compared with the second half of 2023,” the report said.
UNCTAD also reported that global gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecasts for 2024 remain around 3 percent, “with the near-term outlook for trade cautiously optimistic.”
“If positive trends continue, global trade could reach nearly $32 trillion in 2024, but it is unlikely to surpass the record level of 2022,” it added.
Challenges remain
The report also raises concerns about the impact of geopolitical and policy challenges.
Despite these positive trends, “the outlook for 2024 is tempered by potential geopolitical issues and industrial policy implications,” UNCTAD said.
Geopolitical tensions, rising shipping costs and emerging industrial policies could alter global trade patterns, it added, warning that an increased focus on domestic industries and trade restrictions could hamper growth in international trade.
