The time had come to adopt a United Nations convention on rights of detainees, Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, told correspondents at Headquarters today. “In so many countries”, he said, “States are not living up to their obligations to respect the basic dignity of human beings in detention.”
In progress at UNHQ
Press Conference
The recognition that there was a clear link between crime and conflict, and the fact that serious and organized crime was prevalent in many conflict areas was the basis for a new agreement between the United Nations and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to strengthen police units in peacekeeping missions around the world, a senior United Nations security official said today.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was designed to address the current challenges facing the continent, including poverty, development and continued marginalization of Africa, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership’s secretariat said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.
All responses to the current financial and economic crisis must pay particular attention to the welfare of children, who were most vulnerable to its negative effects, Rachel Mayanja, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, told correspondents at Headquarters today on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
The adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples two years ago signalled the “strong commitment” of the international community to remedy historical ills and combat the ongoing denial of rights, correspondents were told at a Headquarters press conference today.
United Nations officials -– from support staff to senior decision-makers -- will visit public high schools throughout New York City next week as part of the Department of Public Information’s “UN4U” programme to raise awareness about the Organization’s work and commemorate UN Day, celebrated annually on 24 October, the head of the world body’s public information department said today.
Jordan Ryan, Assistant-Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, said today at a Headquarters press conference that the devastating effects of the late September tsunami and earthquake that battered Samoa and Tonga were a reminder of the importance of investing in disaster risk reduction in order to build back better.
A youth-led education focused campaign launched at Headquarters today -- START FREEDOM -- seeks to engage minds and create action against human trafficking, a crime affecting people in all parts of the world, a panel of civil society representatives and United Nations officials said.
In a preview of her annual report (document A/64/254), set for presentation to the General Assembly’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict acknowledged the momentum that the Organization had built over the past year to protect the rights of boys and girls enduring armed conflicts around the globe.
To stop harmful trafficking in human organs, tissues and cells, a new international convention was needed to protect victims and prosecute offenders, correspondents were told at a press conference this afternoon, following the launch of a study on the topic at United Nations Headquarters.