UN Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs

From UN Pulse: Prisoners with special needs handbook Posted at 10:50:58 AM in Human Rights | | Permanent Link: Prisoners with special needs handbook The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued another publication for its Criminal Justice Handbook series. The Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs (full-text, pdf) covers the special needs of prisoners in eight groups, namely: Prisoners with mental health care needs; Prisoners with disabilities; Ethnic and racial minorities and indigenous peoples; Foreign national prisoners; Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prisoners; Older prisoners; Prisoners with terminal illness; Prisoners under sentence of death. U.N. Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs

Recent Law Review articles on Indigenous Peoples June-Dec 2008

From High Hopes to Disillusionment: Indigenous Peoples' Struggle to (re)Gain Their Right to Self-determination Koivurova, Timo International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, Volume 15, Number 1, 2008, p.1-26 Possessing the Pacific: Land, Settlers, and Indigenous People from Australia to Alaska, by Stuart Banner Eamon Lorincz Harvard Environmental Law Review, Volume 32, Number 2, 2008, p.597 Fencing Off the Eagle and the Condor, Border Politics, and Indigenous Peoples Angelique EagleWoman Natural Resources & Environment, Volume 23, Number 2, Fall 2008, p.33 The Impact of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Wisconsin Tribes Jon Beidelschies Wisconsin International Law Journal, Volume 26, Number 2, Summer 2008, p.479 Who are the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and New Zealand? Natalie Coates Journal of South Pacific Law, Volume 12, Number 1, 2008, p.49-55 Indigenous Sovereignty: A Reassessment in Light of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Siegfried Wiessner Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Volume 41, Number 4, October 2008, p.1141 Climate Change and Human Rights: Issues and Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples Emily Gerrard University of New South Wales Law Journal, Volume 31, Number 3, 2008, p.941

Australia to sign UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Australia to Become Signatory to the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Posted: Friday, 13 March 2009, 9:56 (EST)

According to 2009 Australian of the Year, Professor Mick Dodson, the Rudd Government would reverse the position of the previous Howard administration to sign the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

After the Formal Apology to the Stolen Generations, the Federal Government has committed to establish and implement policies to reduce the gap between non-indigenous Australians and indigenous Australians.

Continued here:http://au.christiantoday.com/article/australia-to-become-signatory-to-the-united-nations-declaration-on-rights-of-indigenous-peoples/5711.htm

UN Human Rights Day 2008

Schedule of Events for Human Rights Day 10 December, 2008 at UN Headquarters in New York
On Human Rights Day, 10 December, 2007 the Secretary-General launched a year-long campaign during which all parts of the United Nations family took part in the lead up to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on Human Rights Day 2008.
With more than 360 language versions to help them, UN organizations around the globe used the year to focus on helping people everywhere to learn about their human rights. The UDHR was the first international recognition that all human beings have fundamental rights and freedoms and it continues to be a living and relevant document today.
The theme of the campaign, “Dignity and justice for all of us,” reinforces the vision of the Declaration as a commitment to universal dignity and justice and not something that should be viewed as a luxury or a wish-list.

Continued here: http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2008/.

Amazon Indians' protest forces repeal of laws

{From Survival International} Protests by thousands of Indians across the Peruvian Amazon have led to the repeal of two controversial laws by the Peruvian Congress. The protests were in response to new laws decreed by President Garcia that the Indians said undermined their rights and made it easier for outsiders to seize control of their territories. Following ten days of protests, Congress voted to repeal two of the most controversial laws – Legislative Decrees 1015 and 1073. The leader of Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, described the decision as heralding a ‘new dawn’ for indigenous peoples in Peru. The protests, called off last week, involved an estimated 14,000 Indians. Roads and a river were blockaded, an oil pipeline picketed, and a hydroelectric plant surrounded. The repeal of the two laws must be approved by Peru’s Executive.

Call for Papers: 2009 HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD

CALL FOR PAPERS 2009 HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law American University Washington College of Law The Academy is proud to announce the topic of the 2009 Human Rights Essay Award. This year’s topic for the essay in English is: “60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: its contemporary normative impact”. Deadline for submissions is February 3, 2009. About the Award This annual competition seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly works in international human rights law. The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law grants two Awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. The Jury deciding the Award will be comprised of professionals with a recognized expertise in international human rights law. The best articles may be published in the American University International Law Review. The Award in each case will consist of: a scholarship to the 2009 Specialized Human Rights Program travel expenses* to Washington D.C. housing* at the university dorms per diem for living expenses* for the three-week session Eligibility and Requirements · Participants may choose any subject related to the assigned topic: “60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: its contemporary normative impact”. · Candidates must hold a law degree. · Submissions must be unpublished legal papers in English, written solely by the candidate. · Articles must not exceed 35 pages, including footnotes, and must be double spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font. · Articles must be submitted via email to hracademy@wcl.american.edu in Microsoft Word format. · The deadline to submit articles is February 3, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST. · Winners will be announced on April 1, 2009 on our website · A comprehensive list of rules is available at: www.wcl.american.edu/hracademy.hraward.cfm If you have questions please contact the Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at 202-274-4070 or via email at hracademy@wcl.american.edu *subject to restrictions

Article: Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples

Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples Full-text here: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002932 Matt Finer1*, Clinton N. Jenkins2, Stuart L. Pimm2, Brian Keane3, Carl Ross1 1 Save America's Forests, Washington D. C., United States of America2 Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America3 Land Is Life, Somerville, Massachusetts, United States of America Abstract Background The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this landscape are large reserves of oil and gas, many yet untapped. The growing global demand is leading to unprecedented exploration and development in the region. Methodology/Principal Findings We synthesized information from government sources to quantify the status of oil development in the western Amazon. National governments delimit specific geographic areas or “blocks” that are zoned for hydrocarbon activities, which they may lease to state and multinational energy companies for exploration and production. About 180 oil and gas blocks now cover ~688,000 km2 of the western Amazon. These blocks overlap the most species-rich part of the Amazon. We also found that many of the blocks overlap indigenous territories, both titled lands and areas utilized by peoples in voluntary isolation. In Ecuador and Peru, oil and gas blocks now cover more than two-thirds of the Amazon. In Bolivia and western Brazil, major exploration activities are set to increase rapidly. Conclusions/Significance Without improved policies, the increasing scope and magnitude of planned extraction means that environmental and social impacts are likely to intensify. We review the most pressing oil- and gas-related conservation policy issues confronting the region. These include the need for regional Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments and the adoption of roadless extraction techniques. We also consider the conflicts where the blocks overlap indigenous peoples' territories. Citation: Finer M, Jenkins CN, Pimm SL, Keane B, Ross C (2008) Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples. PLoS ONE 3(8): e2932. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002932 Editor: Dennis Marinus Hansen, Stanford University, United States of America Received: June 5, 2008; Accepted: July 13, 2008; Published: August 13, 2008 Copyright: © 2008 Finer et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by the Forrest C. and Frances H. Lattner Foundation Inc. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: matt@saveamericasforests.org

UN Secretary General's message on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

New York, 9 August 2008 - Message on the International Day of the World's Indigenous People In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 9 August as the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. There were many reasons for this decision, but the fundamental motivation was the Assembly's recognition of the need to place the United Nations clearly and strongly behind the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, in order to put an end to their marginalization, their extreme poverty, the expropriation of their traditional lands and the other grave human rights abuses they have faced and continue to encounter. Indeed, the suffering of indigenous peoples includes some of the darkest episodes in human history. Important as it was, proclamation of the day was only a prelude to a greater milestone: last fall's adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is a visionary step towards addressing the human rights of indigenous peoples. It sets out a framework on which states can build or re-build their relationships with indigenous peoples. The result of more than two decades of negotiations, it provides a momentous opportunity for states and indigenous peoples to strengthen their relationships, promote reconciliation, and ensure that the past is not repeated. I encourage Member States and indigenous peoples to come together in a spirit of mutual respect, and make use of the Declaration as the living document it is so that it has a real and positive effect throughout the world. As 2008 is the International Year of Languages, this International Day is also an opportunity to recognize the silent crisis confronting many of the world's languages, the overwhelming majority of which are indigenous peoples' languages. The loss of these languages would not only weaken the world's cultural diversity, but also our collective knowledge as a human race. I call on States, indigenous peoples, the UN system and all relevant actors to take immediate steps to protect and promote endangered languages, and to ensure the safe passage of this shared heritage to future generations.

Minority Rights Group's Online World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

MRG's World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples MRG recently launched the first online database of the world's minorities and indigenous peoples. The World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples covers 220 of the world's countries and dependent territories, and features profiles of about 700 minorities/indigenous peoples. It is a unique resource for policy-makers, governments, journalists, academics and all those with an interest in the growing field of minority rights. http://www.minorityrights.org/directory

Some Recent Law Review Articles on Ethnic Minorities:

A SUMMARY OF CONTRADICTIONS: AN OUTLINE OF THE EU'S MAIN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPROACHES TO ETHNIC MINORITY PROTECTION Dimitry Kochenov. Boston College International and Comparative Law Review, Volume 31, Number 1, Winter 2008, p.1 Age, Racial/Ethnic Minority Status, Gender and Misdemeanor Sentencing Edward A. Munoz, Adrienne B. Freng. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, Volume 5, Issue 4, 2007, p.29-57 The Ethnic Minority Policies of the People's Republic of China: Patronage and Prejudice Corey Bosely. Rutgers Race & the Law Review, Volume 8, Number 2, Spring 2007, p.291 Ethnic Minorities and the Challenge of Police Recruitment Ian Waters, Nick Hardy, Domonique Delgado and Simone Dahlmann. Police Journal, Volume 80, Number 3, 2007, p.191 Drug Trafficking and Ethnic Minorities in Western Europe Letizia Paoli and Peter Reuter. European Journal of Criminology, Volume 5, Number 1, January 2008, p.13-37