The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia for another year.
The decision to extend the mandate was made in a resolution that received the support of 18 Council members, while seven members opposed it and 22 abstained. This move comes after Russia’s bid to rejoin the Council was rejected by the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week.
Urgent Call for Compliance
The UNHRC “strongly urged” Russian authorities to comply with all international human rights obligations. The resolution called for the protection of fundamental freedoms, including those of thought, opinion, expression, and assembly. It also emphasized the need for Russia to remove restrictions on diversity in ideas, criticism, and dissent, as well as ensure the associated rights to liberty, security of person, fair trial, and freedom from torture.
Full Engagement and Cooperation
The resolution further called on Russia to engage fully and non-selectively with all UN human rights mechanisms, and to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur’s mandate. It urged Russian authorities to provide unhindered access to the mandate holder, allowing them to visit the country, meet with relevant stakeholders, including civil society, human rights defenders, and individuals in detention.
Background and Role of the Special Rapporteur
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia was established by the UNHRC in October 2022. The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed to monitor, assess, and report on the human rights situation in the country.
In September, the Special Rapporteur issued a report highlighting a significant deterioration in human rights in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February the previous year. The report also described a systematic crackdown on civil society in the country.
The current Special Rapporteur, Mariana Katzarova of Bulgaria, was appointed on April 4 and assumed her functions on May 1. She serves in an individual capacity, independent of any country or the UN Secretariat. It is important to note that she is not a UN staff member and does not receive a salary from the organization.
The extension of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate demonstrates the UN’s continued commitment to monitoring and addressing human rights violations in Russia. By urging Russia to comply with its international human rights obligations and calling for full engagement and cooperation, the UNHRC aims to ensure the protection of fundamental freedoms and the promotion of human rights in the country.
As the Special Rapporteur continues her work, it is hoped that her findings and recommendations will contribute to positive change and accountability for human rights abuses in Russia.
Key Takeaways:
The UNHRC extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia for another year.
Russian authorities were strongly urged to comply with international human rights obligations and remove restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
Full engagement, cooperation, and unhindered access were called for to facilitate the Special Rapporteur’s work.
The Special Rapporteur’s role is to monitor, assess, and report on the human rights situation in Russia.
Individuals and organizations cooperating with UN human rights bodies should be protected from intimidation and reprisals.
The extension of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate underscores the UN’s commitment to holding Russia accountable for human rights violations and promoting a culture of respect and protection for fundamental freedoms.
What does it take to get food, medicine, emergency education, and shelter to record numbers of people in some of the most dangerous places on Earth? The UN does this around the world, including in Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine, and the occupied Palestinian territory.
One in every 33 people (that’s 242 million people) on the planet needed humanitarian assistance in 2022, and most of that aid was coordinated through the UN.
This week, as the Israel-Palestine crisis erupted on 7 October, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York swiftly mobilized. As with all UN emergency responses, the agency facilitates efforts to deliver life-saving aid to those in need.
Taking the lead in providing relief on the ground, including in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Gaza this week, are many UN acronyms commonly identified with emergency aid worldwide, including the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), and other such specialized agencies as those focused on refugees (UNHCR) and children (UNICEF).
A crisis team at UN Headquarters in New York works around the clock to monitor hotspots across the world. To support these efforts, the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) amplifies emergency needs and funding appeals globally online and on social media.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his special envoys engage key players in each conflict to try to find a peaceful solution. In the meantime, the UN chief and staff monitor situations on the ground, inform the media of updates, and discuss with national authorities the best, safest ways to get aid to communities in crisis.
Aid hubs: World’s largest humanitarian warehouse
Planning is essential; much of the aid distributed to people in need across the world comes from storage facilities in Denmark, where UNICEF operates its Global Supply and Logistics Hub in Copenhagen.
Funding for these operations comes from nations around the world, which also donate year-round to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Managed by OCHA, the fund has to date provided more than $6 billion in life-saving assistance in more than 100 countries and territories.
The UN humanitarian affairs office also operates country-based funds (CBPF), managed by the UN, which makes money available to those working on the ground, including its own entities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Organizations.
OCHA allocated a record $1.2 billion through CBPF in 2022, helping partners to address the humanitarian needs of about 47 million people caught in crises.
Most recently, the UN agency released $5 million early this week to help people sheltering in Gaza and the West Bank.
Boats, trucks, planes, and even drones help the UN get aid to people in need. If you’ve ever wondered just how aid supplies and relief workers themselves get to crisis-torn countries where they are needed most, it’s the UN Humanitarian Air Service that steps in when no other means of reaching isolated communities are available.
Known by its acronym, UNHAS, the service was set up in 2003, is managed by WFP, and for the past two decades has been offering safe, reliable, cost-efficient, and effective passenger and light cargo transport for the wider humanitarian community to and from areas of crisis and intervention.
UNHAS has a fleet of more than 90 aircraft, including helicopters, that transports on average more than 33,000 passengers and about 300 metric tonnes of light cargo per month to 310 regular destinations.
Drones have been also been used to reach hard-to-access areas to deliver vaccines, medicines, diagnostic samples, blood products, and other commodities, according to UNICEF, which launched the first ever humanitarian drone corridor in Africa in 2016.
Delivery routes are critical, so the UN discusses transport agreements among nations during conflicts. That included aid in Syria as well as the Black Sea Initiative, agreed by Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine, which for one year brought more than 32 tonnes of food stuffs to 45 countries on three continents.
UNOCHA/David Swanson – Trucks carrying food assistance cross the Turkish border into Syria. (file)
Safe passages: On the ground
The UN and its agencies on the ground routinely request from national authorities the establishment of humanitarian corridors, or safe, unimpeded access for aid workers and deliveries to safely reach those who need help the most.
At the national level, when emergencies occur, the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator manages relief efforts, working hand-in-hand with local authorities.
But, it is UN staff, predominantly national staff with their local knowledge and contacts, that enable much of the relief work and often face the biggest risks, including those employed by the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
A dozen UN agencies and 17,000 staff members, mostly Palestine refugees, work in Gaza and the West Bank, home to more than two million people.
Despite falling rockets and closed borders, they continued to provide assistance in Gaza on Thursday, five days after the crisis began, even as the UN announced that 12 of its staff members had been killed by airstrikes.
“The humanitarian society responds despite the fact that the resources available in Gaza are not enough,” OCHA staff member Hamada El Bayari told UN News.
“There has been an almost complete stop of the supply chain, and resources have not for the last couple of days been authorized to come to Gaza,” he said. “It’s becoming, over the past days, extremely challenging for the humanitarian workers to the put their feet where the impact is.”
The World must act to protect persons with disabilities from the damaging of natural disaster, more than 5,000 victims on Afghan quake, global aid funding off track
The world must act on “unacceptable failures” to protect persons with disabilities from the damaging impact of living through a natural disaster, the UN office dealing with disaster risk said on Thursday.
Persons with disabilities face a “shocking lack of support” with no progress in the last decade, despite a huge increase in climate disasters worldwide, the new UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) report states, and that lack of progress could be a violation of international law.
Persons with disabilities make up 16 per cent of the world’s population and suffer an overall death rate due to disasters that is two to four times higher than the general population.
Comprehensive survey
The survey captured over 6,000 responses from 132 countries to evaluate progress on government policies that should be offering protection.
An initial survey focused on disability was conducted in 2013 and comes ahead of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction marked on Friday, on the theme of fighting inequality.
The new survey found limited progress on disability inclusion over the past ten years, with no significant advances in any region.
Specifically, 84 per cent of respondents in 2023 reported not having a personal preparedness plan in case of a disaster, such as knowing evacuation routes, available shelters and stocking up on emergency supplies.
In 2013, this figure was 71 per cent.
We’re grateful for the support of our donors who enabled us to respond quickly to the #HeratEarthquake.
Notably, the 2023 findings show that if sufficient early warning is provided, 39 per cent of respondents reported they would have no difficulty evacuating, compared to 26 per cent, if there was no warning.
Afghan quake: More than 5,000 victims reached, WHO reports
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has reached 5,625 of the survivors most impacted by the earthquakes that struck the Herat region of Afghanistan over the weekend and again on Wednesday.
In an update, the health agency reported that just over 4,000 have received primary healthcare including mental health support, and over 1,000 were helped with trauma and rehab services.
Latest reports estimate that just over 11,000 people – some 1,835 families – have been impacted overall.
As of Wednesday night, WHO reported damage to 21 health facilities across 10 different districts, more than half of the destruction occurred as a result of the fresh earthquake and aftershocks that day.
A 650-bed regional hospital in Herat, received many of the injured, with 141 patients transferred there, including two in a critical condition, said WHO.
As of 10 October, the death toll stood at 1,294, with nearly 1,700 injured.
Global funding for aid off-track: OCHA
Humanitarians face a funding shortfall of $37 billion to respond to emergencies which affect millions of people in need around the world.
That’s the message from UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA), which said on Thursday that out of the more than $55 billion required to assist 248 million people this year, donors have provided just under a third of that as of the end of September – that’s even less than this time last year.
OCHA said the monthly decrease of global humanitarian funding is “of great concern”.
The humanitarian response plans for the Central African Republic and Somalia have seen the sharpest funding shortfalls compared to last year, by as much as 33 per cent less in the case of Somalia.
Funding for eight other humanitarian emergencies in Afghanistan, Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mozambique, Syria and Venezuela has dropped by more than 10 per cent.
Europe attracts many migrants and asylum seekers. Find out how the EU is improving its asylum and migration policies.
In 2015, there were 1.83 million illegal crossings at the EU’s external borders. While this number fell to about 330,000 in 2022, Parliament is working on a number of proposals to remedy shortcomings in the EU’s asylum and migration policies: from reforming the asylum system to strengthening border security, improving legal labour migration and promoting the integration of refugees.
Asylum seekers: sharing responsibility with frontline countries
In response to the refugee crisis in 2015, the European Commission presented proposals to reform the Common European Asylum System in 2016, including a reform of the Dublin System to better allocate asylum applicants among EU countries. The Dublin System put a huge burden on a limited number of EU countries with external borders because they were responsible for processing all asylum claims. However, EU countries failed to reach an agreement on how to share responsibility.
In 2020, the Commission proposed a new a New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The new asylum system aims to support front-line countries by introducing a new system of flexible contributions from other EU countries, ranging from the relocation of asylum seekers from the country of first entry, to returning people deemed to have no right to stay. The new system is based on voluntary cooperation and flexible forms of support, which could become requirements at times of pressure.
Parliament agreed on its negotiating position on the revision of the Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management in April 2023. It is now ready to start talks with EU countries, with the aim of finishing by February 2024.
Revamping the EU Agency for Asylum
In 2021, Parliament backed the transformation of the European Asylum Support Office into the EU Agency for Asylum. The revamped agency aims to help make asylum procedures in EU countries more uniform and faster.
Its 500 experts provide support to national asylum systems facing a high caseload, making overall EU migration management more efficient and sustainable. In addition, the new agency is in charge of monitoring whether fundamental rights are being respected in the context of international protection procedures and reception conditions in EU countries.
Providing EU funds for asylum
In 2021, MEPs backed the creation of a new Integrated Border Management Fund and agreed to allocate it €6.24 billion. The fund should help EU countries boost their capacities in border management while ensuring fundamental rights are respected. It also contributes to a common, harmonised visa policy and introduces protective measures for vulnerable people arriving in Europe, notably unaccompanied children.
Parliament also approved the renewed Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund with a budget of €9.88 billion for 2021-22. The new fund should contribute to strengthening the common asylum policy, develop legal migration in line with the needs of EU countries, support the integration of non-EU nationals and contribute to the fight against irregular migration. The funds should also serve to encourage EU countries to share the responsibility of hosting refugees and asylum seekers more fairly.
In addition to the asylum system, the EU has also established temporary protection mechanisms for specific groups of refugees or displaced people. One such mechanism is the Temporary Protection Directive, which provides a framework for granting temporary protection. The directive was created in 2001 in response to the conflict in the Balkans.
More recently, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on 24 February 2022, the EU responded rapidly and showed solidarity in action by helping people in need. This included direct humanitarian aid, emergency civil protection assistance, and support at the border, as well as granting protection to those fleeing the war and entering the EU. For the first time in its history, the EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive, setting the legal rules to help manage the mass arrival of people.
Securing the EU’s external borders and managing migration flows
Countering irregular migration while respecting asylum seekers’ rights
The Parliament has been working to tighten border controls and improve EU countries’ ability to track people entering Europe. In April 2023, Parliament approved its position on revisions to the external border procedure. It will now begin negotiations with the Council. It proposes a better screening process, a faster asylum process at the borders and swift returns for rejected asylum seekers.
It includes the possibility of a faster and simplified procedure for asylum claims directly after screening. These should be completed in 12 weeks, including appeals. In the case of a rejection or dismissal of a claim, the failed applicant should be returned within 12 weeks.
The new rules would also limit the use of detention. While an asylum claim is being assessed or the return procedure is being processed, the asylum applicant has to be accommodated by the EU country. Detention should only be used as a last resort.
Reinforcing Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard
Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard, helps to manage the EU’s external borders and to fight cross-border crime.
The refugee influx in 2015 put enormous pressure on national border authorities. Parliament called for a strengthening of Frontex and the Commission proposed to extend Frontex’s mandate and transform it into a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard Agency, with the aim of reinforcing the management and security of the EU’s external borders and supporting national border guards.
It was officially launched at the Bulgarian external border with Turkey in October 2016. Frontex supports EU and Schengen countries in all aspects of border management, from support on the ground and fighting cross-border crime, aerial surveillance and collecting information, to help with return procedures.
Frontex has a current standing corps of more than 2,000 border guards. There are plans to increase this to 10,000 border guards by 2027.
Internal border controls
EU countries have been reinstating border controls within the Schengen area over the last few years, and these controls often last for long periods. In order to preserve free movement while addressing genuine security threats, the Commission put forward a proposal in 2021.
As an alternative to internal border controls, the new rules promote police cooperation in border regions to address unauthorised movements within the Schengen area. Apprehended non-EU citizens with irregular status often arrive from another EU country, so if the two countries hold joint patrols, the irregular migrants may be transferred back to the first EU country. MEPs want to exclude several categories, including unaccompanied minors, from such returns.
MEPs also propose clear criteria for imposing internal border controls in response to serious threats. A justified reason, such as an identified and immediate threat of terrorism, is required before internal border controls can be introduced and such controls would have a time limit of up to eighteen months. If the threat persists, more border controls could be authorised by a Council decision.
The proposals also allow for the reintroduction of border controls in several countries for a period of up to two years when the Commission receives notifications about a particularly serious threat affecting many countries simultaneously.
Improving legal migration with work permits
The EU has also been working to boost legal migration to address labour shortages, fill skill gaps and boost economic growth with:
EU Blue Card: a work and residence permit for highly skilled non-EU workers
The single permit: a combined work and residence permit, valid for two years and country-specific
EU long-term resident status: this allows non-EU citizens to stay and work in the EU for an indefinite period. Once the status has been granted, it is possible to move and work freely within the EU
The single permit and the long-term resident status are currently being revised.
The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in action
The EU is also taking steps to help migrants integrate in their new home countries. The 2021-2027 Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund provides direct funding to local and regional authorities for integration policies and programmes focusing on counselling, education, language and other training such as civic orientation courses and professional guidance.
Improving refugee integration with the new Pact on Migration and Asylum
The Reception Conditions Directive is being revised to ensure equivalent reception standards across EU countries when it comes to material conditions, health care and an adequate standard of living for those who request international protection.
To improve their chances of being able to live independently and integrate, asylum applicants should be allowed to work no later than six months from the date of the registration of their application. They will have access to language courses, as well as civic education courses or vocational training. All children requesting asylum should be enrolled in school at the latest two months after arrival.
Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on the rules in December 2022. It must be formally approved by both bodies before it can enter into force.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, October 12 2023. World Mental Health Day on October 10 2023 became a platform for a global community that stands up for raising awareness and instigating change against psychiatric abuses. The Scientology Network joined forces with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) to organize an event focusing on shedding light on this pressing issue, by dedicating a full day of broadcasting to the issue through Scientology TV. Also, the broader international movement against psychiatric abuses highlighted the importance of the new WHO & OHCHR guidelines that safeguard people from abuses in mental health.
Revealing the Hidden Risks of Psychiatric Medication and its Potential Dangers
Startling statistics reveal that one out of every four Americans is currently dependent on medications. Shockingly even children as young as five years old are involved in over 400,000 cases. Unfortunately, there is awareness regarding the potential risks associated with these medications. Reported side effects include thoughts of violence, anxiety, depression, psychosis, hallucinations and even fatalities. It is deeply concerning to note that individuals using medications face a six times higher likelihood of dying by suicide.
Acknowledging complications such as memory loss, cognitive impairment, brain damage and even fatalities associated with electroshock therapy (ECT) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken a stance. However, despite this acknowledgement 100,000 individuals, in the United States undergo Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) each year, and it is alarming to note that even psychiatrists themselves acknowledge that they do not fully comprehend the mechanisms behind ECT.
Advocating for the Mission of CCHR; Putting an End to Psychiatric Abuse
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) a profit organization is committed to safeguarding mental health and actively working towards eliminating unethical practices in the global psychiatric industry. CCHR and its partners have played a role in enacting over 320 laws aimed at protecting individuals from such abusive practices.
World Mental Health Day Marathon; Shedding Light on Psychiatric Misconduct
As part of their World Mental Health Day campaign, the Scientology Network organized a marathon event with the objective of educating the public in 17 languages about misconduct and corruption within the mental health field worldwide. This event served as a call to action aiming to eradicate activities associated with psychiatry.
Revealing the Facts: Highlighted Shows During the Marathon
The marathon showcased a series of documentaries produced by CCHR, which aimed to uncover the truth, about the history and practices of the industry.
Here are some titles for your consideration:
Therapy or Torture: The Truth about Electroshock, an exposé on the brutal psychiatric practice of electroshock
The Hidden Enemy: Inside Psychiatry’s Covert Agenda, uncovering how psychiatry infiltrated the US military and its devastating effects
Voices for Humanity—the only ongoing television series dedicated to those working in the streets, schools and communities to spread the message of human rights, educate communities on the dangers of drugs and combat psychiatric abuse.
Global Initiatives: Collaborative Efforts between WHO and OHCHR
In anticipation of World Mental Health Day the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) published a document called “Promoting Mental Health Protecting Human Rights: Guidance and Practices.” This comprehensive guide aims to assist countries in reforming their legislation to eradicate human rights violations in healthcare while improving access to high-quality medical services and many organizations and individuals, including CCHR, have been acknowledged for their contributions to the guidelines.
Challenges in Safeguarding Human Rights within Psychiatry
Within healthcare there are persisting instances of abuse and coercive practices often supported by existing laws and policies. These abuses encompass mistreatment related to well-being as well, as emotional conditions. While some nations have taken steps to revise their laws and policies the changes implemented so far are limited in their scope.
The recommendations put forward propose measures to prevent coercion in healthcare services. They stress the significance of obtaining consent as a guiding principle in all health interventions and offer suggestions on how to handle cases within legal frameworks and policies without resorting to coercive methods. Additionally, peer-based programs that do not necessarily fall under purview also can and do play an important role with more cost-effective results while also avoiding the abuses that are reported to occur in the bio-medical approach.
A Human Rights Approach to Mental Health: The Role of Guidelines for Protecting Mental Health
These guidelines involving various entities extend beyond the healthcare sector and aim at lawmakers and policymakers involved in shaping, amending and implementing health-related legislation. These guidelines provide a checklist for countries to assess whether their laws align with human rights obligations. The guidance underlines the importance of involving individuals with lived experiences and their representative organizations in this process while emphasizing education and awareness.
Mental health human rights protection is a right, for everyone
On World Mental Health Day 2023, people worldwide came together to acknowledge that “Mental health human rights protection is a right, for everyone” safeguarded from any form of abuse or violations of rights. Iván Arjona-Pelado, Scientology representative to the EU institutions, OSCE and UN stated that “Both the marathon hosted by Scientology Network and the guidance introduced by WHO and OHCHR serve as examples of efforts to eradicate abuse and ensure that mental healthcare is rooted in human rights, which is something Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard called for at least as early as 1969”.
By raising awareness promoting the importance of consent and advocating for community-based care the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO) are taking steps towards creating a world where everyone’s mental health and well-being are valued and protected.
The ongoing fight against the mistreatment of individuals facing social and mental challenges persists because civil society remains dedicated to upholding human rights and preserving the dignity of every person. Guidelines, for safeguarding mental health offer a roadmap towards a future where mental well-being is prioritized ensuring that individuals receive the care and support they truly deserve.
“Our team has mobilized and is currently implementing more than $1 billion in recovery and development initiatives across the country,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, this week visited some of our recovery initiatives in Invakiv, a town in the Kyiv region.
There, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are reconstructing and repairing homes, primary schools, and water systems, that were all destroyed at the start of the Russian invasion last February.
“Our team is also supporting a centre where residents can access a wide range of essential services, including birth certificates,” Mr. Dujarric said, adding that, the work is aligned with the aspirations of the war-affected communities.
Sudan: UN rights council establishes fact-finding mission
The UN’s top human rights body established an Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, in response to the ongoing war between the national army and paramilitary forces.
Adopting a resolution on Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Council decided that the Mission will consist of three experts in international human rights law and international humanitarian law who will serve for an initial period of one year. They will be appointed by the Council President as soon as possible.
Their mandate will include investigating and establishing the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses, and violations of international law, in the context of the conflict, which erupted on 15 April.
The experts will collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of violations and abuses, including against women and children. Where possible, they will identify those responsible, with a view to ensuring they are held accountable.
The resolution was presented by the United Kingdom, and on behalf of Germany, Norway and the United States.
Niger: Expulsion of top UN official to impede aid delivery
The decision to order the expulsion of the top UN official in Niger will have adverse effects on vital work in the country, where millions are in need of humanitarian assistance.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres deeply regretted that on Tuesday authorities ordered UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Louise Aubin to leave Niger within 72 hours, his Spokesperson said in a statement.
He underlined that the order to leave the country is contrary to the legal framework applicable to the United Nations, including with respect to obligations under the UN Charter and the privileges and immunities accorded to the Organization.
“The decision to order the departure of the Resident Coordinator hampers the ability of the Organization to effectively carry out its mandates and disrupts the essential work we do for the people of Niger, where 4.3 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, mostly women and children,” the statement said.
It added that Ms. Aubin has been exemplary in leading the UN system in Niger to work impartially and tirelessly to deliver humanitarian and development assistance, in accordance with the National Development Plan.
In late July, military leaders in the West African country seized power from the democratically-elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, and suspended the Constitution.
WHO report reveals shift towards an ageing Europe
A new report from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warns that by 2024, the number of people aged 65 and over in Europe will surpass those under 15, ushering in a host of social, economic, and health challenges.
“A less active and mostly sedentary life with a monotonous and even dull routine every day – that’s an unfair but very common perception of life after 65,” said Kremlin Wickramasinghe, WHO Europe Regional Adviser on Nutrition.
The report offers a roadmap for navigating this demographic shift, emphasizing the crucial role of physical activity and diet quality in maintaining health.
“Our report highlights why policy-makers, businesses and communities in our Region should create more opportunities and make better investments to make healthy choices easier, increasing healthy life expectancy for all of us.,” Dr. Wickramasinghe added.
ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an emergency operation to provide critical food assistance to over 800,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank who are facing dire circumstances, lacking access to food, water, and essential supplies.
WFP calls for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to facilitate the entry of aid and humanitarian assistance into Gaza and appeals for the safe and unobstructed passage for its staff and essential commodities.
WFP urgently requires access and funding to reach those in need. A total of US$17.3 million is needed in the next four weeks to address this critical situation.
An update from Palestine where WFP is rapidly expanding the distribution of emergency food assistance:
On Monday, WFP together with UNRWA, has distributed ready-to-eat food to 73,000 people. Distributions are ongoing daily for displaced people in shelters in Gaza, amid concerns that the city is running out of critical resources like food, water, and electricity, with damaged infrastructure severely impeding both food production and distribution networks.
WFP is also starting the distribution of cash-based transfers to 164,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank. Electronic vouchers can be redeemed on food items in local shops. WFP is concerned about availability of food in local shops as supplies are running out.
In the next few days, pending the replenishment of food stocks through the opening of humanitarian corridors, WFP will distribute food to 300,000 people in host communities and make available cash-based-platforms to humanitarian partners.
All borders and check points between the West Bank and Gaza are closed, which is further exacerbating the crisis by preventing much-needed assistance from entering.
“This is one of the largest protection crises that we are faced with today,” said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR’s Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes.
“Inside Sudan itself there are a lot of people in urban settings that are affected equally and who do not have the resources to leave.”
In a related development, the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday voted to set up a high-level probe “to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations” in Sudan.
In accordance with the resolution, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan is mandated to investigate violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against refugees, and related crimes caused by the ongoing conflict.
Cease hostilities
In an appeal for a cessation of hostilities, the UNHCR official urged Sudan’s opposing militaries “to have a peace process that will help our brothers and sisters who have been obliged to flee their countries to go back to their countries”.
As a result of the conflict that erupted in mid-April between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other armed groups in mid-April, the UN agency described how families had faced harrowing journeys and become separated while on the move, amid increasing reports of gender-based violence. Malnourishment among children is now described as a major crisis, along with disease outbreaks.
“I have seen and I have witnessed the level of human rights violations that have happened within Sudan so that what we hear from people who have crossed the borders is really heartbreaking and that’s the protection crisis that we are faced with and it has been ongoing for the past six months,” Mr. Balde said.
Regional ramifications
The regional ramifications of the Sudanese emergency are deep, particularly in neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR). Both nations are grappling with the influx of refugees fleeing the devastating conflict in Sudan, bringing with them stories of despair, loss, and continued vulnerability.
“In my long career as a humanitarian worker what I have seen in Chad with this new emergency with such a rapid and vast displacement of people is the first time,” said Abdouraouf Gnon Konde, UNHCR’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
There are over 420,000 new refugees in Chad, 300,000 in Egypt, and about 19,000 in CAR.
Situation in Chad
To put this in perspective, “Chad has hosted more refugees in these mere five months than it has in the past 20 years becoming now undeniably the epicentre of this crisis,” Mr. Konde said.
By the end of 2023, the number of refugees in Chad could number 600,000, according to UNHCR estimates.
In response to the emergency there, the UN agency has relocated 42 per cent of refugees away from high-risk border areas, with a focus on protecting the high percentage of vulnerable women and children.
Xylazine is called a “zombie drug” because the users have this particular, confused, hunched and slowed move which gives them the appearance of the living dead.
In the whole world, environmental disasters, poverty, inequalities and social injustice are increasing, health care is degrading, same for education and moral values; it is also noted the instrumentalisation of religions and human rights; the metropoles are subject to pollution, crimes, human trafficking and flourishing illicit drug markets. And among the long, impressive and life-threatening list of illicit drugs and New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) -most often produced to circumvent the drug laws- the emergence of a new one, Xylazine, is gaining the attention of the concerned authorities (Rodriguez N. et al., 2008).“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” said Administrator Milgram-U.S.A. Drug Enforcement Administration (2023).
The xylazine (C12H16N2S) is not an opioid like fentanyl but a methyl benzene from the class of phenothiazines. It had been produced by various alternate syntheses, starting in Germany (Bayer Pharmaceutics, 1962). This is a highly lipophilic substance, so easily crosses the membranes and reaches the brain receptors as well as the ones in the body.
This is a drug initially considered for use in humans as an antihypertensive agent, but due to the adverse effects in humans (severe hypotension and Central Nervous System depressant effects), its medical use was discontinued.
In 1972 its use was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only in veterinary medicine for sedation (for 1-4 hours), analgesia (15-30 min), anaesthesia for surgical procedures, and as a muscle relaxant, in animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, and others.
Xylazine in human misuse is known under the names of flesh-eating drug, tranq, tranq-dope, zombie drug, sleep-cut, and Philly dope. It is called a “zombie drug” because the users have this particular, confused, hunched and slowed move or in some cases are in a trance-like state, which gives them the appearance of the living dead that people describe as being zombie-like.
In 2022, the Estonian police reported seizing mixtures containing new opioids and the animal sedative and analgesic xylazine. Most often, xylazine is used as a cheap drug adjuvant (online, for 6-20 dollars per kilogram) to inflate doses of hard drugs, including the opioid fentanyl whose mixture is health devastating. The first death in Europe associated with xylazine use was reported in England (UK) in 2022 with a postmortem detection of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and xylazine (Rock K. L. et al., 2023).
As an illicit drug, xylazine can be consumed orally, by smoking, snorting, by intramuscular, subcutaneous, or intravenous injection. The drug’s reported duration of effect is longer than that of fentanyl. The adulteration of fentanyl with xylazine allows to extend the feeling of euphoria and analgesia induced by fentanyl and to reduce the frequency of injections (Gupta R. et al. 2023).
Xylazine would be 50 times more powerful than heroin, and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Xylazine is currently responsible for a third of overdose deaths in the United States. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Report 30 (June 2023), mentions that the number of drug overdose deaths involving xylazine was 102 in 2018, 627 in 2019, 1 499 in 2020, and 3 468 in 2021.
In users, xylazine causes loss of consciousness, and states of stupor and in injecting users can lead to skin lesions, and ulcers that, easily infected, can cause gangrene and necrosis often requiring amputation to remove the limb with the rotting tissue. The Professor of Neurobiology S. Kourrich (2023) speaks of the devastating effects, beyond addiction, of xylazine on health, including skin lesions worthy of horror movies.
The signs and symptoms of xylazine overdose are similar to those of heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids. When xylazine is added to opioids, severe toxicity and death can occur due to the combined effects of the drugs. But, because xylazine is not an opioid, Naloxone (best antidote for opioid overdose – Jordan M.R. and Morrissonponce D., 2023) is unlikely to be effective in treating people. There is no safe xylazine drug dose to use!
Xylazine acts within the brain to cause sedation and abnormally slow breathing, a life-threatening respiratory depression (that can request tracheostomy) leading to cardiac arrest and death. The effects of severe xylazine intoxication can last for several days.
Xylazine is an adrenergic agonist, having the same action as adrenaline, a hormone and neurotransmitter (Chavez-Arias et al., 2014). Due to its highly lipophilic nature, xylazine directly stimulates the Central Nervous System alpha(α)2-adrenergic receptors as well as other peripheral α-adreno receptors in a great variety of tissues. It has been shown that the human placenta expresses α2-adrenergic receptors that may be implicated in pathogenesis and fetal growth restriction (Motawea H.K.B. et al., 2018).
Note: The 5 main different types of adreno-receptors are:
(Alpha) α-1: present on the smooth muscle fibres of the vessels; α-2: pre-synaptic localization (inhibitory effect on the synapse) located in the central nervous system and heart. α-2 is composed of 3 subtypes A, B, C.
(Beta) β-1: present in the heart where it strengthens the activity (faster and stronger beats); β-2: present locally on certain tissues and allows vasodilation of the arteries or dilation of the bronchi; β-3: present on adipocytes, stimulates thermogenesis.
These receptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors, a family of transmembrane receptors in mammals, target of many catecholamines as the natural ligands of the α2-receptors which are: the noradrenaline (norepinephrine) which has a greater affinity, the adrenaline (epinephrine), and the dopamine (the molecule of pleasure, part of the reward system in the brain).
Xylazine inhibits the release of both neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine at the neuronal synapse, resulting in depression of the Central Nervous System interfering with behavioural flexibility, working memory, and nociceptive control and it causes the inhibition of the Sympathetic Nervous System (automatic activities of the body) as on smooth muscle contraction and at heart level a bradyarrhythmia, thus responsible for the decrease of alertness, nociception, muscle tone and of the fight-or-flight response.
Xylazine is metabolized in the liver by the cytochrome P450 enzymes, and then 70% is excreted as urine (Barroso M. et al., 2007). So, urine can be used in detecting xylazine through its metabolites but within a few hours, they decrease to undetectable levels.
How come people are voluntarily reaching such a point of self-destruction, debilitating and painful physical deterioration and dependence?
Substance abuse (greed and dependence) has been associated with early emotional deficiencies resulting in an inability to tolerate emotions and regulate self-esteem and relationships with others (Krystal H., 1982).
Before reaching this addiction point there is a long way to go, starting often with alcohol and cannabis (and some medicines). It is not with legalization, decriminalisation, or shooting rooms that the drug problem will be solved, these ways appear to escape the responsibilities in terms of prevention.
Even if there is no ideal age to talk about the harmful effects of drug use, young people must be informed of these risks as early as possible. The role of the parents -when it is not itself a risk factor- by listening, conversing and providing correct information remains the best prevention. This should be reinforced by trained teachers and educators with continuous yearly teaching adapted to the age and with prevention actions carried out by governments, communities, organizations and associations, among youth and parents.
This is what the Say No To Drugs volunteers across Europe with the Foundation for a Drug-Free Europe strive to achieve through the educational materials The Truth About Drugs*.
The Greek philosopher Epictetus (50-135 A.D.) said: Only the educated are free. Indeed,education provides awareness and knowledge of basic elements of life and gives the ability to differentiate the right from the wrong and to take the right decision. Because as said by the humanist L. Ron Hubbard in 1956: It’s a problem in unawareness. The ethics, the morality, the capability of good, sound judgment alike depend upon the ability to be aware.
Instead of living the drug hell torments of a drug addict who can no longer stand life enslaved to the increasing spiral of harmful drug doses, isn’t it better to be able to face life responsibly, and freely, and act with passion and perseverance to make dreams come true?
