WHO launches a global health pass inspired by the European Covid digital certificate

WHO launches a global health pass — © 2023 WHO

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The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Commission have announced the launch of a landmark digital health partnership with a global health pass.

In June 2023, WHO will take up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global health pass that will help facilitate global mobility and protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics. This is the first building block of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) that will develop a wide range of digital products to deliver better health for all.

“Building on the EU’s highly successful digital certification network, WHO aims to offer all WHO Member States access to an open-source digital health tool, which is based on the principles of equity, innovation, transparency and data protection and privacy,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “New digital health products in development aim to help people everywhere receive quality health services quickly and more effectively”.

Based on the EU Global Health Strategy and WHO Global strategy on digital health, the initiative follows the 30 November 2022 agreement between Commissioner Kyriakides and Dr Tedros to enhance strategic cooperation on global health issues. This further bolsters a robust multilateral system with WHO at its core, powered by a strong EU.

“This partnership is an important step for the digital action plan of the EU Global Health Strategy. By using European best practices we contribute to digital health standards and interoperability globally—to the benefit of those most in need. It is also a powerful example of how alignment between the EU and the WHO can deliver better health for all, in the EU and across the world. As the directing and coordinating authority on international health work, there is no better partner than the WHO to advance the work we started at the EU and further develop global digital health solutions,” said Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.

This partnership will include close collaboration in the development, management and implementation of the WHO GDHCN system, benefitting from the European Commission’s ample technical expertise in the field. A first step is to ensure that the current EU digital certificates continue to function effectively.

“With 80 countries and territories connected to the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate, the EU has set a global standard. The EU certificate has not only been an important tool in our fight against the pandemic, but has also facilitated international travel and tourism. I am pleased that the WHO will build on the privacy-preserving principles and cutting-edge technology of the EU certificate to create a global tool against future pandemics,” added Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market.

A global WHO system building on EU legacy

One of the key elements in the European Union’s work against the COVID-19 pandemic has been digital COVID-19 certificates. To facilitate free movement within its borders, the EU swiftly established interoperable COVID-19 certificates (entitled ‘EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate’ or ‘EU DCC’). Based on open-source technologies and standards it allowed also for the connection of non-EU countries that issue certificates according to EU DCC specifications, becoming the most widely used solution around the world.

From the onset of the pandemic, WHO engaged with all WHO Regions to define overall guidelines for such certificates. To help strengthen global health preparedness in the face of growing health threats, WHO is establishing a global digital health certification network which builds upon the solid foundations of the EU DCC framework, principles and open technologies. With this collaboration, WHO will facilitate this process globally under its own structure with the aim to allow the world to benefit from convergence of digital certificates. This includes standard-setting and validation of digital signatures to prevent fraud. In doing so, WHO will not have access to any underlying personal data, which would continue to be the exclusive domain of governments.

The first building block of the global WHO system becomes operational in June 2023 and aims to be progressively developed in the coming months.

A long-term digital partnership to deliver better health for all

To facilitate the uptake of the EU DCC by WHO and contribute to its operation and further development, WHO and the European Commission have agreed to partner in digital health.

This partnership will work to technically develop the WHO system with a staged approach to cover additional use cases, which may include, for example, the digitisation of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. Expanding such digital solutions will be essential to deliver better health for citizens across the globe.

This cooperation is based on the shared values and principles of transparency and openness, inclusiveness, accountability, data protection and privacy, security, scalability at a global level, and equity. The WHO and the European Commission will work together to encourage maximum global uptake and participation. Particular attention will be paid to equitable opportunities for the participation by those most in need: low and middle-income countries.

Ukraine refugees in the EU need more support

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Newsdesk

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6 June 2023

Ukraine refugees — Photo credit: Philipp Spalek/Caritas

Today, Caritas Europa launches its new analysis on the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), based on a survey carried out in 21 countries. A vast majority of refugees struggle to access affordable accommodation and other rights. We call for continued support to all people in need of protection.

Since the start of the war, over 8 million people have fled Ukraine to seek refuge in Europe. Caritas welcomes the unprecedented triggering of the TPD and similar temporary protection statuses in Europe that grant immediate access to a series of rights, such as residence permit, health, education, accommodation, access to the labour market and welfare support. However, important barriers to accessing these rights remain, as we reveal in our new publication “Europe’s welcome of refugees from Ukraine and lessons learnt”.

One of the key challenges from our findings relates to the difficulties for the refugees to transition from hosting families to independent living. This is due to an acute housing crisis across Europe. Many refugees are also in difficult financial situations with limited access to welfare state support. Those with disabilities often face additional administrative challenges and struggle to receive the allowances they are entitled to.

Furthermore, public healthcare services are often restricted and emergency services are the only option in many cases to receive care in several countries.

Difficult access to education and school also raises concerns about the continuity of education. Direct access to the labour market is one of the key benefits of the TPD; yet, in practice, refugees from Ukraine are often forced to take on low-skilled and low-paid jobs, typically below their level of qualifications. The lack of childcare facilities and kindergarten places also prevents women from working.

These challenges hinder social inclusion, which is further exacerbated by uncertainty about the future, including what legal status people will receive when temporary protection ends and when return to Ukraine will be possible.

Challenges for the future

Limited funding and solidarity fatigue make us doubt the future support to refugees from Ukraine, let alone the needed effort to overcome the challenges highlighted above. In addition, as asylum and reception systems in many countries are already strained, we are concerned that political will to support all refugees in the EU is decreasing and that governments will not commit to ambitious pledges to resettle people in need of protection.

While our analysis identifies some cases of differentiated treatment based on a refugee’s country of origin, the strong welcome of refugees from Ukraine shows that where there is a will there is a way. Thus, we urge European governments to leverage the good practices we have identified, such as involving local communities and diaspora, having efficient registration processes, wide provision of information and support, wider access to the labour market and more flexible reunification procedures.

Maria Nyman, Caritas Europa Secretary General, stated:

“Caritas provides support to all people in need, regardless of their origin, and we will continue to do so in line with our mission. We urge countries to build upon the solidarity shown to the people fleeing the war in Ukraine and to duplicate the good practices put in place to ensure a dignified welcome and protection to all refugees.”

Haiti: UN deeply saddened as latest earthquake kills three, in wake of floods

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6 June 2023

Haiti: UN deeply saddened as latest earthquake kills three, in wake of floods

The 5.5 magnitude quake struck in the department of Grand’Anse, following torrential rains which have displaced more than 13,000 people.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life, destruction of property and suffering of the Haitian people caused by the earthquake”, said UN Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric. “The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to all those injured.”

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More aid en route

He said the UN stood ready to work with the Haitian authorities and other partners, to help ease the suffering of those impacted by this latest natural disaster.

On Monday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that it was already providing immediate assistance to those affected by the massive rainfall over the weekend, providing hot meals to those displaced, and mobilizing ready-to-eat rations and dry food.

Mr. Dujarric said that Grand’ Anse was among the areas impacted by the rains, prior to the earthquake.

According to news reports, Tuesday’s quake was the second to strike the area in just two days, with a 4.4 magnitude tremor registered on Sunday morning.

In August 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the same southern peninsula region, leaving hundreds dead.

Urban areas of Haiti have been flooded following torrential rains.

Resources for flood victims

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, is working with UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, WFP and the International Organization for Migration, IOM, to support communities around the capital Port-au-Prince that were hardest hit by the floods and landslides, he added.

WFP is ready to distribute some 350,000 hot meals and other food assistance overall, to those who need it the most, he confirmed.

“Our colleagues say that ongoing insecurity and damage to roads are obviously hampering any relief efforts.”

According to UN humanitarians, the floods and landslides affected seven of Haiti’s 10 departments, and authorities say at least 51 people have been killed, 140 others injured and 18 are still missing. In the affected areas, nearly 32,000 homes were flooded.

Human rights for all, still ‘work in progress’ warns Türk

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6 June 2023

Human rights for all, still ‘work in progress’ warns Türk

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, and its mandate has become a powerful vehicle for change, progress, dignity, and justice, yet “this is far from enough to meet today’s challenges”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in his keynote address at the +30 Symposium, Vienna World Conference: 30 Years On: Our Rights – Our Future.

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Common language

Convened to mark the third decade of the adoption of the landmark Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the symposium aims at highlighting achievements and outlining challenges ahead.

“While there have been massive gains in human rights since the Vienna Declaration, today, all around the world, we are seeing dramatic rollbacks”, he said. “The common language of human rights is our compass to guide us towards progress.”

The global agreement remains a “living document that can guide us today in our ambitions”, the High Commissioner said.

Rolling back rights

From Afghanistan to Ukraine, he said, the world is witnessing pushbacks on rights, a rise in hate speech, shrinking civic space, and a changing geopolitical landscape that has revealed a disturbing trend of deepened divisions within and across countries threatening national cohesion, he warned.

The 21st century has also seen the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution alongside digital shifts, including artificial intelligence developments, that are rapidly transforming the world, “moving faster than the regulators who should be setting up careful human rights guardrails to protect us from their dangers”, he said.

Rights foundations

“Today’s emerging human rights challenges will continue to test us,” he said. “It would be naïve to say we can pass all these tests, but it would be dangerous and counter-productive to stop trying.”

Recalling his youth in post-Second World War Austria, he said the “echoes of trauma and of grave human rights violations were palpable”.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which turns 75 this year, was “a powerful unifying force for equality, social progress, justice, and respect” in an era of profound social transformations amid dynamic movements for social justice, feminism, LGBTI rights, anti-apartheid, decolonization, and environmental protection, he said.

When UN Member States adopted the Vienna Declaration in 1993, the agreement had shattered the long-held fallacy that social, economic, and cultural rights have less value than civil and political rights, he said.

The landmark agreement also confirmed the conviction that human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated, and boldly rejected the view that certain human rights could be considered optional while paving the path for numerous other breakthroughs, from establishing the International Criminal Court, to historical advances on the rights of women, children, and indigenous peoples.

Learning from mistakes

“Anniversaries are arbitrary unless we seize them as meaningful opportunities to reflect on our achievements, learn from our mistakes, and take fearless steps towards progress and transformation,” he said.

“The task before all of us today, this year, and in the future is to apply the Universal Declaration’s visionary words to our current global challenges,” he said, urging all participants to constructively join the symposium with pledges and positive impact stories.

“Restoring faith and certainty in human rights at a time of profound global turmoil is the focus of this symposium, and it must be the focus of our future,” he added.

Ukraine: Dam destruction ‘monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe’: Guterres

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6 June 2023

Ukraine: Dam destruction ‘monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe’: Guterres

Water from the reservoir of the Kakhovka dam is also used to cool the nearby Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), Europe’s largest, which has been under constant threat since being occupied by Russian forces early in the conflict.

The UN Office in Ukraine tweeted that “thousands of people in Ukraine are in peril” following the major breach in the Soviet-era Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric plant, on the country’s largest river, the Dnipro, in the southeast, with video showing torrents of water cascading through.

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‘Devastating consequence’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, told reporters in New York outside the Security Council that the UN had no access to independent information to verify how the catastrophe had occurred.

“But one thing is clear: this is another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”, he said, whose effects are being seen in dozens of towns and cities along the Dnipro River.

At least 16,000 have already lost their homes he said, assuring that the UN and partners were rushing support to the affected areas, including drinking water, purification tablets, “and other critical assistance.”

He said the tragedy “was yet another example of the horrific price of war on people. The floodgates of suffering have been overflowing for more than a year, and that must stop”, along with all attacks on civilians and infrastructure.

“Above all, I appeal for a just peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and the resolutions of the General Assembly”, he concluded.

The Ukrainian and Russian governments blamed each other for launching an attack on the facility – according to news reports – which is under Russian control, on the southern and eastern side of the river, while Ukrainian forces control territory along the opposite bank.

Thousands of people have already been reportedly evacuated, with towns downstream inundated with water.

Misery compounded

Long-term, “many risk being left homeless and in desperate need, compounding the misery Ukrainians face amid Russia’s full-scale invasion”, said the UN Office.

In a tweet, the President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, said he stood in solidarity with those suffering the effects of the disaster in the Kherson region, adding that “intentional attacks to cause long-term and severe damage to the natural environment, are war crimes.”

Ukraine.” title=”Secretary-General António Guterres (at podium) briefs reporters about the destruction in the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in Ukraine.” loading=”lazy” width=”1024″ height=”768″/>

Secretary-General António Guterres (at podium) briefs reporters about the destruction in the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in Ukraine.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said that civilians’ rights to housing, health and livelihoods, along with access to clean water and a health environment, were all at risk, calling for a full investigation into the disaster, and accountability.

Nuclear plant concerns

According to the UN’s nuclear watchdog, IAEA, the damage to the dam has already led to a “significant” reduction in the level of the reservoir that supplies the ZNPP.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned that the “absence of cooling water in the essential cooling water systems for an extended period of time would cause fuel melt and inoperability of the plant’s emergency diesel generators”.

‘No immediate risk’

While there was no “immediate risk” to the plant’s safety, as the supply of cooling water from the reservoir “should last for a few days”, the agency’s monitors present at Zaporizhzhya, which is occupied by Russia but operated by Ukrainian civilians, continue to monitor closely the rate at which the reservoir level is falling.

Mr. Grossi also said that a “large cooling pond” next to the ZNPP could potentially provide an alternative source of water, which Ukrainian authorities confirmed later, according to news reports. But he insisted that it was “vital” that this cooling pond remains intact.

National leadership structures are critical parts of an effective anti-trafficking strategy

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officialinstitutions

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6 June 2023

National leadership structures are critical parts of an effective anti-trafficking strategy, say participants at annual anti-trafficking meeting

STRASBOURG, 6 June 2023 – How to enhance anti-trafficking national leadership structures is the focus of the largest annual meeting of the National Anti-trafficking Co-ordinators and Rapporteurs, which has started today at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

The Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB) and the Council of Europe (CoE) co-organized the meeting, which concludes tomorrow.

More than 130 participants, representing nearly 60 countries from the Council of Europe and OSCE regions and beyond, are gathered to discuss ways to strengthen the mandates and roles of the National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinators and Rapporteurs (NACs and NARs), or equivalent mechanisms. NACs and NARs are critical parts of an effective national anti-trafficking strategy, preferably placed in a high-level position in government and in independent human rights bodies, to better leverage, direct, and harmonize the different instruments of the anti-trafficking efforts and maximize their impact.

“The elevated risk for exploitation today means that there is a pressing need and obligation to take action. Success in overcoming the challenges we face requires national leadership,” OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid stressed in her welcoming remarks.

“Unfortunately, States are still not doing a good enough job at identifying and protecting victims of trafficking when the data tells us that less than 1% of all trafficking victims are ever identified, and far too few of those who are identified receive the services and support they need, tailored to their specific vulnerabilities and circumstances,” added Andrea Salvoni, Acting Co-ordinator of the OSCE OSR/CTHB, in his opening remarks

“Our collective duty is to ensure that the fight against human trafficking remains at the top of the political agenda at the national, regional and international levels,” stated Maria Spassova, Vice-Chair of the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. “The Reykjavik Declaration recently adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe emphasized the need to combat human trafficking and foster international co-operation,” she added.

“The annual meetings of national anti-trafficking co-ordinators and rapporteurs provide a platform for exchange of information and ideas, and reinforce their resolve to guide action against human trafficking in the face of new challenges and competing priorities,” concluded Petya Nestorova, Executive Secretary of the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention.

Better identifying and assisting victims of transnational trafficking, enhancing proactive use of financial investigations, understanding and addressing trafficking in human beings for the purpose of forced criminality, and ways to enhance the mandates and roles of the NACs and NARs are among the topics to be treated during the working sessions of the two-day meeting.

Chinese Ancient Books Resources Database

By

News desk

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6 June 2023

„Chinese Ancient Books Resources Database” is an important achievement of “Chinese Ancient Books Preservation Plan”.

At present, ancient books photocopy resources published online include rare and ancient books collected by the National Library of China (NLC), the Zhaocheng Tripitaka of the Jin Dynasty, Dunhuang Manuscripts collected by the National Library of France (NLF), etc., totaling more than 10 million pages of more than 25000 volumes.

On 28 September 2016, “Chinese Ancient Books Resources Database” was launched officially, and photocopy resources of 10975 volumes of rare books and ancient books were published online; On 28 February 2017, photocopy resources of 6284 volumes of rare books and ancient books were published online; On 28 December 2017, 1281 volumes of Zhaocheng Tripitaka of the Jin Dynasty, and photocopy resources of 1928 volumes of rare books and ancient books were published online; On 5 March, 5300 pieces of Dunhuang Manuscripts collected by the NFC were published online

China made 6,786 sets of ancient books available online, bringing the total number of digitized ancient resources to 130,000, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported at the start of the year.

The uploaded resources, including copies of woodcuts from the Ming and Qing dynasties and ancient manuscripts, were published by the National Library of China in collaboration with five other libraries across the country.

The National Library of China has collected over 100,000 pieces of new and old photos (7,000 titles). These photos can trace back to the court photography of the end of the Qing Dynasty that photography was initially introduced to China. With the era of development and social improvement, photos of different periods vividly recorded the past social events, historical figures, the urban and the rural, attractions, architecture and clothing.

Other resources also available online:

Analytical System for the Complete Song Poetry

It includes 254,240 Song poems, providing full-text search, repeated poems search, poet bibliography search, and advanced search, and supporting strict data search and mixed-mode search. It has the functions of repeated poems extraction, metrical poems annotation, frequency statistics of words and phrases, and metrical analysis of users’ poems.

Chinese Genealogy Database

It has collected 1,124 titles of genealogies of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Each title is made according to the original copy of rare books, with all information reserved, including tables, diagrams, and marks.

Treaty against plastic pollution, a timid victory

By

EuropeanTimes

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5 June 2023

1

Treaty against plastic pollution, a timid victory

From May 29 to June 2, 175 countries reached agreement on an international treaty to combat plastic pollution.

Speaking during the opening on Monday, UNEP chief Inger Andersen bluntly stated that “we cannot recycle our way out of this mess”, adding that “only elimination, reduction, a full life-cycle approach, transparency and a just transition can bring success.”

And in his introductory speech, Emmanuel Macron described plastic pollution as “a time bomb”: “Today, we extract fossil fuels to produce plastic, which we then burn. This is ecological nonsense.

After five days of laborious negotiations, a first version will be examined in November at a meeting in Nairobi (Kenya), with a view to a definitive treaty by the end of 2024.

At the latest meeting, led by France and Brazil, the proposed resolution was adopted in plenary session at Unesco headquarters in Paris on Friday evening.

According to the text, “the International Negotiating Committee (INC) requests its chairman to prepare, with the assistance of the secretariat, a draft of the first version of the legally binding international treaty”.
The negotiators, who had been meeting since Monday, were only able to get to the heart of the matter on Wednesday evening, after two days of blocking by Saudi Arabia and several Gulf countries, Russia, China, Brazil and India. This blockage was linked to the question of whether or not to resort to a two-thirds majority vote, in the event of a lack of unanimity during the future examination of a draft treaty. In a five-line statement acknowledging the divergences, the subject was postponed.

The discussions revealed contradictory approaches: on the one hand, the advocates of an ambitious agreement, who want to tackle plastic from production to disposal. The latter, led by Norway and Rwanda and including the European Union and Japan, are betting on binding targets for reducing plastic production, and on banning the most problematic uses (including single-use plastics). On the other hand, a group of countries that are major producers of oil and plastic are focusing on the issue of waste, and advocating recycling or other technological solutions to alleviate the problem. These countries, including China and the United States, are pushing for a less restrictive text.

According to the French newspaper Mediapart, 190 lobbyists tried to put the brakes on progress. They defended the interests of global giants such as Nestlé, Lego, Exxon Mobil and Coca-Cola, and French companies such as Carrefour, Michelin, Danone and Total Energies.

As well as their representatives, notably the European Plastics Europe association, behind seemingly green structures such as the Alliance to End Plastic Waste NGO (founded by the oil industry) were well represented at Unesco. But all the professional, scientific and associative observers who had turned out in force were unable to get in each day, due to lack of space.

Did you know?

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.

An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. That is approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together.

Some 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow annually into oceans. This may triple by 2040 and more than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution through ingestion, entanglement, and other dangers.

Microplastics – tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into food, water and air. It is estimated that each person on the planet consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year equivalent to a credit card –and many more if inhalation is considered.

Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountain tops to the ocean floor.

“Bodhichitta is the Main Cause of a Buddha”, Stressed His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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EuropeanTimes

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5 June 2023

“Bodhichitta is the Main Cause of a Buddha”, Stressed His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama walked from the gates to his residence to the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, to give a teaching by way of celebration

Dharamsala, HP, India, 4th June 2023

Today is the full-moon day, the principal day, of Saga Dawa, the fourth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, when Tibetans remember the birth and enlightenment of Buddha Shakyamuni. His Holiness the Dalai Lama walked from the gates to his residence to the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, to give a teaching by way of celebration. As he made his way up the middle of the temple courtyard, he walked from side to side to greet and wave to people gathered there.

Reaching the temple, he greeted a group of Theravada monks who were seated to the right of the throne and in the front row of monks before it. From the steps to the throne, His Holiness raised his folded hands to pay his respects to the Buddha and paused a moment in silent prayer. The ‘Heart Sutra’ was recited in Tibetan as he took his seat, followed by a mandala offering. Tea and bread were served.

“Today, my Dharma brothers and sisters,” His Holiness began, “is when we followers of the Buddha remember the Buddha’s attaining enlightenment.

“As it is said, ‘the Sages do not wash unwholesome deeds away with water, nor do they remove the sufferings of beings with their hands. Neither do they transplant their own realization into others. It is by teaching the truth of suchness that they liberate beings.’

“Motivated by compassion, the Buddha’s intention was to teach to lead sentient beings out of suffering. For many aeons he thought of benefiting sentient beings and ultimately became enlightened. He taught that suffering comes about as a result of causes and conditions. Those causes and conditions are not related to an external agent, such as a creator god, but come about because of sentient beings’ unruly minds. Since we tend to be overwhelmed by attachment, anger and hatred, we engage in actions and create karma, which gives rise to suffering.

“Although things are merely designated and have no objective or independent existence, they appear to exist from their own side and we grasp at that appearance of independent existence. That is to say, we grasp at a distorted view. To help beings clarify this distorted view, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths, that suffering must be known and its causes eradicated, cessation must be actualized by cultivating the path.

“He also taught that suffering occurs on different levels of subtlety: the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change and existential suffering. The direct causes and conditions of suffering lie in our actions and mental afflictions. Our distorted view that things have an objective, independent existence is at the root of our mental afflictions. The Buddha taught that, contrary to this, all phenomena are devoid of a substantial core or essence—they are empty of inherent existence. Understanding this acts as a counter force, and the better we understand it the more our mental afflictions are reduced.”

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== “Bodhichitta is the Main Cause of a Buddha”, Stressed His Holiness the Dalai Lama — His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing the congregation gathered to attend his Saga Dawa teaching at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on June 4, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

His Holiness took up the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’, He pointed out that most of us are subject to pride and arrogance, but this text advises us not to see ourselves as better or superior to other people. The second verse says: ‘Whenever I’m in the company of others, may I regard myself as inferior to all.’ Other human beings, he pointed out, are just like us; they have faults too, but that’s no reason to dismiss or feel disdain for them. If you think of yourself as lower than everyone else, you’ll sow the seed of greater qualities. Humility leads to high status.

The next verse advises, “Don’t let yourself be overcome by mental afflictions.” The Buddha and the great masters who came after him showed how to overcome negative emotions.

“After Buddhism came to Tibet,” His Holiness remarked, “several different traditions arose, such as the Sakya, Nyingma, Kagyu and the Kadampas following the great Indian master, Atisha. The Kadampa masters were renowned for their humility. One of them, the author of these ‘Eight Verses’, Geshé Langri Thangpa was known as Lang-thang with the long face. He wept at the plight of sentient beings. His cultivation of bodhichitta, the awakening mind, was such that he was determined to be of help to others. I recite these verses of his every day.

“As the third verse says, whatever you’re doing and wherever you are, when negative emotions or mental afflictions arise, counter them. When others criticize or abuse you, don’t think of retaliating, offer the victory to them.

“Where the sixth verse says if someone does great wrong by harming you, see them as an excellent spiritual friend, it means that instead of being angry with them, generate compassion. There are communist leaders in China who criticize me and condemn Tibetan culture, but they act this way out of ignorance, short-sightedness and narrow-mindedness—that’s why I feel compassion for them.

“Verse seven says, ‘may I take all their harm and pain secretly upon myself’ and refers to discreetly engaging in the practice of giving and taking quietly in your heart. Finally, verse eight concludes, ‘May I see all things like illusions and, without attachment, gain freedom from bondage.’”

His Holiness asked, “What is the main cause of a Buddha? —bodhichitta, the altruistic mind of enlightenment. On the basis of such a mind, the Buddha accumulated merit and wisdom for three countless aeons. Because of bodhichitta he became enlightened. We too should make bodhichitta our principal practice.

“As soon as I wake in the morning, I generate bodhichitta, which often brings tears to my eyes too. The Buddha’s key message was to cultivate bodhichitta. The point is not just to overcome our mental afflictions, but to reach the end of the path by attaining enlightenment.

“When you have bodhichitta, you feel at ease. Anger, hatred and jealousy subside, consequently you can be relaxed and sleep soundly. As people with faith in Avalokiteshvara, you can think of him at the crown of your head, aspire to develop qualities like his and then fall peacefully asleep.

“The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths, the Perfection of Wisdom and the nature of the mind, but the essence of all his teachings is the altruistic mind of bodhichitta. If he was to appear among us today, his advice would be the same, develop the awakening mind of bodhichitta. All of us want to be happy and to avoid or to overcome suffering. The way to bring that about is to cultivate bodhichitta. Think of all sentient beings across the expanse of space and aspire to become a Buddha for all of them.”

His Holiness led the congregation in reciting the following verse three times to formally cultivate bodhichitta:

I seek refuge until I am enlightened
In the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly,
Through the collection of merit achieved by giving and other (perfections)
May I achieve Buddhahood in order to benefit all sentient beings.

“The Buddha is our teacher,” he observed, “and it’s because he had Buddha-nature that he was able to train in the path and become a fully awakened being. We too have Buddha-nature and through study and practice can overcome all obstacles to attain enlightenment as he did. If we cultivate bodhichitta steadily, our lives will become worthwhile, meaningful and we can feel at ease—and that’s all for today.”

The Chant-master led a number of prayers that included the thanksgiving mandala, a prayer to the Dharma protectors, a prayer for the flourishing of the Dharma and the Prayer of the Words of Truth.

Having stepped down from the throne, His Holiness came to the edge of the platform and led a threefold recitation of the verse from the end of Jé Tsongkhapa’s ‘Great Treatise on the Stages to the Path to Enlightenment’:

“Wherever the Buddha’s teaching has not spread
And wherever it has spread but has declined
May I, moved by great compassion, clearly elucidate
This treasury of excellent benefit and happiness for all.

This he followed with the last two verses of the Prayer of the Words of Truth:

Thus, the protector Chenrezig made vast prayers
Before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
To fully embrace the Land of Snows;
May the good results of these prayers now quickly appear.
By the profound interdependence of emptiness and relative forms,

Together with the force of great compassion
in the Three Jewels and their Words of Truth,
And through the power of the infallible law of actions and their fruits,
May this truthful prayer be unhindered and quickly fulfilled.

Smiling and waving to members of the audience, His Holiness continued to repeat the final verse as he walked from the temple towards his residence.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama greeting a group of Theravada monks as he arrives inside the Main Tibetan Temple for his teaching commemorating the Buddha’s birth and enlightenment in Dharamsala, HP, India on June 4, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

First Person: ‘Born fighting’ for rights of Black Brazilians

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5 June 2023

First Person: ‘Born fighting’ for rights of Black Brazilians

Organized under the theme, Realizing the dream: A UN declaration on the promotion, protection and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent, the Permanent Forum heard from experts and leaders from around the world, including Ms. Nascimento, explaining the challenges they have faced, and the dreams they have for the future.

Her dream is for Black women to “break away from the madness” and “have the power and possibility to decide”.

Activist Valdecir Nascimento at the second session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.

“My whole life has been dedicated to the racial struggle. My encounter with the Black movement was a turning point for me. I was 19 or 20 years old when I found the movement.

I went looking for a barber shop to cut all my hair because my straight hair no longer fit me. I could not continue with those aesthetics after what the movement told me.

My whole life is attached to this relationship: the existence of the Black movement, as a subject.

Table of Contents

‘Born fighting’

I was born in the stilt houses of Alagados in Bahia during the first stilt house occupation in Latin America. What brought me to the global level was essentially being born in that place, and knowing that you are born fighting.

If the real colonized Brazil was born in the northeast, we experienced processes, including the liberation and autonomy struggle, much earlier on than in the southeast.

When the resources come and if resources are limited, they get taken away. Resources are not always distributed based on regional struggles. Resources also get distributed according to narratives folks want to hear. And I used to say, and I used to talk to Nilma Mendes, who is a colleague from Belém do Pará, from those days in the 1980s.

She used to ask me, ‘Val, how many enemies do you make a day?’ I said to her, with my eyes filled with tears, that where I came from, I learned that we can’t just let anyone walk all over us.

Empowering Black Women: Valdecir Nascimento’s Vision for Equality

‘This is my dream’

Part of my dreams for Black women of today, still have not come true the way I would like, but they slowly are.

I want Black women of today to break away from this madness that we are all goddesses, and we need to come up with all solutions for the world.

We are not all goddesses and don’t need to come up with all solutions for the world. We can enjoy life, and life can be the simplest thing in the world, but I want us to have the power and possibility to decide.

This is my dream.”

Poster for a meeting on Black rights in Brazil in 1987.