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Multilateral Development Banks deepen collaboration to deliver as a system

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Newsdesk
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The leaders of 10 multilateral development banks (MDBs) today announced joint steps to work more effectively as a system and increase the impact and scale of their work to tackle urgent development challenges.

In a Viewpoint Note, the leaders outlined key deliverables for joint and coordinated action in 2024 and beyond building on the progress since their Marrakesh statement in 2023, as their institutions work to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to better support clients in addressing regional and global challenges.

Published at the conclusion of a retreat hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which holds the rotating chair of the MDB Heads Group, the actions represent the strengthened collaboration amongst MDBs. The Note will also serve as a valuable contribution for the forthcoming G20 Roadmap to evolve MDBs into a “better, bigger and more effective” system and in other fora.

The MDB Heads committed to concrete and actionable deliverables in five critical areas:  

1.     Scaling up MDB financing capacity. MDBs expect to generate additional lending headroom in the order of $300-400 billion over the next decade, with the support of shareholders and partners. Actions include: 

  • Offering a diverse set of innovative financial instruments to shareholders, development partners and capital markets, including hybrid-capital and risk-transfer instruments, and promoting the channeling of the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) through MDBs.  
  • Providing more clarity on callable capital which would help rating agencies better assess the value of callable capital.  
  • Continuing to implement and report on the G20 Capital Adequacy Framework (CAF) Review recommendations and related reforms.  

2.     Boosting joint action on climate change. MDBs are increasing their common engagement on climate. Actions include:  

3.     Strengthening country-level collaboration and co-financing. MDBs are engaged in discussions and supporting country-owned and country-led platforms to make it easier for countries to work with the banks. Actions include:   

  • Assessing proposals on country-led and country-owned platforms, towards a common understanding and next steps, including for some MDBs to implement platforms.
  • Continue harmonizing procurement practices, including by relying on each other’s procurement policies to reduce transaction costs and increase efficiency and sustainability.   
  • Accelerating co-financing of public-sector projects through the newly launched Collaborative Co-Financing Portal. 

4.     Catalyzing private-sector mobilization. MDBs are committed to scaling up private-sector financing for development goals, including by pursuing innovative approaches and financial instruments. Actions include:  

  • Scaling up local-currency lending and foreign-exchange hedging solutions to boost private investment. MDBs are working to identify scalable approaches. 
  • Expanding the type and disaggregation of the statistics that MDBs and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) release through the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database (GEMs) Consortium, supporting investors to better assess investment risks and opportunities. 

5.     Enhancing development effectiveness and impact. MDBs agreed to heighten the focus on the impact of their work. Actions include:  

  • Increasing collaboration on joint impact evaluations, including by sharing approaches to monitoring and assessing impact, and pursuing harmonization initiatives where useful.  
  • Taking stock of the key performance indicators (KPIs) on nature and biodiversity that are currently in use and explore the feasibility of alignment of some indicators ahead of COP30 in 2025.

For more details see the Viewpoint Note.  

Can the Orthodox Church help with the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia

By
Charlie W. Grease
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On the eve of the greatest Orthodox holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, wives and mothers of prisoners of war from Russia and Ukraine are asking the superiors, clergy and all believers in Orthodox countries to cooperate with the authorities for the release of their sons, brothers and husbands on the principle of “all for all”.

The initiative is the organization “Our way out” – a public movement for the return home of the military personnel of the army of the Russian Federation, created by three women: Irina Krinina, Olga Rakova and Victoria Ivleva. The first two left their homeland and settled in Ukraine to be closer to their husbands, who are in Ukrainian captivity, and the third is a journalist and human rights activist. They do not want to return to Russia because they do not agree with the government’s policy there. Now they are helping Russian mothers and women to find their husbands, working to accelerate the exchange of prisoners. “In times of war, people are measured by battalions and behind the numbers the person is not visible, and we call to raise a voice that in the eyes of God every person’s soul is important and everyone has the right to salvation and forgiveness,” it says in the appeal of “Our way out.”

Their appeal is joined by women from Ukraine, whose sons, husbands and relatives are in the terrible conditions of Russian POW camps. “This war is suffering for the mothers and women both here in Ukraine, whose sons and men die in defense of their country, it is also suffering for the women and mothers in Russia, who for some unknown reason send their sons to this terrible war,” says Olga Rakova at the presentation of their project at the end of December 2023 (here). “We can achieve a lot if we ordinary women come together,” she adds.

The last exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine took place on February 8, and for now such actions have ceased. The initiators emphasize that, in general, the release of prisoners of war is a complicated and very slow process. For the various groups of prisoners, not only Ukraine and Russia, but also third countries and international organizations participate in it. As a rule, political, economic, and military motives come to the fore in these negotiations. With priority from Ukrainian captives, the Russian side releases military specialists, highly qualified officers, pilots. Russia is also making extra efforts to release soldiers recruited from prisons (so-called “prisoners”). These are criminals recruited by the Russian army straight from prison with the promise that after the contract is over they will be released without serving their sentences. They are of interest to the negotiators from Russia, because after their release from captivity they are returned to the front again. Thus, the Russian mobilized military and contract workers are left with no prospect of returning to their homeland soon.

All this creates the possibility for the existence of a huge number of fraudulent schemes with which the already stressed relatives of the captives are manipulated. The “all for all” exchange will put an end to such practices, according to “Our Exit”.

During the course of the war, the number of prisoners of war increased. Exact numbers are not reported by either side, but it is in the tens of thousands. And if Ukraine, according to “Our Way Out” and other humanitarian organizations, complies with the Geneva Convention and provides the necessary requirements for life in the camps, then Ukrainian prisoners of war are kept in appalling conditions.

Several prisoner of war exchanges have taken place at the initiative of the Roman Catholic Church, but the Orthodox Church has so far not initiated such a process.

In July 2023, Hungary launched an initiative to release Ukrainian prisoners of war of Transcarpathian Hungarian origin, in which the Order of Malta of the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church participated as mediators. Prisoners of war were released from Russian camps and handed over to Hungary, and the patriarchate described its involvement as “motivated by Christian philanthropy.”

According to the women of the organization “Our Way Out”, “only the Church can bring the issue of the exchange of prisoners from the plane of statistics to a moral humanitarian discourse, when the soul of each person is important. It can also show a willingness to negotiate and overcome acrimony.”

Pope Francis heeded the plea of the “Our Way Out” movement and included in his Easter message a call for an “all for all” prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

“Our way out” believes that the Orthodox Church can and should be an important factor in the implementation of such an act. The priests, the shepherds, dedicated to the care of the human soul, know that Christian charity is above justice and can see in the captive the suffering man. On the eve of the Resurrection of Christ, they call on the local Orthodox churches to make appeals to organize an Easter general exchange of prisoners – all from one side for all from the other.

There are only two weeks left until the Orthodox Easter, in which mothers, wives and relatives of the captives on both sides hope for the compassion of people of faith who can support the appeal for their common liberation on the principle of “all for all”.

4 reasons why red wine is no longer healthy

By
Gaston de Persigny
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Scientists and doctors have considered red wine to be healthy for years. A study linked moderate alcohol consumption – defined as one drink or less per day for women and two or less per day for men – to a 30-40% lower death rate from heart disease in drinkers compared to non-drinkers, Forbes reports.

Red wine has become healthy because it contains not only alcohol, but also the health-enhancing antioxidants from the grape skins. One powerful antioxidant is resveratrol, which repairs damaged blood vessels, prevents blood clots and reduces inflammation. This has led experts to recommend red wine in moderation for health benefits. Wine sales have grown tremendously since the 1990s.

Now we think differently. Moderate drinkers live longer on average, but not because they drink alcohol. This is because they tend to be healthier – more active, more educated, eat better food. Early research led us to believe that moderate consumption was healthy. But here are four reasons why you shouldn’t think of red wine as healthy, even if you drink less than a glass a day.

1. Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with worse, not better, cardiovascular health A 2022 study in JAMA Network Open looked at 371,463 people in the UK and found that moderate drinking was associated with 1.3 times higher risk of high blood pressure and 1.4 times higher risk of coronary heart disease. The study took into account a person’s genetic predisposition to alcohol use, which helped overcome some limitations of earlier research.

2. Alcohol Use Increases Cancer Risk Even with Moderate Drinking Alcohol is a known carcinogen, accounting for 6% of all cancers and 4% of cancer deaths, accounting for 75,000 cancer cases and 19,000 deaths annually in the US. Alcohol increases oxidative stress and the metabolic products of alcohol, namely acetaldehyde, damage liver DNA. It also directly damages the DNA of mouth and throat cells, significantly increasing the risk of breast cancer even with moderate consumption. Women who drink three alcoholic drinks a week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer than those who don’t drink at all.

3. Sleep quality is worsened by alcohol Alcohol is a sedative. It helps you fall asleep faster. But this negatively affects the quality of your sleep. This is often noticeable even after a few drinks. A study of 4,098 Finns found that alcohol increased stress responses and impaired recovery during the first three hours of sleep. Along with hangovers, poor sleep makes you less alert the next day.

4. It Will Take a Deadly Amount of Red Wine to Benefit from Its Antioxidants Red wine contains resveratrol. But it doesn’t contain enough of it to significantly affect your health. A study measured how much resveratrol is absorbed into the body from a glass of alcohol, as well as two other polyphenols (catechin and quercetin) that have positive effects on health. Blood concentrations of all three were found to be too low to be beneficial. To get high enough, you need to drink a large amount – gallons, in fact.

Photo by Ion Ceban  @ionelceban: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-brown-labeled-bottles-2580989/

Maritime Security: EU to become an observer of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment

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Newsdesk
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The EU will soon become a ‘Friend’ (i.e., observer) of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment, a regional cooperation framework to tackle piracy, armed robbery, human trafficking and other illegal maritime activities in the North-Western Indian Ocean, including the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

The Council today formally decided to accept the invitation from the Secretariat of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment. By becoming ‘Friend’ of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment, the EU signals its strong support for an effective regional maritime security architecture, while strengthening its presence and engagement as a global maritime security provider in the fight against illegal activities at sea. 

The North-Western Indian Ocean is one of the most dynamic centres of economic growth in the world. With 80% of the world’s trade passing through the Indian Ocean, it is crucial to ensure freedom of navigation and protect the EU’s and its partners’ security and interests.

Background

The Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment was signed in 2017 by 17 signatory states in the North West Indian Ocean to promote regional cooperation and to boost signatory states’ capacity to counter the growing threats to maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The EU has been a long-standing maritime security partner in the region.

Since 2008, operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta has been fighting against piracy. More recently, with the launch of EUNAVFOR Aspides, the EU is protecting merchant vessels crossing the Red Sea.

In parallel, the EU conducts capacity building missions, such as EUCAP Somalia, EUTM Somalia and EUTM Mozambique, as well as projects for maritime security such as CRIMARIO II and EC SAFE SEAS AFRICA.

In 2022, the Council adopted conclusions on the launch of the Coordinated Maritime Presences concept in the North-Western Indian Ocean, a framework for a strengthened EU role as a maritime security provided in the region and for cooperation with coastal states and regional maritime security organisations.

PACE defined the Russian Church as an “ideological extension of Vladimir Putin’s regime”

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Newsroom
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Council of Europe from street entrance
Council of Europe in Strasbourg. (Credit: THIX Photo)

On April 17, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution related to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The adopted document said the Russian state “persecuted and ultimately killed” Navalny for joining the opposition to Vladimir Putin’s regime.

In its resolution, PACE said that under the rule of Vladimir Putin, Russia has turned into a dictatorship and the ruling regime has “dedicated itself entirely to the war against democracy“. Vladimir Putin’s regime adheres to the neo-imperialist ideology of the “Russian World”, which the Kremlin has turned into a tool for war-mongering. This ideology is used to destroy the remnants of democracy, militarize Russian society, and justify external aggression to expand the borders of the Russian Federation to include all territories that were once under Russian rule, including Ukraine.

The resolution also refers to the Russian Orthodox Church and its head, patriarch Cyril of Moscow.

The document criticizes patriarch Cyril, and the Russian Orthodox Church is defined as “… an ideological continuation of the regime of Vladimir Putin, involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the name of the Russian Federation and the ideology of the Russian world.”

The statement also said that the Moscow Patriarchate and patriarch Cyril propagate the ideology of the “Russian world”, calling the war against Ukraine “the holy war of all Russians” and calling on Orthodox believers to sacrifice themselves for Russia.

“PACE is appalled by such abuse of religion and distortion of the Christian Orthodox tradition by the regime of Vladimir Putin and his proxies in the Moscow Patriarchate,” the resolution said.

Patriarch Bartholomew: It is scandalous to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ separately

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Newsroom
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In his sermon, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent heartfelt wishes to all non-Orthodox Christians who celebrated Easter on Sunday, March 31, after leading the Sunday Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Theodore” in the “Vlanga” quarter.

“On this day, the eternal message of the Resurrection sounds more deeply than ever, as our non-Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters commemorate the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead, celebrating the holy Easter. We have sent the greetings of the Holy Great Church of Christ to all the Christian communities here. But we also heartily greet with love all Christians around the world who are celebrating Easter today. We ask the Lord of Glory that the upcoming common celebration of Easter next year will not be a mere coincidence, but will mark the beginning of a single date for its observance by both Eastern and Western Christendom,” noted Patriarch Bartholomew.

“This aspiration is particularly significant in light of the upcoming 1700th anniversary of the convening of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 2025. Among its key discussions is the question of establishing a common time frame for the celebration of Easter. We are optimistic as there is good will and desire on both sides. Because it is truly scandalous to celebrate separately the unique event of the one Resurrection of the one Lord!”, the patriarch also stated.

“That the world may know.” The invitation from the Global Christian Forum.

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Guest Author
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By Martin Hoegger

Accra, Ghana, April 19, 2024. The central theme of the fourth Global Christian Forum (GCF) is taken from the Gospel of John: “That the world may know” (John 17:21). In many ways, the assembly delved deeper into this great text, where Jesus prays for the unity of his disciples by sending them into the world.

This forum had great logic. On the first day, we affirmed that Christ alone unites us. The second, with the visit to the Cape Coast fortress where millions of slaves passed through, we confessed our unfaithfulness to the will of God. On the third day, we recognized our need to be forgiven and healed before being sent. Sending is the theme of the fourth day.

Love is the cement of ecumenism

It is no coincidence that John 17 was chosen as the key text. Indeed, “if the Bible is a sanctuary, John 17 is the “holy of holies”: a revelation of an intimate dialogue between the Father and the Son made flesh,” says Ganoun Diop, of the Adventist Church in Senegal. It is a great mystery: Jesus loved us so that we would be reborn into a new life. GCF is a tool that God uses to bring His love. And love is the cement of ecumenism!

For Catherine Shirk Lukas, professor at the Catholic University of Paris, the ecumenical movement is a movement of love because Jesus prayed for divine love to be spread throughout the world (John 3.16). “That the world may know”: this promise is first and foremost for those who have been victims of violence and abuse. “We have to listen to them, see them and support them, being humble and repenting of our mistakes.”

The Ghanaian Gertrude Fefoame is involved in the network for the disabled of the World Council of Churches. She herself is blind and testifies that there are still many barriers to welcoming them into the community: “Forgiveness and healing given by Christ are a liberation. It frees from all discrimination and includes people with disabilities.”

For Coptic Orthodox Archbishop Angaelos, Jesus’ call to unity is a challenge that requires patience and kindness. “We must function as a body with Christ at our head. This means considering the other parts of this body in our decisions.” Jesus’ prayer in John 17 calls him to live the truth that the Son of God came so that we might have life in fullness. We are ministers of his reconciliation so that the world sees Him and not us.

The effective methodology of the Forum

What pleases Victor Lee, a Pentecostal from Malaysia, is the methodology of sharing paths of faith in the Forum. It allows Pentecostals to make Jesus known by collaborating with other Churches, through the power of the Spirit.

Theologian Richard Howell, from India, recognizes that these sharings transformed his life. “After my mom was miraculously healed when I was 12, I then became a Pentecostal. I thought only Pentecostals were saved. Hearing Christians from other churches share their faith at the Forum, I asked God to forgive my ignorance. I discovered brothers and sisters and that I was missing 2000 years of Christian heritage. It was a new conversion.”

Likewise, a leader of an independent African Church discovered the richness of listening to stories of faith. “I realized that we have the same faith in Christ. If we start to listen to each other, we will love each other and overcome our separations.”

The Forum’s methodology also combines presentations with times of dialogue between six and eight people around a table. This “knitting” is very effective for getting to know yourself better on a personal level. We were thus invited to share on these three questions: “What do you want the world to know? How did you know Christ? How do you make Christ known? » And, at the end of the meeting, this other question: “What inspiration have you received during these days and that you would like to pass on to your home”

A Road to Emmaus

The story of the two disciples walking towards Emmaus is at the heart of what the Global Christian Forum is looking for. For Archbishop Flávio Pace, secretary of the dicastery for promoting Christian unity, it symbolizes the Church on the move, joined by Christ. It is he who must be put at the center, and it is with him that we must open the Scriptures. Reflecting on the recent synod of the Catholic Church, he affirms that there cannot be a true synod without the ecumenical dimension. The prayer vigil at the Vatican “Together” gave a strong sign in this direction.

On two occasions, the delegates were invited to an “Emmaus Way” to get to know a person we did not yet know. As for me, I walked with Sharaz Alam, a young pastor, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, in the park adjoining the conference center, then in the shade of large trees around a fresh drink. We shared the meaning of the Emmaus story. He also spoke to me about his evangelization work with the 300 young people in his parish and his doctoral project on the challenges that Islam poses to the Church in his country.

The story of Emmaus is also at the heart of Focolare spirituality, which emphasizes the importance of experiencing the presence of Christ among us. It is presented by Enno Dijkema, co-director of the Center for Unity of this great Catholic movement, open to members of other Churches. Indeed, its goal is to contribute to realizing the “testament of Jesus” in John 17. The Gospel is at its basis, in particular the new commandment of reciprocal love given by Christ.

Finally, the horizon of 2033 is like a road to Emmaus towards the jubilee of the 2000 years of the resurrection of Jesus. The Swiss Olivier Fleury, president of the JC2033 initiative, speaks with passion of the wonderful opportunity for witness in unity that this Jubilee represents… “so that the world may know” that Jesus-Christ is risen!

Gaza: No let up in deadly toll as rights chief demands end to suffering

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United Nations News
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Gaza: No let up in deadly toll as rights chief demands end to suffering

“Six months into the war, 10,000 Palestinian women in Gaza have been killed, among them an estimated 6,000 mothers, leaving 19,000 children orphaned,” said UN Women, in a new report.

“More than one million women and girls in Gaza have almost no food, no access to safe water, latrines, washrooms, or sanitary pads, with disease growing amidst inhumane living conditions.”

Echoing those concerns, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) issued a new ceasefire call so that humanitarian relief can be brought into Gaza to help rebuild hospitals including Al Shifa, which has been “basically destroyed” after a recent Israeli incursion. 
“The management is trying to get the emergency department cleaned (but) the work is just enormous to get just a cleaning done, let alone to get supplies,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic, following a new UN health agency mission to the devastated medical facility in Gaza City on Monday. 

Little left to salvage

Only a third of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain functional meaning that it is essential to “preserve what is left” of the enclave’s health system, Mr. Jasarevic insisted. 

But needs remain massive with more than 76,000 people injured, according to the local authorities, and several UN agencies have repeatedly warned that amputations and C-section births have gone ahead without anaesthetic.

“Once again we’re calling really for the deconfliction mechanism to be effective, to be transparent and to be workable,” the WHO officer said, referring to the approvals system used by humanitarians in conjunction with the warring parties to try to ensure that aid convoys are not targeted. 

Concerns remain over the deconfliction protocol after seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen were killed in Israeli airstrikes on 1 April.

But “more than half” of planned WHO missions between last October and the end of March “have been either denied or delayed or face other obstacles so they have to be postponed, so we really need that access”, Mr. Jasarevic insisted, amid repeated dire warnings from humanitarians about impending famine in Gaza.

No relief for injured

A lack of staff, needles, stitches and other essential medical equipment have meant that “injured children often languish in pain,” in hospitals or in makeshift shelters, noted Tess Ingram, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Communication specialist. 

Speaking from Cairo after her latest mission to northern Gaza where her UN vehicle came under attack, Ms. Ingram told journalists that it was notable just how many youngsters had been injured during intense Israeli bombardment, launched in response to Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on 7 October.

“Imagine for a second being strip-searched naked and questioned for hours, told that you’re safe and then you leave; you quickly walk down the street praying that you will be okay. But then you’re shot at, your father is killed and a bullet penetrates your naked pelvis causing serious internal and external injuries that are going to require reconstructive surgery. At a field hospital Younis told me this happened to him. He is 14.”

The UNICEF officer also highlighted how difficult it remains to evacuate desperately injured or sick patients for medical care outside Gaza. Less than half of all “medivac” requests have been approved meaning that only around 4,500 people – “most of them children” – have been able to leave Gaza at a rate of less than 20 a day.

 

Rights chief’s call

Highlighting the plight of those in Gaza, UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Monday urged “all States with influence” to halt the “increasingly horrific human rights and humanitarian crisis” unfolding there.

“Israel continues to impose unlawful restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance and to carry out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights maintained, before repeating calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages.

West Bank spiralling

The High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed deep concern about rising violence and “waves of attacks” in recent days against Palestinians in the West Bank “by hundreds of Israeli settlers, often accompanied or supported by Israeli Security Forces (ISF)”. 

Following the killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy from a settler family, four Palestinians, including a child, were killed and Palestinian property was destroyed in revenge attacks, Mr. Türk said in a statement.

Citing information received by his office, OHCHR, the UN rights chief reported that armed settlers and Israeli forces entered “a number of towns” including Al Mughayyer, Beitin village in Ramallah, Duma and Qusra in Nablus, as well as the Bethlehem and Hebron Governorates. 

Dozens of Palestinians were reportedly injured in the ensuing violence “and hundreds of homes and other buildings, as well as cars, were torched”, the High Commissioner said, before insisting that “neither Palestinians nor Israelis should take the law into their own hands to exact revenge”.

Regional ‘trigger’

In a related development in Geneva, the head of a high-level UN-appointed independent rights probe into the Occupied Palestinian Territory spoke of her “serious alarm” at the potential for military escalation between Israel and Iran and the risks of triggering a regional conflict. 

In a briefing to Arab League States days after Iran launched a massive drone and missile strike against Israel, Navi Pillay highlighted the “unprecedented” scale of war sustained by Israel.
To date, more than 33,200 people have been killed, according to Gaza’s health authority, Ms. Pillay said, with some 40 per cent of schools directly hit in attacks, and 1.7 million people displaced inside the enclave.

“The complete siege imposed on Gaza since October 2023 has resulted in an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe with famine and starvation now a reality for its residents,” said the head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The destruction of roads and infrastructure has severely  compromised the ability of humanitarian actors to bring in aid to the population.”

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Accountability essential to counter human rights abuse in DPR Korea

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United Nations News
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Accountability essential to counter human rights abuse in DPR Korea

In an oral update to the Human Rights Council – UN’s paramount human rights body – Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif said that DPRK (more commonly known as North Korea) was showing no signs of compliance.

“As there are no indications that the State will address impunity, it is imperative that accountability is pursued outside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” she said.

“This should be achieved first and foremost through referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC), or national level prosecutions in accordance with international standards under accepted principles of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction,” she urged.

The deputy head of rights office OHCHR noted that non-judicial accountability was important.

“Moving ahead in tandem with criminal accountability efforts, non-judicial accountability is essential if victims are to receive some form of justice in their lifetime.”

Broad consultations

Ms. Al-Nashif said that in developing possible strategies, OHCHR had consulted widely in the past year with national and international judicial officials and practitioners, governments, civil society experts and academia.

Last month, for instance, the Office brought together experts in all aspects of accountability to a conference to discuss ways forward and best practices.

“This included criminal justice avenues and civil liability options as well as non-judicial forms of accountability such as truth-telling, memorialization, and reparations,” she said.

Raising awareness

The Deputy High Commissioner said OHCHR had dedicated extra resources in the past year towards raising awareness about the human rights situation in North Korea.

In April 2023, it published a landmark report on enforced disappearances and abductions, including of nationals from neighbouring Republic of Korea and Japan.

“The report illustrated the impact of the crime on victims and their families, and their demands and needs relating to accountability,” she said.

Protect escapees

Ms. Al-Nashif highlighted that those who escaped North Korea and victims of rights abuses are a vital source of information on the situation in the country as well as for any accountability processes.

“I continue to call on all relevant Member States to ensure that OHCHR has full and unhindered access to escapees,” she said.

She also urged all States to refrain from forcibly repatriating people to DPRK, and to provide them with protection and humanitarian support.

“Repatriation puts them at real risk of torture, arbitrary detention, or other serious human rights violations,” she cautioned.

Deputy High Commissioner Al-Nashif addresses the Human Rights Council.

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Faith-based organizations making the world better through social and humanitarian work

By
Willy Fautre
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A conference at the European Parliament to make the world better

The social and humanitarian activities of minority religious or belief organizations in the EU are useful for European citizens and society but are too often ignored by political leaders and media outlets.

This was the message sent by a wide range of speakers with various religious and belief backgrounds at the Faith and Freedom Summit III hosted at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 April.

However, the work of these minority organizations with their awareness of climate change or anti-drug campaigns, their aid programs to refugees and homeless people, on the sites of earthquakes and other natural disasters, deserves to be highlighted, recognized and known in order to escape invisibility and sometimes unfounded stigmatization.

In the framework of this conference, I used the debate time to share some views and reflections from a human rights perspective that I summarize in a structured way hereafter.

Social and humanitarian activities of religious or belief organizations ignored and silenced

The numerous presentations by spokespersons of minority religious and philosophical organizations which enriched this conference highlighted the importance and the impact of their humanitarian, charitable, educational and social activities to make the world a better place to live. They have also shown that they are useful to the States of the European Union which cannot solve all social problems alone without the contribution of this segment of civil society.

However, there is practically no trace of their activities in the media. We may wonder about the underlying reasons for this situation. Social work is a form of public and visible expression of these organizations. Expressing one’s personal faith through contribution to these activities does not bother anyone. However, doing so in the name of a religious entity is sometimes perceived by secular movements and their political relays as competitive with their philosophical convictions and as a potential danger of the return of the influence of historic Churches which for centuries have dictated their law to States and their sovereigns. Media outlets are also permeated by this culture of secularization and neutrality.

In the shadow of this distrust, religious or philosophical minorities are suspected by these same actors, but also by dominant Churches, of using their social and humanitarian activities as a tool for public self-promotion and to attract new members. Last but not least, some minorities have found themselves for more than 25 years in blacklists of so-called harmful and undesirable “cults” which were drafted and endorsed by a number of EU states and widely disseminated by the media. However, in international law, the concept of “cult” does not exist. Furthermore, the Catholic Church should remember that the famous Mother Teresa in India, despite her Nobel Peace Prize, was accused of wanting to convert the untouchables, and others, to Christianity in her Catholic hospitals and educational institutions.

What is in question here is the freedom of expression of religious or philosophical minority groups as collective and visible entities, which are not hiding their identity in the public space.

These faith-based organizations are seen as “undesirable” in certain European countries and considered a threat to the established order and right-thinking. The reaction is then in political circles and in the media to keep silent about their constructive social and humanitarian activities as if they had never existed. Or, through activism hostile to these movements, they are presented in a completely negative light, such as “it is undue proselytism”, “it is to recruit new members among the victims”, etc.

Towards more inclusive societies in the European Union

Double standards must be fundamentally avoided in the political and media treatment of civil society actors to avoid any damaging tension and hostility between social groups. Segregation leading to fragmentation of society and separatism breeds hatred and hate crimes. Inclusiveness brings respect, solidarity and social peace.

Coverage of social, charitable, educational and humanitarian activities of religious and philosophical groups must be equitable. Justice must be done, at its fair value and without prejudice, to anyone who contributes to the well-being of the citizens of the European Union.

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