The bumper sticker on my wife’s car reads, “Well-behaved women seldom make history!” I believe proponents of CEDAW, the Women’s Treaty, have been minding their manners a bit too much.  CEDAW is the most important international mechanism for women’s equality, and provides a universal standard for women’s human rights. The treaty is a basic framework for ending violence against women, ensuring girls access to education, and promoting economic opportunity and political participation for women.

US ratification is an opportunity for our nation to be a global leader in standing up for the rights of women and girls in countries around the world.  The United States is the world’s only democracy and one of seven nations including Iran, Sudan, and Somalia that has not ratified the treaty. And until we do so, our country cannot credibly demand that others live up to their obligations under the treaty. ?

While both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton support adoption, their rhetoric must be turned into actions.  For the last 30 years, the US has sat on the sidelines while CEDAW has been used around the world by to protect women and girls from discrimination.  Unfortunately, it looks as if the November mid-term elections could make it more difficult to secure the 67 votes needed in the Senate for passage.  The clock is ticking.  

Ratification is not about policy, it’s about politics.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed the treaty twice on a bipartisan basis.  There is clear support on both sides of the aisle for ratification now.  But there is only one way the White House and Senate leadership will only allow CEDAW its moment on the Senate floor this year.  They must hear loud and clear from you that failure to move CEDAW is a failure to support human rights for women. They need to know you believe it is worth fighting for.

If you are reading this, you are probably already hooked into the action alerts, call-ins, and other attention getting efforts. Taking these simple steps is crucial. Sharing information that you gather from your Senators is equally important. (So act now if you haven't already done so!)

But push it even further.  Don’t just call your Senators office.  Ask for the staff person who handles foreign affairs and let them know how important this is to you.  Contact campaign committees, and tell them that what happens to CEDAW this summer will impact how much you will contribute and volunteer. Send them $10,000 checks with “VOID UNTIL CEDAW PASSES” written over the front.   It’s time to misbehave, get loud, and make history!

Don Kraus is the CEO of Citizens for Global Solutions and co chairs the CEDAW Task Force of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

(With Patrick Fiedler)

Colleagues from Citizens for Global Solutions and we attended a panel discussion on Thursday, January 28, 2010, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) entitled “Rethinking Human Development – Part One.”  The “Part One” indicates that this is the first of a series of such presentations to be offered during the year.  

The panelists were Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director of the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department; Kemal Dervis, former Administrator of UNDP currently at The Brooking Institution, and Jeni Klugman, Director of UNDP Human Development Report Office, all moderated by David Yang, Senior Advisor in the Washington Office of UNDP.

The focus of the panel was UNDP’s “Human Development Index” (HDI), a ranking of nations that relies on measures of education, health and income, seeking to measure human well-being rather than merely economic growth.    

The “Sarkozy Commission,” headed by France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, has spearheaded a push to further legitimize the HDI and recommended that the HDI include improved and expanded  indicators.   In the panel discussion, Dr. Dervis suggested a greater reliance on “medians” rather than averages or “means” to make data more comparable.  

Each of the panelists referred to a December address at Georgetown University by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton in which she expressed the importance of a U.S. foreign policy that emphasizes ensuring human rights.  U.S. foreign policy, she said, should adhere to American values “including the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the prerequisite for building a world in which every person has the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential.”  From this perspective human rights are not merely a complement to foreign policy – considerations of human rights help guide the foreign policy decisions.  

Dr. Klugman emphasized that the 2010 HDI will focus on implementation of human rights policies, not merely the empty expression of those policies.  Dr. Slaughter thought that refinements to the HDI were valuable in that they will allow the more accurate measurement of progress to human development goals (or the absence of such progress).

We wondered whether the UNDP’s work would be strengthened if the U.S. were to ratify U.N. multilateral treaties that support the principles of human development, such as the Convention to Eliminate all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  Dr. Dervis seemed to agree, asserting that, “In a world with globalized issues effecting human development, a multi-partner approach is necessary.”

Citizens for Global Solutions is proud to announce the release of Faithful Against Torture, a collection of essays by people of faith considering torture in the light of the principles, precepts and traditions of their religions. The book includes an introduction by Rev. Richard Killmer, the Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. 

Reverend Killmer gives a compelling explanation as to why people of faith are working to end U.S. sponsored torture and why people of diverse faiths, which are not always in agreement can agree that torture is wrong. Whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, common sense teaches us that torture is cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

If torture is a matter of right or wrong, it is safe to say most of us believe it is wrong. The belief that torture is wrong is a matter of the innate right to life and dignity that all human beings posses. These innate rights are built into many faiths in various forms. As Reverend Killmer points out, most faiths have some form of “The Golden Rule”. People of faith are also cited with having compassion, a pursuit of justice so that all are treated equal, hospitality to those different then themselves, and a goal of creating peace. If these things are the basis of faith, it is easy to see why those of different faiths can come together in an agreement that torture is wrong. This preface does an excellent job at making people come to the realization that preventing torture is something we all can agree upon as human beings.

CGS hopes that the timeless answer in this book will guide us as we establish rules to govern ourselves in the future.

We cordially invite you to the launch of Faithful Against Torture on November 17, 2009 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at our offices, 420 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. (1/2 block South of the Eastern Market Metro Station) Some of the authors will be present and will do short readings from the book.   Copies of the book will be available for purchase.  Light refreshments will be served.  Please call 202.546.3950 x102 for more information.

Faithful Against Torture is also available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Today the International Criminal Court announced that the Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, would be looking into the recent events in Guinea. On September 28, 2009 , government soldiers opened fire on a group of 50,000 unarmed civilians gathering for a demonstration in Conakry, Guinea. At least 157 people were killed. The group was gathering to protest the recent announcement of the current leader of the country, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, that he would run for president in the upcoming elections. When Camara seized power in a peaceful coup in December 2008, after the death of the former president Lansana Conte, he promised to fight corruption. He also ensured the people of Guinea that he was not looking for extended power and that he would not run for president in the next elections. For a short time, he seemed like a promising leader in Guinea, but human rights abuses have increased and the Camara's government shows no intentions of releasing their power.

The most shocking aspect of the massacre that occurred in September was the rampant violence against women. It is reported that women were sexually assaulted and raped in plain view. The exact number of women that were abused in this attack is not known, mainly because of the negative stigma attached to sexual assault victims in Guinea. According to an ICC Press Release, quoting Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda :

"From the information we have received, from the pictures I have seen, women were abused or otherwise brutalized on the pitch of Conraky's stadium, apparently by men in uniform"... "This is appalling, unacceptable. It must never happen again. Those responsible must be held accountable."

A preliminary investigation by the ICC has begun in order to determine if the crimes committed fall under the Court's jurisdiction. Guinea has been a State Party to the Rome Statue since July 2003, making this a viable case for the ICC.

To learn more about the ICC, click here.

For more information about Guinea, click here.

On September 15th, during the ongoing 12th session of the Human Rights Council, the U.N. Fact- Finding Mission on the conflict in Gaza, between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009, presented its report. The mission was led by Justice Richard Goldstone, former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. This report concluded that there is evidence of severe human rights violations and also war crimes on the part of the Israeli forces. While the report mainly focuses on the abuses of the Israelis, it acknowledges that there is evidence that Palestinian troops also committed war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity. According to the press release,

"Israel imposed a blockade amounting to collective punishment and carried out a systematic policy of progressive isolation and deprivation of the Gaza Strip. During the Israeli military operation... houses, factories, wells, schools, hospitals, police stations and other public buildings were destroyed. Families are still living amid the rubble of their former homes long after the attacks ended, as reconstruction has been impossible due to the continuing blockade. More than 1,400 people were killed during the military operation."

The effects of this violence on the people of Gaza, especially the children, will be long-lasting, because attacks were focused indiscriminately on all the people of Gaza, there seemed to be no military restraint. There was no real distinction between Palestinian military personnel and civilians during the attacks.

The report concludes that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory requires action, and suggests that the U.N. Security Council forces Israel to report to it "on investigations and prosecutions it should carry out with regard to the violations" detailed in the report. It also suggests that the Security Council creates a group of experts to report to it on any individual proceedings by Israel to rectify the harm done. If in six months there seems to be no real change in Israel's actions, the report suggests that the Security Council should refer the situation to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor. The reporters also suggest that the same actions be taken towards the authorities in Gaza.

For more information on the International Criminal Court, click here. To learn more about human rights and the Human Rights Council, click here.

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to create a new women's agency. Supporters say it is a breakthrough for women's equality and rights, as four existing U.N. offices dealing with women's affairs will be blended into a single body, and the agency will be headed by an undersecretary general, higher than any existing position dealing with women's affairs. The unanimous vote followed three years of negotiations.

The resolution requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to put together a comprehensive proposal that would outline the mission statement, organizational arrangements, funding and executive board of the new agency.

One of the leading offices dealing with gender issues, UNIFEM, put out a statement supporting the move, calling it "an important step towards addressing the gaps and challenges in the existing UN gender architecture."

However advocacy group Oxfam, while saying the creation of the new agency was "potentially exciting", said that it was "deplorable" that the Assembly had failed to give the new agency a clear mission.

This morning the 12th session of the Human Rights Council opened in Geneva, Switzerland. It began with statements from three high-level dignitaries. The first was the Sri Lankan Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe. Samarasinghe said that Sri Lanka is working on creating a lasting solution to the violent conflict that ended in June 2009. The government is doing its best to "restore, rebuild and renew the foundations of a democratic social order." At the end of the conflict, 290,000 hostages were rescued from the Tamil Tigers (a rebel group), and now 14,500 are living with relatives and 31,000 have been reunited with family members. Samarasinghe also stressed the importance of protecting policital, economic, social, and cultural rights, along with the right to development.

The second speaker was Esther Brimmer, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs of the United States. She said that the U.S. took its seat on the Human Rights Council with a sense of "mutal respect". Brimmer also stated that one of the most fundamental rights of the state was to protect human rights. The United States' goals for the Human Rights Council centered around the themes of universality, dialogue, principle, and truth. She also said that the U.S. was dedicated to working with others to address human rights violations throughout the world.

The third speaker was Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand. She stressed the importance and urgency on focusing on violence against women. Also, she stated that the treatment of women prisoners needed to be addressed.

For a more detailed summary of the morning session, click here. The afternoon session is scheduled to begin at 3pm.  For more information on the Human Rights Council click here.

The Washington Post recently published an article and an op-ed about the possibility of the Egyptian culture minister, Farouk Hosni, to become the next director general of UNESCO. The controversy of Hosni's candidacy comes from charges that he has displayed hatred toward Israel and has had a large role in Egypt's censorship bureaucracy. According to the Washington Post article, "he [Hosni] told an Islamist member of the Egyptian parliament that he would personally burn any Israeli books found in Egyptian libraries." Due to this remark, much opposition has come against Hosni, and also the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, who has shown total support for Hosni. Furthermore, Hosni has received "pledges of support" from the Arab League, the Organization of African Unity, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. If all of these groups continue to support him, he is basically guaranteed victory. According to Mona Eltahawy (author of the op-ed), an Egyptian writer,

    "A stronger case against Hosni's bid to lead the U.N. cultural organization would focus on how he has used censorship and disregarded individual freedom to ultimately strip Egypt of its robust culture. He might not have actually burned books, but he has banned plenty."

Hosni has publicly stated that "We ban any book that insults any religion." Hosni's candidacy is a true threat to UNESCO's mission to promote freedom of expression.

Two reports were released by the United Nations on September 7, 2009 regarding human rights abuses, and possible war crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These reports, and top human rights officials stress the importance of reforming the DRC's judicial and security mechanisms. The focus of the reports is the period of heavy violence in late 2008 in the country's North and South Kivu provinces.

The first report focuses on the government troops (FARDC) who have been accused of human rights abuses including arbitrary killings, looting, and sexual violence. These ruthless acts were committed against the people that the FARDC was deployed to protect (from the Tutsi rebel group, the National Congress for People's Defense). If the government does not take action to punish those guilty of these acts, it could also be held responsible for human rights violations. The report states that "The judicial response to the violations has, so far, been wholly insufficient".

The second report focuses on the Tutsi rebel group, the National Congress for People's Defense (CNDP). The main human rights abuses being addresses in this report is 67 arbitrary killings conducted by the CNDP, as well as rape, displacement of populations, arbitrary arrests, abductions, and forced recruitment. The individual who led the CNDP during the time period addressed, Laurent Nkunda, was taken into custody in January 2009.

Both reports conclude that the government of the DRC must take action in investigating and punishing individuals guilty of these human rights abuses and war crimes.

The use of rape as a tool of war has been a huge issue in the conflict in the DRC. If you wish to learn more about this subject, there is an excellent documentary called "The Greatest Silence" that details the lives of women who have been raped in the DRC. Click here for the website.

According to documents recently declassified by the U.S. State Department, the Bush administration had tried to soften the draft language of an international treaty on "enforced disappearances", in order to protect those involved in the CIA's secret prison system.

The treaty, which had been supported by many prior U.S. administrations, was to bring an end to government-sponsored kidnappings which took place en masse in Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s, and apparently still occur in some parts of the world.

The draft treaty called for a wide ban on activity of this sort, but in 2004 the United States government pushed for a softer ban - a ban on intentionally placing people outside of legal protections for a long period of time. The US-recommended wording was criticized internationally for being too vague, and with ‘intentionality' being hard to prove in court.

At the time, the CIA was holding a dozen or so prisoners in its secret prison system.

The treaty went ahead with the broader ban, and has been signed by some 80 countries around the world, not including the United States. A White House official said that the Obama administration is reviewing the U.S. position on the treaty, as part of a wider review of human rights treaties that the U.S. is not party to. However, the Obama Administration recently said that it will continue to capture and transfer suspects to third countries (‘rendition') if it sees the need to do so.

The documents outlining this information were obtained by Amnesty International, who had made a request for these documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

Further details can be found at this article at the Washington Post.