-
-
From clearing excrement to NY modelling
Walking down the catwalk in front of the great and the good in New York is a far cry from using your hands to clean up human excrement for a living.
But this week a group of such women - known in India as scavengers - have been doing just that. They have been attending a United Nations conference here and doing some modelling at the same time.
In all, 36 scavengers from India have been invited by the UN to attend a conference to mark the UN's International Year of Sanitation.
The women were brought up from early childhood for the demeaning work.
Scavengers are invariably from the lower-caste, "untouchable" (Dalit) community. They carry the human excrement in pots on their heads. They can also be found clearing rubbish from the streets and open drains outside homes.
'Humilitation'
Usha Chomar is one of these women. Walking along the corridors of the UN headquarters, she was ecstatic by the respect and honour showered on her by dignitaries and the movers and shakers of the world.
Thirty-year-old Chomar gave up scavenging in 2003. She says she finally feels like a human being. "I have always done the work of scavenging and have faced humiliation all my life.
I tell all scavenging women that it is not impossible for them to change their lives
Usha Chomar
"So I had never imagined that I would ever have been honoured like this. I am very happy at last to be treated like a normal person."
The women got the opportunity to hit the catwalk during a fashion show called Mission Sanitation where they appeared alongside top models from India and other countries. Some of the designer clothes worn by the models were embroidered by the women .
The ceremony was especially poignant for Usha Chomar, because she was unofficially crowned as princess of sanitation workers.
Among the various organisations taking part in the activities was the India non-governmental organisation, Sulabh International, which was invited by the UN to work with other groups around the world in the struggle to provide better sanitation.
"This is the dream coming true of Indian independence hero Gandhiji (Mahatma Gandhi)," said Bindeshwar Pathak, the head of Sulabh International.
"In India scavengers have been looked down upon for centuries. But those who have abandoned that work are... being treated with respect which they deserve. I am over the moon with happiness."
Huge task
Usha Chomar said that she hoped that other disadvantaged women could derive inspiration from her story. "I tell all scavenging women that it is not impossible for them to change their lives and command just as much respect as any other human being."
Official statistics in India say that there are still around 340,000 scavengers working in villages and small towns.
The UN aims to reduce by half the number of people without basic sanitation by 2015.
But in India alone they face a huge task.
It's estimated that around 700 million Indians do not have access to safe and hygienic toilets.
Experts say that scavenging in India is most prevalent in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
They warn that because they work in such nasty conditions, many suffer from acute health problems. They say that the stench that goes with the job forces many scavengers to hold their breath for long periods of time, which in turn causes respiratory problems.
The Indian government banned manual scavenging in 1993, but the law is not widely implemented.
Walking down the catwalk in front of the great and the good in New York is a far cry from using your hands to clean up human excreme... more -
United Nations delists 32 Indian companies
To regulate ethics among corporates, the United Nations has delisted nearly 600 companies, including 32 Indian ones as they failed to report on their progress. These companies lacked zeal to follow human rights, workplace and anti-corruption ethics.
The United Nations Global Compact Office (UNGCO) has delisted nearly 600 companies, including 32 Indian ones for failure to comply with the integrity measures introduced in 2004. Although the decision was taken on June 25, the list was made known only now.
The list of firms removed from the scheme features a wide range of companies, including: Cement Corporation of India, Hindustan Aeronautics, Hindalco, Kundermukh Iron Ore, Apollo Hospitals, Atlas Cycles, Hindustan Organics Chemical Limited, Shipping Corporation of India, MMTC, MTNL, Punjab National Bank and Unit Trust of India to name few.
Among international companies the UNGCO has delisted Groupe Fiat France and the subsidiaries and affiliates of a number of high-profile multinationals, such as Ernst & Young, Brazil, Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited, L’Oreal Argentina SA, and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.
Businesses signing up to this UN scheme are required to adhere to ten guidelines governing corporate behaviour and commit to adopting best practices on human rights, the workplace, the environment and anti-corruption. In return, they are allowed to publicise themselves as a member of the Global Compact, access UN development resources and share best practices with other signatories to the initiative.
In accordance with the integrity measures, companies are required to communicate annually to their stakeholders on progress made in implementing the ten principles of the UNGCO. Failure to meet the communication on progress (COP) deadline results in a company being listed as ’non-communicating’ on the Global Compact website.
The delisting policy was first implemented in January 2008, when 394 companies were removed from the participant list. Since then, an additional 236 companies have been delisted – bringing to 630 the total number of companies delisted since the policy was implemented. In addition, 317 companies are currently listed as ’inactive’ on the website, of which 184 are at risk of being delisted by 2008.
Despite the large number of companies removed from the participant list, the overall number of participants continues to rise. During the first half of 2008, 701 new companies have joined the UNGCO. Total number is 5982. To regulate ethics among corporates, the United Nations has delisted nearly 600 companies, including 32 Indian ones as they failed to ... more -
Israeli military kills U.N. worker
The UN is demanding an investigation into how the Israeli military killed one of its Palestinian school teachers by blasting open the front door of her Gaza home with explosives in the presence of three of her children.
Wafer Shaker al Daghma, 34, a teacher at a local UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) elementary school, was killed last Wednesday as she stood preparing to open the wooden door of her home to the troops. According to UNRWA and relatives who found her body, the military used an explosive device on the door which blew most of her head from her body. They then confined the traumatised children – aged from two to 13 – for five hours while the body lay outside the door of the room where they were held.
The nation calling itself "Israel" is not the Israel of the bible. The should be held accountable for all their terrorist acts. The UN is demanding an investigation into how the Israeli military killed one of its Palestinian school teachers by blasting open the ... more -
World Health Organization to open Baghdad headquarters
The World Health Organization, one of United Nations' most important agencies, is opening a permanent office in Baghdad, a move that underscores recent security improvements in Iraq's capital.
WHO's representative in Iraq, Nae'ema Al-Gasseer, will be permanently based in the Iraqi capital.
The move comes nearly five years after the U.N. headquarters in Iraq was bombed, killing 22 people and curtailing a lot of the agency's work. One of those killed in the strike was the chief of the U.N. mission in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
In the post-Saddam Hussein era, the U.N. has lent support to Iraqi elections and the political process, as well as reconstruction.
WHO has performed vaccination campaigns in Iraq and has dealt with outbreaks such as cholera and avian influenza.
The World Health Organization, one of United Nations' most important agencies, is opening a permanent office in Baghdad, a move that u... more -
Heavy rain and continuing violence are threatening UN food aid to Darfur
Conditions are poised to deteriorate rapidly for some 4.3 million conflict-affected persons in the vast western region of Sudan, which for five years has been the site of genocidal counter-insurgency warfare.
A "perfect storm" of threatening developments is brewing, warned UN humanitarian coordinator Mike McDonough on Sunday, and there can be little quarrelling with his grim assessment.
Malnutrition rates are rising even as heavy rains will soon turn much of Darfur's terrain into a sea of mud and a network of raging torrents, making food deliveries to many locations impossible by ground transport. Conditions are poised to deteriorate rapidly for some 4.3 million conflict-affected persons in the vast western region of Sudan, which... more -
'Good start' to UN's Syria probe
The head of a UN team investigating allegations that Syria has been working on a secret nuclear weapons programme says their work is off to a good start.
The IAEA official, Olli Heinonen, said inspectors had taken samples at the al-Kibar site in the Syrian desert.
The area was bombed by Israeli warplanes last year after Israel and the United States accused the Syrians of building a nuclear reactor there.
Syria adamantly denies having any kind of nuclear programme.
Mr Heinonen, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was speaking on his arrival back in Vienna following a three-day trip to Syria.
"It was a good start, but there's still work that remains to be done," he said.
"For this trip we did what we agreed to. We achieved what we wanted on this first trip. We took samples which we wanted to take. Now it's time to analyse them."
Mr Heinonen also said he was generally satisfied with the level of co-operation by Syria.
In April, Washington released pictures purporting to show North Korean experts inside the construction, which it said closely resembled a North Korean reactor at Yongbyon.
Syria has repeatedly denied it has any nuclear weapons programme, or any such agreement with North Korea.
Syrian officials have said the bombed site was an unused military facility under construction, but deny that it had anything to do with a nuclear programme.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has criticised both what he saw as a US delay in releasing information on the Syrian site and Israel's bombing of the site before his agency could inspect it. The head of a UN team investigating allegations that Syria has been working on a secret nuclear weapons programme says their work is o... more -
Strike on Iran could turn Mideast into fireball, official says
The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief warned in comments aired Saturday that any military strike on Iran could turn the Mideast to a "ball of fire" and lead Iran to a more aggressive stance on its controversial nuclear program.
Mohamed ElBaradei made the remarks in an interview aired on Saturday by Al Arabiya TV. The interview comes a day after reports emerged that Israel conducted an large-scale military exercise that the United States believes is in part a message to Iran that Israel has the capability to attack its nuclear program.
"In my opinion, a military strike will be the worst. ... It will turn the Middle East to a ball of fire," ElBaradei said on Al-Arabiya television. It also could prompt Iran to press even harder to seek a nuclear program and force him to resign, he said.
Iran also criticized the Israeli exercises Saturday. The official IRNA news agency quoted a government spokesman as saying the exercises demonstrate that Israel "jeopardizes global peace and security."
Israel sent warplanes and other aircraft on a major exercise in the eastern Mediterranean this month, U.S. military officials said Friday. Israel's military refused to confirm or deny that the maneuvers were practice for a strike in Iran, saying only that it regularly trains for various missions to counter threats to the country. The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief warned in comments aired Saturday that any military strike on Iran could turn the Mideast to a "ball o... more -
U.N. Faces More Accusations of Sexual Misconduct
The United Nations is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct by U.N. personnel in Burundi, Haiti, Liberia and elsewhere, which is complicating the organization's efforts to contain a sexual abuse scandal that has tarnished its Nobel Prize-winning peacekeepers in Congo.
The allegations indicate that a series of measures the United Nations has taken in recent years have failed to eliminate a culture of sexual permissiveness that has plagued its far-flung peacekeeping operations over the last 12 years. But senior U.N. officials say they have signaled their seriousness by imposing new reforms and forcing senior U.N. military commanders and officials to step down if they do not curb such practices.
"The blue helmet has become black and blue through self-inflicted wounds," Jane Holl Lute, a senior U.N. peacekeeping official who heads a U.N. task force on sexual exploitation, told a congressional committee investigating allegations that U.N. personnel participated in rape, prostitution and pedophilia in Congo. "We will not sit still until the luster of that blue helmet is restored."
The reports of sexual abuse have come from U.N. officials, internal U.N. documents, and local and international human rights organizations that have tracked the issue. Some U.N. officials and outside observers say there have been cases of abuse in almost every U.N. mission, including operations in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Kosovo. The United Nations is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct by U.N. personnel in Burundi, Haiti, Liberia and elsewhere, which is... more -
4.7 million Iraqis have been displaced since 2003
Iraq remains one of the most dangerous places in the world. Its refugee crisis is worsening. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, an estimated 4.7 million have been displaced both within and outside Iraq and for many the situation is desperate.
A new report by Amnesty International, Rhetoric and reality: the Iraqi refugee crisis, says that the international community continues to fail to respond to the crisis in a meaningful way. Countries like Jordan and Syria host most of the refugees but are simply not equipped to meet the needs of all those arriving.
Syria alone may be hosting more than a million refugees. As of 2007, only 1 percent of the total Iraqi displaced population was estimated to be in the industrialized world.
To mark World Refugee Day, Amnesty International has called on the international community and, in particular, those states who participated in the US-led invasion of Iraq, to take real steps to alleviate the suffering of those displaced. The organization said these countries must urgently act on their responsibility to assist the host nations and humanitarian organizations operating in the region to support the large numbers of refugees.
Many families are destitute and facing impossible choices and new risks, like having to resort to child labour and the prospect of being forced through circumstances to undertake "voluntary" return to Iraq.
Iraq remains one of the most dangerous places in the world. Its refugee crisis is worsening. According to the United Nations High Comm... more -
UN watchdog warns against Iran attack
The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said a military strike on Iran would turn the Middle East into a fireball and prompt Tehran to launch a crash course to build nuclear weapons.Russia also warned against military threats on Friday, after The New York Times quoted U.S. officials as saying Israel had carried out a large military exercise, apparently a rehearsal for a potential bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities."A military strike, in my opinion, would be worse than anything," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Mohamad ElBaradei told Al Arabiya television in an interview aired on Frida"It would turn the region into a fireball."
He said any attack would only make the Islamic Republic more determined in its confrontation with the West over its nuclear programme."If you do a military strike, it will mean that Iran, if it is not already making nuclear weapons, will launch a crash course to build nuclear weapons with the blessing of all Iranians, even those in the West.""If a military strike is carried out against Iran at this time ... it would make me unable to continue my work," he added.Russia's U.N. envoy said threatening Iran with military action could undermine newfound momentum in the drive by six world powers to resolve the standoff with Tehran.European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana went to Tehran last week for talks on the matter.Diplomats say that on behalf of major powers, he offered Iran preliminary talks on its nuclear work and a freeze on moves to harsher sanctions if it limited its uranium enrichment to current levels for six weeks.The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear bombs. It has not ruled out an attack on the Islamic Republic, but says it is focusing on diplomatic pressure. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful but has refused to suspend uranium enrichment despite three rounds of U.N. sanctions imposed since 2006. It has also turned down offers of economic benefits to suspend its uranium enrichment, which it says is to produce fuel for electricity generation.A U.S. official said this stance could lead to a new round of sanctions against Iran.ElBaradei said sanctions alone would not be effective in persuading Iran to halt nuclear enrichment, saying that more international dialogue was required. The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said a military strike on Iran would turn the Middle East into a fireball and prompt Tehran to launch ... more -
UN classifies rape a 'war tactic'
"The UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war. The document describes the deliberate use of rape as a tactic in war and a threat to international security. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached "unspeakable proportions" in some societies recovering from conflict.
The UN is also setting up an inquiry to report next June on how widespread the practice is and how to tackle it. Human-rights group hailed the resolution as historic.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan said China, Russia, Indonesia and Vietnam had all expressed reservations during the negotiations, asking whether rape was really a matter for the UN security council. But the US-sponsored resolution was adopted unanimously by the 15-member council.
It described sexual violence as "a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group". The document said that the violence "can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security".
During the debate in the council, Mr Ban said: "Responding to this silent war against women and girls requires leadership at the national level. National authorities need to take the initiative to build comprehensive strategies while the UN needs to help build capacity and support national authorities and civil societies," he added.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the world now recognised that sexual violence profoundly affected not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations. Other speakers identified the former Yugoslavia, Sudan's Darfur region, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Liberia as regions where deliberate sexual violence had occurred on a mass scale.
The former commander of the UN peacekeeping force in eastern Congo, Maj-Gen Patrick Cammaert, told the BBC he personally witnessed its impact.
"It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed," he said. "You destroy communities. You punish the men, and you punish the women, doing it in front of the men."
In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, some 40 women are raped every day, our correspondent says. Sometimes women are even raped by peacekeepers who are supposed to be protecting them, she adds.
The question is whether those in conflict zones who use rape in war will be at all deterred by the new measures, she says." "The UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war. The document describes ... more -
Israel and Hezbollah close to prisoner swap
Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel are putting the final touches to an agreement to exchange prisoners, a Lebanese political source said on Wednesday.
The deal, mediated by a U.N.-appointed German negotiator, would see Hezbollah returning two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006 for four Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of about 10 Hezbollah fighters. It is not clear whether either of the Israelis is still alive. Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel are putting the final touches to an agreement to exchange prisoners, a Lebanese political source said o... more -
Human Faith Religion
Human Faith Religion
Human faith is a religious devoted to the God (Rab) of humanity (Rabi). This is our doctrines of religion even in the absence of physical proof of the force that guide life from way beyond the natural world. We place our trust in God (Rab) and we know that the trustee of the trust is humanity (Rabi). Human Faith allegiance and loyalty is for the ruler of the universe (Rab).The spiritual change from loneness to loveliness is based on love by giving unlimited trust in God (Rab). Human mind is miracle of Supreme Being when we struggle to boil it at luck warm temperature of wisdom to understand fundamental of life by reading (Rabi). The ever lasting stage of satisfaction for mind is to reach Supreme Being before death. The journey of memories can be pleasant with nine affirmations of human faith. We believe that it is time to joggle every conscious to show them that human mind is superior matter not material. The festival of life can be celebrated with wisdom of human faith knowledge once we realize that we are part of the superior race. It advocates spiritual and moral principles on very high scales for the longest term in human history. Human faith is Adam's monotheistic faith and knows that God is the creator and overseer of the universe at all the time and all matters. It is time to modernize our faith by adopting true faith and educate mankind in accordance with basic principle of life. Our vision is to introduce true human religion by mobilizing communities and faiths around the world to improve people's lives .Our mission is to strength the bond of humanity (Rabi) by introducing human faith religion .
IN GOD (Rab) WE TRUST WE HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY (Rabi).
http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php
Rabi has many meaning in our language.
1. Rabi is Book of Human Faith.
2. Rabi is brain.
3. Rabi is humanity.
4. Rabi is our tongue.
Human Faith Religion ... more -
UN warns 5m Zimbabweans will face hunger by next year
The United Nations warned yesterday that more than 5 million Zimbabweans are facing hunger as the country staggers towards next week's presidential elections under the burden of increasing violence and economic collapse.
At the same time, the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, expressed "profound alarm" at the level of violence and intimidation, and the arrest of opposition leaders. "Should these conditions continue to prevail, the legitimacy of the election outcomes would be in question," Ban told an informal session of the UN general assembly.
Two UN relief agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program, issued a joint report saying 2 million Zimbabweans would face hunger before September, and projected the figure would rise to 3.8 million by the end of the year, and 5.1 million by next March.
The report blamed a combination of plummeting food production and the world's highest rate of inflation. The United Nations warned yesterday that more than 5 million Zimbabweans are facing hunger as the country staggers towards next week's... more -
Somalia crisis is 'worse than Darfur'
The UN's humanitarian co-ordinator Mark Bowden, has announced that the food crisis in Somalia 'faces a worse situation that Darfur,' and that as many as 3.5m people could need emergency food aid in the coming months.
He believes the continuing fighting militia, recurring droughts and the rapid increase in food prices followed by the subsequent collapse of the Somalian currency are all contributing to the crisis.
The UN's humanitarian co-ordinator Mark Bowden, has announced that the food crisis in Somalia 'faces a worse situation that Darfur,' a... more -
European Union to build its own army
An influential Polish member of the European parliament has called for the EU to develop "hard power" and spend more money to build a European army.
Foreign affairs committee chairman Jacek Saryusz-Wolski also wants the European parliament to have the final say on deployments under the EU flag.
The French have said beefing up the EU's military capability will be a key part of their six-month presidency.
The BBC has been told their plans also include a new EU military headquarters.
Other items on the French list of proposals involve calling upon all EU countries to increase spending on defence to meet a new target of perhaps 6% of Gross Domestic Product.
(the article continues ...)
An influential Polish member of the European parliament has called for the EU to develop "hard power" and spend more money to build a ... more -
100 million people at risk of falling into poverty from the global food crisis
Rising global food prices threaten to destroy years of economic progress in Africa and drive 100 million people into poverty, a high-profile international panel said.
The Africa Progress Panel also said wealthy countries are likely to fail in their promise to deliver billions more in aid to the continent by 2010.
This needs to be front and center on the agendas of the wealthy countries around the world. All the good work that has been done in the last 10 years is now at risk. We cannot fall backwards now. Too much is at stake.
Check out more at the associated link. Rising global food prices threaten to destroy years of economic progress in Africa and drive 100 million people into poverty, a high-p... more -
UN hands over running of Kosovo
A new constitution has come into force in Kosovo, after the territory declared independence from Serbia in February.
Majority ethnic Albanian authorities will take over much of the running of the disputed territory from the UN.
The EU is to take on a supervisory role replacing the UN mission, but Russia has blocked the formal handover saying the move is illegal.
Security is high in the divided town of Mitrovica after a gunman attacked a police station on Saturday. The unidentified attacker was wounded along with a policeman in the incident, police said. It was not immediately clear in which part of the town the shooting took place.
Under the new constitution, which came into force at midnight on Sunday, Kosovo's government assumes many of the powers held up until now by the UN.
A new constitution has come into force in Kosovo, after the territory declared independence from Serbia in February. ... more -
Sacrifice for Humanity ?
Sacrifice for Humanity ?
Human destiny starts when mother sacrifice pain and gift is rainbow of life. It is our choice how we want to see these seven colors, the ancient wisdom of wedlock make them brighter.Human faith God want us to sacrifice self love form social love and lift ambitions by showing brighter seven colors of the rainbow. The commercially grown educators and leaders do not stress importance of sacrifice personal desire for healthy and sober society. Human faith believe that it is time to sacrifice our racial, religious and power proud by taking oath of humanity. We promise our God will take fear away from the heart and mist of life will be joyful. The waives of fresh air with small particles full of wisdom and oxygen are in the air it is just matter of time when they touch the brain to change the heart. The overflow of environmental, political , radical and racial tragedies are full of tears and driving humanity at the edge. it is time for politically appointed humanitarian leaders to sacrifice special interest and resign. Human faith would like to request from all these dictators, kings, monarchies, army chiefs, organization, government officials, presidents, vice presidents and religious leaders to sacrifice selfishness for humanity .
We believe that one day God will bless United Nation good leader with gift of kindness and tongue for the humanity .The festival of life can be celebrated with wisdom of human faith knowledge once we realize that we are part of the human race. It advocates spiritual and moral principles on very high scales for the longest term in human history. Human faith is Abraham's monotheistic faith and knows that God is the creator and overseer of the universe at all the time and all Illusions. It is time to modernize our faith by adopting true faith and educate mankind in accordance with International principle of life and they are nine affirmation of human faith.
IN GOD WE TRUST WE HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY. Sacrifice for Humanity ? ... more -
China Gets Dubious Honor Of World's #1 CO2 Emitter
In a report released Friday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China has stepped into first place as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, edging ahead of the United States. China's supernova economy contributed to an eight percent rise in its domestic emissions, which in turn makes up two-thirds of the global growth of emissions last year. That trend is likely to continue due to China's massive use of coal-fired energy and its huge cement industry.
The U.S. still maintains the highest per person CO2 emissions (19.4 tons), followed by Russian (11.8 tons), and Western Europe (8.6 tons) compared to China's 5.2 tons per inhabitant. But China now releases 24% global GHG emissions compared to the US' 21%.
What's unfortunate is that with one year to go until UN-sponsored talks in Copenhagen try to cobble together a Kyoto Protocol replacement treaty, the world's leaders aren't coming up with the kind of innovative ideas needed to creatively reduce everybody's emissions. As Yvo de Boer, executive secretary for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change puts it:
"With a little more than a year to go to Copenhagen, the challenge to come to that agreement remains daunting."
Article by: April Streeter In a report released Friday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China has stepped into first place as the world's larg... more
-
related topics
UN
Contributors (377)
UN
