INDIA HAS DUTY TO USE GLOBAL INFLUENCE TO SPEAK OUT ON HUMAN RIGHTS – UN OFFICIAL

A top United Nations official has hailed India's vibrant democratic and legal institutions, while calling on the world's largest democracy to repeal "dated and colonial-era" laws and to speak out about human rights violations, particularly in its own region.

"I encourage India to speak out on its own, as well as in concert with others, whenever the human rights agenda that it cherishes and seeks to pursue domestically becomes of concern elsewhere," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said during her two-day visit to the South Asian nation.

In an address to the National Human Rights Commission in Delhi on Monday, she urged India "to continue to support freedom and rights wherever they are at stake, and particularly regarding the alarming situations in its own region, such as those in Sri Lanka and Myanmar."

It was the first visit for Ms. Pillay, a national of South Africa whose ancestors hailed from India, to the country as UN human rights chief. She noted that both countries, under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, were able to "shed colonialism and the repressive rule of the few."

Highlighting the gains made by India since its independence, she said that the strength of India's democratic and legal institutions, as well as that of a highly engaged civil society and a free press, "rests on solid foundations."

She mentioned in particular the role played by the country's judiciary in enforcing human rights, providing relief for individuals and ensuring that the Government honours constitutionally guaranteed rights, as well as "groundbreaking" judgments by the Supreme Court.

"Yet despite all these gains, the challenges that India faces, as is the case in many other countries, are manifold," Ms. Pillay stated. For example, Although India enjoys an array of laws and institutions designed to combat all forms of discrimination, religious and caste-based prejudices remain entrenched. In many states long-standing grievances of minorities, lower castes, or the poor have turned into violence.

"Of particular concern is caste-based discrimination which is still deplorably widespread, despite efforts by the Government and the judiciary to eradicate this practice," she noted.

In addition, the High Commissioner said India should repeal those dated and colonial-era laws that breach contemporary international human rights standards. These range from laws which provide the security forces with excessive emergency powers, including the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, to laws that criminalize homosexuality.

"Such legal vestiges of a bygone era are at odds with the vibrant dynamics and forward thrust of large sectors of the Indian polity."

She also emphasized the need to properly investigate hundreds of cases of disappearances that have been reported in Kashmir "to bring a sense of closure to the families who for far too long have been awaiting news."

The High Commissioner's visit to India followed a five-day mission to neighbouring Nepal.
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BRIC Nations Call For More Balanced IMF.

Brazil, Russia, India & China (BRIC) Saturday sought a re-balancing of representation on the executive board and the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The demand was made at the G20 finance ministers' meeting being held near London.... They also asked for speeding up of the second phase of voice and representation reform in the World Bank group by April 2010.

The BRICs said it was necessary for developing countries to have a greater voice and representation. Similarly, leadership of the IMF and World Bank should not be subject to 'nationality or regional considerations.'

In related news, it was reported that the G20 summit should find ways to give other states a say in decisions by the world's richest to mitigate disasters like the US mortgage loan crisis, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday.

Reiterating Russia's view that global finance needs sweeping reform, Medvedev said new tools and rules were needed 'so that the problems which start in one state will not trigger the hardest chain reaction' in others..

UNICEF RECEIVES $48 MILLION FROM RETAIL CHAIN IKEA TO HELP INDIA’S POOR

UNICEF RECEIVES $48 MILLION FROM RETAIL CHAIN IKEA TO HELP INDIA'S POOR
New York, Feb 23 2009 1:00PM

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) initiatives supporting some of the poorest people in India are set to receive a $48 million boost from Swedish retail giant IKEA, the agency announced today, coinciding with the day of International Corporate Philanthropy.

The donation, the latest from the IKEA Social Initiative, will go towards projects aimed at improving the health and survival of tens of millions of women and children in some of India's most deprived areas.

In India, one woman dies every seven minutes from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth and nearly one million newborn babies die every year, UNICEF said in a news release announcing the donation.

The agency noted that India is home to almost 40 per cent of all malnourished children worldwide, with a record 25 million children under five years old suffering from wasting and 61 million children stunted due to malnutrition.

The donation from the IKEA Social Initiative will allow UNICEF to support local and national government-led health, nutrition, clean water and sanitation projects, including those providing infants with immunizations and vitamin A supplements, as well as programmes advocating breastfeeding and the importance of nutritious food for children under the age of 24 months.

"The resources being provided will allow us to implement critical long-term programmes that seek to improve child survival, development and protection," said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF India Country Representative in New Delhi.

"IKEA Social Initiative has chosen to concentrate its long-term commitments on South Asia, where the needs of children and women are great, and where IKEA has long business experience," added Ms. Hulshof.

UNICEF, IKEA and the Government of India created a partnership in 2000 to tackle the root causes of child labour in the carpet belt of India, including debt, poverty, the lack of access to education, disability and ill health.

As a result, some 80,000 children in the state of Utter Pradesh who were unable to attend school have been able to get an education, and around 140,000 children and 150,000 women have been immunized against infectious diseases.

Roughly 22,000 women have created their own employment opportunities through self-help groups supported by the partnership's programmes.

The IKEA Social Initiative has become UNICEF's biggest corporate partner, with total commitments of more than $180 million from 2000 to 2015.

"The IKEA Social Initiative makes a serious corporate commitment toward improving the living conditions in countries where it is working," said Saad Houry, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director.

"IKEA's investment in children's wellbeing, despite the downturn in the global economy, sets a high standard for corporate partnership," added Mr. Houry.
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