Latest news with #UNCommittee
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
UN committee probes disappearance of Syrian man deported by Austria
PARIS: The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has launched an inquiry into the whereabouts and fate of a Syrian man who was deported by Austria in early July and has not been in contact with his legal team or family since. Austria has been asked by the UN committee 'to make formal diplomatic representations to the Syrian authorities to determine whether the (person) is alive, where he is being held, in what conditions, and (to) request diplomatic guarantees to ensure his safety and humane treatment,' according to a letter dated Aug. 6 from the UN Petitions Section. The 32-year-old man was the first Syrian national expelled from EU territory since the fall of President Bashar Assad. Millions of Syrians fled Assad's bloody crackdown on opponents in the country's 2011-24 civil war. EU countries took in many of the refugees, but some are now looking into repatriations, citing the changed political situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, though sectarian violence has continued in some areas. Rights groups raised concerns at the time of the man's deportation on July 3 that he risked inhumane treatment in his home country and that his case would set a dangerous precedent. Now, the man's legal team in Austria and his close family have not been able to make contact with him, said his Austrian legal adviser, Ruxandra Staicu. 'This shows what we said before: Nobody can say for sure what will happen after deportation to Syria, because the situation in Syria is not secure, not stable; it is still changing,' she said. The Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs confirmed that its office received the letter and 'will now examine any further steps together with the ministries responsible.' The man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in 2019 after being convicted of an unspecified crime. He was deported while awaiting a decision on a new asylum application. That decision is still pending.
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
UN criticises Starmer's welfare reforms and warns measures will 'increase poverty rates'
A UN committee on disability rights has criticised the UK government's welfare reforms, saying they will "increase poverty rates". In an intervention likely to be seized on by MPs seeking to further water down the measures, the committee asks ministers for answers on 10 issues surrounding the benefit changes - and says the reforms risk "regression" for disabled people. The committee, which reports to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, asks about British politicians suggesting people are defrauding the benefits system. One point on which it wants clarification is: "Public statements by politicians and authorities portraying persons with disabilities as making profit of social benefits, making false statements to get social and disability benefits or being a burden to society." Other questions are on the impact the measures will have on "young persons, new claimants of disability benefits, women with disabilities, persons with disabilities with high level supports" and others. They ask ministers about what measures they have taken to address "the foreseeable risk of increasing poverty rates amongst persons with disabilities if cuts are approved" and claim the welfare bill has had "limited scrutiny". The letter claims that the committee has "received credible information" that the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill"will deepen the signs of regression" that the committee warned about in a report last year on the cost of living crisis and its impact on disabled people. An intervention by the UN will be an embarrassment to the government, which has promised its welfare reforms will help disabled people into work. 4:31 Liz Kendall, the welfare secretary, was criticised heavily earlier in the year for saying some people on benefits were "taking the mickey". After a chaotic first vote in Parliament on 1 July, in which MPs succeeded in watering down the reforms significantly, the government now says its reforms will lift 50,000 people out of poverty. The bill was backed by 335 MPs, with 260 against - a majority of 75. The first version of the reforms would have - the government's assessment said - pushed 250,000 people into poverty. Charities are urging MPs to continue to push for further changes - including on cuts to Universal Credit sickness payments. 1:08 A different UN committee heavily criticised benefit changes made by the Conservatives in 2016 and called on the UK to take "corrective measures" when Labour came into office. The UN's committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) concluded that "welfare reform" measures introduced by Conservative-led governments in 2012 and 2016 had disproportionately affected disabled people, low-income families, and workers in "precarious employment". The committee said this had led to "severe economic hardship, increased reliance on food banks, homelessness, negative impacts on mental health, and the stigmatisation of benefit claimants". The Department for Work and Pensions has been contacted for comment. Mikey Erhardt, policy lead at Disability Rights UK, said: "The fact that the UN has yet again felt it needs to write to the UK government about our cruel and punitive social security system should be a national shame. "We hope this letter is a wake-up call for MPs. Despite all the chaos of the last-minute climbdowns and concessions, the Universal Credit bill remains broken. "There are still billions of cuts on the table, and we urge MPs to approach tomorrow's proceedings with caution as their vote will have serious implications for disabled people across the country. "If disabled people feel unable to trust the government's promises on co-production and the UN needed to raise concerns over the bill's impact, how can MPs vote this bill through?"
The Journal
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
A UN committee wants Irish political parties to have at least half their candidates be women
A UNITED NATIONS committee has highlighted the low representation of woman in the Dáil and at Cabinet as 'priority issues' that must be addressed by the state. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission stated that it welcomed the findings of the UN Committee, which is tasked with 'the Elimination of Discrimination against Women'. The Irish Commission had previously provided submissions to the UN Committee on the issue and communicated its concerns. Today, the Committee has recommended that the government amend the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 to require 50% gender parity in the quota on political party candidate selection. At present, political funding available to parties is dependent whether the party meets the gender quota for candidates. Payments are reduced by 50% unless at least 40% of the candidates whose candidatures were authenticated by the party at the preceding general election were women, and 40% were men. The UN Committee recommended that the quota be bumped to 50% female candidature in order to address what the Committee described as 'critically low' representation of women in Irish politics. Advertisement Last year in the general election, a record 246 women ran, according to Women for Election. Of the 174 seats, women secured 44 of them – making up 25% of the Dáil. A number of wards did not elect any women to represent it. In this government, there are three female Cabinet ministers among the 15. Just six women hold positions as Ministers of State out of the 23 available. The Committee advised that its application on gender parity be extended to the Seanad, the nomination of Cabinet ministers, and local governance bodies. The Committee further recommended that the State take other measures to increase women's participation in political life – such as combatting online abuse and threats of gender-based violence targeting women in political and public life. The Committee has 'deep concerns' about access to justice for women, particularly survivors of institutional abuse and those from structurally vulnerable groups, the Irish Commission reported, highlighting barriers to redress for survivors of abuse in Mother and Baby homes, the Magdalene Laundries, and other residential institutions. The Irish State must respond within two years about the progress achieved in these areas. The Commission will continue to exercise its monitoring role to hold the State to account. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) committee publishes findings on Afghanistan, Botswana, Chad, Fiji, Ireland, Mexico, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Thailand and Tuvalu
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) today issued its findings on Afghanistan, Botswana, Chad, Fiji, Ireland, Mexico, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Tuvalu, after reviewing these States parties. The findings contain positive aspects of each country's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the Committee's main concerns and recommendations. Some of the key issues include: On Afghanistan, the Committee expressed profound concern at the institutionalized torture and ill-treatment of women, particularly on accusations of adultery, and the continued exclusion of girls from formal education. The Committee heard that some 78% of young women are now out of education, employment, or training, leading to increased child marriage, labour exploitation and poverty. It urged the de facto authorities to revoke the March 2024 decree allowing for women to be beaten or sentenced to death by stoning, abolish all corporal punishment and lift all education bans. On Botswana, the Committee was concerned about continued discriminatory sociocultural norms which reinforce male dominance and gender-based violence against women and girls. It recommended expanding dialogue between the government and traditional, religious, and private sector leaders on a national strategy to promote gender equality and eliminate patriarchal attitudes, and to criminalize sexual violence as well as improve support services for survivors. On Chad, the Committee noted that the country registered 1.8 million displaced or stateless people and 1.2 million as refugees in 2024 alone and commends its adoption of an asylum law granting equal rights to education, healthcare and social protection to refugees as to Chadian citizens. However, the Committee expressed concern that in practice. these groups have limited access to basic services and face intersecting forms of discrimination. It called on the authorities to address them. On Fiji, the Committee welcomed the adoption of laws and policies against gender-based violence but noted with concern its high prevalence and the continued judicial practice of referring to survivors' prior sexual history during rape trials. It also expressed concern that Fijian women remain underrepresented in decision-making positions, urging among others the introduction of targeted measures to increase their representation. On Ireland, the Committee noted with regret that a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine gender-neutral language about care within families was defeated in a referendum last year, and recommended that the State party, among other steps, undertake inclusive public consultations to find alternative wording, with a view to holding another referendum on the matter, so as to eliminate from the constitution stereotypical language on the role of women in the home. On Mexico, the Committee hailed the elevation of the National Institute for Women to a ministerial-level secretariat. It also expressed concern that the madres buscadoras (searching mothers) are still subjected violence and discrimination. It recommended effective and sustainable investment in women's rights and gender equality programmes, and formal recognition of the "buscadoras" as a special category of human rights defenders. On San Marino, the Committee noted with concern that judges, lawyers, and the general public, including women, have limited awareness of the Convention and urged the authorities to take measures to make it widely known. It also noted with concern the lack of disaggregated data in key areas, including gender-based violence against women, and urged the State party to address the gap in gender data collection. On the Solomon Islands, the Committee acknowledged progress made in implementing the affirmative action strategy but noted with concern that comprehensive temporary special measures to accelerate substantive equality of women and men have yet to be adopted. The Committee State urged the government to take all necessary measures to eradicate intra-family sexual abuse against women and girls and repeal the criminalization of victims of incest over the age of 15. On Thailand, the Committee expressed concern that women and girls continue to be subjected to online gender-based violence, and called on the authorities to investigate and prosecute any such acts, to adopt policies to combat increasing misogyny online and offline and to exercise due diligence in creating a culture of respect for women and promote gender equality in the private sector, particularly in the innovation economy. On Tuvalu, the Committee acknowledged the existential threat posed by climate change to Tuvalu's people, territory and culture, and its disproportionate impact on women and girls. It urged the State party to take measures to prioritize constitutional protections for women and girls over traditional norms and customs. The above findings, officially named Concluding Observations, are now available online on the session page. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
National Post
19-06-2025
- Health
- National Post
Liberals show no signs of limiting MAID despite 'extremely concerned' UN report
OTTAWA — Ottawa is giving no sign that it intends to amend existing legislation on medical assistance in dying — something a UN committee called for earlier this spring. Article content The federal minister responsible for disabilities spoke at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week, about two months after the committee called on Canada to repeal the 2021 law that expanded eligibility for assisted dying to those whose deaths were not reasonably foreseeable. Article content Article content Article content Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu gave a speech at the UN last Tuesday to mark 15 years since Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article content Article content 'It's about, for me, making relationships in this space and making sure that I have a really strong connection with the community, which I think is really important to be a good minister,' she said in an interview after the speech. The report said the committee is 'extremely concerned' about Canada's policy on track 2 medical assistance in dying. Article content '(T)he concept of 'choice' creates a false dichotomy, setting up the premise that if persons with disabilities are suffering, it is valid for (Canada) to enable their death without providing safeguards that guarantee the provision of support,' the report said. Article content In a written statement, a spokesperson for Hajdu said the government thanks the committee for its report. Article content Article content 'MAID is a deeply personal choice. We will make sure that the rights of persons with disabilities are upheld and protected,' said Jennifer Kozelj. Article content Article content Disability rights groups in Canada have argued the law singles out people with disabilities who are suffering because they're unable to access proper support. Article content Last September, Inclusion Canada was among a group of organizations that filed a Charter of Rights challenge against what's known as track 2 MAID. Article content 'It was crystal clear — the United Nations said they need to repeal track 2 medical assistance in dying,' she said. Article content Garnett Genuis, the Conservative employment critic, said he came away from the UN event worried about Canada's international reputation being harmed by what he called Ottawa's 'failures to uphold our obligations to protect the rights of people with living with disabilities.'
