{"id":5384,"date":"2020-04-30T19:34:45","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T19:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationaldiplomat.com\/?p=5384"},"modified":"2020-04-30T19:34:45","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T19:34:45","slug":"un-inaction-denies-justice-for-haiti-cholera-victims-say-un-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=5384","title":{"rendered":"UN inaction denies justice for Haiti cholera victims, say UN experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>UN Special Procedures &#8211; Human Rights<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 5:01 PM<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Subject: COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE (FRE-ENG): L\u2019inaction des Nations Unies prive de justice les victimes du chol\u00e9ra en Ha\u00efti, selon les experts de l\u2019ONU &#8211; UN inaction denies justice for Haiti cholera victims, say UN experts<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>News release<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>UN inaction denies justice for Haiti cholera victims, say UN experts<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">GENEVA (30 April 2020) \u2013 A group of independent UN rights experts today called on Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres to urgently step up efforts to fulfill a United Nations pledge to help victims of a cholera epidemic in Haiti that killed over 10,000 victims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe importance of relief is even more urgent in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could deal a double blow to victims of the cholera outbreak and their families,\u201d the experts said. \u201cWe recognise the immense challenges all actors face in responding to the coronavirus, but this new threat cannot mask past failures and ongoing violations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The experts said more than three years ago, the UN acknowledged the role played by its peacekeepers in causing the epidemic. It has since failed to pay any compensation and its subsequent underfunded aid effort has amounted to little more than a spate of symbolic development projects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cSerious shortfalls in funding and expenditures make the UN\u2019s promises illusory. Despite initially seeking $400 million over two years, the UN has raised a mere $20.5 million in about three years and has spent a pitiful $3.2 million. This is a deeply disappointing showing following the loss of 10,000 lives,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The experts also raised concerns about the UN\u2019s decision to help people affected by cholera through community assistance rather than direct support. \u201cSome victims prefer monetary payments, an option that was once on the table, but the UN has foreclosed that possibility seemingly without carrying out consultations or producing a detailed feasibility assessment,\u201d said the experts. \u201cCompensation is ordinarily a central component of the right to an effective remedy, and development projects are simply not a replacement for reparations\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The experts have received reports that victims have not been adequately involved in the design and development of community assistance projects. \u201cWhile the UN says it is consulting with multi-stakeholder \u2018community platforms\u2019 to develop projects, it is not clear how those most affected by cholera are being prioritised in these exercises.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In a 2016\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/NewsEvents\/Pages\/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20758&amp;LangID=E\">report<\/a>\u00a0to the UN General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, called on the UN to accept its legal responsibility for the outbreak and provide appropriate remedies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cMany of these shortcomings result from the UN\u2019s admission of its \u2018moral responsibility\u2019 but not its legal one,\u201d said the experts. \u201cAsking UN Member States to make a charitable contribution is entirely different from payments linked to a legal obligation,\u201d they added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00ab\u00a0Haiti\u2019s Government has its own options to seek justice for victims, such as requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice,\u201d the experts said. \u201cTo our knowledge, it has taken no steps in that direction.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The experts conveyed their concerns in writing to the UN Secretary-General and the Government of Haiti.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>ENDS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>*The experts:<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0<strong>Mr. Philip Alston<\/strong>, Special Rapporteur on\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/Poverty\"><em>extreme poverty and human rights<\/em><\/a><em>;\u00a0<strong>Ms E. Tendayi Achiume,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/issues\/racism\/srracism\/pages\/indexsrracism.aspx\"><em>Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<strong><em>Ms. Leilani Farha<\/em><\/strong><em>, Special Rapporteur on\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/Housing\/Pages\/HousingIndex.aspx\"><em>adequate housing<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context;\u00a0<strong>Mr. L\u00e9o Heller<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/WaterAndSanitation\/SRWater\/Pages\/SRWaterIndex.aspx\"><em>Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation<\/em><\/a><em>;\u00a0<strong>Mr. Obiora C. Okafor,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/Solidarity\/Pages\/IESolidarityIndex.aspx\"><em>Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<strong><em>Mr. Dainius P\u016bras<\/em><\/strong><em>,\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/issues\/health\/pages\/srrighthealthindex.aspx\"><em>Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health<\/em><\/a><em>;\u00a0<strong>Mr. Ahmed Reid (Chair), Ms. Dominique Day, Mr. Michal\u00a0 Balcerzak, Mr. Ricardo A. Sunga III, and Mr. Sabelo Gumedze<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/Racism\/WGAfricanDescent\/Pages\/WGEPADIndex.aspx\"><em>Working Group of experts on people of African descent<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0<strong><em>Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana<\/em><\/strong><em>,\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/IntOrder\/Pages\/IEInternationalorderIndex.aspx\"><em>Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order<\/em><\/a><em>;\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<strong>Mr. Baskut Tuncak,\u00a0<\/strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/Issues\/Environment\/ToxicWastes\/Pages\/SRToxicWastesIndex.aspx\"><em>Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes<\/em><\/a><em><u>.<\/u><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/EN\/HRBodies\/SP\/Pages\/Welcomepage.aspx\"><em>Special Procedures<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council\u2019s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures\u2019 experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>For more information and\u00a0<strong>media requests<\/strong>, please contact Junko Tadaki (+41 22 917 9298 \/\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:jtadaki@ohchr.org\"><em>jtadaki@ohchr.org<\/em><\/a><em>) or Patricia Varela (+41 22 928 9234 \/\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:pvarela@ohchr.org\"><em>pvarela@ohchr.org<\/em><\/a><em>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9445 \/\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:xcelaya@ohchr.org\"><em>xcelaya@ohchr.org<\/em><\/a><em>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Follow news related to the UN\u2019s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Concerned about the world we live in?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>Then STAND UP for someone\u2019s rights today.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>#Standup4humanrights<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>and visit the web page at\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.standup4humanrights.org\/\"><em>http:\/\/www.standup4humanrights.org<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UN Special Procedures &#8211; Human Rights Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 5:01 PM Subject: COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE (FRE-ENG): L\u2019inaction des Nations Unies prive de justice les victimes du chol\u00e9ra en Ha\u00efti, selon les experts de l\u2019ONU &#8211; UN inaction denies justice for Haiti cholera victims, say UN experts News release UN inaction denies justice<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=5384\">+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2076,539,2079,2081],"tags":[829,898,240,3640,4522,1996,4701,4714],"class_list":["post-5384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-com","category-english","category-health-well-being","category-press-release","tag-cholera","tag-covid-19","tag-haiti","tag-leo-heller","tag-tenyadi","tag-un","tag-victims","tag-violations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}