DOCSLIB.ORG

5Th World Forum on Human Rights Programme

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
5Th World Forum on Human Rights Programme FORUM_2013_PROGRAMME_GB_00_Mise en page 1 29/04/13 11:36 Page1 Daniel Hayduk / IRIN © Under the Honourable Patronage of Mr François Hollande President of the French Republic 5TH WORLD FORUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS Sustainable Development / Human Rights: a common struggle? NANTES–FRANCE / 22-25 MAY 2013 LA CITÉ–NANTES EVENTS CENTER From universal principles to local action PROGRAMME This programme, drawn up on 13 May 2013, may be subject to change. The latest version is available on http://www.spidh.org. CONTENTS Wednesday 22 May . 7 Major Groups Meeting . 7 Official opening . 8 Thursday 23 May . 9 Theme 1 What development and what economic model(s) for a more human and fairer world? . 9 Plenary session . 9 Workshops . 10 Theme 2 What equality between people during times of crisis? . .14 Plenary session . 14 Workshops . 15 Agora . 19 Friday 24 May . 23 Theme 3 What territories for tomorrow? For public policies based on Human Rights, for citizenship for all and for enhanced democracy . .23 Plenary session . 23 special session . 24 Workshops . 24 Agora . 28 saTurday 25 May . 30 Official closing session . 30 Preview of Coming Home exhibition . 30 ForuM inFo . 31 Exhibitions . 31 Youth Action . 32 Citizen Action . 33 Scientific Committee . 34 Schedule see summary of dates and rooms at the end of the document F o r e w o r d ThE 5Th WOrld FOrum ON humaN rights iN NaNTES - FraNCE 22 – 25 may 2013 We're delighted to welcome you to the 5th of poverty and terrorism. globalisation, which has World Forum on human rights. With the lasting constantly continued to gather pace since 2008, commitment of local and regional authorities – needs to go hand in hand with reinforced solidarity. nantes Métropole, Pays de la loire region, depart- What we need is sustainable development whereby ment of loire-atlantique, the City of nantes – as man isn't simply a commodity and the earth isn't well as their local association partners and their transformed into an industrial wasteland. networks through uCLG (united Cities and local By placing human rights at the heart of pub- governments), the nantes Forum has become a key lic policies, the Global Charter-Agenda for Human event in the international calendar. For more than Rights in the City – the fruit of protracted inter- ten years now, thanks to the visionary initiative of national consultation and an awareness-raising Jean-Marc ayrault and Pierre sané, the Forum has campaign driven in part by sPidh nantes - Pays de been a platform for the sharing of information and la loire - offers principles, methods and concrete good practices, a laboratory for long-term thinking objectives to reconcile democracy and citizens, "on as well as action on the ground. The event brings a human scale". together human rights actors from every continent, be they politicians, international organisations, a new global governance is also set to ngos, civil society representatives, independent emerge to implement the "three pillars" of the experts or researchers. united nations, namely international security, human rights and sustainable development. in The forum will open with a tribute to stéphane the face of immediate emergencies, regional crises hessel who was one of those citizens of the and humanitarian disasters, development can only world who took part in our debates with a degree come through peace, security through democracy of courage, energy and faith in the future that and justice through solidarity. those who met him in nantes at previous forums will never forget. his cheerful affability and natural With its welcoming and open spirit, together benevolence went hand in hand with unshakable with its philosophy of pluralism and tolerance, convictions on a range of issues - freedom, dignity listening and mutual respect, the nantes World and secularism to name but a few -, convictions he Forum should be seen as an opportunity to invent had no hesitation in drumming out with authority. the future, whereby the primacy of human rights Far from dwelling on the past, he who was one of does not boil down to an egotistical calculation, a the leading witnesses to the glory of the French pledge or group demand, but rather a quest for that resistance, the tragedy of the death camps and which is common to all men and women around the the founding years of the un, concentrated his globe, a tireless drive towards "a better world with energies entirely on future challenges, inventing a greater freedom". new global perspective in the field ofh uman rights, Before ending, i would like to thank the per- reconciling the absolute need for development with manent secretariat team - led by Franck Barrau - protection of the environment, working alongside for their tireless efforts to ensure this latest Forum friends such as Michel rocard and edgar Morin. does justice to the reputation of nantes and lives Beyond friendship and admiration, it suffices up to all your expectations. to say we will miss the lucid and exacting views he had on the themes we will be discussing through- out this 5th Forum. The Forum has already tackled Emmanuel DECAUX head-on the challenges of the global recession Professor of international law at the University of from the point of view of human rights, the risks of Paris II Panthéon-Assas undermining the social pact with the widening gulf President of the International Permanent Secretariat between rich and poor and, globally, the threats human rights and local governments 5Th World ForuM on huMan righTs nanTes 3 F o r e w o r d since it was first held in nantes, in ple, the right to a healthy environment, 2004, the World Forum on human rights access to water and the protection of our has been a platform for dialogue, listen- natural resources represent just some ing and sharing between activists, ngo of the themes that now need to be given managers, researchers, local authority greater priority during our reflection proc- representatives, politicians and engaged esses. citizens. and given their proximity to citizens, By bringing these actors together towns and cities have a crucial role to play. once again, this 5th forum will be another designated European Green Capital 2013 opportunity for collective reflection, pav- by the european Commission, the City ing the way for the construction of a new of nantes and nantes Métropole (urban approach to human rights via the appro- Community of nantes) are delighted and priate concerted action. proud to contribute positively to the action of human rights defenders. Be it in this sixty-five years after the adoption field or in the field of sustainable devel- of the universal declaration of human opment, international action undertaken rights, the struggle to enforce individual at state level can only serve any purpose and collective freedoms remains abso- if it is supported on the ground by local lutely paramount.The work conducted in authorities and civil society. the field of slavery, for example, focusing on the Memorial to the Abolition of Slav- it goes without saying that nobody ery in nantes, represents a historical com- can possibly have all the answers to each memoration but it also reflects today's of these questions. dialogue and reflec- ongoing struggle against modern forms of tion remain the keys to inventing the ways enslavement. and means to promote these new rights. We are convinced that thanks to the qual- Beyond this struggle, we are now fac- ity of speakers and calibre of debates at ing new issues that go hand in hand with the 5th World Forum on human rights, the changes in our society and in the way we event will be an essential step along the produce and consume. hence, for exam- road to achieving our ambition. Patrick RIMBERT Gilles RETIÈRE Mayor of Nantes President of Nantes Métropole 4 5Th World ForuM on huMan righTs nanTes F o r e w o r d Today, human rights and sustainable But sustainable development is not simply development form the cornerstones of con- a matter of developing policies aimed at protect- temporary government policies throughout the ing natural resources or adopting a long-term uest médias uest o world. These two principles demand a radical vision safeguarding the rights of future gen- egion / egion reform of approaches and the implementation of erations. it also requires inclusive governance, r oire oire a new type of governance, capable of federating whereby the economic and social rights of all are l common initiatives around a collective ambition. taken into account. The realisation of this ambition is neither illusory Pays de la Pays This principle will surely offer the very real nor utopian. But it requires a far greater focus on prospect of seeing the living conditions of popu- public-spiritedness, peace, solidarity and social lations around the world improve. cohesion. The fight against poverty, development it is through the implementation of exem- cooperation and aid, problems of access to plary policies designed to serve the men and water and hunger are just some of the problems women who live in their territories, as well as and issues requiring responses. their commitment to defending fundamental rights that local authorities will enable these These are the dimensions we are trying to objectives - crucial to the future of our planet - incorporate into our policies locally (agriculture, to be attained. in rio back in 1992, Johannes- renewable energies, sustainable economy, the burg in 2002 and then once again in rio for the elimination of discrimination, etc.) and at inter- rio + 20 conference last year, states recognised national level. i'm thinking here, in particular, the importance of the role played by towns, cities about the cooperation between the Pays de la and local governments in supporting and achiev- loire region and Burundi, the central themes ing sustainable development objectives.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Confession, Redemption, and Death: Liu Xiaobo and the Protest Movement of 1989
    Confession, Redemption, and Death: Liu Xiaobo and the Protest Movement of 1989 Geremie Barmé1 There should be room for my extremism; I certainly don’t demand of others that they be like me... I’m pessimistic about mankind in general, but my pessimism does not allow for escape. Even though I might be faced with nothing but a series of tragedies, I will still struggle, still show my opposition. This is why I like Nietzsche and dislike Schopenhauer. Liu Xiaobo, November 19882 I FROM 1988 to early 1989, it was a common sentiment in Beijing that China was in crisis. Economic reform was faltering due to the lack of a coherent program of change or a unified approach to reforms among Chinese leaders and ambitious plans to free prices resulted in widespread panic over inflation; the question of political succession to Deng Xiaoping had taken alarming precedence once more as it became clear that Zhao Ziyang was under attack; nepotism was rife within the Party and corporate economy; egregious corruption and inflation added to dissatisfaction with educational policies and the feeling of hopelessness among intellectuals and university students who had profited little from the reforms; and the general state of cultural malaise and social ills combined to create a sense of impending doom. On top of this, the government seemed unwilling or incapable of attempting to find any new solutions to these problems. It enlisted once more the aid of propaganda, empty slogans, and rhetoric to stave off the mounting crisis. University students in Beijing appeared to be particularly heavy casualties of the general malaise.
    [Show full text]
  • People in Need Annual Report 2008
    PEOPLE IN NEED ANNUAL REPORT 2008 PIN_2008-EN_v1.indd 1 9/15/09 1:36:58 PM TABLE OF CONTENTS A Word from the Director 3 PIN Administered Webpages 4 List of Abbreviations 4 Areas of Activity 1992–2009 5 Relief and Development Department 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 7 Afghanistan 8 Burma 10 Cambodia 11 Sri Lanka 12 Pakistan 13 Angola 14 Ethiopia 15 Namibia 16 Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon 17 Georgia, Armenia, Chechnya 18 Ukraine, Romania 19 Development Awareness 20 Human Rights and Democracy Department 21 Cuba 22 Burma 23 Belarus 24 Moldova, Ukraine 25 One World Human Rights Film Festival 26 One World in Schools 28 Social Integration Programmes 29 Social Integration Programmes – Slovakia 33 Variants 34 Information and Media Projects 35 Club of Friends 36 Real Aid Public Collection 37 People in Need Staff 38 Financial Report 41 Q Photo: © Jan Faltus, Ethiopia 2006 / In November 2008 PIN opened a new primary school in the Lower Lenda District. PIN_2008-EN_v1.indd 2 9/15/09 1:37:01 PM DEAR FRIENDS, You have in your hands the report on the sixteenth year to support democracy and basic human rights in countries of People in Need. The objective of this report is to render where they are only a dream today. our accounts to the public, contributors, and all those who 2008 was also a year of challenge. The global fi nancial make our work possible, not to portray PIN in a fl attering crisis, the worsening of international relations and the light. Evaluating our work is up to you.
    [Show full text]
  • European Development Days
    2006 European Development Days 8 years of policy debates from the European Consensus to the post-2015 agenda /1 3 European Development Days 2006-2013 Eight years of policy debates from the European Consensus to the post-2015 agenda Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2014 Paper version ISBN 978-92-79-38970-2 doi: 10.2841/47722 PDF ISBN 978-92-79-38969-6 doi: 10.2841/47692 © European Union, 2014 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium Printed on elemental chlorine-free bleached paper (ECF) European Development Days 2006-2013 Eight years of policy debates from the European Consensus to the post-2015 agenda Forward by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. This book has been published by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation - EuropeAid in August 2014. European Commission FOREWORD by JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO President of the European Commission I have always passionately believed in a Europe that I fought hard to preserve our high aid levels in our is open; a Europe that is committed to the values of multi-annual budget 2014-2020. In addition, my freedom, development and global solidarity. These Commission has stepped up special measures for the values have been central to the European project poorest, like the EUR 1 billion Food Facility or our ever since its inception and continue to inspire our strong support for the United Nation's Sustainable Union today.
    [Show full text]
  • Urbanising Disaster Risk
    Ben Flower and Matt Fortnam URBANISING DISASTER RISK PEOPLE IN NEED IN PEOPLE VULNERABILITY OF THE URBAN POOR IN CAMBODIA TO FLOODING AND OTHER HAZARDS Copyright © People in Need 2015. Reproduction is permitted providing the source is visibly credited. This report has been published by People in Need mission in Cambodia and is part of “Building Disaster Ressilient Communities in Cambodia II“- project funded by Disaster Preparedness Program of Eureopan Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DIPECHO). The project is implemented by a consortium of five international organisations: ActionAid, DanChurchAid/ Christian Aid, Oxfam, People in Need and Save the Children. Disclaimer This document covers humanitarian aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Acknowledgment People in Need would like to thank all the organisations and individuals which provided Piotr Sasin support and input throughout the research of this report. In particular we want to Country Director thank: National Committee for Disaster Management, Municipality of Phnom Penh, People in Need Municipality of Kampong Cham, Japan International Coopeation Agency, Mekong River Cambodia Commission, Urban Poor Women Development, Community Development Fund and June 2015 Sahmakum Teang Tnaut. Our special thanks go to urban
    [Show full text]
  • The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid: an Ngo Perspective
    VOICE STUDY - MAY 2014 THE EUROPEAN CONSENSUS ON HUMANITARIAN AID: AN NGO PERSPECTIVE VOICE Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies 43, Avenue Louise, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)2 - 541.13.60 Fax: +32 (0)2 - 534.99.53 www.ngovoice.org E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ngovoice.org AUSTRIA BELGIUM CZECH REPUBLIC FRANCE FINLAND DENMARK GREECE UNITED KINGDOM GERMANY IRELAND PORTUGAL C : 100 M : 60 J : 0 N : 0 Médecins du monde - Identité visuelle PORTUGAL 08/07/2009 SPAIN SWITZERLAND SWEDEN THE NETHERLANDS LUXEMBOURG ITALY NORWAY VOICE STUDY - MAY 2014 THE EUROPEAN CONSENSUS ON HUMANITARIAN AID: AN NGO PERSPECTIVE This report was researched and written by: Full bibliography and annexes can be found on the VOICE website. Commissioned and edited by: VOICE Graphic Design and Layout by: Marina Colleoni Copyright: VOICE, May 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................... page 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................... page 7 Main findings ...................................................................................................................... page 7 Key recommendations ....................................................................................................... page 10 INTRODUCTION ................... page 11 METHODOLOGY ................... page 13 1. APPLYING THE EUROPEAN CONSENSUS ON HUMANITARIAN AID ................... page 14 1.1 Awareness of the Consensus ....................................................................................... page 15 1.2 Reflection of the
    [Show full text]
  • Liu Xiaobo BT 20 3
    Liu Xiaobo 1955- Chinese Writer and Human Rights Activist Winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize BIRTH Liu Xiaobo was born on December 28, 1955, in Changchun, China, a large, industrial city in the northeastern part of the country and the capital of Jilin province. His parents were intellectuals, and his father was employed as a university professor. He has an older brother, Liu Xiaoguang, and a younger brother, Liu Xiaoxuan, who heads the engineering college at the Guangdong University of Technology. YOUTH Little information is available about Liu’s early life. After middle school, he followed his parents to a rural area in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in northern China, where they lived from 1969 to 1973 during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution—a social movement initiated by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong to align the areas of education, art, and literature with communist ideology. As was typical of the educated youth of his generation, he was sent to the countryside at age 19 and spent two years laboring in a people’s commune in his home province of Jilin. Referencing this time in Liu’s life, his close friend Yang Jianli, now in exile, told the Guardian: “Some took it as suffering and thought they should reward themselves when they had power and money later. Liu Xiaobo took it as experience that helped him understand the real suffering of the Chinese people at the hands of the Chinese government.” In 1976 Liu got a job as a construction worker in his hometown of Changchun, the automotive hub of China.
    [Show full text]
  • China's Fear of Contagion
    China’s Fear of Contagion China’s Fear of M.E. Sarotte Contagion Tiananmen Square and the Power of the European Example For the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), erasing the memory of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre remains a full-time job. The party aggressively monitors and restricts media and internet commentary about the event. As Sinologist Jean-Philippe Béja has put it, during the last two decades it has not been possible “even so much as to mention the conjoined Chinese characters for 6 and 4” in web searches, so dissident postings refer instead to the imagi- nary date of May 35.1 Party censors make it “inconceivable for scholars to ac- cess Chinese archival sources” on Tiananmen, according to historian Chen Jian, and do not permit schoolchildren to study the topic; 1989 remains a “‘for- bidden zone’ in the press, scholarship, and classroom teaching.”2 The party still detains some of those who took part in the protest and does not allow oth- ers to leave the country.3 And every June 4, the CCP seeks to prevent any form of remembrance with detentions and a show of force by the pervasive Chinese security apparatus. The result, according to expert Perry Link, is that in to- M.E. Sarotte, the author of 1989: The Struggle to Create Post–Cold War Europe, is Professor of History and of International Relations at the University of Southern California. The author wishes to thank Harvard University’s Center for European Studies, the Humboldt Foundation, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the University of Southern California for ªnancial and institutional support; Joseph Torigian for invaluable criticism, research assistance, and Chinese translation; Qian Qichen for a conversation on PRC-U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • REMEMBERING LIU XIAOBO Analyzing Censorship of the Death of Liu Xiaobo on Wechat and Weibo
    REMEMBERING LIU XIAOBO Analyzing censorship of the death of Liu Xiaobo on WeChat and Weibo By Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Jeffrey Knockel, Blake Miller, Jason Q. Ng, Lotus Ruan, Lokman Tsui, and Ruohan Xiong JULY 16, 2017 RESEARCH REPORT #97 Copyright © The Citizen Lab Licensed under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 (Attribution-ShareAlike licence). Electronic version first published in 2017 by the Citizen Lab. This work can be accessed through https://citizenlab.ca/2017/07/analyzing- censorship-of-the-death-of-liu-xiaobo-on-wechat-and-weibo/. Document Version: 1.0 The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license under which this report is licensed lets you freely copy, distribute, remix, transform, and build on it, as long as you: • give appropriate credit; • indicate whether you made changes; and • use and link to the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. However, any rights in excerpts reproduced in this report remain with their respective authors; and any rights in brand and product names and associated logos remain with their respective owners. Uses of these that are protected by copyright or trademark rights require the rightsholder’s prior written agreement. Suggested Citation Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Jeffrey Knockel, Blake Miller, Jason Q. Ng, Lotus Ruan, Lokman Tsui, and Ruohan Xiong. “Remembering Liu Xiaobo: Analyzing censorship of the death of Liu Xiaobo on WeChat and Weibo,” Citizen Lab Research Report No. 97, University of Toronto, July 2017. Acknowledgements Authors are listed in alphabetical order: Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Jeffrey Knockel, Blake Miller, Jason Q. Ng, Lotus Ruan, Lokman Tsui, and Ruohan Xiong. Special thanks to Ron Deibert for review and supervision.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect of Domestic Politics on Foreign Policy Decision Making Written by Zaara Zain Hussain
    The effect of domestic politics on foreign policy decision making Written by Zaara Zain Hussain This PDF is auto-generated for reference only. As such, it may contain some conversion errors and/or missing information. For all formal use please refer to the official version on the website, as linked below. The effect of domestic politics on foreign policy decision making https://www.e-ir.info/2011/02/07/the-effect-of-domestic-politics-on-foreign-policy-decision-making/ ZAARA ZAIN HUSSAIN, FEB 7 2011 Foreign Policy includes all interactions of individual nation – states with other states. In the wake of globalization, in the 21st century it is particularly important, owing to the interdependence of states. With the advent of international society and globalization implications of foreign policy for each nation-state are far greater. The study of Foreign Policy therefore has become ever more critical and important. The study of Foreign Policy is not limited to any particular school of social science but is a relevant subject for all. In International Relations this study is particularly important as foreign policies form the base for international interactions between individual states. In the 21st century, decisions by one state affect more than just the participating countries. Scholars as well as well policy analysts and even the general public, have a greater desire to understand foreign policy decisions and what motivates the head of government in his foreign policy decision making. Scholarly research on leadership and foreign policy decision making show a far more sophisticated and complex view of the issue than most of the simplistic views seen in the popular press.
    [Show full text]
  • Media As Challenger of State Genocide
    University of Business and Technology in Kosovo UBT Knowledge Center UBT International Conference 2020 UBT International Conference Oct 31st, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Media as challenger of state genocide Safet Zejnullahu University for Business and Technology, [email protected] Velibor Covic [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference Recommended Citation Zejnullahu, Safet and Covic, Velibor, "Media as challenger of state genocide" (2020). UBT International Conference. 155. https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference/2020/all_events/155 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Publication and Journals at UBT Knowledge Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in UBT International Conference by an authorized administrator of UBT Knowledge Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Media as a challenger of state genocide Safet Zejnullahu UBT – Institution of Higher Education, Kalabria, 10000, Prishtina, Kosovo [email protected] Abstract. The media and state leadership have a strong and inseparable link in the history of the media. In totalitarian regimes, the government finances and controls the media, in regimes with apartheid elements the government closes the media that does not like, persecutes and kills journalists. In democratic societies, state leadership and the media have a financial connection in most of the cases. This paper will address a very specific media situation, that of Montenegro in 1999. Montenegro was part of the former Yugoslavia, which was committing genocide against Kosovo Albanians. But the main media in Montenegro, starting with the public broadcaster, the radio as part of it, and the main newspapers, marked a rare case when the media does not obey the government but takes the side of people in need - Kosovar refugees who, fleeing extermination, sought refuge in Montenegro.
    [Show full text]
  • Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and the Future of Political Reform in China
    NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE LIU XIAOBO AND THE FUTURE OF POLITICAL REFORM IN CHINA HEARING BEFORE THE CONGRESSIONAL–EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION NOVEMBER 9, 2010 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 62–290 PDF WASHINGTON : 2012 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 15 2010 14:11 Jan 18, 2012 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 U:\DOCS\9NOV10.TXT DIEDRE CONGRESSIONAL–EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS Senate House BYRON DORGAN, North Dakota, Chairman SANDER LEVIN, Michigan, Cochairman MAX BAUCUS, Montana MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio CARL LEVIN, Michigan MICHAEL M. HONDA, California DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota SHERROD BROWN, Ohio DAVID WU, Oregon SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey BOB CORKER, Tennessee EDWARD R. ROYCE, California JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming DONALD A. MANZULLO, Illinois GEORGE LeMIEUX, Florida JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS Department of State, To Be Appointed Department of Labor, To Be Appointed Department of Commerce, To Be Appointed At-Large, To Be Appointed At-Large, To Be Appointed CHARLOTTE OLDHAM-MOORE, Staff Director DOUGLAS GROB, Cochairman’s Senior Staff Member (II) VerDate Mar 15 2010 14:11 Jan 18, 2012 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 U:\DOCS\9NOV10.TXT DIEDRE C O N T E N T S Page Opening statement of Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Liu Xiaobo Deserved the Nobel Prize
    By: David Kilgour Opinion January 4, 2011 Liu Xiaobo deserved the Nobel Prize A recent Citizen opinion piece by Ramesh Thakur ( "The Peace Prize is for peace," Dec. 23) wades reasonably through a number of issues, but ends by deferring to Beijing, suggesting the party-state there is more deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize than is 2010 winner Liu Xiaobo, or any other Chinese national. Thakur's concluding words are revealing: "If the award of the Nobel Peace Prize is to be limited to promoting peace, demilitarization and disarmament, Liu was not a good choice. If a broader result is justified, then, on the scale of human misery and its alleviation in the grand sweep of history, instead of being the object of censure, is not the government of China a more worthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize than any individual Chinese?" Indeed, by the criteria of promoting world peace, China would never be eligible for any prizes. Its arms sales in recent years to, and support for, violent oppressive regimes are well-known. It has sold battle tanks, fighter jets and missiles to the Burmese junta; it was the largest foreign supplier of small arms to the Bashir regime in Sudan in 2008; since 2000, it has sold armoured personnel carriers, aircraft and small arms to Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. When the UN Security Council wants to censure conduct, China often uses its veto to shield transgressors, particularly regimes to which it has sold arms or from which it is purchasing natural resources. In terms of peace within China, many have suffered or perished since 1949, most notably during Mao Tsetung's "Great Leap Forward" (1958-'62), which caused 35-45 million persons to starve to death.
    [Show full text]