international law

Common security, nuclear risks and the OSCE in the wake of the Ukraine conflict

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yqRRAyjZR8KLbjkYmMi7Xw

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting significantly on the European security framework. The European Union has facilitated a sweeping package of economic sanctions against Russia, unlike anything undertaken by the EU in any previous conflict. The invasion has elevated the risks of nuclear war, and stimulated Sweden and Finland to abandon their historical neutral status and apply to join NATO – a nuclear alliance.In light of Russia’s violation of the UN Charter and security arrangements such as the Budapest Memorandum and Minsk agreements, it would be tempting to conclude that common security frameworks such as the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are becoming irrelevant to address security concerns. However, this event will highlight the opposite – that it is in times of such conflict and high tension that common security approaches and other mechanisms for diplomacy and nuclear risk-reduction are vital and should be strengthened, not abandoned. Common Security refers to building security between nations through international law, diplomacy and conflict resolution. It is based on the notion that national security cannot be achieved or sustained by threatening or reducing the security of other nations, but only by ensuring that the security of all nations is advanced.For more background see For Our Shared Future: Common Security 2022 Report, Olof Palme International Centre. Also of relevance is the recent resolution of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Forging a Path to Peace and Common Security.

Co-sponsors: Basel Peace Office, Détente Now, Initiatives pour le désarmement Nucléaire, G100 (Group of 100 Women Leaders) Defence and Security Wing, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, World Future Council, Youth Fusion

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights-NY, please visit childrightsny.org. 

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

The UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June marks the moment in 1987 when the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, one of the key instruments in fighting torture, came into effect. Today, the Convention has been ratified by 162 countries.

Torture seeks to annihilate the victim’s personality and denies the inherent dignity of the human being. Despite the absolute prohibition of torture under international law, torture persist in all regions of the world. Concerns about protecting national security and borders are increasingly used to allow torture and other forms of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment. Its pervasive consequences often go beyond the isolated act on an individual; and can be transmitted through generations and lead to cycles of violence.

The United Nations has condemned torture from the outset as one of the vilest acts perpetrated by human beings on their fellow human beings.

Torture is a crime under international law. According to all relevant instruments, it is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. This prohibition forms part of customary international law, which means that it is binding on every member of the international community, regardless of whether a State has ratified international treaties in which torture is expressly prohibited. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity.

On 12 December 1997, by resolution 52/149, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

26 June is an opportunity to call on all stakeholders including UN Member States, civil society and individuals everywhere to unite in support of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been victims of torture and those who are still tortured today.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Alliance on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, please visit crimealliance.org/about.

Build Your House on Your Own Pillars: Key Issues for Developing Countries at the OECD Inclusive Framework Negotiations on the Taxation of the Digital Economy

Key Issues for Developing Countries at the OECD Inclusive Framework Negotiations on the Taxation of the Digital Economy

15 June 2021, 13:00 – 15:00 (CET)

The South Centre and the Global Alliance for Tax Justice invite you to a webinar titled Build Your House on Your Own Pillars: Key Issues for Developing Countries at the OECD Inclusive Framework Negotiations on the Taxation of the Digital Economy. The webinar will feature prominent voices of the Global South, including negotiators in the Inclusive Framework, who will share their views on the key issues for developing countries in the “Two Pillar Approach” on taxing the digitalized economy. It seeks to introduce a new taxing right in Pillar One focused on reforms to existing nexus and profit allocation rules, while Pillar Two is focused on a global minimum tax. The Two Pillar approach aims to introduce new elements into international taxation, such as limited formulary apportionment, multilateral dispute resolution and the allocation of taxing rights through a multilateral agreement. There are several pending issues which need resolution and are of importance to developing countries.

The webinar will be a panel discussion followed up with a Question-and-Answer session.

Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAlcuGrrDwoE9YjHBEhFvPPgTRl17BO-HtF

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

109th Session of the International Labour Conference

109th Session of the International Labour Conference

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Labour Office has organized extensive tripartite consultations with a view to enabling the Governing Body to finalize, at its 341st Session (15-27 March 2021), the exact format, dates, agenda, programme and participation modalities for the 109th Session of the International Labour Conference in 2021. The Office will inform in due course member States and invited observers of the decisions made in this regard by the Governing Body.

To stay apprised on information about participation, to view pertinent reports, and to view past International Labour Conferences, check ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/109/lang–en/index.htm.

Agenda – Standing items

I.  Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General

A. ILO programme implementation 2018–19

B. Report of the Director-General

Appendix: The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories 2020  and 2021

C. Reports of the Chairpersons of the Governing Body for the periods 2019–20 and 2020–21

II. Programme and Budget and other questions

III. Information and reports on the application of Conventions and Recommendations

A. Application of International Labour Standards 2020. Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations 

B. Promoting employment and decent work in a changing landscape – 2020 General Survey published by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) 

Items placed on the agenda by the Conference or the Governing Body

IV. Inequalities and the world of work (general discussion)

V. A recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of social protection (social security), under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on social Justice for a Fair Globalization

VI. Skills and lifelong learning (general discussion)

VII. Abrogation and withdrawal of international labour Conventions and Recommendations *

A. Abrogation of eight international labour Conventions and withdrawal of nine international labour Conventions and 11 international labour Recommendations

B. Withdrawal of one international labour Convention

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2021

The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The meeting of the HLPF in 2021 will be held from Tuesday, 6 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 13 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021 as part of the high-level segment of the Council.

The theme will be “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.

When information on registration and participation becomes available, it will be available here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2021#registration

The HLPF in 2021 will discuss Sustainable Development Goals 1 on no poverty, 2 on zero hunger, 3 on good health and well-being, 8 on decent work and economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities, 12 on responsible consumption and production, 13 on climate action, 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and 17 on partnerships in depth. The Forum will also consider the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the 2021 HLPF, participants will be able to explore various aspects of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures and types of international cooperation that can control the pandemic and its impacts and put the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030, within the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.

Countries will also carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the 2021 HLPF. For more details, please click here.

The HLPF will adopt a Ministerial Declaration as the outcome of its session. The President of ECOSOC will also prepare a summary to capture the key messages of the discussions. For more details, please click here.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO  Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

Strong Families, Strong Society: Policies Supporting Families

The NGO Committee on the Family-New York is pleased to invite you to join us for remarks by Shiraz Mohamed, Former Guyanese Diplomat and CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Lead Negotiator.

Please RSVP by Jan. 27th at 6pm EST to attend at https://forms.gle/z9oqLHfJ8RdVmF8q8. 

The family at its best is a place of mutual care, encouragement, joy, and collaboration in the shared work of life. Strong families strengthen the fabric of society through providing a stable foundation for childhood development and caring for their members throughout the life course. It is for this reason that international law recognizes that “[t]he family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State,” (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 23(1)). Some national legislatures have decided to prioritize the family in their policies, not in contrast to individual rights but in recognition of the family’s importance for personal development and society as a whole. At this event, Mr. Shiraz Mohamen, Former Guyanese diplomat and CARICOM (Caribbean Community) lead negotiator will discuss Guyana’s family-responsive policies. He will also discuss the negotiation process during the General Assembly, both within CARICOM, and with the entire body. Finally, he will address why Guyana chose to address social policy at the family level, not just the individual level, as well as how pro-family policies gained support both among legislatures and society. Following this, there will be an opportunity for questions.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family-NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights-NY, please visit childrightsny.org.

Nuclear Weapons and International Law in the Contemporary Era

You are invited to: A Virtual Conference on Nuclear Weapons and International Law in the Contemporary Era

12 November 2020, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST

Seeking to address the huge gap in public awareness of nuclear weapons risk and applicable international law, the New York State Bar Association International Section is holding an all-day virtual conference that will bring together leading public officials, thought-leaders, policymakers, and experts for a comprehensive look at this often ignored subject.

According to Professor Charles J. Moxley, Jr., an LCNP director and a conference organizer, “International law may well hold the world’s best prospect for addressing and getting ahead of the existential risks posted by nuclear weapons.”

Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP) is one of the co-sponsors of the conference and is well-represented in the program.

Register (no charge) and see the agenda here.

Among the speakers:

  • Professor Moxley, Kathleen Lawand of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Professor David Koplow of Georgetown Law
  • Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, will deliver a keynote address, followed by a panel on the role of the United Nations featuring her, LCNP Senior Analyst John Burroughs, Allison Pytlak of Reaching Critical Will/WILPF, and LCNP Executive Director Ariana Smith (moderator)
  • Jerry Brown, former Governor of California and Executive Chairman, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, will engage in a dialogue on responding to the greatest threats to humanity with Jonathan Granoff, President of Global Security Institute and an LCNP director
  • A panel on advancing the rule of law and morality in relation to nuclear weapons includes Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director of Western States Legal Foundation, LCNP advisor Laurie Ashton, an attorney who served on the legal team for the Marshall Islands in its nuclear disarmament cases in the International Court of Justice, and Tom Collina, Director of Policy, Ploughshares Fund, and co-author with William Perry of The Button

Additional panels will address nuclear weapons risks, consequences and responses, and the treaty regime on nuclear weapons.

Conference co-sponsors in addition to LCNP are Fordham Law School, Center on National Security; Georgetown University, Berkley Center for Religion, Ethics and World Affairs; American Bar Association, International Law Section; New York City Bar Association, Committees on International Law, Military and Veteran Affairs, Nuclear Policy and the United Nations, and Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice; New York County Lawyers Association, Committee on Foreign & International Law; Global Security Institute.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

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