Newsletter E-CONNECT No.36 is out

On the 27th of July, we released our new issue of E-CONNECT. If you have not subscribed to our newsletter, you can do it from here! Back number is also available.

Feature story

2021 CERD election – Need for greater geographic diversity and competition in future

On 24 June 2021, States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) renewed half of the membership of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). In a joint communiqué, IMADR, Minority Rights Group International (MRG) and the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race & Equality) welcomed the continuation of gender parity in the Committee but raised concerns on the lack of geographical balance in the membership and the lowest number of candidates in the last 10 years. The three organisations encouraged States parties to ensure equitable geographical distribution in the Committee membership and to contribute to a large and strong pool of candidates for future elections. More >>

Accountability for violent and racist police practices against Afro-Brazilians

At the UN High Commissioner’s presentation of the report on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers, IMADR and partner organisations supported the Marielle Franco Institute to address the UN Human Rights Council to draw its attention to the widespread police killings of the black population and impunity in Brazil. We urged Brazil to put in place an independent and impartial complaints mechanism to guarantee accountability and to dedicate resources to address inequalities and racial injustice in the law enforcement. More >>

Include Dalit women in India in the socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

IMADR supported the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) and the National Council of Women Leaders to address the Human Rights Council’s panel on gender-equal socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. On behalf of the three organisations, Manjula Pradeep shared the result of the National Family Health Survey (2015-16) to highlight how Dalit women in India are deprived of their independence at home and in society. Dalit women engaging in sanitation work are risking their lives in the pandemic as frontline workers without any safeguards. We recommended India to recognise Dalit women as both sanitation and frontline workers, to ensure their social protection, and to dedicate a budget to support their socio-economic recovery and independence. More >>

IMADR in the world

Call for participation: “Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Minority Issues – Conflict Prevention and the Protection of the Human Rights of Minorities” (7-8 September, Online)
IMADR is partnering with the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Dr. Fernand de Varennes, and the Tom Lantos Institute to organise the third Regional Forum on Minority Issues. Individuals involved in minority issues in the region with a clear focus and expertise on the theme of the Forum are invited to participate. More >>

IMADR and its concerns

Growing backlog of State reports at UN human rights treaty bodies
On behalf of the NGO Network on UN Treaty Bodies (TB-Net), IMADR delivered a joint statement at the Human Rights Council to share a concern on a sharp increase in the backlog of State party reports at treaty bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We urged the High Commissioner’s office to take steps to resume their in-person meetings from the autumn sessions of 2021. More >>

IMADR at the UN

CERD reviews Lebanon and the Netherlands next month
The Committee will conduct online State reviews of Lebanon and the Netherlands at the upcoming 104th session in August 2021. They will also adopt a list of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR) on India, and assess the follow-up reports of Colombia, El Salvador, Lithuania and Uzbekistan. More >>

Publication

Summary Report – Racism in East Asia (2020)
The report is an outcome document of the last year’s regional webinars which examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialised communities, especially on migrants, in Hong Kong, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and the effectiveness of domestic law in the protection from racial discrimination. More >>