Minerva, Fall 2011 - Citizens for Global Solutions

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ing short of food and water, underminingthe most essential foundations of local,national, and global stability,” he claimed.“Competition between communities andcountries for scarce resources – especiallywater – is increasing, exacerbating oldsecurity dilemmas and creating new ones.Environmental refugees are reshaping thehuman geography of the planet, a trendthat will only increase as deserts advance,forests are felled and sea levels rise.”The Secretary General knows too well thatif a preventative approach isn’t adoptedworld peace will be even more at peril.“Mega crises may well become the newnormal,” he said. “These are all threats tohuman security, as well as to internationalpeace and security.”The President of Nauru, Marcus Stephen,insisted that the recent trend to deal withroot causes of conflicts extends directlyto climate change: “The Security Councilhas recognized that it has a role in preventingconflict before it occurs, not justfacilitating its resolution afterward.”UN Under-Secretary General and EnvironmentProgram Director Achim Steinerunderstands that “humanity is at a pointin it history where it has, for the first time,the power to fundamentally alter withinone or two generations the conditionsupon which societies have evolved overmillennia. It is the speed of environmentalchange, including climate change, thatwill be increasingly at the heart of ourcollective concern and response.” Steinerpointed out to policy-makers: “The questionis less and less one of whether climatechange is a security threat or a threatmultiplier, but one of how we can assessand manage the risks associated with climatechange and its security implicationsas an international community.”UNEP Director Steiner understands a holisticperspective on security and the interconnectednessof the concerns: “Manyexperts argue that climate change will aggravateor amplify existing security concernsand give rise to new ones, especiallybut not exclusively in already fragile andvulnerable nations.“ He states that everythingfrom ecology to economy is connectedwith the climate crisis: “Nationallyand regionally, climate change hasthe potential to sharply intensify humandisplacement bringing communities intoincreasing competition for finite naturalresources with world-wide repercussionsfor the stability of the global economy.”Throughout the debate, states concurredwith the Pacific Island States regarding theimplications for security and even continuedexistence due to climate change. TheRepublic of Nauru represented the countriesof Oceania in its joint statement. NauruPresident Marcus Stephen asked somepointed questions and demanded that theconscience of each country should attendto what Pacific Island States are facingand what must be done. “In my frustration,I often wonder where we would beif the roles were reversed,” President Stephensaid. “What if the pollution comingfrom our island nations was threateningthe very existence of the major emitters?What would be the nature of today’s debateunder those circumstances? But thatis not the world we live in, and, for us,this is not a hypothetical exercise. Manyof our countries face the single greatestsecurity challenge of all from the adverseimpacts of climate change: our survival.It is for this reason that we have come tothe Security Council today.”President Stephen commented: “In climatechange, our islands face dangerousand potentially catastrophic impacts thatthreaten to destabilize our societies andpolitical institutions. Our food security,water security, and public safety are alreadybeing undermined. Sea level rise iseroding our coastlines and in some casesdamaging critical infrastructure. Territoryloss could disrupt traditional systems ofland ownership and spark conflicts overthis and other increasingly scarce resources.Eventually some islands may disappearaltogether and with [them] thousandsof years of cultural heritage. This wouldforce large numbers of our citizens torelocate; first internally, then across borders.Even with an ambitious new agreementto address climate change, many ofthese impacts are now unavoidable.”EU Representative Pedro Serrano supportedthe Pacific Island States’ collectiveposition and signaled solidarity: “We32 • Minerva #39 • November 2011fully share the view that Small IslandDeveloping States are among the world’shardest hit by climate change. In particular,Pacific Islands face unique structuralconstraints due to their combined remoteness,small size, limited natural resourcesand vulnerability to natural hazards. Adaptationto climate impact is indeed vitalfor the future of Pacific Islanders; but thePacific Ocean also represents a vital resourcefor the future of our planet.”Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s tonetoward responsibility for climate changeand the role of each state suggested thatwe must move beyond blame toward boldaction together. “Developed countriesmust lead, while at the same time emergingeconomies must shoulder their fairshare,” he said. “We cannot ignore history.But we must clearly recognize thatthere can be no spectators when it comesto securing the future of our planet.”UNEP Executive Director Steiner calledfor the world leaders to work now to preventconflict tomorrow: “Indeed there isno reason why the international communitycannot avoid escalating conflicts, tensions,and insecurity related to a changingclimate if a deliberate, focused and collectiveresponse can be catalyzed that tacklesthe root causes, scale, potential volatilityand velocity of the challenges emerging.”He concluded: “In bringing forward a responsethat enhances global security andcooperation on the climate challenge, theworld can perhaps also better managerisk from numerous other challenges andin doing so diminish tensions betweennations and lay the foundations and possibilitiesof a more sustainable and equitablepeace.”The next steps taken by the UN SecurityCouncil or the UN Framework Conventionon Climate Change as well as the UNHuman Rights Council must incorporatethe perspective put forward at the Julysession understanding the holistic natureof climate change.ïThe planet has now begun to protest.~ Barbados Prime MinisterFreundel Stuart
This statement was provided to theUN Human Rights CouncilAdvisory Committee 7th Sessionby the following organizations:• Action Canada for Population and Development*• ARC International• Arcigay Italy• Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development(APWLD)*• Asia Pacific Transgender Networks (APTN)• Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development(FORUM-ASIA)*• Association for Women’s Rights in Development(AWID)* - International• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)*• Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network*• Çavaria VZW - Belgium• Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) -Argentina• Center for Reproductive Rights* - International• Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL)*- International• Coalition of African Lesbians - Pan-African• Cook Islands Women’s Counselling Centre• Development Alternatives with Women for a NewEra (DAWN)* - Philippines/ Global• Drodrolagi Movement - Fiji/Pacific• East and Horn of Africa Human Rights DefendersProject - Uganda• Equal Ground - Sri Lanka/South Asia• Forum de la Femme Ménagère (FORFEM) -Democratic Republic of Congo• Fundación Triángulo, por la Igualdad Social deLesbianas, Gais, Bisexuales y Trans -Spain/Europe• Gay Japan News• Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE)* -International• Global Alliance for LGBT Education (GALE)• Horizon Community Association - Rwanda• Human Rights Institute of South Africa(HURISA) South Africa/Africa• Human Rights Watch* - International• Idaho Committee (International Day AgainstHomophobia and Transphobia)• Inter-American Center for Human Rights - USA• International Alliance of Women• International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)*• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)*• International Gay and Lesbian Human RightsCommission (IGLHRC)* - USA• International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans andIntersex Association (ILGA)* - Belgium• International Movement Against All Forms ofDiscrimination and Racism (IMADR)*• International Planned Parenthood Federation(IPPF)*• International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)*• International Women’s Health Coalition*• Ipas*• Italian Association for Women in Development*• Lesben-und Schwulenverband (LSVD)• LGBT Centre Mongolia• Moscow Helsinki Group• Mouvement pour les Libertés Individuelles -Burundi• Other Sheep Africa (OSA) - Kenya• Out-Right Namibia (ORN)Joint NGO Statement on Traditional Values4 March 2011HRC Resolution 16/3, “Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms through abetter understanding of traditional values of humankind”, stresses that “traditions shallnot be invoked to justify harmful practices violating universal human rights norms andstandards”, thereby acknowledging that traditions are sometimes invoked to justifyhuman rights violations.Concerns with a traditional values approach to human rights“Tradition” is frequently invoked to justify maintaining the status quo, ignoring thefact that cultures and social norms have always evolved and will continue to changewith time; by contrast, a human rights-based approach often requires changes to thestatus quo in order to ensure compliance with international standards. Simply becausea practice or belief has existed over a period of time or is practiced by a majority doesnot provide it with worth or validity. The obligation must always be to promote andprotect human rights, which may require that traditional values and practices evolve inorder to meet international standards.Many practices that fall under “tradition” are of long-standing origin, but others thatclaim to be “traditional” are in fact relatively recent. Tradition itself changes over timeand all cultures contain diverse and contradictory traditions. Most importantly, many“traditional values” may be inconsistent with international human rights, and “traditionalvalues” are frequently invoked to justify human rights violations. In previousdecades and centuries, mixed-race marriages, desegregation, women having the rightto work, to vote, to hold public office, or to own property would have been thought bymany to be inconsistent with “traditional values”.• Partners for Law in Development - India• Pembe Hayat LGBTT Solidarity Association -Turkey• Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice(RESURJ) - International• Salmmah Women’s Resource Center - Sudan• Sexuality Policy Watch - Brazil• Sexuality Policy Watch - Brazil/Global• Shustha Jibon - Bangladesh• The Federation for Women and Family Planning*- Poland• The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexualand Transgender Rights (RFSL)*• The Union of solidarity with political prisoners -Russia• Transgender and Intersex Africa - South Africa• United and Strong Inc. - Saint Lucia• Violence is Not Our Culture Campaign - Global• Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) —New Ways* - Turkey/EU/Asia/MidEast• Women Human Rights Defenders InternationalCoalition (WHRD IC)• Women Living Under Muslim Laws - Global• Women’s Action for Change (WAC) - Fiji/Pacific• Women’s Global Network for ReproductiveRights (WGNRR) - Philippines• Women’s International League for Peace andFreedom** NGOs in consultative status with the UNEconomic and Social Council (ECOSOC)As many marginalised groups have experienced,“traditional values” are frequentlyinvoked to restrict access to humanrights for those segments of society who,from the conservative viewpoint or perspectiveof those in authority, challengethe mainstream or fall outside the dominantnorm. For example, a GovernmentMinister of State for Ethics and Integritydefended a Bill that would have includedthe death penalty for certain forms ofconsensual same-sex conduct on the basisthat it was needed to maintain “traditionalChristian values as prescribed in theBible” (“Ugandan MPs debate Bill proposingdeath penalty for gay sex”, TimesOnline, December 18, 2009). UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon recently notedthat “deeply-rooted cultural sensitivitiescan be aroused when we talk about sexualorientation” but underlined that “culturalconsiderations should not stand in theway of basic human rights”. 1[continued, next page]33 • Minerva #39 • November 2011
Page 1 and 2: NOVEMBER 2011Minerva39Citizens for
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