HUMAN RIGHTS

Photo: Collage of the book cover and Kalinga Seneviratne's picture at a railway station in a Southeast Asian country.

Buddhism Under Threat in Asia, Warns New Report

By Krishan Dutta

BANGKOK (IDN) — A new report released by the Sydney-based Lotus Communication Network (LCN) on February 26 warns that Buddhism is under threat across Asia, both from within and outside, and calls for concerted action by Buddhists across the region to empower themselves.

The 238-page report produced as an eBook identifies six issues that threaten Buddhism in Asia, a region, whose identity over the centuries has been built around what is called the ‘Indic-Buddhist’ civilization. These issues include proselytism targeting Buddhist communities, particularly by Evangelical (Pentecostal) Christian groups and lately Wahabi Islamists.

: Krishan Dutt; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 01 March 2021

Photo: An artist’s impression of Columbus arriving in America by Wilhem Berrouet. Credit: Salon de la Mappemonde/Flickr/CC)

Europe Slow in Recognising Global Impact of Colonialism

Viewpoint by Michael McEachrane*

LUND (IDN) – Centuries of European colonialism have had a tremendous impact on shaping inequities within and among countries, many of which are yet to be effectively addressed. This may seem like a trivial statement, but it is only recently being recognised by EU countries.

In 2019, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the Fundamental Rights of People of African Descent. It called for a comprehensive perspective on colonialism and slavery, which recognises their historical and contemporary adverse effects on people of African descent.

: Phil Harris; HUMAN RIGHTS; Racism; 23 February 2021

Photo: New WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Credit: World Trade Organization.

The Choice of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as WTO Head Makes History

Can This 'Grandmother' Save The World Ruled by Gender and Racial Bias?

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — As the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally announced the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General on February 15, a Swiss newspaper received her with a disgraceful headline: “This Grandmother will become the boss of the WTO,” with her photograph under the headline.

The headline sparked outrage, forcing the editors to modify their position: “This 66-year-old Nigerian will head WTO.”

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 19 February 2021

Facebook News Ban Turns Attention to Tech Giants’ Impact on Journalism in Australia

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — The tech juggernaut Facebook’s shock decision to block all news feeds from Australian media outlets from February 18 in response to a proposed new Media Bargaining law, that will force social media giants to pay for news content that is posted on their platforms, has created fury among Australians here. But it is also turning attention to the impact of Facebook (and Google) on Australian journalism.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 February 2021

Photo: Security forces stand outside a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, on January 14, 2021. Source: The African Report.

Ugandan Election Rights Violations Elicit Threat of European Union Sanctions

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | BRUSSELS (IDN) — As Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni bore down on rights groups and the opposition, the European Union (EU) Parliament responded with the threat of sanctions against Ugandan individuals and organizations they hold responsible for abuses during the recent general election.

Museveni apparently sparked the EU backlash when he instructed the Ministry of Finance, in a letter dated January 1, to suspend the activities of the Democratic Governance Facility, a basket fund of European countries that bankroll most Ugandan civil society organizations that work on governance, rights and related themes.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 16 February 2021

Image: Global Supply Chains. Source: PYMNTS.com

New German Law Seeks Corporate Accountability for Rights Violations in Global Supply Chains

An Important Step Towards Implementing UN Guidelines

By Rita Joshi

BERLIN (IDN) – After protracted negotiations, Germany's coalition government has announced an agreement on a German 'mandatory human rights due diligence law' focusing on corporate accountability for human rights violations in global supply chains. In doing, it has taken into account the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). These also address the human rights risks and identify the human rights impact of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

: Rita Joshi; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 13 February 2021

Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump attends 'Namaste Trump' event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Streamed live on 24 Feb 2020. Credit: Prime Minister's Office.

US and India: The Nexus Between Identity Politics and Economic Achievements

Viewpoint by Chandra Muzaffar

This article is being reproduced from the Website of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) presided over by Dr Chandra Muzaffar.

KUALA LUMPUR (IDN) – According to official estimates, Donald J. Trump obtained a little more than 74 million votes in the November 2020 presidential election losing to Joseph Biden who secured a little more than 81 million votes. Biden won by a comfortable margin, but Trump also performed remarkably well. What explains his performance? Analysis of his performance may reveal the growing influence of a certain combination of forces that may shape elections in not only the United States but also in other parts of the world in the coming years.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 13 February 2021

Photo: Human Rights protest in the US. Source: humanrights.org

Biden Must Tread Carefully in the Human Rights Field

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – President Joe Biden is committed to the pursuit of human rights abroad. We know this because this cause now runs through the arteries of the Democratic Party and has done since the time of President Jimmy Carter who was the first president in post World War 2 history to make it such pronounced priority.

Carter, a highly religious man who taught in his local Sunday school whenever he could get home, felt that God had created the US in part “to set an example for the rest of the world”. In practice, it wasn’t so straightforward.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 09 February 2021

Photo: Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, protesting against what they view as a dangerous repatriation to Myanmar. Credit: Jafor Islam-VOA. Created: 23 February 2018.

Rohingya Continue to Suffer Even After Escaping to Supposed Safe Land

By Bahauddin Foizee*

DHAKA (IDN) – The horrible scenes of hungry, tired and almost lifeless Rohingya refugees entering Bangladesh shocked the world in 2017. Even today, many Rohingyas are attempting to make the journey from Myanmar to Bangladesh, believing that a foreign land (Bangladesh) would be safer than their homes (Myanmar). Although they aren’t migrating in large numbers now unlike what they did in 2017, their journey today is as unsafe, horrifying and terrible as it was three years earlier.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 07 February 2021

Photo: Collage of pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi (left) and Min Aung Hlaing (right) created on1 February 2021, the day of the coup. CC BY-SA 4.0

Myanmar Coup: Asian Response Echoes the Adage ‘Democracy Comes with Stability’

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) – Both coverage in the Asian press and statements by neighbouring Asian governments reported in the media on the grabbing of exclusive power by the military in Myanmar, reflects the traditional Asian adage that democracy should go hand in hand with economic and political stability. Thus, sanctions and external funding of protest groups (usually urban elites and the young) are discouraged.