By Keffyalew Gebremedhin The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
In the World Health Assembly, unlike the narrow pool of voters in the WHO’s 34-member Executive Board, one vote for 194 nations each is more promising. If my past experience is any guide, there is better chance to prevail over dictators and hope for qualitative democracy in WHA in that regard!
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Tag Archives: kofi annan
by Heather Stewart, The Guardian
Disturbing is Dr.Tedros Adhanom’s horse trading on human rights, ironically to become WHO head
12 MayIn self-interest, Uhuru Kenyatta jars ICC from AU summit; Ban reminds summiteers ICC is “the ultimate guarantor of accountability for the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity”
31 JanBy Keffyalew Gebremedhin – The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
While not intended to be an exchange between the Kenyan leader and the United Nations, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on January 30, 2016 reminded African governments that they were instrumental in establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the ultimate guarantor of accountability for the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In that context, the UN News Center reported, the Secretary-General called the court “an ally for African victims of these most heinous crimes”, according to UN News Center.
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Three trends destabilising the world in 2015 – Kofi Annan
31 JanPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory (TEO)
As 2015 begins, the values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are under threat.
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ICC presidency advises AU to take its Kenya-related cases to proper chamber of the Court
23 SepPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Presidency has told the African Union (AU) to forward its concerns regarding the trials of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto to Trial Chamber V (a) because it has no powers to consider arguments related to ongoing cases.
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Justice for Kenya – Kofi Annan
9 SepPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory
GENEVA — ON Tuesday, the eyes of Kenya will be firmly fixed on The Hague, where the trial of the country’s deputy president, William Ruto, and his co-defendant, Joshua arap Sang, an influential radio executive, is set to begin before the International Criminal Court. They have been charged with crimes against humanity for their alleged roles in the violence that rocked Kenya in late 2007 and early 2008. Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, will face similar charges in a related case set for trial in November.
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Land issues plague Africa as states lease out more community land to foreign, domestic investors
30 MayPosted by The Ethiopia Observatory
By Ray Nalygyaga, Africa Review, May 26, 2013
This week the African Union celebrates its 50th anniversary. How far has the continent come in those fifty years?
For one thing, the land that Africans fought to reclaim from foreign colonisers is being once again taken away from them, this time not by force but through purchase — their leaders are literally selling it from under their feet.
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Why Africa is not getting fair deal: Chinese tannery caught red-handed exporting unprocessed leather
11 Mayby Berhanu Fekade* – posted by The Ethiopian Observatory
“It is very sad to learn they did that. Trying to export what is not worth exporting is really sad. We did not know such things are happening. We are very serious on the matter and legal sanctions will be imposed,” State Minister Tadesse Haile of Ministry of Industry (MoI).
– MoI says serious measures await the factory.
A Chinese leather factory, Friendship Tannery, was caught red-handed while attempting to ship out two containers full of an estimated 100 thousand pieces of semi-finished leather under the guise of fully processed and finished leather for export back to China, The Reporter learnt.
According to sources, Friendship Tannery was one of the new but dominant players in the industry. It alone generates USD ten million a year through the production and export of “all types of finished leather”. Unfortunately, that was not what the factory was found trying to export, according to sources. The leather industry, which has been given many incentives by the government to add more value on Ethiopian leather products, has so far failed to generate the intended revenue. On top of that, local factories are time and again accusing foreign counterparts for benefiting wrongly from the loopholes. Industry players agree that it is because of the loose regulation that is in place.
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Annan calls for end to ‘unconscionable’ exploitation of Africa’s resources
10 May
Much of the wealth from natural resources fails to flow to local people, says the Africa Progress Report. Photograph (courtesy of Reuters)
by Heather Stewart, The Guardian
Posted by The Ethiopia Observatory
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, is urging David Cameron to use Britain’s chairmanship of the G8 to end some of the “unconscionable” practices of companies exploiting Africa’s vast reserves of natural resources.
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