Many of the things that I did in the Naughts Decade. I probably left out a bunch, but anyway.
Category Archives: United Nations
The Ties That Bind
Five years ago at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, I met an amazing Californian Phillipina woman and we became fast friends, seeing in each other kindred spirits. Interestingly enough, it was the same year I met Paolo Coelho who told me: “Always keep your heart open; it will bleed, but it will heal.”…
Signs And Wondering
Since Wendy passed away, I have lived my life following signs from the Spirits. Especially during my time at the UN and in Spain it seemed as if every decision I made, the course of each of my days was defined by signs. Signs were everywhere. It got to the point that even people who…
Over Here Somewhere
In the Acoma Pueblo language the phrase hauchaw tyah haati is a response to a query about where someone might be. It means they are out there somewhere, in the world, in life. Out there somewhere. Out There Somewhere is also the title of a wonderful poetry collection by the famous indigenous poet Simon J….
A Surreal Sunday
I am writing from my temporary desk in the offices of the Turkish Daily News with a gray view of the concrete wasteland that is Istanbul. It is Sunday. There is something very unnatural about being at work on Sunday, especially since my bus to get to work leaves at 830 AM and no one…
StrangeDays Not Like Before
Indeed the last week or so since my Bobby Kennedy experience has been intense. I have had to deal with the strangest dreams, the strangest situations both in life and online and a lot is being released. I have, of late, been using the Aztec Calendar to make decisions and get myself into balance with…
No Declaration Is Better Than A Bad Declaration
After 20+ years the Declaration on the Rights of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples falls flat on its face with barely a grunt. This is not so much a surprise that it just lies there on wet pavement, disintegrating in the rain, since the text that finally made it to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) was…
The Declaration Falls Flat
After 20+ years the Declaration on the Rights of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples falls flat on its face with barely a grunt. This is not so much a surprise that it just lies there on wet pavement, disintegrating in the rain, since the text that finally made it to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) was…
A Life Unfinished
Ever since I was a little girl I have had this thing for the Kennedy’s. My mother had these line drawings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy hung in a special place all my life, and I remember when I was small I would stare at the photos and ask my mom about…
yesterday the devil appeared here, and it still smells of sulfur
kudos to the venezuelan president for his recent speech at the UN, where he aptly referred to george dubya as the devil and noted that the smell of sulfur remained even 24 hours after the idiot president stood at the same UN podium. kudos because most of us with half a brain can smell the…
to speak or not to speak
the pope is in the news today because he quoted a byzantine christian emperor’s idea of who Mohammed the Prophet was and what his teachings extolled, that islam is a religion of violence and it is to be spread by the sword. this was taken from a lecture he has been making on religion and…
she keeps on passing
so many days have passed since i have been able to write. our internet connection is shaky at best and i am trying my luck to post this. yesterday, i had my first physical contact with Tommy, the stray cat who adopted us and is now a part of our family. he is the sweetest…
glibness is a defense
this happened to me last year. i was writing about the UN Commission on Human Rights (which turned out to be the last one, say true) and i realised that i was being extremely glib about very serious things. i forced myself to write an apology to all my readers as my tone and presentation…
my past life at the UN
with the ongoing ear infection issue, in spite of the fact that i am in a new city and all that, i have been staying pretty close to home and taking advantage of the internet connection at long last. for ages, i have wanted to switch to gmail but i have so much history in…
moving forward
packers came today and put all of the possessions my family will keep into a container, soon to brave the wild tsunami-threatened oceans for sri lanka. moving day is always strange for me. i realised today that i have more attachment to the things that make up our home than the home itself. a carved…
a troubling turn towards conservatism
May 06, 2006 local british election results came through today with a disturbing turn towards conservatism once again. portugal recently elected an ultra-conservative president. switzerland has the most conservative government it has had in 20 years, along with france. spain currently has a socialist government, but with two simultaneous separatist movements in the basque region…
The First Report on the 23rd UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, The Indigenous Caucus, July 16-17, 2005
Greetings to all, As you may or may not know, this weekend (the 16th and 17th of July) was the pre-WGIP Indigenous Caucus meeting in Geneva, in preparation for the next week of sessions of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Normally, I don’t do write-ups for these sessions, but since many of the key…
Final Report on the 23rd UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Geneva, Switzerland, July 18-22, 2005
Greetings to all, It was so great to see so many good friends, colleagues and relations this week! What a treat, and something of a shame that we are not able to see each other more often. I miss you all already! As I had found out that UNPO among other organizations were doing daily…
And now, the end is near (or the Twenty-eighth and Final Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 22, 2005)
This morning opened with a heated debate on the decision regarding the proposed reform of the Secretary-General in the area of human rights, which ultimately was adopted by a vote of 34 in favour, 15 against and 4 abstentions. The most contested part of this decision was a proposed Working Group to examine the question…
The cowardly lion is the dominant parent of the Commission on Human Rights (or the Twenty-seventh Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 21, 2005)
This morning, the Commission began by withdrawing a resolution on Item 9, the Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world that was about the situation of human rights in the Sudan. The EU felt they could withdraw the resolution because they were receiving the cooperation they…
Everybody is talking at me (or the Twenty-sixth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 20, 2005)
This report will focus on all of the events from April 20 that did not have to do with Item 15 on indigenous issues, which is contained in the Twenty-fifth Report independently. The Commission deferred taking action on the resolution regarding the protection of human rights in the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and…
Wolves backed into the corner: Voting on Item 15, Indigenous Issues (Or the Twenty-fifth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 20, 2005)
*This report is to date incomplete. Please come back in a couple days for the complete version. Thanks! April 20, 2005 the Commission on Human Rights voted on Item 15, Indigenous Issues, much to the embarrassment of the Americans and Australians citizens in the room. All of the resolutions concerning indigenous issues were passed, even…
A long day’s work for human rights (or Twenty-fourth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 19, 2005)
During today’s extended sessions, Item 18 on Effective functioning of human rights mechanisms: a) Treaty bodies, b) National institutions and regional arrangements, c) Adaptation and strengthening of the United Nations machinery for human rights was concluded with the last few NGO interventions. Many went through issues that had been touched upon during yesterday’s debate on…
Promoting and Protecting Human Rights through Talking (or the Twenty-second Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 15, 2005)
Item 14 regarding Specific groups and individuals was closed for discussion today after the few remaining NGOs on the speaker’s list took the floor for their interventions. Most notably, voting on Item 10, Economic, social and cultural rights, continued, and Items 15, 16,17 and 19 were tackled. Issues such as anti-Semitism, the situation of human…
The Rooms Of Ruin (or the Eighteenth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 11, 2005, on Indigenous Issues)
Monday April 11 saw the entrance of a multitude of indigenous peoples from around the world to intervene on Item 15, Indigenous Issues, an agenda item of the Commission that is fixed due to the fact that most indigenous people have limited resources and this makes it easier for them to know when their item…
Why is rape not considered torture? (or the Fifteenth Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, April 6, 2005)
Yakin Erturk, the Special Rapporteur (SR) on violence against women, its causes and consequences: -widespread violence against women around the world and just as common is impunity of the violators. -country visits to Guatemala, El Salvador, occupied Palestinian territories, Sudan. In Guatemala widespread violence against indigenous women who face multiple discriminations. In Sudan, horrific rape…
We can feed 12 billion people on this planet that houses only 6 billion, yet last year 5 million died of hunger (or the Eleventh Report on the 61st UN Commission on Human Rights, March 30, 2005)
Today’s will be a brief one and the item under discussion was still Item 10, on Economic, social and cultural rights. This morning opened with the bland report of the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-ended working group to consider the options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and…
Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Reports on the 10th Working Group on the Draft Declaration, September 23-25, 2004
Greetings, I am back again with the latest reports for the most recent session of the 10th WGDD. This is not the final report as there are still five days of negotiations which will take place again in Geneva from the 29th of November to the 3rd of December. Please take note that the Report…
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