37. Malnutrition and technical fixes
February blog Claudio Schuftan This month I remember the colleagues who coined the term ‘commerciogenic malnutrition’: Derrick Jelliffe and his wife Patrice (left and centre in the picture above). Derrick…
38. Equity in an inequitable world
February blog Claudio Schuftan Ho Chi Minh City. Two new years are now behind us: the Western and the Chinese, both of which we celebrate here in Vietnam. These traditionally…
179 WHY HAS THERE BEEN NO WIDER PUBLIC DEBATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS?
1. The more well-known human rights, like the freedom of speech or the freedom of assembly protect individuals from assault by the state. Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR), on…
178 OF CLAIM HOLDERS, DUTY BEARERS AND AGENTS OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
Human rights are indeed a very powerful framework for bringing change to the unequal power structures and relationships that perpetuate poverty and its accompanying HR violations provided the proper accountability…
177 IN SOME CASES, THE HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE IS RELIGION-SKEPTIC.
Nobody can abuse, neglect, violate or infringe on the rights and liberties of people with impunity any longer. And if anybody does so, we will hold them accountable and responsible…
176 THE HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE IS ALSO MDGs-SKEPTIC.
-Real life is more complex than MDG slogans; even if we get there by 2015, we will have achieved nothing more than isolated islands of progress in a sea of…
175 THE HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE IS GLOBALIZATION-SKEPTIC AND IFIs*-SKEPTIC. (*: International Financial Institutions)
1. In and through the process of Globalization, ‘what-people-allegedly-want’ is being manipulated by using the lure of consumerism –and that ends-up playing against human rights principles. Period. 2. In the…
174 GENDER EQUALITY IS NOT JUST A WOMEN’S ISSUE, BUT A DEVELOPMENT AND A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE.
In many poor countries, gender equality and women’s rights are considered a mere whim of rich countries or, worse, an expression of Western decadence. (H. Dembowski) A quick introductory glimpse…
173 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ARE NO LONGER A PRIVATE AFFAIR, BECAUSE THEY NOW HAVE A POLITICAL DIMENSION.
Human rights violations are a long running saga and a straightjacket for sustainable development. (CETIM) 1. To understand them comprehensively, human rights violations have to be put in the context…
172 PHYSICAL CAPITAL WEARS OUT; SOCIAL CAPITAL DOES NOT. THE MORE IT IS USED IN EXERCISING DIRECT DEMOCRACY THE STRONGER IT GETS (e.g., to combat human rights violations).
-Democracy is a means, not an end. -Democracy is not a spectator sport. -The world is run by people that show up. Let us start this Reader debunking a couple…