BALANCE of CULTURE

Human Rights Blue

A landmark of light: New York City's Empire State building will light up in a vivid blue color today as part of Human Rights Watch's annual recognition of humanitarian issues. 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of 30 articles and was adopted on December 10, 1948 in Paris after WWII. While the efficacy of these types of agreement are certainly up for debate, nobody has actually implemented an alternative solution to the daunting humanitarian issues our planet faces.

I sometimes can't help but question the ethics of critiquing or criticizing the works of such efforts. When you are well fed and out of harm's way, it's unfortunately easy to get caught up in the bleak numbers and forget about the true causes.

Skateboarding in Afghanistan

 

The Skateistan project's new book. Good to see this organization grow so much in the past couple of years.

 

BoC's Dérive in Zanzibar: 25 February 2011

Peer into the world of peacekeepers

This is probably the best overview I've seen of global deployment of multilateral peace-keeping operations to date. Published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute from the SIPRI Multilateral Peace Operations Database, this map reveals historical information on all UN and non-UN peace operations conducted since 2000 including location, mandate, participating countries, approved and actual personnel numbers disaggregated by personnel types, dates of deployment, financial costs and mission fatalities. Figures are as of September 2010.

See the details in a larger image.

Human rights lawyer Kanae Doi at TEDxTokyo

A great TEDxTokyo talk with human rights attorney Kanae Doi.



TEDxTalks — May 16, 2010 — International Legal Expert and Human Rights Advocate

Two years ago, Kanae Doi persuaded New York-based nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch to open an office in Japan—only the NGO's second in Asia. Since then, Kanae has single-handedly run the organizations activities as Tokyo director, striving to convince local politicians and government officials that financial aid isn't the only thing regional recipients need from Japan; victims around the world look to Japan for leadership in stopping rights abuses. She also spreads the word through the media, advises the Japanese government on foreign policy, and seeks out funding from private sources. An attorney whose practice included refugee law, immigration law, constitutional law and criminal defense, Kanae has frequently given media interviews and published on these issues in the Japanese press. She has a law degree from the University of Tokyo and a masters degree in international studies from the New York University School of Law.

Thanks Tokyo Mango!

A quick look at China in the news: 05.10.2010

An international teaching exchange project between China's Education Ministry and US's College Board is linking students--and teachers--from both countries in order to share their distinct perspectives and experiences through education. An observation by one of the Chinese teachers currently teaching in Oklahoma: “They party, they drink, they date,” she added. “In China, we study and study and study.”

Matt Nager for The New York Times

In other China news today: on a telephone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stated that China will support actions to help Greece overcome its sovereign debt crisis and that the world should not underestimate the complexity of the global financial crisis. He didn't elaborate on the specifics of China's assistance.

Remember Wan Yanhai? He is the founder of Beijing's Aizhixing Institute, the first AIDS NGO in China. During the H.I.V. crisis in Henan Province during the 1990s, where many villagers became infected with the virus due to their government's negligent handling of blood transfusions, Mr. Wan was perhaps the most prominent AIDS activist in the region. He and his family have apparently left China to settle in the United States because of "increasing pressure from the government."

Technorati Tags: balance of culture, greece, linda constant, china, china education ministry, college board, united states, education exchange, teachers, Wen Jiabao, aid, Wan Yanhai, Aizhixing Institute, HIV, AIDS NGO

BoC's Online Dérive

See some amazing ballpoint pen sketches of war scenes in Afghanistan and Chechnya by a Russian soldier.

Meet Harvard law student Stephanie Grace, who is in hiding due to an email in which she surmises that African Americans are "on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent." The cherry on top? She was apparently a sociology major at Princeton. More here.

Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video remake by a group of soldiers in Afghanistan.

Oops! The Milken Institute hosts a conference on water scarcity and climate change...and the panel speakers were all given Fiji water bottles to sip on.

Take a look at this crude email making the rounds on Wall St.

North Korean Human Rights Week 2010

I love this time of year for myriad reasons, but mainly because of the international recognition of human rights policies that get pushed to the forefront by likeminded NGOs, government officials, global leaders, as well as extraordinary progressive citizens. If you know me personally, chances are you're well aware that I've worked exclusively on international human rights policies on various platforms--from supporting international human rights NGOs at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (heavily on both Agenda Items 9 and 13, most recently) to face-to-face partnerships with our representatives on Capital Hill.

North Korean border officers

North Korean Human Rights week originally launched in 2004 in Washington D.C. It has been sustained by an influential group of individuals with vastly different backgrounds and stories from all over the world--but we share a strong common bond of belief that North Korean citizens deserve to utilize their primary rights to navigate their own destinies instead of being used as pawns in a political game that gorges an elite few while starving millions (and by "starving" I do not mean only in nutrition and health--but clearly their lack of physical well-being automatically prevents them from realizing their fundamental progress as human beings).

North Korean Human Rights Week 2010 kicks off in Seoul, South Korea for the first time, with several other events in various locations around the globe. North Korean defectors, South Korean leaders, and worldwide activists will bring attention to the human rights violations that Kim Jong-il’s regime has inflicted on North Korean citizens, as well as individuals and families the world over. The various exhibits, talks and roundtables are not to be missed.

Below is the official statement from Robert R. King, Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues:

I want to thank the organizers of North Korea Freedom Week for continuing to call international attention to human rights in North Korea. I regret that I am unable to attend this year’s events in Seoul, but I welcome your decision to hold the first North Korea Freedom Week in South Korea.

The North Korean Human Rights Act enshrines the commitment of the American people to promote respect for the human rights and the well-being of the North Korean people. As President Obama and Secretary Clinton’s Special Envoy for this effort, I recognize the great value of the work done in collaboration with civil society organizations in the United States and South Korea which are dedicated to improving human rights in North Korea. Through our collective efforts, we are increasing the flow of information into and out of North Korea and promoting human rights and laying the groundwork for civil society development.

The United States Government remains deeply concerned about human rights in North Korea and the plight of North Korean refugees. This concern is a reflection of our national values. As President Obama said, “Support for human rights and human dignity is ingrained in America.” Respect for human rights by the North Korean government will have a significant impact on the prospect for closer ties with the United States and will be necessary for that country to participate fully in the international community.

Improving human rights for the North Korean people requires that we all work together. Through cooperation with nongovernmental organizations who share our firm commitment to the welfare of the North Korean people, we can make progress. Thank you for your efforts.

Technorati Tags: balance of culture, kim jong il, north korea, south korea, united nations, north korean human rights week, washington dc, seoul, robert r king, UNHCHR

World Malaria Day 2010

The international malaria community has less than 1 year to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, as called for by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon. It's hard to believe that today, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds and there are 109 malarious countries in 4 regions across the globe. All able countries should focus some of their resources on this continuing epidemic.

Below is the official statement from the U.S. Secretary of State:

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC

On April 25, the United States will join the global community in observing World Malaria Day. We have made progress on prevention and control since the first World Malaria Day in 2007, but there is much more to do to stop the spread of this preventable and curable disease.

Malaria is one of the greatest threats to the health of nearly half the world’s population. It is the fifth leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide and the second leading cause of death in Africa, after HIV/AIDS. The most vulnerable among us — children, pregnant women, and people living with HIV/AIDS — are the hardest hit by malaria.

The United States is committed to reducing the threat of malaria worldwide through the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Global Health Initiative will help coordinate PMI efforts with broader health goals of both the U.S. government and our in-country partners.

On Thursday, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, the President’s Malaria Initiative Coordinator Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, and CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden released our new six-year strategy to combat malaria. By 2014, our goal is to cut malaria illnesses and deaths by 50 percent in most affected countries of sub-Saharan Africa. We are also working to curtail the spread of drug resistant disease in Southeast Asia and the Americas.

On this World Malaria Day, I reaffirm our commitment to the goal of ridding the world of this disease once and for all.

If you're reading this blog post, chances are you're used to spending more on a light lunch than what a life-saving mosquito net costs. While there are many charitable efforts worthy of your contributions, the reality is that without health, a person is literally unable to participate in an education--the ultimate path to opportunities integral to escaping poverty. For this reason alone, health is the ultimate launching pad that desperately needs more of our attention. From 2004 through 2009, the global community has increased international malaria funding ten-fold, with a five-fold increase in global production of insecticide-treated nets to 150 million. Please join the international community in our continued efforts toward the eradication of this disease:

http://www.worldmalariaday.org/take_action_en.cfm
http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/worldmalariaday/actnow.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004221039.html
http://www.nothingbutnets.net/nets-save-lives/

Cumulative action from every able individual around the world is the ultimate way to prevent the spread of this disease. Many thanks from BoC to the global community!

Technorati Tags: balance of culture, linda constant, world malaria day 2010, Ban Ki-Moon, Hillary Clinton

Cultural Initiatives Uplift as Chile Continues to Recover

With all of the earthquakes that the media has focused on in the past couple of months, it's relatively easy to lose track of what is happening in these locales after the cameras have moved on. For many of the citizens in central and southern Chile (who on February 27 were struck with a 8.8 scale quake that lasted for 90 seconds), life has yet to return to normal.

Though these communities have not experienced the degree of damage as that of Haiti, Chileans are "going through an extremely difficult time," according to Jorge Brito, director in the city of Talca of Caritas Chile, a Catholic humanitarian organization. ISP News reports that many are still living in "makeshift housing" in increasingly cold and rainy weather.

As emergency continues to gradually trickle in, numerous organizations have banded together to offer cultural events and experiences in order to uplift the spirits of those still dealing with recovery. Pictured above, the Folkloric Ballet of Chile has toured the region of El Maule, giving free public performances.

The Ministry of Education and CorpArtes Foundation have joined forces for the 'Chile Anima a Chile' (Chile Cheers Up Chile) initiative, which will entertain 24,000 viewers with a traveling exhibition of 3-D animated films between April 10 and May 9. They transformed a modern semi-trailer truck into a mobile movie theatre, complete with 40 seats and its own power generator. This roving theater will travel to 30 cities from Curicó (200 kilometres south of Santiago) to Los Ángeles (located in the Bío-Bío region, 513 kilometres south of Santiago).

Other cultural initiatives include circus performers, puppet shows for children, shows by Clowns Without Borders (who are also touring Haiti) as well as live performances for the whole family by nationally renowned singer Fernando Ubiergo.

I am a firm believer in the constructive role of culture as a regenerative experience for traumatized, post-disaster communities. Though the bottom line for ultimate recovery is funding, critical devastation requires multiple avenues of support. These collective cultural efforts enhance the local regeneration process and, evidenced by the transnational identities of many of these groups, can be utilized anywhere--and any time--within these locations.

For other examples, see my thesis on how both postwar Germany and post-Katrina New Orleans (in their own distinct contexts) utilized large scale international exhibitions for social regeneration.

Technorati Tags: balance of culture, linda constant, chile earthquake, haiti, jorge brito, caritas chile, Folkloric Ballet of Chile, Chile Anima a Chile, Clowns Without Borders