Category: Unami

Published: 2:00 pm EDT September 23, 2024Published: September 23, 2024Updated: 1:00 pm EDT September 23, 2024

Image via Desis of Doylestown, Facebook.

Desis of Doylestown welcomed more than 200 people for its Garba Fundraiser event held on September 20 at Unami Middle School in Chalfont,

Desis of Doylestown welcomed more than 200 people for its Garba Fundraiser event held on September 20 at Unami Middle School in Chalfont, writes Emily Neil for WHYY.

The Bucks County nonprofit, which counts among its members people of Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan descent, organized the fundraiser to raise money for its fourth annual free Diwali celebration. The upcoming event will be held at Pearl S. Buck House on October 27.

Garba is an Indian circle community dance that celebrates the divine feminine supreme Durga — a Hindu goddess — and marks the passage of time. On Friday, participants dressed up in their best sarees and ghagras and danced in concentric circles as they provided a glimpse into what the nine-day festival looks like in India.

Desis of Doylestown’s youth group planned the event with the aim of educating and sharing more from both within and beyond the local South Asian community to make sure that the children do not feel like they are outsiders.

“Desis are Pennsylvanians, part of this community,” said Desis of Doylestown co-founder Sheela Rai. “We are integral to the community.”

Read more about the Garba fundraiser and how Bucks County’s South Asian community is celebrating their culture in WHYY.

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Baghdad – INA
 
Hussein Al-Alawi, advisor to the Prime Minister, stated on Sunday that Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani will lead Iraq’s delegation at the United Nations General Assembly, where he will discuss key sustainable development indicators and advocate for productive diplomacy for international cooperation and concluding the UNAMI mission.

Al-Alawi confirmed that the Prime Minister will formally present Iraq’s comprehensive development strategy during the Assembly sessions.
In remarks to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Al-Alawi articulated, “Iraq is embracing a proactive diplomatic approach designed to foster sustained international cooperation within the global framework, while simultaneously facilitating the transition for ending the mission of UNAMI. This effort is complemented by ongoing collaboration with various United Nations agencies.”

He underscored Iraq’s commitment to leveraging the opportunity presented by the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in 2024 as a global platform for dialogue. This session will enable the Iraqi government to communicate its policies and development strategies effectively, allowing for discussions on progress across multiple sectors, including labor, social issues, and governance.
Al-Alawi highlighted the government’s focus on developmental renaissance through the announcement of a five-year plan, alongside initiatives to adapt to climate change and combat the effects of global warming.
He also noted the launch of the “Zero Flame” initiative aimed at eliminating gas flaring, which the government has actively pursued for the past 23 months, emphasizing that these initiatives have invigorated the oil, gas, and renewable energy sectors, setting Iraq on a transformative path toward a new era. Furthermore, he mentioned that the government is targeting an increase in the utilization of flared gas from 69% to 75%, with aspirations to position Iraq among the world’s top five gas producers. Ongoing efforts are also directed toward enhancing energy production and establishing a robust industrial environment reliant on gas to achieve…

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Executive Summary

Iraq is among the world’s most climate vulnerable countries because of its geographic location and existing environmental fragility which interact with socio-economic and institutional factors. While Iraq is enjoying its most stable period since 2003, governance challenges, instability and violence still exist. Climate change has the potential to exacerbate these existing tensions to undermine peace and increase the risk of conflict. This report identifies four primary localised climate, peace and security risk pathways in Iraq. It further proposes entry points for climate, peace and security interventions and provides recommendations for addressing climate, peace, and security risks.

The primary localised climate, peace and security risk pathways in Iraq are: 1) direct competition for natural resources, 2) exploitation of natural resources by armed actors, 3) limited and politically motivated assistance for climate-displacement and 4) non-participatory, centralised natural resource management.

Direct competition for natural resources manifests itself as regular inter-community conflicts, primarily disputes about surface and ground water. Community conflicts in Iraq are often referred to as tribal conflicts. However, this oversimplifies the climate, peace and security relationships since the groups in conflict often have access to significant weapons and have affiliations with other armed groups and political parties. As a result, water conflicts can escalate quickly, leading to injuries and fatalities. Better natural resource management and governance, especially the reduction of water loss and pollution, is needed to reduce the risks of conflict. Integrated water resource management initiatives supported by the UN and the Government of Iraq should be clearly informed by climate, peace and security risk analysis to ensure positive peace and security impacts.

The exploitation of natural resources by armed actors is a significant and growing climate, peace and security risk in Iraq. It is reflective of the wider integration of armed groups in the social, political…

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Tahar Boumedra, President of the Justice for Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) spoke passionately at the Iranian Resistance conference about his experiences witnessing human rights abuses in Iraq, particularly against residents of Ashraf.

Drawing on his time with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Boumedra recounted his unrestricted access to Camp Ashraf and the harrowing abuses he witnessed there. He described his role as often being reduced to counting the bodies of victims, a grim duty that eventually led to his resignation from the UN in protest. Boumedra also detailed his defiance against attempts by the UN Legal Affairs Department to silence him, underscoring his commitment to speaking out against injustices.

Boumedra praised Professor Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, for his courage and impartiality in documenting human rights violations. He emphasized that Rehman’s work is widely appreciated and assured him of global support from advocates of peace and justice.

In closing, Boumedra reaffirmed his dedication to exposing human rights abuses and standing in solidarity with the Iranian people and the Iranian Resistance.

The full text of Tahar Boumedra’s speech follows:

Thank you. Thank you very much, brothers and sisters in Ashraf 3. I salute you warmly. Let me say that I thank very much the speakers who took the floor before me, and I’m not going to repeat the legal issues that they addressed.

I’m just going to share with you probably what I would call a testimony, reporting to you exactly my experience in a very short way because I hope that Professor Javaid Rehman will benefit from what I went through…

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The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) revealed new details on Sunday regarding the “Speicher Massacre” in Salah al-Din Governorate, which occurred during the control of ISIS over the province in 2014.

In a report obtained by Shia Waves Agency, the mission stated that “in the compounds of the presidential palaces, after consulting with ISIS’s top leadership, the ruler of Salah al-Din, affiliated with the terrorist group, ordered that repentance be offered to Sunnis while Shias were to be killed. Members of ISIS were then deployed to four or five execution sites throughout the complex.”

The report further explained, “The captives were gathered in groups and taken to execution sites where they were either lying on the ground or kneeling before being shot at close range. The bodies were buried in mass graves within the palace complex or thrown into the river.”

It continued, “The bodies of the victims who were executed and thrown into the river floated on the surface of the Tigris for days after the incident. The remains of the buried victims that were recovered indicate that 97% of those executed were young males aged 35 or younger, most of whom were wearing civilian clothes.”

The report also highlighted that “the killings continued for at least three days, involving the active participation of about 100 to 150 ISIS members. Among the perpetrators were ISIS fighters who initially entered Tikrit on June 11, escapees from prisons, and local sleeper cells affiliated with the terrorist organization.”

The killings were documented by ISIS, which later released at least two videos showing shocking scenes of abuse and execution. One of the videos, titled “Camp Speicher: The Mass Killing Method and the Intent of Genocide—Kill Them Wherever You Find Them”, clearly illustrates ISIS’s genocidal policy against Shias.”

The mission also noted…

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Karbala’, 31 August 2024

Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished audience,

It is a great honour for me to address this learned audience today. I am particularly pleased as I have written on the philosophical foundations of human rights and have worked on these issues for more than 30 years. During this time I learned the values of humility and of listening to those with different views than mine.

In this spirit of open dialogue, allow me today to briefly talk about the role of the United Nations on the protection and promotion of human rights globally, as well as some of the contemporary challenges, before offering some observations relating to Iraq.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you know, the key United Nations human rights document is the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document has opened the way to many important international treaties on this subject. I welcome the fact that Iraq today is a party to all core international human rights treaties.

The Universal Declaration has also inspired regional initiatives such as the 1990 Cairo declaration on human rights in Islam adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Despite differences between them, the two declarations share common values such as the emphasis on the inherent dignity of all individuals – the right of every person regardless of who they are.

I wish to stress here that international human rights standards are not Western standards. Many have indeed attained near-universal acceptance, as they reflect fundamental principles such as human dignity, fairness, compassion and non-discrimination that are rooted in many cultures and religious traditions, including Islam.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Among contemporary challenges is the poor record of implementation of the existing human rights treaties across the world. Take for example torture: just about every state condemns it, but it is still…

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Al-Hakim Foundation, 10 August 2024

Your Excellency, President of the Republic, Dr. Abdul Latif Rashid,

Your Excellency, Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani,

Your Excellency, President of Supreme Judicial Council, Dr. Faiq Zeidan

Your Excellency, Acting Council of Representative Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi

Your Eminence, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim,

Distinguished participants,

I am honored to participate on behalf of the United Nations in this conference, marking the Islamic Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. I applaud the efforts of the al-Hakim Foundation, and specifically those of His Eminence Sayyid al-Hakim, for convening this yearly event.

Allow me to start by commending the efforts of the Government for its commitment to combatting violence against women and supporting Iraqi women in general. I welcome the address of the Prime Minister to the High Council for Women Affairs on 25 July urging government entities to expedite the implementation of decisions concerning women.

I also welcome the role of the High Council in engaging with the Parliamentary Committee for Women, Family and Childhood as a positive example of how the expertise and experience of Iraqi women can inform the country’s legislative agenda, including the proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law. I urge political leaders to ensure that any proposed legislation protects the rights of women and children, in line with Iraq’s international human rights commitments.

Also with regard to legislation, I urge the Council of Representatives to adopt the long awaited law against domestic violence. I wish to highlight in particular the importance of the establishment of shelters for persons at risk of such violence. We need to support the survivors, often forced to suffer in silence, and bring to justice the perpetrators. The law should also deter potential offenders, ultimately contributing to a safer family environment­. Let’s not forget, not only women,…

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Key Takeaways:

• POLITICS: UN Appoints New Special Representative For Iraq; Coordination Framework Gives Sunni Parties Days To Agree On A New Speaker – On July 15, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that Omani diplomat Mohammed al-Hassan has been selected to be his new Special Representative for Iraq. Al-Hassan will also serve as the new chief of the Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), whose work is set to end on December 31, 2025. On July 14, sources from the Coordination Framework said the ruling bloc has given Sunni political parties until July 20 to resolve their disputes and agree on their candidate for speaker of parliament, a post that’s been vacant since last November. After that deadline, parliament would reconvene for a vote and “the matter will be left to [individual] representatives” to select the new speaker, without the need for political consensus, explained one Framework lawmaker. Another Framework representative argued that the Framework has the power, and may exercise it after the deadline, to use its numbers in parliament to approve any candidate regardless of Sunni preferences. In other developments, on July 13, Iraq’s Foreign Minister revealed that Baghdad will soon host a meeting between Syrian and Turkish officials to discuss possible solutions to the Syrian crisis. On July 13, protests erupted in the southern province of Diwaniyah amid worsening water and electricity shortages. On July 18, KDP said that it has finally submitted its list of candidates who will compete in the Kurdistan legislative elections on October 20. more…
• SECURITY: CENTCOM Says ISIS Attacks On The Rise; New Drone Attack On U.S. Forces At Ain Al-Asad Marks End Of Militia Ceasefire – On July 16, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it tracked 153 attacks claimed by ISIS across Iraq and Syria during the…

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