Items related to "Human Security Gateway: Belgium". Sat, 17 May 2008 0:30:27 +0000 Sat, 17 May 2008 0:30:27 +0000 robert_hartfiel@sfu.ca (Robert Hartfiel) Wed, 14 May 2008 13:30:27 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24359 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24359 Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Etats-Unis d’Amérique et Canada, et Europe occidentale et centrale. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Wed, 07 May 2008 12:07:29 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24208 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24208 La régionalisation des compétences en matière d'importation, d'exportation et de transit d'armes ainsi que la nouvelle loi sur les armes ont modifié la gestion administrative des dossiers « armes » en Belgique. Ces nouveaux textes législatifs ont eu pour incidence, entre autres, la production de documents administratifs appropriés. Certains formulaires sont nouveaux ; d'autres, souvent issus de l'autorité fédérale, ont été simplement adaptés pour les identifier dorénavant à leur nouvelle administration régionale. Ce rapport dresse un état des lieux des documents existants auprès des pouvoirs publics. Mais au-delà de ce recensement, nous procédons à une analyse destinée à, vérifier, d'une part, l'accessibilité de l'ensemble de ces formulaires auprès du public et, d'autre part, la nature de l'information transmise à la suite de ces deux modifications législatives. SOURCE: Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:11:01 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24013 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24013 Traditionnellement, le Moyen-Orient est une destination privilégiée des exportations mondiales d’armement. Cette région est en effet très demandeuse de nouveaux matériels militaires et bénéficie d’importantes liquidités grâce aux revenus pétroliers. Depuis des décennies, la Belgique, presque uniquement par le biais des exportations wallonnes, est parvenue à se créer une place dans ce marché particulier, notamment en tissant des relations commerciales soutenues avec un des États de la région, l’Arabie saoudite. Pourtant, ces transferts belges, comme ceux des autres États, suscitent de nombreuses interrogations, notamment concernant l’utilisation non souhaitée qui pourrait être faite des armes exportées, comme la répression interne ou le risque qu’elles soient détournées par des groupes terroristes. SOURCE: Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:38:30 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23074 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23074 Agacés d’être perçus comme une menace, les États de la rive sud de la Méditerranée risquent d’opposer une fin de non-recevoir à la présidence française de l’Union européenne si celle-ci s’aventurait un peu trop ostensiblement sur ce terrain. Mais c’est bien de cela dont il s’agit, en partie, derrière ce vaste chantier. Perverti et trop souvent invoqué de manière irréfléchie, le concept de sécurité reste néanmoins un objectif dont découle la réalisation concomitante des autres aspects du projet de la présidence française. L’idée de la sécurité n’existe pas sans les usages dont elle fait l’objet. Si la définition minimaliste de la sécurité est « l’absence de menaces, ou de craintes de menaces, sur les valeurs centrales », reste à déterminer ce à quoi l’on se réfère : aux États membres, à l’Union méditerranéenne en tant que telle, aux individus qui composent les différentes populations ? Par ailleurs, à quelles menaces s’agit-il de faire face : les menaces militaires et/ou non militaires (économiques, environnementales, pertes d’identité…) ? Bien qu’elles puissent apparaître comme le fruit d’une construction intellectuelle sans fondement concret, ces questions sont au coeur du projet d’Union de la Méditerranée comme elles ont été le fondement des multiples initiatives de part et d’autre de la « mare nostrum ». L’absence d’entente entre les parties prenantes sur l’étendue que doit couvrir ce volet risque de faire de l’Union méditerranéenne, au mieux une construction institutionnelle parmi d’autres, au pire un échec de plus dans cette région du monde, avec les conséquences humaines que l’on devine. SOURCE: Centre d'études des politiques étrangères et de sécurité Centre d'études des politiques étrangères et de sécurité Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:31:59 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22804 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22804 Statistiquement, il n'existe pas de « secteur de l'armement » dans les comptes nationaux en Belgique. Disséminées entre les différentes branches de l'industrie manufacturière, principalement dans le secteur des fabrications métalliques, les entreprises qui ont une activité de production d'armements et d'équipements à usage militaire constituent un secteur au périmètre très difficile à définir. Quel est donc l'intérêt de se livrer à un tel exercice ? Tout d'abord, ce sont elles qui répondent à la demande de l'autorité publique afin de mettre en oeuvre la politique de défense. Offre et demande d'armements se rencontrent sur un marché particulier, sensiblement différent des marchés civils plus concurrentiels, et dont les caractéristiques et le fonctionnement sont sources de défaillances qui impliquent l'intervention fréquente des pouvoirs publics. Dans ce contexte, définir et évaluer l'importance de ce secteur, agissant sur un marché aux caractéristiques originales, est la base d'une réflexion sur l'économie d'armement et de l'analyse de l'impact des dépenses de défense dans le processus économique. SOURCE: Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:04:16 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22770 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22770 La présente évaluation de la politique des vingt-sept pays membres de l’Union européenne en faveur des droits de l’Homme répond au développement récent des « investissements éthiques », constitués pour une grand part d’actions d’entreprises privées, mais également d’obligations d’Etat. C’est cette partie « obligataire » dont il s’agit ici d’éclairer les fondements dans une perspective « éthique », dans l’optique de favoriser les investissements dans les Etats menant une politique plus active de promotion des droits de l’homme. Cette étude s’inscrit dans la continuité des études élaborées en 2001, 2003 et 2005. SOURCE: Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:33:29 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22648 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22648 Votée le 18 mai 2006, la nouvelle loi belge sur la détention et le commerce des armes est aujourd’hui dangereusement remise en cause. Depuis quelques semaines, dans cette période d’interrègne gouvernemental, plusieurs membres de la Commission de la Justice de la Chambre ont proposé des amendements qui vont à l’encontre de l’intention première du législateur et qui risquent d’affaiblir les principes de base de la nouvelle loi. Pourtant, l’adoption de cette loi représentait une avancée majeure vers un meilleur contrôle des armes dans notre pays. Elle illustrait la prise de conscience du législateur des risques posés par une disponibilité incontrôlée des armes à feu, tant en termes de sécurité que de santé publiques. SOURCE: Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:41:46 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22567 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22567 Notre étude s'inscrit dans le cadre du Groupe de recherche en appui aux politiques de paix (GRAPAX), lequel est financé par la Commission universitaire pour le développement (CUD) chargée, au sein du Conseil interuniversitaire des universités francophones (CIUF), de la mise en oeuvre de la politique de coopération universitaire au développement. Le GRAPAX a pour fonction d'appuyer, par ses recherches et ses expertises, la politique belge de coopération au développement dans les États fragiles et dans les situations post-conflit, plus particulièrement dans la région de l'Afrique des Grands lacs. C'est dans ce contexte qu'est apparue la nécessité de conduire une recherche sur la sécurité en tant qu'enjeu de la décentralisation en République démocratique du Congo. La présente étude propose un premier état des lieux de la recherche entamée en septembre 2006. Elle s'appuie notamment sur deux séminaires qui se sont tenus le 20 février et le 17 avril 2007 à l'Université catholique de Louvain. Ces sources ont été complétées par de nombreux entretiens en Belgique ainsi que par une mission à Kinshasa du 25 au 28 juin 2007. Les personnalités interrogées appartiennent à une large gamme d'institutions. SOURCE: Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:40:27 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22504 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22504 Dès septembre 2006, divers médias tchadiens proches de l’opposition au président Idriss Déby Itno ont fait état d’une livraison aux troupes gouvernementales tchadiennes de véhicules blindés sur roues récemment modernisés par une entreprise belge. Aucune licence d’exportation vers le Tchad n’a toutefois été accordée par les autorités belges, mais selon les sources tchadiennes, la France devait servir d’intermédiaire. Révélée le 7 février 2008 dans la presse belge1, alors que la situation au Tchad est de plus en plus préoccupante, cette transaction triangulaire soulève un certain nombre de questions quant aux mécanismes de contrôle, de conditionnalité et de transparence des exportations d’armement en Belgique et au sein de l’Union européenne. SOURCE: Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la sécurité Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:27:43 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21658 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=21658 President Sarkozy has recently said that France may re-integrate into NATO's military command. This abrupt change in French policy opens doors to a much-needed improvement in EU-NATO relations. The two institutions have been barely co-operating on important missions like Kosovo, which leaves Europe ill-prepared for security challenges on its borders. But for the EU and NATO to really turn a corner, the UK must first agree with France how independent from the US, Europe's defences should become. The US will need to give France command posts in NATO, and Turkey will have to drop its opposition to Cyprus' co-operation with the alliance. SOURCE: Centre for European Reform Centre for European Reform Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:29 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20844 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20844 The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) today (March 7) released a new report, Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims in the EU - Developments since September 11. The report covers developments in eleven EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. "In the aftermath of September 11, Muslim minorities in the EU have experienced growing distrust and hostility. As the fight against terrorism has been stepped up and the perceived threat of religious extremism has become a major focus of public debate, pre-existing patterns of prejudice and discrimination have been reinforced and Muslims have increasingly felt that they are stigmatized because of their beliefs," said Aaron Rhodes, Executive Director of the IHF. He continued, "We are concerned that these developments threaten to undermine positive efforts at integration and further increase the vulnerability of Muslims to human rights violations and marginalization. We are also concerned that they may reinforce pre-existing feelings of resentment and frustration among Muslims and erode their confidence in the authorities and the rule of law. This may again increase the risk of growing support for organizations that advocate violent methods to protest injustices suffered by Muslims, including terrorism." The report describes problems such as widespread negative attitudes toward Muslims; unbalanced and stereotypical media reports portraying Muslims as "alien" to EU societies and as "an enemy within"; verbal and physical attacks on Muslims and Muslim institutions and property; discrimination against Muslims in employment and other areas; aggressive political rhetoric used by right-populist parties to target Muslims; and security and immigration measures contributing to public perceptions of Muslims as a "fifth column." SOURCE: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:28 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20754 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20754 A report issued on 13 April 2005 by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) concludes that the lack of adequate data on the level of racist attacks in 15 member states is masking the scale of the problem. The EU body looked at the data collection systems in the 15 states and found that only six had comprehensive systems, while in most states, racist violence was not specifically recorded as such. This lack of information makes it impossible to determine the scale of violence, or to take effective measures to combat it, concludes the report. The evidence that is available from UK and France suggests that there has been a marked increase in attacks against refugees, immigrants, Jews and, particularly, Muslims since the September 11 disaster. A recent French report showed that violence against Jews and Muslims in particular had doubled in the last year. SOURCE: European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:34 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19606 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19606 The ICJ, in its Judgment in The Congo v. Belgium (the so-called Yerodia case), stated in a problematic obiter dictum that, before national courts, former Ministers for Foreign Affairs enjoy immunity even if they committed a serious international crime, unless they acted in their private capacity. It seems that this statement (for which the Court gives no reasons) does not properly reflect the current state of customary international law. Rather, modern state practice and opinion juris deny immunities for core crimes to all former and incumbent state officials with the sole exception of the highest state representatives such as Heads of State or Ministers for Foreign Affairs; and even these persons are protected only while in office (as has been demonstrated in the Pinochet case). It is submitted that this rule not only reflects positive law but at the same time strikes the proper balance between, on the one hand, the need to protect a state's ability to discharge its most important tasks (such as the maintenance of peace), and, on the other hand, the need to punish serious violations of human rights (once retired, even Heads of State can be held responsible). SOURCE: European Journal of International Law European Journal of International Law Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:34 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19607 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19607 The ICJ held in the recent Congo v. Belgium case that a former Minister for Foreign Affairs of a state may be subjected to the criminal jurisdiction of another state only in respect of acts carried out `in a private capacity'. Therefore the question arises of whether international crimes committed by persons with the status of state officials are to be regarded as acts done `in a private capacity'. This article argues that the answer to this question should be in the negative. Treating war crimes or crimes against humanity perpetrated by a state official as acts committed `in a private capacity' would mean that such acts could not be attributed to the state at an international level. As a consequence, other states would not be able to invoke the responsibility of the offending state for those acts. SOURCE: European Journal of International Law European Journal of International Law Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:19 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19257 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=19257 The report reveals that Chechens seeking refuge abroad are facing many obstacles. For example, their very basic right to seek asylum is not always respected: In Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Chechens are denied access to the national asylum procedure. Many stay there without any legal rights and almost no humanitarian assistance; Chechens are sometimes denied access to the territory of other states. This happens routinely at the border with Ukraine; EU member states have a widely differing approach to Chechen asylum seekers. Refugee recognition rates vary dramatically within the EU, and the outcome of "the asylum lottery" depends on the country in which the claim has been processed. During the first six months of 2004, the Slovak Republic did not grant asylum to a single person from Russia, while Austria's refugee recognition rate for this group was 96 %. The report raises concern that the system of asylum and integration in new EU states receiving many Chechen asylum seekers, are not up to European standards. It appeals# to "old" EU states to support "new" EU states in providing protection to Chechen asylum seekers. In a recommendation to European states, the Norwegian Refugee Council states that "old" EU states should use the powers they have under the Dublin regulation to examine claims from Chechen asylum seekers lodged on their territory, even if they believe a new member state to be responsible under the Regulations's criteria. SOURCE: Norwegian Refugee Council Norwegian Refugee Council Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:31 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18121 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18121 SOURCE: Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16629 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=16629 The human rights situation deteriorated in numerous former Soviet republics. Independent human rights monitoring groups, including several affiliates of the IHF, came under attack. The Russian Federation, Belarus, and the Central Asian regimes promulgated new legislation or changed their practices to allow these states arbitrarily to restrict the activities of nongovernmental organizations. The leaders of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee faced fabricated criminal charges, and in January 2006, state-controlled Russian media falsely implicated the Moscow Helsinki Group in espionage. SOURCE: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:06 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=15208 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=15208 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed shortly after the end of the Second World War to counter the threat of Soviet invasion of Western Europe. The treaty setting up the alliance was signed in 1949 by 10 Western European nations as well as Canada and the United States. NATO's mandate is to provide a common defence for the European and Atlantic areas, and to address common issues faced by the member countries. SOURCE: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:43:51 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=12359 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=12359 The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the subsequent attacks on European countries such as the United Kingdom and Spain have prompted both sides of the Atlantic to reinvigorate their respective efforts to ensure homeland security and combat terrorism. However, U.S. and European approaches to these issues differ. While the United States has embarked on a wholesale reorganization of its domestic security and border protection institutions, European countries have largely preferred to work within their existing institutional architectures to combat terrorism and respond to other security challenges and disasters, both natural and man-made. This report examines homeland security and counterterrorist measures in six selected European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. None of these Europea#n countries currently has a single ministry or department equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In most of these countries, responsibility for different aspects of homeland security and counterterrorism is scattered across several ministries or different levels of government. SOURCE: Congressional Research Service Congressional Research Service Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:43:45 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=12078 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=12078 This working paper explores how Belgium reacted to the growth of this new form of terrorism from its early signs in the 1980s until today. Next, it analyses the measures taken by the Belgian law enforcement apparatus since 9/11. Finally, it assesses Belgian specificities in combating jihadi terrorism. SOURCE: Real Instituto Elcano Real Instituto Elcano Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:43:06 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=10185 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=10185 The report surveys recent developments regarding religious freedom and tolerance in ten OSCE countries which are of particular concern to the International Helsinki Federation. Following an overview of international standards protecting freedom of thought, conscience and religion, it examines the state of religious freedom in Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. SOURCE: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:51 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9634 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9634 IHF's annual report on human rights violations in the OSCE. Countries profiled include: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia. SOURCE: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:41 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9200 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9200 Backgrounder on Ephrem Nkezabera, accused in Belgium of war crimes during the Rwandan Genocide. SOURCE: Track Impunity Always Track Impunity Always Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:36 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9001 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9001 On December 15, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed separate complaints originally filed on April 29, 1999 by Serbia and Montenegro against eight NATO member states (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom), asking the ICJ to hold each of the respondent states responsible for international law violations stemming from the NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in March-April 1999. According to the Court's unanimous Judgments, Serbia and Montenegro lacks standing to sue before the ICJ. SOURCE: American Society of International Law American Society of International Law Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:21 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=8325 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=8325 Based on a number of surveys examining the jurisprudence of a total of sixteen nations - Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, UK, and USA - this report examines the issue of impunity of companies regarding economic activities linked to human rights abuses and armed conflict. The report aims to provide clarity as to the existing laws, norms and mechanisms governing economic actors in a war zone linked to a repressive dictatorship. It also examines what concrete liabilities are created when a company is involved in international crime and under which jurisdictions they fall. SOURCE: Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:05 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7481 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7481 The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) issued its final report on July 19, 2004. A major recommendation in the report was that the U.S. government should identify and prioritize actual or potential terrorist sanctuaries and, for each, to employ a realistic strategy to keep possible terrorists insecure and on the run, using all elements of national power. The rationale given for devoting special attention to denial of sanctuaries was the belief that "a complex international terrorist operation to carry out a catastrophic attack would be difficult to mount without a secure place from which to plan, recruit, train, rehearse, and launch the operation. To find sanctuary, terrorist organizations have fled to some of the least governed, most lawless places in the world, according to the Commission. The Commission stressed the value to Al Qaeda of the Afghan sanctuary and its logistical networks, running through Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in preparing the 9/11 attack and other operations, as well as the advantages the terrorists derived from the lax internal security environments in Western countries, including the United States. SOURCE: Congressional Research Service Congressional Research Service Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:05 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7567 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7567 The recent judgment of the ICJ has indubitably shed light on a rather obscure area of international law; that is, the legal regulation of the personal immunities of foreign ministers. However, one should express serious misgivings about some of the Court's conclusions. In particular, the Court, besides omitting to pronounce upon the admissibility of universal criminal jurisdiction, failed both (i) to distinguish between so-called functional immunities (inuring to foreign ministers and, more generally, to all state agents with respect to acts performed in their official capacity), and personal immunities, and (ii) to refer to the customary rule lifting functional immunities in case of international crimes. It follows that, in the opinion of the Court, foreign ministers (and other state officials), after leaving office, may be prosecuted and punished for international crimes perpetrated while in office only if such crimes are regarded as acts committed in their ` private capacity', a conclusion that is hardly consistent with the current pattern of international criminality and surely does not meet the demands of international criminal justice. SOURCE: European Journal of International Law European Journal of International Law Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:44 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=5941 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=5941 The Eurocorps was created in 1992 as the concrete implementation of a political will that has developed since the 1950's. The Eurocorps comprises military contributions from its five framework nations: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain. The Headquarters, in which soldiers from the member states and also from Austria, Canada, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United Kingdom participate, is located in Strasbourg, France. At the beginning of the third millennium it is now available as a Rapid Reaction Corps HQ for both the EU and NATO. SOURCE: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:26 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=4123 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=4123 The mission of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Afghanistan is seen as a test of the alliance's political will and military capabilities. The allies are seeking to create a "new" NATO, able to go beyond the European theater and combat new threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Afghanistan is NATO's first "out-of-area" mission beyond Europe. The purpose of the mission is the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan. The mission is a difficult one because it must take place while combat operations against Taliban insurgents continue. U.N. Security Council resolutions govern NATO's responsibilities. The NATOled International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) faces formidable obstacles: shoring up a weak government in Kabul; using military capabilities in a distant country with rugged terrain; and rebuilding a country devastated by war and troubled by a resilient narcotics trade. NATO's mission statement lays out the essential elements of the task of stabilizing and rebuilding the country: train the Afghan army, police, and judiciary; support the government in counter-narcotics efforts; develop a market infrastructure; and suppress the Taliban. SOURCE: Congressional Research Service Congressional Research Service Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:09 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2558 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2558 The United States has progressively woven a clandestine "spider's web" of disappearances, secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers - spun with the collaboration or tolerance of Council of Europe member states, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) said today. In a draft resolution adopted at a meeting in Paris, based on a report by Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE), the committee said hundreds of persons had become entrapped in this web - in some cases when they were merely suspected of sympathising with a presumed terrorist organisation. The parliamentarians said this knowing collusion of member states took several different forms, including secretly detaining a person on European territory, capturing a person and handing them over to the US or permitting unlawful "renditions" through their airspace or across their territory. "It# has now been demonstrated incontestably, by numerous well-documented and convergent facts, that secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers involving European countries have taken place, such as to require in-depth inquiries and urgent responses by the executive and legislative branches of all the countries concerned," the committee said. The committee called on Council of Europe member states to review bilateral agreements signed with the United States, particularly those on the status of US forces stationed in Europe, to ensure they conformed fully to international human rights norms. The report is due for debate by the plenary Assembly - which brings together 630 parliamentarians from the 46 Council of Europe member states - in Strasbourg on 27 June 2006. SOURCE: Council of Europe Council of Europe Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:09 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2559 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2559 The United States of America finds that neither the classic instruments of criminal law and procedure, nor the framework of the laws of war (including respect for the Geneva Conventions) has been apt to address the terrorist threat. As a result it has introduced new legal concepts, such as "enemy combatant" and "rendition", which were previously unheard of in international law and stand contrary to the basic legal principles that prevail on our continent. Thus, across the world, the United States has progressively woven a clandestine "spider's web" of disappearances, secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers, often encompassing countries notorious for their use of torture. Hundreds of persons have become entrapped in this web, in some cases merely suspected of sympathising with a presumed terrorist organisation. SOURCE: Council of Europe Council of Europe Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:09 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2577 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2577 Ten years ago, the idea of writing a substantial paper about NATO's role in the Greater Middle Eastxe2x88x97 would have been implausible. Indeed, at that time NATO was only tentatively involved in southeast Europe - let alone southwest Asia - and the organization's own future remained highly uncertain. In August 1995, after four years of hesitation and debate over the issue of extending the zone of operation of what had once been a strictly defensive alliance, NATO intervened militarily for the first time in Bosnia. However, this only occurred after organizations like the United Nations (UN) and the Western European Union (WEU) were seen to have failed, and the mission was not regarded as a precedent for Alliance action in the Middle East or Asia. At the time, few could have envisaged that a decade later NATO would be deploying over 10,000 troops to Afghanistan, training Iraqi military forces in Baghdad and increasing its political and military cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). That, however, is precisely the situation today. SOURCE: Emirates Centre For Strategic Studies And Research Emirates Centre For Strategic Studies And Research Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:07 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2429 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2429 SOURCE: HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:00 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=1691 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=1691 Mothertongue Name: Groupe Islamique Combattant Morrocain (GICM). The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, or GICM, is dedicated to the creation of an Islamist state in Morocco. GICM is an active member of the international jihadi movement. In addition to its presence in North Africa, GICM members are positioned in Western Europe. SOURCE: National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:40:52 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=900 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=900 Handicap International Belgium (HIB) is an independent organisation which ensures that people with a handicap are able to regain their independence and their place in society, particularly in countries with difficult living conditions. The Blue Laces are the symbol of this. HIB has more than 60 projects in 17 countries who are in an acute or chronic crisis situation. SOURCE: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:40:51 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=870 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=870 Bernard Ntuyahaga was born, probably in 1952, in Mabanza, Kibuye, Rwanda. In 1972, he went to the Kigali school for army officers. At the time of the alleged facts, he held the rank of major. On 7 April 1994, on the day following the attack on President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane, soldiers of the Rwandan Armed Forces surrounded the residence of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Agathe Uwiligiyimana who was being protected by ten Belgian blue helmets and five Ghanaians. Agathe Uwiligiyimana tried to escape, but was assassinated by the Rwandan soldiers who then captured the blue helmets. The Ghanaians were freed but the ten Belgians were reportedly led to the Kigali military camp where they were massacred in cold blood. SOURCE: Track Impunity Always Track Impunity Always