UN Urges Young People to Engage in Democracy

UN Urges Young People to Engage in Democracy

聯合國呼吁青年人更多參與民主

The United Nations today marked the annual International Day of Democracy with calls on young people to lead a major push for inclusive democracy around the world by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of the 68th Session of UN General Assembly John W. Ashe.

“I call on members of the largest generation of youth in history to confront challenges and consider what you can do to resolve them，” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day， which is commemorated on 15 September. The world is more turbulent than ever， he said， stressing that recent outbreaks of violence reaffirm that where societies are not inclusive， and where governments are not responsive and accountable， peace， equality and shared prosperity cannot take hold.

According to UN figures， one out of five people today are between the ages of 15 and 24. Yet youth participation in elections， political parties and traditional social organizations， particularly in developing countries， is on the decline.

In his message for the Day， the outgoing President of the General Assembly， John Ashe urged Member States， civil society and other stakeholders to work together to strengthen national programmes devoted to fostering voices of the young in all democratic processes.

“We must work to ensure that young people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected， promoted and fulfilled，” Mr. Ashe said， “and that future generations have a say in the decisions that will affect their lives and the lives of their children.”

http://www.un.org/chinese/News/story.asp?NewsID=22531

UN Agencies “Shocked and Saddened” by Vaccination Deaths in Syria

聯合國對敘利亞兒童接種疫苗后死亡表示震驚和悲傷

Some 15 children died and 50 others were reportedly affected by a contaminated measles vaccination in Idlib， Syria， according to the United Nations. UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO made a statement that they were shocked and saddened by the tragedy and they’ve sent a professional team to assist investigation.

A joint statement by the UNICEF and WHO issued Wednesday stressed that “establishing the precise cause of the children’s deaths is vital.” WHO has deployed a team of three experts to assist those carrying out the investigation in Idlib and will report back immediately. Moreover， WHO is also providing advice and protocols for the investigation of adverse events following immunization.

Christian Lindmeier， spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO)， said that the vaccinations have been suspended now and WHO suggest the immunization work should continue to be suspended before the incident has been investigated thoroughly and contamination source has been eliminated.

“The biggest challenge now is to continue the investigation”， said Lindmeier， underscoring that it is as vital to fully establish the cause as to continue the measles immunization campaign as soon as possible and rebuild the trust.

On the day of immunization， however， it appears that the vaccines were shipped further to health facilities， where they were first mixed and then administered. The muscle relaxant， which had contaminated the vaccines， was working according to the weight.Therefore， all children who died were under the age of two， while the older ones survived with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting.

http://www.un.org/chinese/News/story.asp?NewsID=22552

Help Us Increase Domestic Violence Awareness: Submit Your Questions

幫助我們提高對家庭暴力的意識：提交你的問題

“Awareness is the greatest tool we have to address the issue of domestic violence， which is a largely underreported crime，” New York’s Mayor Bill DeBlasio said this week.

To help commemorate October as the month of the domestic violence awareness， the Empire State building was lit up in purple for two nights. Yet even as the majestic purple building looked over the city， there are still many victims of domestic abuse that feel there is no one looking out for them， too many of them feel alone.

One in four women will be beaten or abused by someone in her lifetime.

Every day， three women die because of domestic violence.

About 75% of victims who have lost their lives to domestic violence have been killed in the process of leaving or after leaving.

Despite these statistics， the subject of domestic violence is still a grossly misunderstood one. It’s taboo for many circles， deemed too depressing by most. Yet it’s a topic that we can’t and shouldn’t avoid any longer.

To help increase domestic violence awareness this October， the Guardian has partnered with Women’s Information Service， Wise， to answer your questions on the topic.

Wise started as a career resource centre for women -- to help educate and train new moms on their jobs， according to its website. Soon it developed into a safe space to talk about various abuses they have suffered. Today， Wise’s mission is to empower victims of violence to become safe and self-reliant.

Colombian Women’s Network Receives Annual UN Refugee Award

哥倫比亞女性組織獲得年度聯合國難民獎

A Colombian women’s rights group， whose members put their lives on the line to assist survivors of forced displacement and sexual abuse， is this year’s winner of a prestigious award presented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Nansen Refugee Award， which marks its 60th anniversary this year， was presented to Red Mariposas de Alas Nuevas Construyendo Futuro (known in English as “Butterflies” for short)， at a ceremony in Geneva on 29 September. UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie in her video speech called the organization “firm supporter to end the impunity for sexual violence in armed clash”.

Jolie has praised the work of the winners， calling it life-saving. She said members of the group “draw on their strengths as women to help thousands of vulnerable people， who would otherwise have no rights and no protection. By winning this award， I hope it helps more people everywhere to understand that we have to change attitudes to sexual violence， and to help end impunity for these crimes.”

UNHCR noted that the women， drawing on modest resources， go about their work on foot， bus or bicycle. They move cautiously through the most dangerous neighbourhoods to help women access medical care and report crimes. The cornerstone of the assistance Butterflies provides is the life skills training and workshops on women’s rights that they organize.

The female volunteers of the Butterflies are being recognized with the Nansen Refugee Award for their work in helping more than 1，000 women and their families in Buenaventura， Colombia’s main seaport. Three representatives of the organization attended the awarding ceremony.

http://www.un.org/chinese/News/story.asp?NewsID=22661

Parental Pay to be Equal for Male and Female Civil Servants

男性女性公務員享受平等育兒津貼

All civil service employees -- both male and female -- will be offered equal parental pay and support from next year， Nick Clegg will announce this week.

The change means that fathers will now be able to benefit from enhanced pay for shared parental leave -- if both parents decide to divide the time up -- as mothers currently do.

Following a previous announcement by the deputy prime minister last year， new parents will already have the choice over how they split their statutory entitlement from April.

But there will be no onus on employers offering occupational maternity schemes above and beyond that to do so on an equal basis.

This means that while fathers have the right to take leave， they may be discouraged from doing so if they do not receive any occupational benefits and have a partner who does.

Clegg hopes that equalising occupational support at the civil service， also from April， will encourage other public and private sector organisations to follow suit.

In a speech， the Liberal Democrat leader will say: “For me， it’s critical that people who choose to work in the public sector know that they’re working in modern， progressive workplaces.

“I pushed for the introduction of shared parental leave in the first place because I fundamentally believe it’s time for us to sweep away the outdated regulations and prejudices which still limit the choices of too many people in this country.

“Evidence shows promoting flexible working patterns like this can help boost employee productivity， loyalty and retention.

“To help get that revolution started in the public sector， working with the Cabinet Office， I’ve been pushing hard for radical reforms to the way in which the civil service pays and supports its staff after their children are born.

“So， I’m pleased to confirm that from April 2015 the civil service will be offering equal parental pay and support to all its employees -- male and female.

“As a result， it will no longer just be new mums working in the civil service who can take maternity leave at full pay. Dads will also be able to benefit from enhanced pay for shared parental leave， if both parents choose to carve up their time between them.

“This means more fathers will be able to afford to take time off to spend caring for their newborn children.

“More widely， I want to see this change blaze a trail for other public and private sector organisations to follow -- making this option the norm for more working families and increasing the opportunities available to both sexes to earn and care across our society.”