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Tag Archive for ‘un’

Dealing With Statelessness in the Dominican Republic

In September 2013, the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic (DR) reaffirmed a long-standing policy of denying citizenship rights to Dominicans born primarily of Haitian immigrant parents. The ruling, the Court said, was not subject to appeals: it had the final say  in the matter. Furthermore it ordered the Dominican Government to go through citizenship… Read More ›

Looking Back at Haiti Elections 5 Years Ago

In November 2005, as Executive Director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights, I released a report on Haiti entitled “Haiti: Lurching Towards 2006.” The report raised several questions, notably about the viability of elections and prospects of nation-building, all of which remain as relevant today as they were five years albeit in an even… Read More ›

Turning Haiti Around

As noted in previous posts, Paul Collier’s name is becoming more common in Haiti’s elite and international circles. Why? His recent proposal for turning Haiti around has been heralded by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as Haiti’s last best hope. President René Préval used the occasion of a recent visit to the US to talk up… Read More ›

Haiti on the Big Stage in NY and Washington

On April 13 and 14,  international and bilateral donors will meet at the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to announce a major assistance package for Haiti. The donors meeting should have been held a year ago. But about this time last year, protests over the scarcity and high cost of food spread from… Read More ›

Ambassador Rice: Haiti is at the Crossroads

How many times have  you heard that Haiti was at the crossroads of opportunity and despair? Forget it: no answers need be provided. Far too many people have said it far too many times (including this writer), yet opportunities at these crossroads have come and gone. And Haiti has become worse, not better. Outfitted with… Read More ›

Will Internationalism be the new US Mantra?

The United States will no longer shun the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Obama Administration announced today that it will seek a seat on the Council. More importantly, according to the Washington Post, New Zealand has offered to step aside in order to ensure that should the US bid for a seat on the… Read More ›

United Nations days: do they make a difference?

The learned leaders of the United Nations have not done us a great favor with their habit of designating commemorative dates that, although meaningful, tend to highlight the weakness of the world body rather than its strength and potential.

Honor Your Children Today!

November 20 is known as Universal Children’s Day. It is the day when the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and 30 years later in 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I truly hope that President Barack Obama will direct his administration to do what none of the American Presidents since 1989 have been willing to do: proclaim that the US will not only ratify the Convention but champion its observance throughout the world with meaningful policy initiatives.

600,000 need aid in Haiti: UN

The UN has warned hundreds of thousands are in need of immediate aid from severe flooding in Haiti in the wake of Hanna and a previous tropical storm, Gustav

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