Edmund Rice International

   In a joint submission for the Universal Periodic Review of the United Kingdom, Edmund Rice International joined with Franciscans International, VIVAT International and United for Change – a coalition of fifteen community and faith-based support groups for asylum seekers and refugees (including the Christian Brothers) in the Greater Manchester area – to recommend that [...]

On October 24 and 25, a Christian Brothers’ Oceania Province training workshop in advocacy was conducted in which the Province Directors of Formation- Mary Murphy, Ministry- Peter Clinch and Networking/Communication-Bernie Gartland met with the Regional Coordinators of Ministry and Formation. Another person, already working for the province from each region, was invited to attend and [...]

Immediately after its UPR session in May, the government of Papua New Guinea indicated its acceptance of seventy five of the one hundred and forty six recommendations put to it in the course of its review. However only two recommendations were rejected outright with the remaining sixty nine to be the subject of further consideration. [...]

To be effective, the work of ERI in Geneva very much depends on having an active Edmund Rice Network engaged in advocacy at the local level. This has required the appointment of a ‘contact person’ in each province or region. Again in order to carry out the role, the contact person needs the support and [...]

“Already the MDGs have helped lift millions of people out of poverty, save countless children’s lives and ensure that they attend school” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the launch of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2011 in Geneva earlier this month. “They have reduced maternal deaths, expanded opportunities for women, increased access to [...]

“After adoption, ratification!” was the call of over 70 NGOs and labour groups from 5 continents, including domestic workers themselves, at a conference hosted by the International Catholic Centre of Geneva on June 3rd and 4th, 2011. Organised by a network of Catholic-inspired NGOs and their partners, the consultation was held in anticipation of the [...]

Speaking at a Human Rights Day Event (10th December) in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on Governments “to acknowledge that criticism is not a crime, and to release all those people who have been detained for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms to defend democratic principles and human rights.” The [...]

There’s not a lot these two countries have in common, apart from spectacular mountains and some German churches, but they can work well together. Switzerland hosts the world capital of human rights agencies (in Geneva) and Papua New Guinea hosts Callan Services, a vigorous branch of the Edmund Rice Network that promotes the rights of [...]

In a landmark statement issued in Geneva on 30th Sep, fourteen major intergovernmental organizations urged respect for the rights and protection of the tens of millions of irregular migrants worldwide. Signatories to the statement included the World Bank, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, UNESCO, the UN Development Programme, the International Labour Organization, the [...]

At the end of August the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its Concluding Observations following a review of Australia’s compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The Committee welcomed a number of recent positive developments in Australia, including the National Apology to the [...]