Noticias Bahá'ís

UN monitor highlights failure of Iran’s justice system

http://news.bahai.org/story/897

 

 

GENEVA, 14 March 2012, (BWNS) – The United Nations investigator into human rights in Iran has sharply criticized the country’s system of justice and human rights record.

 

UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed told a meeting of the Human Rights Council here that he had received testimony from more than 141 witnesses which highlighted “multifarious and systematic deficits in the Government’s capacity to ensure respect for human rights.”

 

And in his formal written report to the Council, Dr. Shaheed focused to an extent not previously seen in UN investigations of Iran on the overall failure of the country’s justice system. Violations of due process were chronic, he said, and “vaguely defined security provisions” are applied in ways that “unduly limit freedom of expression, association and assembly.”

 

Read Dr. Shaheed’s report here: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session19/A-HRC-19-66_en.pdf

 

“In many cases, witnesses reported that they were arrested for activities protected by international law, and that they were detained in solitary confinement for prolonged periods with no access to legal counsel or family members, and in the absence of formal charges,” Dr. Shaheed told the meeting.

 

The Special Rapporteur reported a dramatic increase in the number of executions carried out in the Islamic Republic – more than 600 during the year 2011, many for crimes not considered serious under international law. Iranian authorities have also stepped up their detention of journalists and lawyers, he said, and continued their persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.

 

Baha’is continue to be arbitrarily arrested and detained for their beliefs, noted Dr. Shaheed, in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Baha’is are also subjected to “severe socio-economic pressure,” facing deprivations of “property, employment and education.”

 

Yesterday’s session offered an interactive dialogue between the Special Rapporteur and Human Rights Council members. His concerns were promptly echoed by a majority of the nations addressing the session. Some 15 countries specifically highlighted the situation of Iran’s Baha’is.

 

Brazil’s delegate – João Genésio de Almeida Filho – said his government had a “particular concern” about “allegations of the systematic persecution of members of unrecognized religious communities, particularly the Baha’i community.”

 

Referring to Iran’s state-sponsored campaign of demonizing Baha’is in the media, Veronika Stromsikova – delegate of the Czech Republic – said her country concurred with Dr. Shaheed’s observation that “the government’s tolerance of an intensive defamation campaign against members of the Baha’i community incites discrimination” in breach of international treaties.

 

Bani Dugal – the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations – reported that Baha’is in Iran today face “multiple violations, across the entire spectrum of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights” running “literally from kindergarten to the grave.”

 

“We also agree with your presentation of the underlying obstacles,” she told Dr. Shaheed, “including elements of the legal framework and lack of adherence to the rule of law – none of which are being addressed by the government.”

 

“As you clearly state, impunity continues to prevail in Iran, and certain individuals are exempted from laws and regulations meant to restrain the abuse of power,” said Ms. Dugal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To read the article online, view photographs and access links, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/897

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

 

________________________________________________

 

Copyright 2012 by the Baha’i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha’i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use/

 

 

Forum at UN discusses role of rural women farmers

http://news.bahai.org/story/896

 

 

NEW YORK, 6 March 2012, (BWNS) – Listening to and supporting rural women is fundamental to ending poverty and hunger, and achieving peace and development that is sustainable.

 

That was the message from Michelle Bachelet, executive director of UN Women, who opened the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women here on 27 February.

 

The main theme of the Commission, which runs until Friday, is “the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.”

 

To support the theme, the Baha’i International Community issued a statement and hosted an interactive forum on 1 March, co-sponsored by the World Farmers Organization (WFO), which offered a space for rural women farmers to share their experiences.

 

Read the Baha’i International Community’s statement here: http://news.bahai.org/sites/news.bahai.org/files/documentlibrary/896_CSW_English.pdf

 

The story of one – Cesarie Kantarama from Rwanda – was typical of the challenges that face many of them. When she started out she had little land and no capital or support. “But once I joined the women farmers’ association, I started to get training and knowledge which reinforced my confidence,” Ms. Kantarama told the gathering. “…It really starts when you are a member of an organization that gives you the confidence to seek out other opportunities and feel productive.”

 

The importance of training was reinforced by Alice Kachere of the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi. “You can give women better seeds, but if they don’t know how to use those seeds, it means nothing,” she said.

 

WFO president Robert Carlson emphasized Michelle Bachelet’s point about the importance of careful listening.

 

“We can’t impose our views of what rural women farmers need,” he said. “There has to be some local involvement that gives direction on how their needs are to be assisted. They need to set their goals.”

 

In its statement to the Commission, the Baha’i International Community examined the connection between the empowerment of women and the construction of a new and more just social order.

 

“We sought to share the idea that for the empowerment of women to reach fulfillment, there must be a change in the hearts and minds of people, and in the structures of society,” said May Akale, who led the BIC’s delegation.

 

“More specifically, there needs to be recognition, on a fundamental level, that women and men are equal, and for social progress to take place, they need to work hand-in-hand.

 

Other activities hosted by the BIC for this year’s Commission included a discussion on “Rural Women and Stakeholders: Framing Joint Actions;” an event that examined the stereotyping of religious women; and a panel discussion, titled “Older Women: Rights, Voice, Action.”

 

 

 

 

To read the article online, view photographs and access links, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/896

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

Government launches “Year of Service” initiative at national Baha’i center

http://news.bahai.org/story/895

 

 

LONDON, 2 March 2012, (BWNS) – A government-sponsored initiative to encourage people of all beliefs to help improve their local neighborhoods has been launched at the national Baha’i center here.

 

The program, titled “A Year of Service,” aims to recognize the role of faith in inspiring charitable work, and promote collaboration between the United Kingdom’s nine major faith communities – Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian.

 

Twelve special volunteering days are being held during 2012, each of them coinciding with an existing religious festival and focusing on a distinct theme for community action.

 

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP, joined faith leaders and guests of all ages for the launch and first volunteering day on 29 February at 27 Rutland Gate in London – the national Baha’i center. The occasion also marked the annual Baha’i Intercalary Days, a period specifically dedicated to service and hospitality.

 

“A Year of Service is a wonderful celebration of the practical contribution that faith groups make to enrich their neighborhoods and improve the lives of those around them,” Mr. Pickles said ahead of the launch. “We would be poorer by far without their contribution…”

 

Some 50 guests of all faiths assisted in the decorating of cakes and the wrapping of donated clothing and toiletries, all of which were later distributed at a church-sponsored shelter for the homeless in the west of London.

 

Speaking on behalf of the Baha’is of the UK, Kishan Manocha said, “Faith should be a source of joy, of bringing people together in common purpose. We hope that the launch will give vivid expression to these special fruits of faith and inspire us all in our efforts to improve our neighborhoods.”

 

 

To read the article online and view photographs, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/895

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

In Morocco, symposium explores religion, spirituality and education

http://news.bahai.org/story/894

 

 

MARRAKECH, Morocco, 2 March 2012, (BWNS) – What is spirituality? How can religious education encourage it? And what role do both religion and spirituality play in fostering human well-being?

 

Those were among the questions considered by a group of educators, academics and theologians from the world’s religions – including the Baha’i Faith – at the “International Symposium on Religion, Spirituality, and Education for Human Flourishing,” held here 24-26 February.

 

The event – co-convened by the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace (GHFP) and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations – encouraged discussion about how young people can be better educated about religion and spirituality, in order to address such present-day issues as economic injustice and environmental degradation.

 

“The world today is facing a series of unprecedented challenges,” said Scherto Gill, secretary general of GHFP and convener of the symposium. “At the same time, we are also faced with tremendous opportunities, where humans can unite and live together in global solidarity with each other, within a greater global community that works towards the common good.”

 

To meet such challenges and maximize opportunities, she said, the world needs to redefine its concept of “human flourishing” away from a purely economic growth model to one that includes concepts of justice, spirituality and an understanding of wider community.

 

“Meaning, connectedness, and moral ethics are derived from the spiritual dimension of being human,” said Dr. Gill. “So there is a pressing need to educate in order to develop a deeper awareness of the spiritual dimensions of our lives.”

 

Participants described the symposium as thought-provoking and inspiring. Among them, Jocelyn Armstrong – a New Zealand-based educator – said it helped her to understand the importance of taking a holistic approach to religious education.

 

“You can discuss issues like honesty and integrity in the classroom, and then look at how religions encourage those virtues,” she said, “or how religions value the environment.”

 

Diane Evans, a chaplain at Hereford Sixth Form College in the United Kingdom, said correct knowledge is often lacking about religious beliefs. “The more we can come together to talk about how to improve religious education, the more we can hopefully put into place programs that can eradicate a lot of the tensions,” she said.

 

The deliberations were inspired by 20 papers submitted by the participants, including a working document from the Baha’i International Community (BIC) which explored how concepts of religion and “human flourishing” can be better integrated into education.

 

“This led to a discussion about the difference between religious education and spiritual education,” said BIC representative, Ming Hwee Chong.

 

“It is only through education,” he said, “that the latent potential of every human being can develop, be expressed, and ultimately serve to benefit the individual and his or her community.”

 

 

 

To read the article online and view photographs, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/894

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

Amnesty International report condemns Iran’s human rights abuses

http://news.bahai.org/story/893

 

 

GENEVA, 2 March 2012, (BWNS) – The Baha’i International Community has noted with alarm a new Amnesty International report that highlights the widening crackdown on dissent in Iran.

 

The document, titled “‘We are ordered to crush you’: Expanding Repression of Dissent in Iran,” cites a wave of recent arrests of lawyers, students, journalists, political activists, filmmakers, and religious and ethnic minorities.

 

Read the full report here: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/002/2012/en/2b228705-dfba-4408-a04b-8ab887988881/mde130022012en.pdf

 

Widespread restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly are described, as well as torture, other ill-treatment and poor conditions in detention.

 

Particular concern is expressed at the high rate of public executions – around four times more in 2011 than in the previous year – and Iran’s continuing execution of juvenile offenders, which is strictly prohibited under international law.

 

The Iranian authorities also see the internet and social media as a major threat, said Ann Harrison, Interim Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “Anything from setting up a social group on the internet, forming or joining an NGO, or expressing your opposition to the status quo can land you in prison,” she said.

 

The document reports an increase in the number and severity of attacks against Baha’is – attacks that have ranged from arrests to arson, and the publishing of slanderous articles in the press.

 

“Non-Muslims, especially the Baha’i community, have been increasingly demonized by Iranian officials and in the Iranian state-controlled media,” says the report. “In 2011, repeated calls by the Supreme Leader and other authorities to combat ‘false beliefs’ – apparently an allusion to evangelical Christianity, Baha’ism and Sufism – appear to have led to an increase in religious persecution.”

 

Welcoming the report, Diane Ala’i – the Baha’i International Community representative to the United Nations in Geneva – said, “What it confirms is something Iranian Baha’is have known for years. Anyone who falls outside the government’s very narrow concept of what is socially or politically acceptable is now an official pariah in Iran, and subject to severe consequences.”

 

 

 

 

To read the article online, view photographs and access links, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/893

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

Iran’s human rights abuses condemned at national events

http://news.bahai.org/story/888

 

 

WASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A., 21 February 2012 (BWNS) – Recent national-level events held in the United States, Bulgaria and Canada reflect the ongoing global outcry at the Iranian authorities’ crackdown on Baha’is.

 

A hearing in the U.S. Capitol building on 15 February brought together some 100 Congressional staff, US agency officials, and representatives of human rights and religious NGOs.

 

The hearing sought to promote the passage of House Resolution 134 and Senate resolution 80, which condemns the 20-year imprisonment of Iran’s seven Baha’i leaders. It also calls for sanctions against Iranian officials who are “directly responsible for egregious human rights violations in Iran, including against the Baha’i Community.”

 

“We must let the Iranian government know that we are not going to tolerate the unjust persecution of the Baha’is or of any religion or of any Iranian citizen,” Representative Michael Grimm of New York told the hearing. “It’s time for us to speak out and to raise awareness.”

 

Representative Howard Berman of California – a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee – listed a series of abuses against Iranian Baha’is and asked, “What kind of a sick regime treats citizens this way?”

 

Felice Gaer, a Commissioner on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, addressed Iran’s systematic demonizing of Baha’is as part of an effort to “make sure they don’t exist anymore.”

 

“We are talking about people who have been not just imprisoned but systematically turned into something not human,” said Ms. Gaer. “Why and how? By denying them their existence, by denying them their basic rights, by denying them the right to education, the right to work, the right to marry, the right to bury the dead, the right to inherit, the right to be human and to live as human beings.”

 

Her remarks came two days after the Religious Freedom Caucus of the US House of Representatives hosted a briefing on a recent report by the Baha’i International Community, titled “Inciting Hatred: Iran’s Media Campaign to Demonize Baha’is.” The report examines how the Iranian government systematically uses state-controlled media to stir hatred against Baha’is.

 

 

Bulgarian conference

 

In Sofia, Bulgaria, on 9 February, a conference on Iran’s effort to bar young Baha’is from higher education drew participation from government officials, diplomats, academics and human rights groups.

 

Georgi Kalaydzhiev of the Bulgarian Prime Minister’s office pledged the support of the Prime Minister in helping to defend Iranian Baha’is, saying, “We are most willing to help in this cause for respect for human rights and freedom of all religious communities.”

 

“In the past, we were also in a situation of suppression and now we see the results, the need for spiritual development…” ” said Mr. Kalaydzhiev. “That’s why we feel most sincere compassion for the problems of the Baha’is in Iran.”

 

 

Canadian Senate hearing

 

Continuing a hearing initiated late last year, a number of Canadian senators have also spoken out this month about prisoners unjustly held in Iran, including human rights lawyers and activists, journalists and Baha’is.

 

On 7 February, Salma Ataullahjan – a Muslim Senator – raised the case of one of the seven Baha’i leaders currently serving a 20-year jail term. “I condemn the deplorable abuse of human rights of the Iranian regime and call for the immediate release of unlawfully held prisoner Behrouz Tavakkoli,” said Senator Ataullahjan.

 

Senator Romeo Dallaire, who in December 2011 said Iran’s treatment of Baha’is had reached “pre-genocidal conditions,” also cited examples reported in “Inciting Hatred.”

 

“Together with demonizing images, this propaganda fuels intolerance in the most fundamentalist segments of Iranian society. Extremism exists,” he said.

 

 

 

To read the article online, view photographs and access links, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/888

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

 

Groundbreaking documentary exposes century-old Iranian taboo

http://news.bahai.org/story/890

 

 

LOS ANGELES, U.S.A., 21 February 2012, (BWNS) – A feature-length film that examines the persecution of Iran’s Baha’is opens here this week, ahead of a program of screenings throughout the United States and in other countries.

 

‘Iranian Taboo’ is the work of celebrated Dutch-Iranian filmmaker Reza Allamehzadeh.

 

“In spite of the fact that I’m banned from entering my homeland, I managed to film deep inside Iran with the help of devoted friends who risked their lives to film the footage that I needed,” said Mr. Allamehzadeh, who is not a Baha’i.

 

“I have made several challenging documentaries during my long career as a filmmaker – but none of them was as difficult to make as ‘Iranian Taboo,’” he said.

 

Starting inside Iran, the film follows the journey of a Baha’i woman and her 14-year old daughter who decide to sell all of their belongings and leave the country to take refuge in the West.

 

It also shows the efforts that the Iranian Baha’i community has made to educate its own young members who are barred from higher education and – for the first time – gives a voice to Baha’i landowners who have suffered prolonged persecution in the village of Ivel in the northern province of Mazandaran.

 

Mr. Allamehzadeh said he chose to call the film ‘Iranian Taboo’ because he has found that even those Iranians who believe Baha’is should have their human rights remain silent on the matter.

 

“I should have started making this movie sooner,” said Mr. Allamehzadeh. “While I was researching, I realized that all different sectors of society based on their gender, ethnicity, language and religion are under pressure, but Baha’is have the highest degree of deprivation – not even their dead are safe and their cemeteries are being attacked. Therefore, my view is to solely focus on the human rights aspect and I wanted to depict how much the rights of Baha’is are being violated.”

 

“‘Iranian Taboo’ is the most personal documentary that I have ever made,” he said.

 

Another breakthrough for the project was securing interviews with Iranian politicians, authors and academics who have rarely spoken publicly about Iran’s “Baha’i question.” Among them, Abolhassan Banisadr – who served as the first president of Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

 

Also speaking on camera, human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi, questions the barring of Baha’is from certain professions. “To work…to make an honest living or to get a work permit, to open up a shoe repair shop or a restaurant, you don’t have to be a Muslim,” says Mrs. Ebadi. “Where in Islam does it say that a shoemaker has to be Muslim?”

 

‘Iranian Taboo’ opens on Friday 24 February in Los Angeles and will be screened in the coming weeks in the Netherlands; in Montreal and Toronto in Canada; and – in the U.S.A. – in Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando, San Diego, San Fransisco and Washington D.C.

 

 

 

To read the article online, view photographs and access links, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/890

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

Queen launches Diamond Jubilee year with multifaith reception

http://news.bahai.org/story/889

 

 

LONDON, 21 February 2012, (BWNS) – Representatives of the United Kingdom Baha’i community joined members of eight other religions at a special gathering to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

 

At a reception held at Lambeth Palace – official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury – Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Zoroastrians discussed their beliefs with the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, and showed them treasured objects from the various faiths.

 

Highlighting the ongoing centenary commemorations of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s travels to Egypt and the West, the Baha’i community displayed a robe that He had worn. Baha’i representative, Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi, described the simple robe as a reminder of the spirit of ‘Abdu’l-Baha whose life of service was an example to all.

 

The exhibit also included a framed calligraphic rendering of words from ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s first ever public speech, delivered on 10 September 1911 at London’s City Temple: “The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion.”

 

The Queen listened and carefully followed the text as the words were read by Dr. Fozdar-Foroudi.

 

The Baha’i delegation also consisted of Patrick O’Mara – Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United Kingdom, Nasrin O’Kane from Northern Ireland and Liam Stevens from the Isle of Skye.

 

“The Queen spoke to us of how widespread the Baha’i community appears to be,” said Dr. Fozdar-Foroudi.

 

“We also took the opportunity to thank her and the Duke of Edinburgh for the services that they have rendered over the past 60 years in promoting the principles of unity, equality and justice among the diverse peoples of the Commonwealth,” she said.

 

The reception held on 15 February was one of the Queen’s first public engagements to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee year.

 

Addressing the gathering, the Queen said, “Faith plays a key role in the identity of millions of people, providing not only a system of belief but a sense of belonging.”

 

“Our religions provide critical guidance for the way we live our lives and for the way in which we treat each other.”

 

“It can act as a spur for social action. Indeed religious groups have a proud track record of helping those in the greatest need.”

 

The Queen concluded by sending good wishes to each of the faith groups represented by the guests, “in the hope that – with the assurance of the protection of our Established Church – you will continue to flourish and display strength and vision in your relations with each other and the rest of society.”

 

 

 

To read the article online and view photographs, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/889

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

Australian MPs call upon Iran to protect human rights

http://news.bahai.org/story/887

 

 

CANBERRA, Australia, 14 February 2012, (BWNS) – In a motion supported by both government and opposition MPs in Australia’s House of Representatives, Australian parliamentarians have urged their counterparts in Iran to promote and protect the fundamental human rights of Iranian citizens.

 

Iranian MPs are also called upon specifically to investigate the denial of access to higher education for student activists, Baha’is and others, and to seek a judicial review of the trials of the seven former Baha’i leaders, as well as human rights defenders and lawyers.

 

Read the motion and transcript of the debate here: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/latesthansard/rhansard.pdf

 

Opening yesterday’s debate, Melissa Parke – the MP for Fremantle – noted an increase in serious human rights violations in Iran since the subject was last debated in Australia’s Federal Parliament on 15 November 2010.

 

“In 2011, Iran was cited repeatedly, including by the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the major international human rights NGOs for violating international human rights law,” she said.

 

Ms. Parke noted eight areas – reported last September by Ban Ki-moon – in which the Iranian government is committing serious, systematic violations against the human rights of its own people, including the failure to protect freedom of religion.

 

“But the Iranian state has perhaps been most savage in its oppression of the Baha’is…In my experience, they are gentle and peace loving people, so it is difficult to understand the degree of hostility by the authorities in Iran towards them,” said Ms. Parke.

 

Several of the Baha’i prisoners have family members who are Australian citizens, she added, “brother, sister, aunts, nephews and nieces – who wonder if they will ever see their loved ones again.”

 

Welcoming the motion and debate, Australian Baha’i Community spokesperson Natalie Mobini said, “Our community has immediate relatives of some of those unjustly imprisoned and they will be heartened at this forthright motion from our nation’s MPs.”

 

During the debate, the MP for Wills, Kelvin Thomson, noted a claim by an Iranian representative at the UN that the Baha’i organisation in Iran was political rather than religious, that it was illegal and that its organisation had been ‘closed.’

 

“This quite blood-curdling response clearly displays a contempt for the basic concepts of freedom of speech and expression, including freedom of religious expression,” Mr. Thomson said.

 

Kelly O’Dwyer, MP for Higgins said she stood together with somebody from the opposite side of the chamber in condemning Iran’s human rights abuses.

 

“There must be no more serious and heinous act in this world than a government turning on its own people and committing violent atrocities on its own citizenry,” said Ms. O’Dwyer.

 

 

To read the article online, view photograph and access links, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/887

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

Inequality between rich and poor highlighted by UN panel

http://news.bahai.org/story/886

 

 

UNITED NATIONS, 7 February 2011, (BWNS) – While the economic crisis has led many to focus on inequalities at the national level, the extremes between rich and poor internationally have also grown to become a threat to global stability.

 

That was among the themes raised by a panel here, held as part of this year’s session of the UN Commission for Social Development, which runs until Friday.

 

Focusing on the Commission’s theme of poverty eradication, the discussion – organized by the Baha’i International Community and co-sponsored by ATD Fourth World – brought together top-level UN diplomats, officials from UN agencies, and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

 

In his remarks, Ambassador Jorge Valero – Permanent Representative for Venezuela to the UN and Chair of the Commission for Social Development – blamed growing inequality on the excesses of global capitalism.

 

“Inequality and poverty, climate change and the destruction of ecosystems are outstanding issues on the international agenda,” said Ambassador Valero.

 

“These calamities can only be effectively addressed by attacking the structural causes that generate them: a consumerist, selfish and predatory global system that is based on the commodification of man and nature.”

 

Jomo Kwame Sundaram, UN Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development, said that while the issue of inequality is often examined from the national viewpoint, two-thirds of global inequality stems from differences between countries.

 

International differences are “very, very stark,” he said, noting that such inequalities have increased over the last three decades.

 

“The big promise of financial globalization was that if you ease restrictions, there will be a free flow of capital, and it will flow from rich to poor. This didn’t happen. Capital flowed uphill, from the poor to the rich,” said Dr. Sundaram.

 

Other participants in the panel – held on Wednesday 1 February – included: Isabel Ortiz, Associate Director of Policy and Practice at UNICEF; Christine Bockstal, Chief of the Technical Cooperation and Country Operations Group for the Social Security Department of the International Labour Organization; and Sara Burke, a Senior Policy Analyst at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

 

Dr. Ortiz reported that the top 20 percent of the world’s population has more than 80 percent of the world’s income – but the poorest 20 percent have less than one percent of the global income.

 

“National redistribution is not enough to address inequality,” she said. “There is a strong link between high income inequality and social unrest and economic instability.”

 

In his remarks, Ming Hwee Chong of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) drew attention to recent remarks made by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about income inequality at all levels increasing over the last 25 years and posing a serious barrier worldwide to poverty eradication and social integration.

 

Mr. Chong said it is time to ask some critical questions regarding the relationship between poverty eradication and the economic extremes that now exist in the world.

 

Introducing a BIC statement prepared for the Commission, Mr. Chong noted that relationships of dominance – one nation over another, one race over another, or one class or gender over another – contribute to inequitable access to resources and knowledge.

 

The statement also expresses concern that a “materialistic worldview, which underpins much of modern economic thinking, reduces concepts of value, human purpose and human interactions to the self-interested pursuit of material wealth.”

 

Read the statement here: http://news.bahai.org/sites/news.bahai.org/files/documentlibrary/886_BIC_Statement.pdf

 

Mr. Chong said that – while much attention has been paid to the political, policy and transactional dimensions of the current crisis – the aim of the discussion was to collaborate on “creating a space to dig deeper in order to bring to the surface some of the underlying assumptions that shape our economic and social reality.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

To read the article online and view photographs, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/story/886

 

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:

http://news.bahai.org/

 

 

________________________________________________

 

Copyright 2012 by the Baha’i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha’i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use/