BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN – On July 2, the UNHCR office in Bishkek in cooperation with colleagues in Dushanbe and Kabul helped 23 Afghan asylum seekers return to their home country. Four families were brought to Manas Airport by a UNHCR bus in the early morning and will be received by UNHCR staff on arrival in Dushanbe.

From there, they will continue their onward journey to Kabul by plane on Saturday. The costs of the repatriation are borne by the UNHCR office in Kabul, whose staff will also receive the returnees in Afghanistan and provide them with further assistance.

26 June 2009 - “The prohibition of torture is one of the most absolute to be found anywhere in international law.  Article 2 of the Convention against Torture is unequivocal: “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.”

And no one is let off the hook – neither the actual torturers themselves, nor the policy- makers and public officials who define the policy or give the orders.  

BISHKEK – Students and professionals from NGOs and civil society dealing with protection of and advocacy for Human Rights attended on Tuesday, June 16th the first of a series of seminars on the instruments for the implementation of the International Human Rights Law (IHL) in Kyrgyzstan.

The first seminar - entitled “Protecting Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan” – illustrated the different instrument Kyrgyz citizens have to protect their rights under IHL. Mr Erlan Alimbaev, lawyer, National United Nations Volunteer and Legal Specialist in Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), introduced the instruments all Kyrgyz citizens have to protect their rights in front of national authorities and international bodies - with a special focus on OHCHR procedures.

On 18 June, refugees, representatives of the Government, parliament, authorities, courts, civil society, the media, diplomatic missions, the international community and the United Nations gathered at the Refugee Reception Centre in Bishkek and the Youth Square in Osh to start celebrating World Refugee Day.

On 20 June, World Refugee Day is commemorated around the globe to pay tribute to the millions of people who are being forcibly uprooted worldwide, to their courage, hopes and dreams.

In the run-up to World Refugee Day, Angelina Jolie, the Goodwill Ambassador of the UN refugee agency, released a new video. In this video, which is being broadcast also on TV in Kyrgyzstan, Mrs. Jolie stresses that “Refugees are the most vulnerable people on earth. Every day they are fighting to survive. They deserve our respect.” She calls on the public to “remember them on this day.”

The last Flash Appeal Update - covering the period 30 November 2008 to 30 May 2009 - is now available for download.

 KEY POINTS

• The first ever Flash Appeal for Kyrgyzstan came to an end on 30 May
• A total of $8,946,164 or 61% of the revised total funds appealed for were received
• While Appeal projects alleviated the hardship of several hundred thousand of the most vulnerable people in Kyrgyzstan over the winter and spring, the roots of problems of energy and food insecurity still remain unresolved.

GENEVA (ILO News) – Faced with the prospect of a prolonged global increase in unemployment, poverty and inequality and the continuing collapse of enterprises, the International Labour Organization (ILO) today adopted a Global Jobs Pact designed to guide national and international policies aimed at stimulating economic recovery, generating  jobs and providing protection  to working people and their families.

“Urgent action is required now to boost economic recovery and job creation whilst preparing for a greener, more balanced, fairer and sustainable global economy” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. “This pact provides a path crafted together by all members of the ILO and based on tried and tested policies.

Around the world, millions of people have been uprooted by violence, persecution and conflict.  The majority of these individuals and their families come from the developing world and are also especially vulnerable to the harsh fallout of the unfolding global economic crisis. 

The theme of this year’s observance of World Refugee Day, “real people, real needs”, underscores how much refugees have lost -- even their countries -- and how much the humanitarian community must do to help them. 

18 June 2009 - The World Heritage Committee will consider requests for the inscription of new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List when it meets for its 33rd session in Seville, Spain on 22-30 June.

During this year’s session, two Central Asian countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, will present properties – respectively the Suleiman-Too Sacred Mountain and the Tajik National Park of the Pamirs - for inscription. None of the two countries has properties inscribed on the List to date.

Central Asia with its unique historical background and numerous cultural and natural heritage sites remains one of the most under-represented regions on the World Heritage List.