News Archives » Asia
UN Approves Consensus Resolution on Human Right to Water August 5th, 2010
On July 28th, the UN General Assembly voted in favor of a right to water and sanitation resolution that was introduced by the Bolivian government. 124 states voted for the resolution and 42 abstained, including the U.S. No state voted against the resolution.
While the resolution is not legally binding, it is an important step toward the formal recognition of the Human Right to Water by the international body. The UN Human Rights Council has been deliberating this issue for several years and advocates hope this consensus vote in favor of the right to water will stimulate that work further.
Continued Call for AIDS Treatment at 2010 AIDS Conference in Vienna August 5th, 2010
This report comes from the 2010 International AIDS Conference which took place July 19-23 in Vienna, Austria. The Missionary Oblates JPIC offices were represented by Fr Tomáš Vyhnálek OMI, the JPIC coordinator for Europe based in Vienna. He also represented the Oblate JPIC offices in Washington D.C and the General office in Rome.
The 18th international Aids conference in Vienna ended Friday with one strong message: Despite the financial crisis the fight against HIV/AIDS must not decrease.
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Faith Perspectives: A Conversation on Immigration and Your Congregation July 29th, 2010
On June 24th, Christians for Comprehensive for Immigration Reform (CCIR) hosted a national conference call, “Faithful Perspectives: A conversation on Immigration and Your Congregation.”
Download and listen here: http://faithandimmigration.org/action/available-now-listen-national-faith-call-immigration (Please note that the audio starts at minute 1:10)
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Testifies before Congress on the ethical imperative for reform of the U.S. immigration system
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, Vice-president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops testified before Congress – House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law – on the ethical imperative for reform of the U.S. immigration system. View the entire testimony of Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson here: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-134.shtml
Ways to Engage your Congregation:
Clergy Resources on Immigration. Discover “5 Ways to Engage your Congregation” on our new page for pastors and church leaders at www.faithandimmigration.org/clergy
Act Now for Responsible Finance and Debt Cancellation July 23rd, 2010
Please take action to press for responsible lending and desperately needed debt cancellation for poor countries – Click here for our Action Alert.
This Alert also includes an action to Make Mercury Pollution a Thing of the Past.
Sri Lankan Journalist Freed at Last July 19th, 2010
J.S. Tissainayagam
J.S. Tissainayagam, the Tamil Sri Lankan journalist who was sentenced unjustly to 20 years hard labor in 2009 on charges of inciting violence, was freed two months ago and recently granted a Presidential pardon. The pardon came after months of international pressure from human rights advocates and the US government.
Journalists in Sri Lanka have been threatened, murdered and disappeared. Most continue to operate under self-censorship.
