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IRIN Middle East | Middle East | MIDDLE EAST | MIDDLE EAST: MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 34 for 5-11 August 2005 | Children, Democracy, Economy, Education, Food Security, Gender issues, Health, HIV AIDS, Human Rights, Peace Security, Refugees IDPs | Weekly

Sunday 25 December 2005


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Middle East

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 34 for 5-11 August 2005

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq

With only a few days to go before the deadline for the new draft constitution, international organisations said there were still serious concerns that some issues had not been addressed properly.

“Many women's groups have voiced concerns about certain provisions contained in the current draft, especially the one which stipulates that Islam is the main source of legislation. There is concern that Islam may be used to perpetuate discrimination against women and other forms of discrimination,” an Amnesty International statement said.

The watchdog group called on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that the new constitution would reflect all fundamental human rights guarantees, found in international human rights treaties, many of which have been ratified by Iraq.

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) also added its concerns this week. “The constitutional drafts further stipulate that family issues such as marriage, divorce and inheritance will be decided according to the laws of one's sect or religion rather than by the Personal Status Law,” a UNIFEM statement said.

The deadline for completion of the draft is 15 August.

In continuing violence this week, two Iraqis were killed and 45 wounded in a protest in the southern Iraqi town of Samawa on Sunday, the AFP news agency reported.

Approximately 1,000 people protested near the office of the governor of Muthanna province, of which Samawa is the capital. They were demonstrating against corruption and demanding jobs and a reliable electricity and water supply.

Guards fired shots in the air when some protesters tried to storm the building, the defense ministry said.

In a separate development, plans have been approved for an independent news agency to be established in Iraq.

Developed and supported by the Reuters Foundation and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), the news service will be run by Iraqi journalists.

There will be up-to-date news coverage in all 18 governorates. The first meeting of Iraqi media editors involved in the project took place in London in July.

The Reuters Foundation has provided training to over 50 Iraqi journalists in workshops held in Amman, London and Cairo. Similar training will be provided for reporters recruited for the new agency.

In another media development, the US announced that it had transferred control of Baghdad’s international press centre to the Iraqi government on 9 August.

US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said it was a step toward building the institutions of democracy.

“The role of information – objective facts, impartial analysis, fair presentation of competing views – is at the heart of the deliberations of democratic politics,” Khalilzad said at the handover ceremony.

The centre was opened in February 2004 by the US authorities, following the invasion of Iraq. Khalilzad praised Iraqi journalists for their courage in the face of security threats and said the United States wants to support them in their work.

CONTENTS:

IRAQ: Insecurity threatens to leave students with late start
IRAQ: Annan waives official’s immunity after Oil for Food inquiry report
IRAQ: Freak sandstorm brings rush on Baghdad hospitals
IRAQ: Focus on boys trapped in commercial sex trade
IRAQ: US $20 billion needed for electricity projects in next five years
LEBANON: Growing concern over diamond imports
SYRIA: Religious leaders take active role in raising HIV/AIDS awareness
SYRIA: Syrians call for revamping election laws
SYRIA: Government “satisfied” with UN human rights report
IRAN: Interview with Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Miloon Kothari
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Interview with UN Resident Coordinator Nadir Hadj-Hammou
EGYPT: Local NGOs receive funding to monitor elections

IRAQ: Insecurity threatens to leave students with late start

The start of the academic year for schools and universities in Iraq could be delayed by widespread insecurity, especially if a surge in terrorist attacks derails or delays the constitutional drafting process, according to local government officials.

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IRAQ: Annan waives official’s immunity after Oil for Food inquiry report

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday waived the immunity of a former UN procurement officer accused of looking for kickbacks under the former Oil-for-Food Programme for Iraq, and said he would do the same for another high-ranking official implicated. Expressing “deep concern” at the latest findings of an independent commission investigating the operation of the programme, released on Monday, Annan promised to act quickly to strengthen controls on UN procurement.

Full report

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IRAQ: Freak sandstorm brings rush on Baghdad hospitals

At least two deaths and more than 2,000 cases of people with breathing difficulties were reported in Baghdad on Monday after an unseasonal sandstorm, believed to be the worst in the country’s history, hit the Iraqi capital. The largest number of patients was recorded in one particular hospital in the city.

Full report

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IRAQ: Focus on boys trapped in commercial sex trade

Hassan Feiraz, a 16-year-old boy, has started a desperate new life since being forced into the sex trade in Baghdad, joining a growing number of adolescents soliciting in Iraq under the threat of street gangs or the force of poverty. "Every day I cry at night,” Feiraz said. “I’m a homosexual and was forced to work as a prostitute because one of the people I had sex with took pictures of me in bed and said that, if I didn't work for him, he was going to send the pictures to my family.”

Full report

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IRAQ: US $20 billion needed for electricity projects in next five years

Iraq has been in intensive discussions with major Western donors to accelerate disbursement of billions of dollars of pledges for electricity projects, designated as priority needs to speed up reconstruction, the country's electricity minister said.

Full report

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LEBANON: Growing concern over diamond imports

Lebanon is importing rough diamonds, raising serious concern that the proceeds could be used to fund African conflicts, according to international investigative NGO, Global Witness. Lebanese customs data published online showed that industrial rough diamonds worth US $156 million were imported during the year.

Full report

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SYRIA: Religious leaders take active role in raising HIV/AIDS awareness

More than 80 Christian and Muslim religious leaders from the Arab region attended a workshop on Tuesday in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on raising HIV/AIDS awareness. "Religion plays a major role in making changes in society here, and it is high time to have religious leaders engaged in beating this epidemic," said Mohammad Chrietah, a Syrian government national trainer.

Full report

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SYRIA: Syrians call for revamping election laws

A series of workshops have been taking place across Syria this week in a move to modernise local election laws and encourage community involvement. The workshops, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), complement the country’s recently established modernisation and reform programme.

Full report

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SYRIA: Government “satisfied” with UN human rights report

The Syrian government has declared itself “satisfied” with points highlighted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee last week, accentuating the positive in the committee's conclusions about progress on civil and political rights. The committee, which monitors 154 countries signed up to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, received Syria's periodic report in early July. After discussion and debate throughout the month, it published its conclusions and recommendations last week.

Full report

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IRAN: Interview with Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Miloon Kothari

Access to adequate housing in Iran is fraught with difficulties. Iran is riddled with earthquake fault lines and prone to severe droughts. The burgeoning population, coupled with massive population migration from rural to urban areas has resulted in a surge in demand for housing.

Full report

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Interview with UN Resident Coordinator Nadir Hadj-Hammou

Supporting women’s advancement, tackling HIV/AIDS and pushing the prospects for broader democracy and governance are a few of the issues addressed by the United Nations in the United Arab Emirates since 1977. With the emergence of Dubai Humanitarian City and Dubai Aid City in recent years, and their vigorous promotion by the authorities, the commercial capital, Dubai is bidding to become an operational and logistical hub for aid agencies in the region. In an interview with IRIN, outgoing UN Resident Coordinator, Nadir Hadj-Hammou, spoke of the work carried out so far and the UAE’s support for humanitarian work overseas.

Full report

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EGYPT: Local NGOs receive funding to monitor elections

A coalition of Egyptian NGOs has received funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to monitor the country’s presidential election in September and legislative elections to follow in November. "The main aim of the monitoring process is to ensure that there is transparency and integrity in the coming elections," said Muhammad Zarea, coordinator of the national campaign to monitor elections.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Children

Other recent MIDDLE EAST reports:

Appeal to Arab world to give more to world’s poorest, 16/Dec/05

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 52 for 11–15 December 2005, 15/Dec/05

“Invisible” children suffering from neglect, says UNICEF, 15/Dec/05

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 51 for 4 – 8 December 2005, 11/Dec/05

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 50 for 25 November – 1 December, 2/Dec/05

Other recent Children reports:

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 309 covering 17 - 23 December 2005, 23/Dec/05

SIERRA LEONE: With no prospects, youths are turning to crime and violence, 22/Dec/05

SENEGAL: Everyman’s library, 21/Dec/05

LIBERIA: UN renews ban on arms, diamonds and timber, 21/Dec/05

NIGERIA: Eight children die in attack on oil pipeline, 21/Dec/05

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