Rights group Global Witness has quit the Kimberley Process, saying the program designed to stop the flow of so-called “blood diamonds” has failed. A founding director of Global Witness, Charmian Gooch, said Monday that after nearly nine years, consumers still cannot be sure where their diamonds came from and whether they helped finance armed violence […]
Burmese Ethnic Group Calls for Political Negotiations
Posted September 27th, 2011 at 1:25 am (UTC-5)
A Burmese ethnic group says it will not end its civil war until the government agrees to seek a political solution to the conflict. Lanyaw Zawang Hra, the chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization, spelled out his terms Monday in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Ban has been seeking negotiations to end […]
UN: Armed Conflict Disproportionately Affecting Children
Posted September 13th, 2011 at 12:11 pm (UTC-5)
Millions of children around the world are disproportionately affected by ongoing wars, and are being forcefully recruited, killed, maimed and abused in those armed conflicts. According to an annual report by the United Nations special representative for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, children have become the “primary targets” of armed groups, and are increasingly […]
