The stark reality is corruption drains national resources leaving the people to bear the cost by Transparency International, IACC, agencies   Trillions in Dirty Money: How Hidden Loopholes fuel Corruption and Inequality, by Baher Kamal. (IPS/Transparency International)   It is no longer a secret that at major global summits there are more lobbyists than official delegates. There, they participate as ‘guests,’ and most of them work for big business corporations. Their goal? To deter the adoption of policies that conflict with their employers’ interests.   Their persuasion exercise quite often helps water down the urgency of taking decisive actions, the need to cut the private business staggering profits, the financial dues of the industrialised powers to the impoverished nations that bear the heaviest brunt of their policies, and so on. To achieve such a purpose, lobbyists often quietly show different sorts of ‘gratitude.’   A clear evidence is what the global movement working in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption: Transparency International (TI) informs on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day 2024: Time to tackle the murky world of climate negotiations:   “Every year billions of dollars are mobilised to finance initiatives that curb emissions, fund climate adaptation, and protect crucial conservation areas… But without strong anti-corruption measures in place, these essential resources are at risk of being diverted, and the current finance gap is at risk of never being closed.”   “We can already see evidence of this taking place.” In the carbon credits market, it explains, where the inherent tension between reducing emissions and providing financial returns has led to land grabbing, bribery, projects being double-counted and the prices of carbon credits being keptsecret. “Last year we saw that in total over 90 percent of carbon credits should not have been approved.”   Estimates of total global anonymous and potentially illicit wealth range from US$7 trillion to US$32 trillion (around 10% of total global wealth).   Such an amount is more than 100-fold the 300 billion US dollars promised by the world’s major climate carnage promoters in the concept of “reparation” to the most impacted poor countries.   Responding to the COP29 climate finance agreement in Baku’s climate summit in November 2024, in which rich countries agree to mobilise $300 billion a year to help Global South countries cope with warming temperatures and switch to renewable energy, Oxfam International’s Climate Change Policy Lead, Nafkote Dabi, said:   “The terrible verdict from the Baku climate talks shows that rich countries view the Global South as ultimately expendable, like pawns on a chessboard… The $300 billion so-called ‘deal’ that poorer countries have been bullied into accepting is unserious and dangerous — a soulless triumph for the rich, but a genuine disaster for our planet and communities who are being flooded, starved, and displaced today by climate breakdown. And as for promises of future funding? They’re just as hollow as the deal itself".   "The money on the table is not only a pittance in comparison to what’s really needed –it’s not even real “money”, by and large, added Nafkote Dabi. “Rather, it’s a motley mix of loans and privatized investment –a global Ponzi scheme that the private equity vultures and public relations people will now exploit".   Africa’s Stolen Wealth   “Imagine billions of dollars siphoned from public funds – money meant to build schools, hospitals and infrastructure – vanishing into a web of offshore accounts, luxury real estate and shell companies… This isn’t fiction; it’s the stark reality of how corruption drains resources from Africa and other regions, leaving people to bear the cost,” Transparency International unveiled in December 2024.   TI analysis is based on cases of corruption confirmed by court decisions, as well as credible allegations of corruption and hiding of wealth offshore. The following are just some of the findings that Transparency International has just uncovered:   There is a staggering network of companies, properties, bank accounts and luxury goods; Notably, close to 80 percent of assets were held abroad, often far from where the corruption originally occurred.   In 85 percent of cases, companies and trusts were used to obscure the ownership of assets. Often, complex cross-border corporate structures or multiple shell companies were used to distance corrupt individuals – and their dirty funds – from the asset in question.   If companies are the preferred tool for anonymity, real estate ranks among the top choices for laundering stolen funds. In one-third of the cases we analysed, properties played a central role. France, the United Kingdom (UK), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States (US) were the preferred locations for purchasing properties connected to suspicious activities.   Hong Kong, Switzerland, the UK, the UAE and the US appear as key destinations for bank accounts used to pay bribes, move or store dirty funds.   Many countries run golden passport and visa programmes which offer fast-track citizenship or residency to foreign nationals in exchange for substantial investment in the country – often in real estate. Member states of the European Union (EU) are particularly attractive, as citizenship or residence in one country grants access to the whole EU.   Golden passports and visas are highly desirable for those associated with corruption because they offer access to a safe haven for their stolen wealth. A high percentage of the golden visas exchanged money proceed from the ‘mafias’ of trafficking in drugs and toxic substances, let alone the business of trafficking and smuggling migrants.   Transparency International listed the major destinations of the ‘dirty money’: British Virgin Islands, France, Hong Kong, Panama, Seychelles, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and United States.   TI, the international movement working to speed up global progress in tackling illicit financial flows and abusive practices that perpetuate economic inequalities and undermine sustainable development, warns that: “Inequality is a key impediment to sustainable development and social justice. This is particularly true in the case of Africa, where the COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated social and economic inequalities. Despite two decades of high economic growth, resource-rich Africa is home to 10 of the world’s 20 most unequal countries.   “While extreme poverty is rising, three African billionaires have more wealth than the poorest 50 per cent of the population across the continent.”   http://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2024-highlights-insights-corruption-climate-crisis http://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2024-trouble-at-the-top http://www.transparency.org/en/press/transparency-international-warns-the-corruption-perceptions-index-should-not-be-used-to-mask-democratic-decline http://www.transparency.org/en/press/united-states-cta-beneficial-ownership-reinstating-corporate-secrecy-protects-money-launderers-and-foreign-criminals http://www.transparency.org/en/campaigns/global-standards-fatf-beneficial-ownership-transparency http://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2025/03/treasury-department-wont-enforce-beneficial-ownership-rule-under-the-corporate-transparency-act/ http://www.transparency.org/en/news/international-anti-corruption-day-2024-time-to-tackle-the-murky-world-of-climate-negotiations http://iaccseries.org/carbon-credit-projects-remain-in-turmoil-after-fraud-revelations http://www.transparency.org/en/news/dirty-money-hiding-spots-how-corruption-funds-disappear-overseas-billions-africa-assets http://www.transparency.org/en/blog http://taxjustice.net/2024/11/20/did-we-really-end-offshore-tax-evasion/ http://taxjustice.net/take-back-control/ http://www.icij.org/   June. 2024   International Anti-Corruption Conference: Confronting Global Threats: Standing Up for Integrity.   "We must expose and hold to account the enablers of corruption, holding bankers, lawyers, accountants and service providers to account for aiding the corrupt"   In June 2024, over 2000 people from more than 140 countries, working across a wide range of sectors, convened in person in Lithuania to participate in the 21st International Anti-Corruption Conference. We gathered with a shared sense of urgency, and a commitment to working together to address pressing global threats which are exacerbated by corruption, to uphold integrity, and to secure a just, peaceful and sustainable future for all.   We came together in Vilnius at a time when our global community faces unprecedented challenges—from escalating conflicts and environmental crises to the erosion of democracy, shared values, and human rights. Recognizing the pervasive influence of corruption in these crises, we reaffirmed our dedication to combating corruption as central to our common future.   At the 20th International Anti-Corruption Conference, in Washington DC, USA, in 2022, we concluded that fighting corruption is vital to defending democratic values and global security. We underscored the need to restore trust in institutions, protect those fighting corruption, address corruption which harms the environment, and tackle human trafficking and organized crime.   The Washington Declaration emphasized that only through transparency, accountability, and collective action can we overcome corruption and safeguard democracy.   In these tumultuous times, as corruption’s tentacles stretch across the globe, the stakes have never been higher. The very fabric of our societies is at risk, with integrity under relentless assault from adversaries who exploit chaos and the impunity of the powerful.   The urgency of our mission has never been greater: we must rise together, strong and united, to defend all those who stand against corruption and for integrity. Amid these profound challenges our unity, purpose, and determination continue to encourage countless people to join our fight to maintain the moral compass of our society, and to devise new strategies to combat those who are corrupt.   Inspired by this year’s conference theme, Confronting Global Threats: Standing Up for Integrity, we therefore pledge to:   Defend the defenders   In a world where corruption tears apart the fabric of society, brave individuals and groups step forward to defend integrity and confront the forces of corruption. We agree to honour the champions of integrity and reward their determination in the face of danger by protecting them against formidable adversaries.   Governments, civil society, and international bodies must strengthen laws, networks and strategies to further support and protect whistleblowers and all those who defend integrity, regardless of background, taking into account gender, race, age, religion, income and all other dimensions of corruption.   Target environmental crimes   Greed and corruption are at the root of a broken economic paradigm and the associated environmental crimes, which have accelerated e climate change, biodiversity loss and a collapse of the ecosystems on which all life depends. Catastrophic weather events in recent years are a looming warning of what is to come.   We call on governments, businesses, and civil society to decisively fight corruption in climate finance projects and to fight crimes against our environment, with the goal of preventing global environmental catastrophes and accelerating a just transition from an economy rooted in extraction and exploitation, to one based on regeneration and restoration.   Stop kleptocrats, criminals, traffickers, and their accomplices   Corrupt networks benefit from the failure of reforms, and the capture of democratic institutions and of states. We call upon all to join hands To dismantle their global enterprise.   Let us uncover and learn from their strategies, address failures in anti-corruption reforms, ensure agile responses and presumptive improvements that deliver breakthroughs in joint efforts against this dark criminal network putting perpetrators on the defensive.   Prevent global insecurity and violent conflicts   Preventing corruption will also minimise global insecurity, violence, and conflict, since they are deeply interconnected. Violent conflicts and crises benefit kleptocrats and their accomplices, creating chaos which acts as a cover for corruption, and cause immeasurable harm.   We call upon all to address the deadly effects of corruption on peace and human security and enforce actions to stop corruption as a precursor and trigger of conflicts, and as an obstacle to peaceful and fair resolutions.   Build an ethical global economy   Unethical businesses contribute to our current global threats. We call on leaders of integrity in the business sector to use their power to promote fairness. We will support them to intensify their work in advancing a business culture based on integrity and transparency, and to further promote collective action to achieve a sustainable, equitable, and prosperous world economy, where accountability fosters better business.   Leverage technology to fight corruption   Technological advancements, while offering immense opportunities for good, also pose unprecedented integrity risks. We commit ourselves to work together to harness the positive power of the latest tech innovations to accelerate the race against corruption.   This will include showcasing the best examples of tech-fuelled anti-corruption initiatives, and equipping our global movement with the knowledge to maximize the power of technology to fight corruption.   Uphold the principles of democracy and human rights   The global multilateral system, with its emphasis on the universal values of freedom, equality, and solidarity, is under siege. We call upon all to protect the fundamental rights and dignity of people worldwide against the ambitions of the corrupt, with a focus on vulnerable groups.   We commit ourselves to strengthen our efforts to promote respect for the human rights of all people, especially in the face of rising kleptocracies and captured states which are led by those responsible for corruption and repression.   Stop the flows of dirty money   Illegally obtained wealth perpetuates poverty, insecurity, and violations of human rights while weakening democratic institutions thus contributing to democratic backsliding.   Corruption schemes are often transnational and depend upon the international financial system to transfer money across borders.   We call upon all to stop the flow of dirty money from its origins to its intended havens. Let us work together to close the loopholes in the global financial system that allow money laundering and payment of bribes.   We must expose and hold to account the enablers of corruption, holding bankers, lawyers, accountants and service providers to account for aiding the corrupt. We call upon all relevant authorities to collaborate to identify and recover illicitly acquired wealth and assets, and to repatriate stolen money to repair the damage caused to the victims of corruption.   Uncover complex corruption schemes   We stress the need for continuous training and capacity-building programs to equip law enforcement agencies and anti-corruption authorities with the necessary skills and tools to uncover complex corruption schemes.   Investing in cutting-edge forensic capabilities, data analytics, and financial intelligence is paramount to staying ahead of increasingly sophisticated methods employed by corrupt actors.   Elevate the work of leaders with energy, integrity, and passion   Revitalizing the fight against corruption requires energy, integrity, and passion to champion social justice. We aim to elevate the work of leaders who are igniting social movements with innovative approaches, fresh perspectives, and dynamic movements.   Collaborative action is the key to success. There are no insurmountable obstacles for this brave and committed anti-corruption community. Together we will prevail.   http://iaccseries.org/the-21st-iacc-vilnius-declaration-confronting-global-threats-standing-up-for-integrity/ http://iaccseries.org/blog/   Feb. 2025   What is ‘State Capture’? A Warning for Americans, by Tyler McBrien - managing editor of Lawfare. (Published by the New York Times. Feb. 5, 2025)   On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly granted aides of Elon Musk access to the department’s payments system, which handles more than $5 trillion and sensitive data on Social Security and Medicare benefits and grants. The system also contains data on government contractors in direct competition with Mr. Musk’s own companies.   It was the latest troubling report of the administration’s interventions into practically every corner of the federal government that also include President Trump’s firing, sidelining and encouraging civil servants to quit.   The full picture of the government overhaul has yet to come into focus, and the contours of Mr. Musk’s role and mission in that transformation remain sketchy. (On Monday, President Trump tried to offer some clarity, saying that “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.”)   But the cumulative effect of these stories offers at best a complicated answer to what should be an uncomplicated question: Who exactly is running the federal government?   It’s troubling enough not to be able to answer emphatically with “democratically elected leaders.” Even more troubling is the possibility that the actual answer is Mr. Musk — the world’s richest man — and other unaccountable, unelected, unconfirmed allies cozy with the president.   Political economists have a name for that: state capture. State capture occurs when wealthy private interests influence a government to such a degree that they can freely direct policy decisions and public funds for their own benefit or for the benefit of their ideological fellow travelers (or both).   Revelations of this especially pernicious, widespread form of corruption have occurred in other countries — a striking example occurred in the country of Mr. Musk’s birth, South Africa — and they offer cautionary tales for democratic governments everywhere.   The details vary by context, but the political scientist Elizabeth David-Barrett lays out three general mechanisms of state capture. They now sound familiar: shaping the rules of the game through law and policy; influencing administrative decisions by capturing the budget, appointments, government contracts and regulatory decisions; and disabling checks on power by dismantling accountability structures like the judiciary, law enforcement and prosecution, and audit institutions like the inspectors general and the media.   Some of these strategies could come straight from the Project 2025 playbook or Trump administration executive orders. This should disturb all Americans.   According to Ms. David-Barrett, state capture creates broad, long-lasting systemic inequality and diminished public services. Changing the rules of the game to allow such collusion to flourish, she writes, “leaves those few holders of economic power in a strong position to influence future political elites, consolidating their dominance in a self-perpetuating dynamic.”   Mr. Musk’s recent stand against U.S.A.I.D., the federal agency responsible for administering foreign and development assistance since 1961, could have come directly from the state capture playbook — only often more brazen in intent. “U.S.A.I.D. is a criminal organization,” Mr. Musk posted over the weekend. “Time for it to die.” In that time, the agency’s website went offline, and its top two security officials were placed on administrative leave after refusing to allow members of Mr. Musk’s team access to secure U.S.A.I.D. systems. Finally, on Monday, Mr. Musk said that he had consulted Mr. Trump and that “we’re shutting it down.” (On Monday, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, announced that he is the acting administrator of the agency.)   The example from South Africa was detailed in a 2016 report actually called “State of Capture” from the country’s public protector, Thulisile Madonsela.   It described how, over a number of years, billions of dollars of public funding went into the pockets of a few elites, instead of supporting struggling health services and education systems. Ms. Madonsela’s office had received a series of allegations that the Guptas, a wealthy Indian family with deep business ties in South Africa (the Guptas have denied wrongdoing), had successfully pressured the president and other top officials into removing or appointing ministers of state-owned entities, “resulting in improper and possibly corrupt award of state contracts and benefits to the Gupta family’s businesses.”   State capture is not a condition endemic to post-apartheid South Africa. The so-called Operation Car Wash investigation in Brazil, for example, revealed secret, illicit relationships on the scale of state capture.   So what’s to be done in countries that face the threat of state capture?   First, as in South Africa, conduct a high-profile investigation run by elements of the government not yet captured. Though the United States has no office of the public protector, several federal government watchdog agencies could flex their investigative powers. Mr. Trump already culled as many as 17 inspectors general, but other agencies, including the Congressional Research Service, Government Accountability Office or the Congressional Budget Office, could step up.   Second, opposition leaders must raise alarms. Making the case that this is not run-of-the-mill, pay-to-play corruption will draw the scrutiny needed to raise the alarms. Democrats have been relatively silent since Jan. 20. State capture offers the emergency message largely missing as we enter the new administration’s third week.   Finally, descriptions of state capture must speak directly to its victims: the American people. “If we are guilty of underdescribing state capture in the media, it is perhaps a guilt that lies in our failure to draw a blunt connection between political jargon and real human beings,” the South African political analyst Eusebius McKaiser wrote in 2017.   “We need simpler and more visceral depictions of the meaning of corruption and the opportunities it costs, including the grandest scale of corruption, which is all that state capture picks out.”   Mr. McKaiser demonstrated how it’s done. When a 5-year-old boy drowned in feces in a dilapidated pit toilet at his school while wealthy businessmen were accused of siphoning money away from building things like school toilets, Mr. McKaiser simply declared that the student “died because of state capture.”   Americans should know who is in charge of their national government. If they can’t answer that simple question, government officials and civil society must recognize warning signs of state capture and take back what is ours.   http://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/opinion/elon-musk-donald-trump-government.html http://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/elon-musk-weaponizes-the-government Visit the related web page
	Civil society crucial to combat polarisation and inequality by UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR)   July 2024   Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (UN General Assembly)   In this report, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Alice Jill Edwards, presents her annual overview of trends and developments, as well as a thematic study focused on good practices and challenges in investigating, prosecuting and preventing wartime sexual torture, and providing rehabilitation for victims and survivors.   The Special Rapporteur considers that the torture framework has strong advantages when considering sexual aggression in wartime and other similar security situations, especially for survivors but also for investigators and prosecutors, and sets out a call for action.   The year 2024 marks the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This treaty, representing the most effective international instrument to reduce this brutal practice, is approaching universal ratification, with 174 States parties.   Over the past year there has been a devastating rise in torture and other outrages on human dignity in armed conflict. The Special Rapporteur has also received communications and/or intervened on torture cases relating to conflict in, inter alia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda and Yemen.   The general trend towards authoritarianism in this year of elections is worrying. Recent protests have been driven by a desire for political change, by the continuing cost of living crisis and by reaction to global events. In many instances peaceful protests have been policed with excessive force or violence.   Over the past year there have been protests that resulted in violence in, inter alia, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Comoros, the Congo, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Senegal, Serbia, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkiye and the United States of America.   The Special Rapporteur welcomes the Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests, authored by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (A/HRC/55/60).   States are reminded of the call by the Special Rapporteur in her previous report (A/78/324) for a global agreement to regulate the trade in torture-capable weapons, tools and equipment widely used by law enforcement and other public authorities. Renewed diplomatic vigour is needed.   Torture and intimidation to quash dissent and political opposition continues. The repression of human rights defenders is a significant trend globally and the Special Rapporteur has received information on cases in, inter alia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Eritrea, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Palestine, Myanmar, the Russian Federation, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. These countries represent a fraction of the States in which this type of repression takes place.   As noted in the recent report by the Special Rapporteur on global prison conditions, far too many people are imprisoned, for too long, in severely overcrowded facilities in all regions.   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/torture-and-other-cruel-inhuman-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment-note-secretary-general-a79181-enarruzh   July 2024   Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders   In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, highlights the contributions made by human rights defenders to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.   In the report, she demonstrates that, across every one of the 17 Goals, human rights defenders are placing human rights at the core of sustainable development and, in doing so, are assisting States in their responsibility to leave no one behind. The Special Rapporteur highlights that this work is being made more difficult by increasing restrictions on the right to defend rights.   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/report-special-rapporteur-situation-human-rights-defenders-a79123-enarruzh   June 2024   Concerted action urgently needed to save fundamental freedoms under attack: Special Rapporteur.   The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are seriously threatened today, and urgent action is needed to push back and preserve them, a UN Special Rapporteur said.   “We are witnessing widespread, systematic and intensive attack against these rights and civic space broadly, as authoritarianism, populism and anti-rights narratives are increasing,” said Gina Romero, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association.   Romero was presenting the last thematic report prepared by her predecessor, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.   The report outlines how governments have instrumentalised the adoption and/or implementation of laws, including so called “foreign agents” laws, to suppress the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. This has been done in combination with intense stigmatising campaigns to silence dissent, civil society, unions, and civic activism, including citizen’s organization and participation in peaceful protests.   “As people around the world have been increasingly exercising these rights to protect their freedoms, to resist autocracy, repression and discrimination, to build peace and democratic and responsive governance institutions, to advocate for climate justice, and express solidarity with those suffering, we witness how governments have been finding innovative ways to silence them and crash these rights,” Romero said.   The spread of armed conflicts, the severe environmental crisis, undermined electoral processes marred by populism and disinformation, and emerging and unregulated digital technologies, exacerbate the threat to the enjoyment of these rights.   “This report is a wake-up call for collective action to protect democracy and our collective values, and the enjoyment of all human rights and freedoms. Enabling civic space, hearing and protecting activists is fundamental to foster civil society contributions for tackling today’s pressing issues.” Romero said.   “I join the report’s call for a global renewed commitment to these rights. Through the establishment of this mandate 14 years ago, the Human Rights Council reiterated its commitment for the protection of these fundamental freedoms, and it is urgent today that the Council reinforce the mandate’s capacity to continue effectively protecting these rights, especially in the emerging crises.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/concerted-action-urgently-needed-save-fundamental-freedoms-under-attack http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/un-expert-launches-new-tools-law-enforcement-foster-peaceful-protest   Civil society crucial to combat polarisation and inequality, says Independent Expert   Civil society organisations are the engine of international solidarity and urgently need increased protection and support, a UN Special Procedures mandate holder said today.   “As we confront negative global trends of polarisation, and the highest levels of inequality around the world at present, the need for civil society actions are more urgent than ever,” said Cecilia Bailliet, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, in a report to the Human Rights Council.   Civil society actions include intersectoral solidarity approaches combining issues such as protection of the environment, access to fair housing, and women’s rights.   “These International Solidarity coalitions challenge injustice and call for transformative changes within political and economic structures, seeking to empower the agency of vulnerable individuals and groups,” Bailliet said.   She criticised “the expansion of the use of censorship, disinformation, harassment, blacklisting, doxing, deportation, denial of entry or exit visas, defunding, red-tagging, criminal prosecution (including as foreign agents), denial of access to education, surveillance, asset freezing, defunding, overly broad restrictive registration and reporting of CSOs, and blocking of access to digital platforms to block the exchange of international solidarity ideas under the guise of security”.   “I believe that States should choose to pursue best practices of international solidarity policies, which would include showing clemency to opposing voices within our societies. Social solidarity governmental institutions should protect, rather than disempower, civil society organisations,” Bailliet said.   She called for the creation of a UN Digital International Solidarity Platform to exchange solidarity ideas and the adoption of the Revised Draft Declaration on International Solidarity.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/node/109103   Academic freedom just as crucial as a free press or independent judiciary, says Special Rapporteur   In every region of the world, people exercising their academic freedom face repression, whether through direct and violent or more subtle methods, an independent expert warned today.   In her report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, said restrictions aimed to control public opinion undermine free thinking and limit academic and scientific debate.   “We must take this seriously as these attacks threaten both our democracies and our capacities to collectively respond to crises humanity currently faces,” Shaheed said.   “Academic freedom must be understood and respected for its role for our societies, which is as crucial as a free press or an independent judiciary.”   The Special Rapporteur said academic freedom carries special duties to seek truth and impart information according to ethical and professional standards, and to respond to contemporary problems and needs of all members of society. “Therefore, we must not politicise its exercise,” she said.   “A multitude of actors are involved in the restrictions, from Governments to religious or political groups or figures, paramilitary and armed groups, terrorist groups, narco-traffickers, corporate entities, philanthropists, influencers, but also sometimes the educational institutions themselves as well as school boards, staff and students, and parents’ associations.”   Shaheed said that institutional autonomy is crucial for ensuring academic freedom; however, academic, research and teaching institutions also must respect it.   “Institutions must respect the freedom of expression on campus according to international standards and carry a specific responsibility to promote debate around controversies that may arise on campus following academic standards.”   Referring to student protests on the Gaza crisis that occurred in a number of countries, Shaheed said she remained deeply troubled by the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, arrests, detentions, police violence, surveillance and disciplinary measures and sanctions against members of the educational community exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.   Shaheed called for endorsement and implementation of Principles for Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom, drafted by a working group of United Nations experts, scholars, and civil society actors, based on and reflecting the status of international law and practice.   “I believe implementing these Principles would allow a better state of academic freedom worldwide,” she said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/academic-freedom-just-crucial-free-press-or-independent-judiciary-says   Justice is not for sale, says Special Rapporteur   A UN expert warned today that, in a climate of increasing economic inequality, powerful economic actors in many places use their financial clout to infringe on the independence of the judiciary.   “These improper pressures exerted by economic actors include attempts to intervene in processes to determine who becomes a judge and lobbying sitting judges to make them more receptive to their aims”, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, said in a report to the UN General Assembly.   “Wealthy individuals and corporations also weaponise justice systems to achieve their goals, bringing strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) that masquerade as a defence of private interests, but in fact seek to suppress legitimate criticism, oversight or resistance to their activities,” she said.   Satterthwaite set out an agenda for future investigation and encouraged all States to examine, analyse and close avenues for improper economic influence that have been overlooked.   “Ethics and integrity systems should be strengthened, loopholes closed, and judges, prosecutors and lawyers do their part to address these harms,” she said. “If not, I fear that while some voices are privileged by justice systems, others will be shut out or silenced, with devastating impacts for human rights.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/justice-not-sale-says-special-rapporteur http://taxjustice.net/reports/submission-to-special-rapporteur-on-the-independence-of-judges-and-lawyers-on-undue-influence-of-economic-actors-on-judicial-systems/   The independence of judicial systems must be protected in the face of democratic decline and rising authoritarianism: UN expert   A UN expert warned today that the role of independent justice systems in protecting participatory governance has come under attack from political actors who seek to limit or control judicial systems, including through ad hominem attacks by political leaders and the criminalisation of prosecutors, judges, and lawyers.   In her second report to the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, set out a taxonomy of Government efforts to control judicial systems – from curbing bar associations and manipulating administrative functions to capturing courts and criminalising or attacking justice operators.   The report also explores the vital role played by the legal professionals who comprise the justice system ­– judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, as well as community justice workers – in safeguarding democracy, in the 2024 context in which nearly half the world’s population will vote.   “Justice systems promote and protect a fundamental value that undergirds participatory governance: the rule of law,” the Special Rapporteur said. “This principle insists that all people, even state actors, are subject to the same laws, applied fairly and consistently.   “I call on Member States to do more to revitalise public trust in justice institutions and to defend justice actors and their indispensable role in safeguarding democracy,” she said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/independence-judicial-systems-must-be-protected-face-democratic-decline-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/regular-sessions/session56/list-reports Visit the related web page
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