Global Predictions for 2024

                 I'd like to thank everyone who use their time this year to defend democracy, political inclusion, truth, human rights and justice. We all have to reinforce our humanistic values and principles. I'd like to desire also a happy new year for all readers of this blog. Happy 2024 for us all. ✊✊✊✊✊ This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published with the incomplete title above at https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-global-predictions-2024. The second was published at https://hbr.org/2023/12/what-to-expect-from-the-global-economy-in-2024. The third was published at https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/mi/research-analysis/top-10-economic-predictions-for-2024.html

                  The yesr of 2023 marked a significant downturn in the impact of COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) officially ended its status of global emergency. However, this decline in health crises was unfortunately accompanied by an escalation in geopolitical tensions. Russia's aggressive invasion into Ukraine showed no signs of abating, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity. Further exacerbating the already turbulent global situation was the outbreak of Israel-Palestinian conflict in October. Meanwhile, weather patterns continued to become increasingly volatile. Large portions of the globe persistently endured escalating summer temperatures year after year, suggesting a potential worsening of global warming. In 2023, the world of technology also saw dramatic changes and advancements. Open A.I. was instrumental in transforming the public perception and utilisation, leading to more paradigm shift in the way we interact with technology. Overall, optimism for the coming year appears to be on the rise, with 70% think 2024 will be a better year than 2023. Overall, improvements in optimism is the greatest among European countries, particularly in Poland, Spain, U.K. and Sweden. 50% expect the global economy will be stronger in 2024 than it was in 2023. As we head into 2024, headline inflation has started to come down in many countries. Out of 34 surveyed countries, 10 demonstrated at least a 10% improvement in perceptions of inflation rates, most significantly in European countries. Furthermore, countries like Brazil 19% and Australia 14% are also exhibiting compelling improvements in the public's perception of inflation rates. There is now a reasonable expextation that the alarming seriousness of the climate emergency will provoke action. 55% expect their government to set more demanding targets for carbon emissions in 2024. Given the extreme weather events that the public has observed in recent years, there is a growing urgency for the government to provide more direction on how to mitigate climate  change.                                                                                                          As 2023 comes to a close, the global economy is doing better than expected. The U.S. not only avoided a recession but has grown a steady clip. Unemployment has been low and crucially, inflation is falling in most of the world. The Federal Reserve is ending the year on a fairly optimistic note, by not only holding interest rates steady but signaling the possibility of multiple rate cuts in 2024.  The British magazine The Economist has argued, the longer term outlook for workers in the U.S. and Europe looks strong. Politics will remain a major driver of economic uncertainty in 2024, including via the U.S. presidential election which could have unpredictable consequences for geopolitics, trade, and the wars in Ukraine and the Mideast.  What else? Josh Lipsky, director at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center, summed up his view of the biggest risks to the economy in a recent newsletter: "China's inaccurate data masking sputtering growth, the world's major shipping companies stopping transit in the Red Sea, and the second largest economy in South America at serious risk of default."                                                                                                                                                  Inflation will moderate further, the downward trend is expected to continue through 2024. Lower inflation rates in 2024 are forecast across most regions of the world. Weaker annual real GDP growth rates are forecast across all the largest regions in 2024. Global annual real GDP is forecast to grow at 2.3% compared with an estimated 2.7% in 2023. In Latin America inflation rates have fallen relatively rapidly, while labor market conditions are generally not tight. Easing cycles that are already under way in Chile, Brazil and Peru are forecast to continue in the year ahead. The U.S. Dollar will depreciate and it will be reinforced by a relative slowing of both economic growth and inflation as well as the overhang of a current-account deficit which, as a share of U.S. GDP, is unsustainably high. Geopolitical factors will remain an important source of risk and uncertainty, potentially aggravated by important elections taking place across an unusually number of countries. Election campaigns will set the policy agenda across several important emerging economies, including India and Indonesia in the spring and Mexico in midyear, with elections to the European Parliament scheduled in June. Uncertainty about the outcome of the U.S. election, along with the policy implications, will likely be a hindrance to economic prospects. The energy transition will support growth in the U.S. and Canada.                          

P.I.S.A. 2022 Results: The State of Learning and Equity in Education

                      As everyone knows I supported the high school reform since the project and its approval into law in 2017. But we have to remember that the original project was only the traditional subjects chosen by students according to which area they want to study after the high school. But for better students in the high school we need also better students in the fundamental two, it is from 5º to 9º grades. And for this we need everyone involved in this goal: parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, politicians, and mainly students aware about the importance of the education for their lives. This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2023 at https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=1235_1235421-gumq51fbgo&title=PISA-2022-Results-Volume-I . Brazil results in all PISA tests since 2000 are on page 403. Performance in Math fell by 7 points in the last decade, meanwhile the performance in science is 2 points higher and in reading is 5 points higher than ten years ago.

                    In 2022, as countries were still dealing with the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 700000 students from 81 economies, representing 29 million across the world, took the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. The report finds that in spite of the challenging circumstances, 31 countries and economies managed to at least maintain their performance in math since 2018. Among these, Australia, Japan, Korea and Switzerland maintained or further raised already high levels of student performance, with scores ranging from 487 to 575 points (OECD average 472). Many countries also made significant progress towards universal secondary education, among them, Colombia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Morocco, Paraguay and Romania have rapidly expanded education to previously marginalised populations over the past decade. At the same time, on average, the PISA 2022 assessment saw an unprecedented drop in performance across the OECD. Compared to 2018, performance fell by ten points in reading and by almost 15 points in math, which is equivalent to three-quarters of a year's worth of learning. Yet the decline can only partially be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scores in reading and science had already been falling prior to the pandemic. Across the OECD, around half of the students experienced closures for more than three months. However, PISA results show no clear difference in performance trends between education systems with limited schoolm closures such as Sweden and Taiwan and systems that experienced longer shcool closures, such as Brazil and Ireland. School closures also drove a global conversation to digitally enabled remote learning, adding to long-term challenges that had already emerged, such as the use of tech in classroom. How education systems grapple with technological change and whether policymakers find the right balance between risks and opportunities will be a defining feature of effective education systems. PISA data shows that teachers' support is important by providing extra pedagogical and motivational support to student. The availability of teachers to help students in need had the strongest relationship to math performance across OECD. Overall, education systems with positive trends in parental engagement in student learning  showed greater stability or improvement in math performance. This was particularly true for disadvantage students. These figures show that the level of active support that parents offer their children might have a decisive effect. To strengthen the role of education in empowering young people to succeed and ensuring merit-based equality of opportunity, the resilience of our education systems will be critical not only to improve learning outcomes measured through PISA, but to their long-term effectiveness. Education systems in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, and the U.K.  are highly equitable according to PISA's definition. They have achieved high levels of socio-economic fairness together with a large share of all 15 year-olds with basic proficiency in math, reading and science. Boys outperformance girls in math by nine score points and girls outperformance boys in reading by 24 points on average. In science, the performance difference between boys and girls is not significant. Equity is a fundamental value and goal of education policy. Equity in education is an ethical principle associated to the concept of justice. International differences in the extent and types of educational inequity today can be traced back to the historical legacies of different nations. For example, in Latin America primary school enrolments did not substantially increase until the second half of the 20th century, this has made the universalisation of secondary schooling a contemporary challenge. Only education systems that combine high levels of fairness and inclusion are considered highly equitable. Between 2018 and 2022 only four countries improved their performance in all three subjects: Brunei, Cambodia, Dominican Republic and Taiwan. 

Human Rights Day 2023

                            Last Sunday, precisely 10 of December, all over the world celebrated the human rights. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at    https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day The second was published at   https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/human-rights-day-2023-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-day-18530701.htm. The third was published athttps://reliefweb.int/report/world/human-rights-day-2023

                        10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being, regardless of race, religion, sex, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. In the decades since the adoption of UDHR in 1948, human rights have become more recognised and more guaranteed across the globe. The UDHR has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants. However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing - pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, climate change - the values and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind. The UDHR enshrines the rights of all human beings. From the right to education to egual pay, UDHR established for the first time the indivisible and inalienable rights of all humanity. The UDHR has inspired many struggles for stronger human rights protection and helped them to be more recognized. Wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk. The solution to today's greatest crises are rooted in human rights. We all need to stand up for our rights and those of others. We need an economy that invests in human rights and works for everyone.                                       c                                                                                                                      The Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world on December 10 every year. It focuses on the fundamental rights and liberties of people and advocates for the rights that transcend nationality, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, or any other distinctions. The theme to celebrate This day in 2023 is 'Freedom, Equality and Justice for All.' In 1950, Human Rights Day was formally established. The UDHR consists of 30 articles that cover a wide range of fundamental human rights and freedom to which all people from different parts of the world are entitled. The UDHR also serves as a regulatory body for all other nations that strive to meet basic human needs, including socio-economic and political issues.                                                                                                                                             "Now more than ever, it is time for human rights," said U.N. Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, ahead of a two-day event on human rights to be held at U.N.'s home in Geneva, Switzerland, and connecting online to hubs in Addis Abeba, Bangkok and Panama. Heads of State, civil society actors and human rights defenders, business leaders and economists alike will converge on the city to craft together a vision for the future of human rights. 75 years ago, representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world drafted the UDHR, a set of universal, indivisible and inalienable rights recognizing the equal dignity and worth of everyone. The UDHR was a milestone in the history of human rights. The drafting of the UDHR was also ground-breaking in the involvement of women in the shaping of its language and the inclusion of certain social and cultural rights, as well as input from representatives from what is now known as the global south. "Despite conflicts that may divide us, it is in the pursuit of peace, justice and equality that we discover our common ground," Turk said. "Together, we can envision a future where every individual's rights are safeguarded, conflicts are resolved through dialogue, and peace prevails." Turk also pointed that the world today is experiencing levels of violent conflict not seen since the end of the Second World War, with deepening inequalities, increasing hate speech, impunity, growing divisions and polarization and a climate emergency. "This underscore all the more the need for us to take stock, learn lessons, and craft a vision for the future together based on human rights. The UDHR provides a promise, and a blueprint for action. This event is a moment of deep reflection to seek common solutions together, centred on human rights," he stressed. 

Justice in the 21st Century

                 This post is a summary of the book with the title above, published in 2022 at https://www.enop.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ENoP_Progresiva-Povod-IJEK-NOVUM_Justice-in-the-21st-Century.pdf

                 The history of mankind has always been interested in the question of justice and fairness, yet despite all of the effort invested, we could probably agree that so far, we have not managed to find an answer with which we would all agree or which would universally correspond to all societies. This happens because this is one of those questions for which resigned wisdom holds true that one can never find a final answer but can merely strive to ask better questions. The "Justice in the 21st Century" project, of which this anthology is a part, was developed during a period in which we are facing some of the flaws uncovered or deepened in our system by the COVID-19 pandemic.  These realisation, as well as our awareness of them, are an ideal opportunity for us to open a discussion on how we will regulate justice and fairness in our society, how we will provide for equality, etc. In addition, the 50th anniversary of the book "A Theory of Justice" written by John Rawls was commemorated in 2021; this book is one of the fundamental works on the regulation of mutual relations in a liberal social arrangement as we know it today. The historically important crossroads represented by the COVID-19 pandemic is an ideal opportunity to ask ourselves: is the concept of justice that we know today still relevant when it comes to sorting out social relationships in the 21st century? Finding inspirations for the implementation of a project honouring the 50th anniversary of the publication of "A Theory of Justice" does not depend on whether we agree with its principles or not, but is mainly connected with Raws's idea of finding or developing a systematic political theory which will structure our different intuitions. Rawls wanted to provide with his most famous work an answer to the entrapment of the political theory between utilitarianism on the one hand and s confusion of ideas and principles on the other which he called "intuitionism", an approach which is hardly more than a set of anedocdotes concentrated on intuitions about individual questions. The purpose of the "Justice in the 21st Century" project was to shed some light on the current state of affairs in our society and to open a discussion about justice as a concept that regulates relationships in society, its core values and principles according to which it functions. Theories of justice are among the most often discussed theories of the 21st century. They are the successors of social contract theories which mostly emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries and gave new meaning to the relationship between the governors and the governed. What can we do to prevent a transition to the new yet old social system which is poised to be even less fair than the now-prevailing capitalism? First, we must immediately put privacy at the forefront for it to become a cornerstone of digital democracy. With the boom of internet in the 21st century, the concept of privacy became almost redundant. Second, countries should become more involved in the control of the power of technological giants that have quite literally outgrown them in this past decade. A fair digital economy is one of the guidelines of the plan of the European Commission up to 2024 with which the European Union is trying to take a step into the future. In the text, "fairness" is understood as an equal approach to technologies and services. Justice is extremely important for people. Evolutionarily speaking, communities are more successful if their members cooperate with one another. Voluntary cooperation reduces the amount of energy that must be used to coerce people, keep them in check, and resolve disputes. People are more likely to voluntarily cooperate with others if they can count on the fact that others will treat them justly. Providing a fair digital economy that will actually reflect the wishes of its creators should therefore juggle several areas at the same time while keeping in mind a common goal, the provision of a fair digital environment for all users. It is not enough for companies to commit themselves to ethical development only to discover, time and time again, that they do not have the necessary tools or procedures for its implementation, or that they are doing it without being aware of how their automated solutions affect society at large. It is hard enough for consumers to pressure private companies or have our political representatives deal with regulatory frameworks while the industry keeps on finding innovative solutions to avoid efficient control, and continuously endangering the human rights and privacy of their users. Based on what we have discussed in this paper, we should be careful when using the term "justice" in the 21st century, so as to not abuse it by combining it with ideological goals. For peaceful and productive cooperation in a society, people need to feel like they are being treated justly. This feeling is not only destroyed by real injustice but also by a different, forced and made up definition of justice. Community-based organisations are vital for recovery during and after the COVID-19 crisis. The gentrification of autonomous cultural and social centres coinciding with the restrictions of assembly challenges the community support, especially regarding the support in the form of free-thinking platforms. Autonomous Factory Rog was an essential place to produce justice in spatial development within itself and in the broader city of Ljubljana; it created alternative cultural and artistic spaces for the least privileged, thus contributing to a just distribution of goods according to Rawls' theory of distributive justice and to the self-governance principles of Ostrom. Autonomous Factory Rog (AFR) contributed to pure procedural justice of spatial development by channeling unheard voices on unjust policies that impact them; it provided a space where those who experience oppression are the ones who lead the change. Through socio-political discourse analysis and based on the socio-ecological model to prevent violence, we argued that AFR was also an essential place to protect free thinking and prevent political attacks on free journalism. The NGOs of Metelkova 6 are resisting the eviction to protect the autonomous value of the common place where the NGOs are located. The resilience of these NGOs is essential to maintaining procedural and distributive justice in the city of Ljubljana. The resistance against eviction maintain justice in spatial distribution because it fulfills the original position of justice according to Rawls, which means assuring fundamental rights for free-thinking, culture and arts. Finally, the NGOs' resistance against eviction not only protects the value of the place where it is located but also contributes to our wider society, resisting to preserve critical thinking, free media, arts and culture, and underprivilege's rights for justice and inclusion in an accessible city for all.

Human Rights Defenders Under Threat - Part II

                         This week we carry on with the same report from last text. The summary of the report published at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act30/6011/2017/en/

                           Some Human Rights Defenders (HRD) are stigmatized and threatened by unknown online adversaries called "trolls". For activists, HRDs and many journalists, trolls are much more than an online annoyance. They work as part of networks organized and sometimes even funded by governments or private firms to seek out activists online, discredit them and intimidate them including by sending death threats. Troll networks have recently expanded their tactics to include full-blown misinformation campaigns, sometimes employing people to generate trending topics that discredit and stigmatize HRDs and journalists. Mexican HRD Alberto Escorcia told Amnesty International that "on an average day he see two trending topics generated by the trolls. Anywhere between 1000 and 3000 tweets a day. Many operate as part of organized "troll gangs" who are paid to make stories go viral or to launch campaigns discrediting and attacking journalists. Carmen Aristegui is a renowned and outspoken investigative journalist who has revealed several corruption allegations among the Mexico's powerful; she has openly challenged the government many times. She has twice been sacked from national radio and there is a defamation civil lawsuit pending against her. Carmen now runs an independent online news portal which estimates that each troll attack diminishes its capacity by 50% as staff are occupied with responding to the attacks. The ability to communicate and interact with international institutions like the U.N. and regional mechanisms is essential for HRDs' work. Interacting with such bodies allows HRDs to bring important human rights information to relevant stakeholders. It also creates a space for HRDs to network with other civil society actors. The right to communicate with international bodies is in numerous international instruments, including those related to freedom of expression and movement. HRDs faces increasing levels of harassment and intimidation and, in some cases, criminalization and other attacks for exposing human rights violations and abuses to regional or international human rights mechanisms. This includes the imposition of travel restrictions or insurmountable visa requirements on HRDs to ban them from travelling abroad and participating in human rights events or meetings. By prohibiting HRDs from participating in such procedures, governments are actively undermining their attempts to bring human rights concerns to international attention and to communicate with human rights communities abroad. Without crucial input from HRDs, the ability of international and regional mechanisms to carry out and fulfil their mandates is seriously limited. Mass surveillance and targeted surveillance of HRDs, online and offline, continues to grow worldwide. Its rapid growth is aided by the increasingly broad powers granted by new and existing legislation, as well as the development and availability of new technologies. It is often difficult for HRDs and others to prove the existence of surveillance, either because of technical hurdles or because its use is covert. However, even where targeting can't be proven, the fact of living under the constant threat of possible surveillance may constitute a human rights violation in itself. Surveillance laws and practices have a widespread damaging effect on communities and societies, causing HRDs to self-censor out of fear, and refrain from exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. In a world where the powerful are increasingly pushing a harmful narrative which undermines human rights; the right to privacy, association and expression are more important than ever. The targeted surveillance of HRDs and others is commonplace all over the world. In the U.K. police have put journalists under surveillance in order to identify their sources, while Bahraini activists in exile have been tracked by their government using spyware, and Colombian radio journalists have been subjected to eletronic surveillance by the national police. The Ethiopian government has used online surveillance to spy on opposition activists at home and abroad. The fear of state surveillance is pervasive amongst civil society activists in Belarus. Inadequate regulation and oversight, and a lack of opportunity to challenge surveillance mean that activists and HRDs have little choice but to assume they are under surveillance at any time. The law in Belarus allows the authorities to undertake wide-ranging surveillance for nearly any reason, and with no independent oversight. It has had a debilitating effect on civil society which is already seriously undermined by the threat of criminal or administrative punishment merely for exercising human rights like attending peaceful protests. Internet censorship takes different forms. In some cases, states use the criminal justice system or administrative sanctions to prosecute individuals for expression online. As was the case in Kazakhstan, when many people were arrested under administrative laws simply for stating on social media their intentions to attend a public protest. In others cases, states with increased censorship capabilities which are used to limit individuals' ability to seek, receive and disseminate information. Many states impose restrictions on the right to freedom of movement within national as well as international boundaries with the aim of restricting or impeding human rights activities, including co-operation with international and regional human rights mechanisms, and HRDs' access to international support. States around the world are failing in their obligations to respect and protect the right to defend human rights, including by failing to implement effective protection mechanisms for HRDs at risk, or punishing those responsible for attacking them. HRDs can't operate effectively and contribute to making aq safer, more just world unless states undertake to ensure they are adequately with the necessary skills, tools and training for them to carry out their work. Furthermore, states must ensure that HRDs are allowed to connect with each other, including HRDs in other countries, and that they have full access to decision makers at the national and international levels without fear of reprisals. There is a global movement for human rights. When injustice happens to one person, it matters to us all.

Human Rights Defenders Under Threat

                  This post is a summary of a report published with the incomplete title above at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act30/6011/2017/en/

                   While are increasingly the toxic narratives of fear and division, those who dare to make a stand against injustice and defend human rights are under attack. This report is part of Amnesty International's Global Campaign: "Brave", launched to combat measures by the powerful to threaten and attack human rights defenders (HRD). It provides an overview of the dangers human rights defenders face and calls on those in power to take immediate measures to ensure that human rights defenders are recognized, protected and equipped to conduct their work without fear of attack in a safe environment.  Across the world, toxic narratives of "us versus them" are being used. Those who dare to make a stand for human rights are coming under attack in more and more places, on an alarming scale. They are facing an onslaught of harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns, ill-treatment, and unlawful detention. They are even being killed, just for standing up for what is right. What we are witnessing today is a full-frontal assault by governments, armed groups, corporations and others on the right to defend human rights. Human rights defenders come from all walks of life. They are students, community leaders, journalists, lawyers, victims of abuses, health professionals, teachers, whistle-blowers, environment activists, and more. They are people challenging abuse of power, protecting the environment, defending minorities, standing up against abusive labour conditions. In the face of injustice, discrimination and abuse, they get in the way. The nature of the threat is insidious. The whole ecosystem of protest is being corroded. By taking away their right to protest, putting them under surveillance, and either directly targeting them or failing to protect them from harassment and threats, governments are cutting the oxygen supply to those defending human rights. It is now almost two decades since the international community gathered at the U.N. and adopted the Declaration to protect human rights defenders and recognize them as agents of change, crucial in promoting and protecting human rights. In backing the Declaration, governments promised to support human rights defenders and enable them to work without fear of reprisals. Governments in many countries are adopting policies which make the work of human rights defenders riskier and more difficult. From allow for mass surveillance, to banning access to foreign funding or imposing stringent requirements to register organizations, the space to stand up for human rights is increasingly tight. Meanwhile, human rights defenders are labelled as criminals, undesirables. they are called "foreign agents", "anti-nationals", "terrorists". They are painted as a threat to security, development or traditional values. However, in spite of the assault on peaceful protest, people will not simply roll over and accept injustice. Our spirit of justice is strong and it will not be suppressed. Now more than ever, we need people standing up against injustice and those who undermine human rights. In 1998, 50 years after the adoption of the UDHR, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed the principles of freedom and justice by adopting by consensus the UN Declaration on the Right of Individuals, Groups and Organs to Promote and Protect Human Rights (referred to as the HR Defenders Declaration). Crucially, it places the responsibility on states to implement and respect all of its provisions, particularly the duty to protect HR defenders from harm as a consequence of their work. Today, however, HRDs and the civic space they work is being targeted instead of supported and protected in line with the requirements of the HRDs Declaration. This report explores the measures used to silence them. They range from threats, beatings and even killings to the use of legislation to criminalize human rights-related activities; methods of surveillance and attacks on HRDs' capacity to communicate as well as restrictions on their freedom of movement. It concludes with a series of recommendations to state and non-state actors, as well as regional and international bodies, which must be urgently addressed in order to reverse the ongoing attempts to shrink the space in which HRDs and civil society operate. HRDs are often subjected to personal attacks by governments or non-state actors as a way to deter them from carrying out their work. Whether committed by state or non-state actors, these actions aim to put an end to human rights activities and to send a message to others that they should refrain from defending human rights. Rarely a day goes by without reports of attacks against of HRDs. According to Front Line Defenders, an NGO founded to protect HRDs at risk, 156 HRDs were killed in 2015 and 281 in 2016. Over half of those killings in 2015 and more than three quarters in 2016 were in the Americas region. In Colombia, 10 HRDs were killed in January 2017 alone, nearly double the monthly average for 2016. NGOs and families often strive for years to bring perpetrators to account for their crimes and their attempts to obtain justice or even to find the truth about a killing can place them and others in danger and result in further threats and killings. HRDs are frequently subjected to criminal proceedings on unfounded charges. Arbitrary detention is being employed as a way to interfere with their ability to defend and promote human rights. Criminal prosecutions can have the effect of stigmatizing HRDs regardless of whether they are convicted or not. The situation is compounded by the fact that judicial proceedings exhaust HRDs' energy and resources. Whistle-blower Edward Snowden is facing a 30-years prison sentence in the US for disclosing information. The former NSA subcontractor shared intelligence documents with journalists in June 2013, revealing the alarming extent of unlawful mass surveillance operated by the US and UK governments. His actions sparked a global debate which led to a change in laws that helped to better protect the right to privacy. Edward Snowden said he acted "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them". Senior US officials have condemned him without a trial and flouted his right to the presumption of innocence. His case raises questions as to where he would receive a fair trail in the US since he could be prevented from presenting a public interest defence for his actions. 

Education at a Glance 2023

                     All around the world, governments have realized the importance of education, they are investing more and expecting good results. Became a widespread consensus that education needs an upgrade to meet the demands of the technological evolution. On 5th of December, OECD will disclose the results of the international test PISA and more statistics about education. This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2023 at   https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/

                           Governments are increasingly looking to international comparisons of education opportunities and outcomes as they develop policies to enhance individuals' social and economic prospects, provide incentives for greater efficiency in schooling, and help to mobilise resources to meet rising demands. This book addresses the needs of a range of users, from governments seeking to learn policy lessons to academic requiring data for further analysis and the general public wanting to monitor how their countries' schools are progressing in producing world-class students. High-quality early childhood education helps to give children an equitable start in life. Once children reach the age of 3, education is the norm in the vast majority of OECD countries, with an average enrollment rate of 74%. Nevertheless, in four countries the proportion of children enrolled remains in the single digits. Upper secondary attainment is often considered the minimum requirement for successful participation in the labour market. However, on average, 14% of all 25-34 year-olds across the OECD had not completed upper secondary education in 2022. While this share is still high, it represents a significant improvement compared with 2015, when it was 18%. Adequate funding is a precondition for providing high-quality education. Most OECD countries invest 3-4% of their GDP in primary and secondary education, rising to at least 5% of GDP in Colombia and Israel. Many OECD countries are facing teacher shortages. Competitive salaries are crucial to retaining and attracting more individuals to the profession. The extent to which education is combined with employment in early adulthood varies considerably across countries. The share of adults in education and employed for 18-24 years-olds is over 35% in Australia, Netherlands and Norway. Over two-thirds of 18-24 year-olds are ot in education in Colombia, Israel, New Zealand and Turkiye. As with other measures of civic engagement, there is a positive relation between posting about politics online and educational attainment. Among adults in tertiary education, digital media literacy fosters online political participation. Adult learning is becoming a crucial tools for societies as they look to adapt to emerging challenges and benefit from new opportunities. Technological change means an increasing number of jobs can be automated, while demographic change will mean fewer young people entering the labour market. These trends are already having impacts on labour markets. On average, 13% of women and 10% of men participate in training across OECD. This share ranges from just 1% in Bulgaria and Turkiye, to over 20% in Denmark and 30% in Sweden. Larger enterprises invest a larger share of their labour costs in training. There is a growing consensus about the importance of high-quality early childhood education. Research from a variety of context suggest that high-quality early education is associated with positive outcomes in both the short and long term. The proportion of students who drop-out from vocational programmes are relatively high in some countries, with at least one in four dropping out in Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal and Spain. High drop-out rates are worring, as young people who fail to complete upper secondary education are most at risk of becoming unemployed. There are countries where short-cycle tertiary programmes, which are mostly vocational, are relatively popular. For instance, in the year after their upper secondary graduation, 19% of general upper secondary graduates in Spain are enrolled in a short-cycle tertiary programme, followed by 18% in Canada and 15% in Colombia. In Canada, for example, colleges offering short-cycle tertiary education are very popular and play a key role in preparing young people for entry into the labour market. For those students who do not immediately pursue further studies, countries should ensure that upper secondary education prepares them for entry labour market, as well as for higher education. In Finland. for instance, the gap years between upper secondary education and tertiary level are common, mainly due to restricted entry to tertiary education or voluntary breaks to decide on what career to pursue. In 2021, 27% of new entrants chose one of the science, tech, engineering and math fields, followed by business, administration and law, chosen by 24% of all students, health and welfare with 14%, arts and humanities 10% and social science and journalism with 10%. Many OECD countries are aiming to reduce the age at which students complete tertiary education, so that they can enter the workforce early as possible. In 2021, the average age of graduates was 26 across OECD countries. However, there is notable variation between countries ranging from 22 in Japan to 29 in Latvia. International students are in significant numbers in some countries in short-cycle tertiary education. Australia has the largest share with 32% and is followed by Canada where 24% of short-cycle tertiary students are foreign, 19% in Iceland and 13% in Portugal. Between 2019 and 2020, total government expenditure on education increased in most OECD countries. Governments invested in various aspects of remote learning infrastructure, including technology, online learning platforms and teacher training for virtual instruction. Governments have allocated funds to support students by providing devices and internet access to disadvantaged students and supporting schools in implementing health and safety protocols. However, there are some exceptions: Brazil, Chile, Hungary and Turkiye, reported reductions of at least 5% in government spending on education between 2019 and 2020.

Eradicating Impunity for Serious Human Rights Violation

                        We all should always help combat serious human rights violations and help deliver justice to the victims, so if you witness any violation of human rights record it and help the victims have a evidence of the crime committed against them. Nothing is more important than justice to combat future possible violations, because this is what generally happens when the victims don't have the justice they deserve. This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in 2011 at   https://rm.coe.int/1680695d6e

                       Recalling that those responsible for acts amounting to serious human rights violations must be held to account for their actions. Considering that a lack of accountability encourages repetition of crimes, as perpetrators and others feel free to commit further offences without fear of punishment. Recalling that impunity for those responsible for acts amounting to serious human rights violations inflicts additional suffering on victims. Considering that impunity must be fought as a matter of justice for the victims, as a deterrent to prevent new violations, and to uphold the rule of law and public trust in the justice system. Considering the need for states to co-operate at the international level in order to put an end to impunity. Recalling the importance of the right to an effective remedy for victims of human rights violations, as contained in numerous international instruments and conventions such as the "U.N. Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power." Adopts the following guidelines and invites member states to implement them effectively and ensure that they are widely disseminated, in particular among all authorities responsible for the fight against impunity. These guidelines address the problem of impunity in respect of serious human rights violations. Impunity arises where those responsible for acts that amount to serious human rights violations are not brought to account. When it occurs, impunity is caused or facilitated by the lack of diligent reaction of institutions or state agent to violations. In these circumstances, faults might be observed within state institutions. States are to combat impunity as a matter of justice for the victims, as a deterrent with respect to future human rights violations and in order to uphold the rule of law and public trust in the justice system. They are addressed to states, and covers the acts or omissions of states, including those carried out through their agents. They also covers states' obligations under the Convention to take positive action in respect of non-state actors. For the purposes of these guidelines, "serious human rights violations" concern those acts in respect of which states have an obligation under the Convention to enact criminal law provision. Such obligations arise in the context of the right to life, the prohibition of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment, the prohibition of slavery, and of the right to respect for private and family life. The term "victim" refers to a person who has suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering or economic loss, caused by a serious human rights violation. States should elaborate policies and take practical measures to prevent and combat an institutional culture within their authorities which promotes impunity and promote a culture of respect for human rights and systematic work for the implementation of human rights. It is important making authorities aware of their obligations, including taking necessary measures, with regard to preventing impunity, and establishing appropriate sanctions for the failure to uphold those obligations and conducting a policy of zero-tolerance of serious human rights violations. Combating impunity requires that there be an effective investigation in cases of serious human rights violations. This duty has an absolute character. The obligation to protect the right to life requires that there should be an effective investigation when individuals have been killed. States have a duty to effectively investigate credible claims of violations of the right to respect to private and family life. States should support, by all possible means, the investigation of serious human rights violations and the prosecution of alleged perpetrators. States should ensure that victims may participate in the investigation and the proceedings to the extent necessary to safeguard their legitimate interests through relevant procedures under national law. States have to ensure that victims may, to the extent necessary to safeguard their legitimate interests, receive information regarding the follow-up and outcome of their complaints, the progress of the investigation and the prosecution, the execution of judicial decisions and all measures taken concerning reparation for damage caused to the victims. States should ensure that, at all stages of the proceedings when necessary, protection measures are put in places for the physical and psychological integrity of victims and witnesses. States should ensure that victims and witnesses are not intimidated, subject to reprisals or dissuaded from complaining or pursuing their complaints. Irrespective of any legal proceedings, victims and their families have the imprescriptible right to know the truth about the circumstance in which violations took place and, in the event of death or disappearance, the victims' fate. While respecting the independence of the courts, when serious human rights violations have been proven, the imposition of a suitable penalty should follow. The sentences which are handed out should be effective, proportionate and appropriate to the offence committed. International co-operation plays a significant role in combating impunity. In order to prevent and eradicate impunity, States must fulfil their obligations, notably with regard to mutual legal assistance, prosecution and extraditions, in a manner consistent with respect for human rights, including the principle of "non-refoulement". States should take all appropriate measures to establish accessible and effective mechanisms which ensure that victims of serious human rights violations receive prompt and adequate reparation for the harm suffered. This may include measures of rehabilitation, compensation, restitution and guarantees of non-repetition. The right to reparation is elaborate in the "U.N. Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Violations of International Human Rights Law." 

120th Birthday of George Orwell - Part III

                           We can never normalize or even tolerate human rights violations, they are serious crimes and must be always combatted and when they happen, justice must follow them with the due reparations. Never think that they can't happen to you, don't take your rights for granted. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at     https://www.ipl.org/essay/Human-Rights-And-Violence-In-George-Orwells-PCYDG7RAWG. The second was published at https://theconversation.com/what-orwells-1984-tells-us-about-todays-world-70-years-after-it-was-published-116940

                        In George Orwell's novel 1984, the theme of violation of human rights is thoroughly present, from violation of privacy, violation of the freedom of speech, and the loss of humanity in general from the ever present form of Big Brother who represents the government, has absolute control over the citizens's lives. 1984 effectively conveys the dangers of a totalitarian government. The word humanity refers to the human race as a whole and the qualities that make us human, such as the ability to love and have compassion. In our modern world, we take human nature for granted, but in 1984, he shows us a society in which there is no humanity, and those that fight for it die trying. The totalitarian goverrment, known as the Party, uses isolation, fear, and lies to destroy humanity in their citizens. The novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. Art can be used to portray political message and is a powerful weapon to show the public about political leaders. George Orwell uses his novel to portray political evils and totalitarian political leaders. He gives us a warning that what society can become if they allow totalitarianism to accomplish supremacy. Imagine your TV is always on and always watching your every move. Welcome to 1984. From now on you must be very careful what you think for you must always live in fear of committing a thought crime. Even one negative thought about Big Brother could force the Thought Police to erase you from existence. This is the daily life in this fictional country called Oceania. George Orwell wrote 1984 back in the midst of World War II, which is allude to multiple times in the book. He discussed what this world might turn into if we don't take action against the totalitarian European leaders. The book depicts a over-controlling government, referred to as the Party, which is constantly spying on the citizens. Winston Smith realizes the wrongdoings of the government and starts to rebel against them. Throughout the entirely book he can be seen as a hero by his defiance against the Party. In a world where thought is monitored and actions are watched continuously by neighbors, strangers and cameras, the conflicts that exist in that type of world are astronomical. This is the type of world that Winston Smith lives his life in. So it is no surprise that he faces many forms of conflicts. Living through the first half of the 20th century, George Orwell watched the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia. He witnessed the brutalities of the Nazis and Stalinists first hand. His experiences awakened him to the evils of a totalitarian government. Sex creates an extremely exclusive bond between two individuals; it is an unspoken contract of trust and love. Not only are sexual experiences private, but they also fulfill humanity's instinctual desire and promote individuality. However, when this intimacy is either erased or condemned by society, individuals lose touch with that vital part of their humanity and individuality. In 1984 sexuality plays an important role in both totalitarian government and Winston's rebellion against his oppressors; Winston revolts against the Party's manipulative political control, the destruction of individuality, the absence of human connection and the practice of sexual puritanism. The Party strives for sexual puritanism in order to eradicate true humanity and demonize sex. Actual sexual acts are portrayed as filthy deeds since young childhood. The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. The foundation of ones autonomy consists of ones ability to think independently. In 1984 all aspects of the citizen's lives are being influenced by the Party. Winston's beliefs illustrates the corruption they experience for they are unable to think for themselves and are forced to accept whatever they are told to believe. In 1984 the government regulates the information that citizens have access to, as well as ensuring that the citizens have no knowledge of the true history or condition of the world or their own personal past. 1984 warns that society should be aware of totalitarianism. People should worry about how the government abuses its power and takes away citizens' rights. In 1984 people lost their will to fight and acted as if the society they are living in is normal, but there are only two people who rebel against the government. Totalitarianism is when the government takes over private and public matters as much as they can. In 1984 people are being watched nonstop. In many ways The Hunger Games are similar in government. For instance, it states, "even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might hear you, so I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts". This displays how people may fear the government spying on their citizens and how it corrupts how citizens feel.                                                                                                                                                                 Eric Blair, writing under a pseudonym George Orwell, published "1984", now generally considered a classic of dystopian fiction. The novel tells the story of Winston Smith, a hapless middle-aged bureaucrat and he is under constant surveillance. The society portrayed in 1984 is one in which social control is exercised through disinformation and surveillance. One of the key technologies of surveillance in the novel is the "telescreen", a device very much like our own TV. The telescreen display a single channel of news, propaganda and wellness programming. It differs from our own TV in two aspects: It is impossible to turn off and the screen also watches its viewers. The dominant reading of 1984 has been that it was a dire prediction of what could be. In the words of Italian essayist Umberto Eco, "at least three-quarters of what Orwell narrates is not negative utopia, but history." The media scholar Mark Miller argues that TV nowadays teaches a different kind of conformity than that portrayed in the novel. In the novel, the TV is used to produce conformity to the party, the government. In our real TV produces conformity to a system of rapacious consumption, through advertising. This inert watchfulness can exist because TV allows viewers to watch strangers without being seen. Scholar Joshua Meyrowitz has shown that the kinds of programming have normalized looking into the private lives of others. For example, it might seem just marketing that one of the longest-running and most popular reality shows in the world is entitled "Big Brother". The stress of participants under surveillance 24/7 on "Big Brother" has led the show to employ a team of psychologists. While these reality shows don't order participants to directly harm each other, they are often set up as a small-scale social experiment that often involves intense competition or even cruelty. 

International Day of Peace 2023 - Part II

                    The U.N. should do more to reinforce peace around the world, including I think the peacekeepers army should be bigger and more present in many countries to defend human rights of the population. The policymakers in Brazil should read about what cause the persistent high rate of homicides in Brazil. The right to life must be respected and killers must have a harsh punishment. This post is a summary of the book with the title of, "Pathways for Peace" published in 2018 at   https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/2b4001d9-eaf2-56c9-957f-ea16b21fbd2a/content

                    In 2015, the U.N. set ambitious goals for the world with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which offers a unique framework to come together around a renewed effort at preventing human suffering. The agenda, which is universal, not only aims to end poverty and hunger, to ensure healthy lives and quality education, but also to reduce inequalities and promote peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Violent conflict is recognized as one of the big obstacle to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. Its dramatic resurgence over the last few years has caused immense human suffering and has global impact. It is projected that more than half of the people living in poverty will be found in countries affected by high levels of violence by 2030. As the human, social and financial costs and complexity of violent conflict and its global impact grow, we must ask ourselves: how can the global community prevent violent conflict? This upsurge in violence occurs in a volatile global context where the balance of geopolitical power is in flux, and transnational factors like advances in information technology create risks and opportunities to be managed at multiple levels. Because violent conflict tends to persist once it takes root, its impacts accumulate. Infrastructure and institutions are quickly destroyed. Exposure to violence can have devastating lifelong impacts on psychological well-being. Drops in investment, together with the cost of responding to violence, put intense strain on state capacity. This surge in violence afflicts both low- and middle-income countries with relatively strong institutions and calls into question the long-standing assumption that peace will accompany income growth and the expectations of steady social, economic, and political advancement that defined the end of the 20th century. The best way to prevent societies from descending into crisis, including but not limited to conflict, is to ensure that they are resilient through investment in inclusive and sustainable development. For all countries, addressing inequalities and exclusion, making institutions more inclusive are central to preventing the fraying of the social fabric that could erupt into crisis. The primary responsibility for preventive action rests with states, both through their national policy and their governance of the multilateral system. Exclusion from access to power, opportunity, services, and security creates fertile ground for mobilizing group grievances to violence, especially in areas with weak state capacity in the context of human rights abuses. This study points to specific ways in which states can seek to avert violence, including through more inclusive policies. A comprehensive shift toward preventing violence and sustaining peace offers life-saving rewards. This book presents an agenda for action to ensure that attention, efforts, and resources are focused on prevention. Today, the consequences of failing to act together are alarming evident, and the call for urgent action has perhaps never been clearer. The time to act is now. While the rate of homicides seems to be declining around the world, it remains very high in Latin America and the Caribbean. A 2017 World Bank study calls the problem "staggering and persistent" in "the world's most violent region", which houses 42 of the 50 most violent cities. Homicides in Brazil can be attributed to the prevalence of the drug trade and the activity of violent gangs in certain neighborhoods, exacerbated by corruption and poor training among police forces and ineffectiveness in the court system. Violence in Venezuela is on the rise, with the capital Caracas ranked the most murderous city in the world. In Mexico, violence driven by drug cartels remains very high. On the other hand, homicides rates in Colombia have declined significantly in the last decade. Many countries have used the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the universal treaties that derive from it as a shared foundation for normative and legal change. International tools like fact-finding missions, routine reporting, investigative commissions and special rapporteurs have often focused on maintaining dialogue with governments on violations on rights, discrimination, and abuses as part of efforts to reduce the risks of conflicts. This study highlights and elaborates how synergies between peace and development can be effectively pursued. Where the SDGs call for inclusivity and for the imperative of leaving no one behind. While there is no single formula for effectively preventing violence, this study demonstrates that prevention works, saves lives and is cost-effective. It estimates that "savings" generated from prevention range from US$5 billion to US$69 billion a year. Preventing violence is a continuous process requiring long-term domestic efforts to promote inclusive institutions. Targeted engagement, through different entry points, is critical. It is time to address distorted incentives and to do the utmost to prevent human suffering and avoid the exorbitant costs of conflict. The time to act is now. The agenda for humanity is a five point plan that outlines the changes needed to alleviate suffering, reduce risk, and lessen vulnerability on global scale. In the 2030 Agenda, humanity: people's safety, dignity and right to thrive is placed at the heart of global decision making around five core responsibilities, including the prevention and ending of conflicts.

International Day of Peace - 2023

                           Last Thursday 21st of September, all over the world was celebrated peace. We all should advocate for peace, justice, democracy and human rights, because they are interconnected. Nothing justify violence to make other comply with something. Resolution through dialogue it is the only way to both people and nations. We all must demand a more peaceful city, state, country and world to our authorities. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at   https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace. The second was published at   https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/international-day-of-peace-2023/. The third was published at    https://northmcd.com/international-day-of-peace-theme/. The fourth was published at   https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-of-peace/

                       The U.N. General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Never has our world needed peace more. This year's theme is Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the Global Goals. It is a call to action that recognizes our individual and collective responsibility to foster peace. Fostering peace contributes to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and achieving the Goals will create a culture of peace for all. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty, hunger and driving tens of millions of people from their homes. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization." The SDGs aim to bring us closer to having more peaceful, just and inclusive societies, free from fear and violence. But Without the buy-in and contribution of a wide range of actors including the 1.2 billion young people, the goals won't be achieved. We invite you to join the U.N.'s call to take action for peace: fight inequality, drive action on climate change, and promote and protect human rights. International Day of Peace 2023 encourages we all to be ambitious in our engagement as positive and constructive social agents, to join the movement to reach the SDGs and contribute to building sustainable peace. Together we can help to lead our world towards a greener, more equitable, just and secure future for all. Embrace the possible. That is the call of the Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for a better world. We don't have to wait for the future we want. Everyone can join the global movement for change. Unity is at the heart of the SDGs because achieving any single goal requires achieving them all. And this is only possible when people themselves unite for change to give humanity and our planet a sustainable future. We are stronger together, united in action.                                                                                                                                                 Each year on 21 September, the world comes together to observe the International Day of Peace. This day, established by the U.N. serves as a reminder of our commitment to peace, non-violence, and conflict resolution. It serves as well as a call for individuals, communities, and nations to work collaboratively towards a more peaceful and just world. True peace, as recognized by the U.N. extends beyond the absence of violence and encompasses the creation of societies where all members can flourish.  This day remains vital for promoting dialogue, understanding, and cooperation among people and nations. It provides a platform for bridging differences and fostering a shared commitment to peace. The goal is to build a global culture of peace where everyone is treated equally.                                                                                                                                                                                                             International Day of Peace (IDP) is a day that inspires us to work together to build peace. We have seen many times in history, that is, if we turn the pages of history, we find how insensitive nations ruined the future of their neighbours on the basis of bloodshed. Today is the time when everyone is aware of the power of global peace and its positive results, and it all depends on all of us together on how we can establish global peace.  Under the IDP 2023, conscience is the highest in the court of justice, where all the courts take the place of justice. Just as darkness can not be removed, only light can do so, similarly, hatred can not be removed by hatred, it can only be removed by love.                                                                                                                                                              The International Day of Peace (IDP) or World Peace Day is devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among nations and peoples. At a time when war and violence often monopolize our news cycles, IDP is an inspiring reminder of what we can create together. Peace. Life is better in a world where peace exists and today, we look to those who have been peacekeepers to learn what we can do individually to make the world a more peaceful place. It is more important than ever to promote peace and open-mindedness for acceptance across gender, race and territories. $ 13.6 trillion was the economic cost of violence in 2015. 9,800 was the number of terrorism websites containing violent material by 2015. 5 factors that promote a culture of peace: 1) Seek to understand. 2) Promote economic and social stability. 3) Respect all human rights. 4) Advocate for equality. 5) Choose democratic principles. Why IDP is important? A- It connects us to each other. B- It reminds us to believe in something bigger than ourselves. C- It demonstrates that small actions can make big impacts.

International Day of Democracy - 2023

                       Last Friday, 15th of September, all over the world was celebrated the democracy. We all must fight and defend democracy, human rights and justice. For the citizens have their dignity, their voice, their basic conditions of life, we all must defend those three pillars of a good nation. Once more I'd really like to thank all demonstration of support for our political rights felt for us here. It is incredible what have been happening, this huge movement for justice, political rights, sustainable development, solidarity, human rights and democracy. I don't understand that despite this huge movement, still there are some people against my political rights, of course they are very few. Let's keep this tsunami of support and show the world that democracy, human rights and justice matter. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at https://www.un.org/en/observances/democracy-day. The second was published at https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-of-democracy/. The third was published at https://www.gmfus.org/international-day-democracy-2023. The fourth was published at https://globaldemocracycoalition.org/event/international-day-of-democracy-2023/

                        This year's theme for the International Day of Democracy, "Empowering the next generation," focuses on young people's essential role in advancing democracy and ensuring that their voices are included in the decisions that have a profound impact on their world. An engaged, well-educated electorate is at the heart of strong democratic societies. Young people must navigate a world in which democracies are under threat from factors ranging from the proliferation of online misinformation, to rising populism, and destabilizing effects of the climate crisis. It is important everyone is able to participate in the decisions that affect their lives now, and in years to come. Unresolved conflicts, the rising threat of climate change and financial turmoil pose a constant threat to democracies around the world. "The walls are closing in on civic spaces," warns U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the International Day of Democracy.  The U.N. recognizes the importance of empowering young people to take leadership roles on issues of international importance. The U.N. Democratic Fund (UNDEF) finances projects that empower civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes, including youth. The International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.                                                                                                                            International Day of Democracy on September 15 allows us the opportunity to celebrate and appreciate democratic societies. It is very easy for people who live in a free society to take their freedoms for granted. Yet, when freedom is absent, life includes unimaginable challenges that are often incomprehensible. Today, let's reflect on the history of democracy around the world, thank those who influenced the development of our government, and look for opportunities to promote and protect democracies worldwide. As you reflect on your own freedoms and consider the country's current state of democracy, take inventory of how many ways you participate in the collective-decision making of our country and support the ideals of democracy. 5 key people shaping American democracy: 1- Thomas Paine.  2- Thomas Jefferson.  3- Susan B. Anthony.  4- Martin Luther King.  5- William Penn.  Why do we love democracy? 1) It gives power to the people.  2) It is based on change.  3) It is based on equality.                                                                                           The erosion of global democratic norms and institutions threatens our freedom, prosperity, and security. Authoritarian states such as Russia, China, and Iran employ disinformation, malign finance, and cyber operations to interfere in elections, shape decision-making, foster economic destabilization, exacerbate existing societal cleavages, and weaken governance. We defends democracy by analyzing autocratic threats to democratic institutions, processes, and publics, and by crafting policies and strategies to deter, defend against, and raise the cost of making such threats. We build democracy by supporting independent media, civic education and media literacy, monitoring initiatives, and public advocacy campaigns. As a leader in building democracy alliances and coalitions, GMF raises awareness, shapes the debate, influences policy, changes behavior, and enhances democratic resilience. We are committed to defending democracy in an environment of strategic competition in which an attack on any democracy has far-reaching repercussions.                                                                                                                                                  Building upon the spirit of International Democracy Day, this event seeks to deepen our understanding of the profound relationship between inclusive democracy, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the forthcoming SDG Summit. The interplay between the role of the U.N., inclusive democracy, social contracts, and the active participation of communities in democratic processes, all of which contribute to sustainable development. International IDEA in partnership with the Global Democracy Coalition, aims to raise awareness about the importance of inclusive politics, within governments and multilateral systems, where the voices of communities are amplified, inequalities are diminished, and democratic processes are genuinely participatory. By facilitating dialogue, promoting knowledge exchange, and encouraging collaboration among diverse groups, we strive to pave the way for an inclusive democracy that drives sustainable development and ensures that no one is left behind.

140th Birthday of Franz Kafka

                          A little more than two months ago, precisely on 3rd of July, the Czech writer Franz Kafka would complete 140 years old, so this post is a tribute to him. He wrote about the injustices of authoritarian systems, the abuses of power without end, the necessity of all of us to defend human rights,  justice and democracy.   This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka. The second was published at https://www.ilponte.sk/printed-issue-22018/2022/7/3/the-political-side-of-kafka. The third was published at https://bigthink.com/high-culture/kafkaesque-franz-kafka-real-dystopia/. The fourth was published at https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/the-politics-of-kafka-2015-11-22

                           Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer based in Prague, who is widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible bureaucratic powers. It has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety and absurdity. His best known works include, Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle. The term Kafkaesque has entered English to describe absurd situations. He was born into a middle-class German speaking Czech Jewish family in Prague. He was a lawyer employed by an insurance company, what made him relegate writing to his spare time. He died at the age of 40 from tuberculosis. Kafka was a prolific writer, spending most of his free time writing, often late in the night. Few of Kafka's works were published during his lifetime: Contemplation, A Country Doctor and The Metamorphosis were published in literary magazines but received little public attention. Kafka's writing became famous in German-speaking countries after World War II, influencing their literature, and its influence spread elsewhere in the world in the 1960s. The nature of Kafka's works allows for varied interpretations and critics have placed his writing into a variety of literary schools. The hopelessness and absurdity common to his works are seen as emblematic of existentialism. Some of Kafka's books are influenced by the expressionist movement, though the majority of his literary output was associated with the experimental modernist genre. Kafka also touches on the theme of human conflict with bureaucracy. The writer Milan Kundera suggest that Kafka's surrealist humour may have been an inversion of Dostoyevsky's characters. In Kafak's work, a character is punished although a crime has not been committed. Kundera believes that Kafka's inspiration for his characteristic situations came from growing up in a totalitarian state. The term "Kafkaesque" is used to describe concepts and situations in which bureaucracies overpower people, often in a surreal, nightmarish milieu that evokes feelings of senselessness, disorientation and helplessness. The term has transcended the literary realm to apply to real-life occurrences and situations that are incomprehensibly complex, bizarre, or illogical. Numerous films have been described as Kafkaesque such as: The Angel (1982), Brazil (1985), Barton Fink (1991) and Dark City (1998).                                                                                                      Kafka possessed particular capability of explaining the most ordinary emotions in an exceptionally grotesque, unordinary and human way. His writing style and the philosophical questions he tries to answer are unique. Kafka's writings are a literary dance between Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer and Dostoyesvsky. Kafka's writing is usually described as works of psychological realism. While promoting the idea of democracy and rule of law, Kafka also acknowledges totalitarianism. In the short-story Penal Colony there is a message on the grave found in the basement about the authoritative and tyrannical system. The message is a claim made by the Governor: "There exists a prophecy that the Governor will rise again and he will lead his followers to a reconguest." Kafak sees democracy and the tyrannical authoritarian system as a never-ending struggle. Kafka is consciously developing a distance from primitive traditional laws and judicial systems. The end of the reign of the old Governor corresponds with the beginning of the World War I. The freeing of the unjustly Condemned man, was a symbol for Kafka that the war meant an end to imperial Europe. He welcomed democracy with open arms, however, he was not naive to think that the authorotative system will not come back. In retrospect, he was right, because around 30 years later, World War II started. Hannah Arendt wrote that Kafka's stories are a product of thinking rather than of a mere experience. Depressive and alone, he died without realizing his importance. That is why it is important to remember him and his work as being before its time.                                                                                                                      In Kafka's works, especially The Trial, the reader experience a claustrophobic and absurd dystopia, weighed down by a pointless and relentless bureaucracy. An illogical and arbitrary system that is soul crushing. It is waiting months for an application to be approved, only to be rejected by some faceless bureaucrat without any guidance as to why. It is filling out forms or getting licenses that not only don't make sense to anyone. It is the drip, drip, drip of nonsense legislation that makes up a swamp and wading through it saps and destroy you.                                                                                                                             If we made a survey asking people to name one writer whose works convey a negative outlook on life, Franz Kafka's name is likely to come up at the very top. And at least at first sight, this ranking seems rather appropriate. Take for instance, the novel The Trail, It tells the story of Josef K., who is persecuted and in the end executed by an amorphous justice system without knowing what he is accused of. The novel presents dark allegory focusing on the hopeless struggle between the individual and judicio-bureaucratic apparatus. However, if we only emphasize these negative aspects in Kafka's works, we miss much of what is all about. This is what we can learn from Hannah Arendt's surprising 1946 essay "Franz Kafka, Appreciated Anew." Arendt does not show us the depressing Kafka we all know. What Arendt reconstruct is instead a visionary political writer who is inspired by the idea of a world "in which the actions of man depend on nothing but himself and his spontaneity." To be sure. it takes a good deal of creativity to find in Kafka's works the vision of a future society that is "governed by laws prescribed by man himself rather by mysterious forces." Arendt is aware of that.                 

Day of Fighting Injustice - 2023

                     Twelve days ago, precisely on 23rd of August was celebrated in Brazil, the day of fighting injustice. We all must defend justice, because when there is some systematic injustice happening for so long, a dangerous precedent can happen, destroying democracy, undermining rule of law and fundamental human rights. So, the public trust in our institutions is severely harmed. Besides, when there is not justice, the abuses tend to grow, spreading and affecting many more people. So if you have witnessed any violation of human rights, record it and help fight injustice.  The systematic violations, the impunity, the daily bullying on mainstream media, the threats online and offline exist to do the victims give up to fight for their rights and reparations. Besides the violations, the systematic abuses, the daily humiliation and the impunity can have a dehumanizing effect in the population, trying us accept what can not be accepted, do not let this happen to you, the solidarity and the emphaty are the essence of the human beings. We all should recognize who have courage to defend our human rights including our political rights. Because always there are costs to do this, so help who is losing to defend our rights. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at   https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/how-can-an-individual-fight-systemic-injustice/. The second was published at https://slaveryandjusticereport.brown.edu/sections/confronting-historical-injustice-comparative-perspectives/

                     As many of us look at the news today and see the injustices that are happening, we may find ourselves wanting to do what we can to help make a change. However, many of us get stuck at the "how" part of doing this and then give up. When these challenges seem too substantial and daunting, it can be difficult to see how the actions of one person, or even a small group, can make a change. If everyone who wanted to enact positive change got stuck at the "how," we would not have had leaders like Martin Luther King, labor activist Dolores Huerta, or more recently, environmentalist Greta Thunberg or U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The first two steps of getting involved in justice activism? Educate yourself on the issues (historically and currently). Get involved on the local level through grassroots organizing or nonprofit organizations. Inspired in part by the course Activism in the Struggle for Justice, I have put together a list to get you started in achieving those goals, as well as to inspire you to continue to ask for equality and justice for your community, our society, and for humankind.                                                                                                                                                                            Human history is characterized not only by slavery but also by genocide, forced labor, starvation through siege, torture, forced religious conversion, and any number of other forms of gross injustice. Different civilizations at different historical moments have developed their own understandings of such practices, specifying the conditions under which they were allowed or forbidden and against whom they might legitimately be directed. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all devised rules for slavery and civilian populations.  Our era is hardly the first ro grapple with humanity's capacity for evil. The idea that certain actions were inherently illegitimate and should be universally prohibited, no matter the circumstance or the particular target group, emerged in the 18th century. At the root of this belief that all human beings partook of a common nature and were thus entitled to share certain basic rights and protections. In bequeathing us the ideas of shared humanity and fundamental human rights, the 18th century also left us with a series of practical and philosophical problems. How are human rights to be enforced and defended? Do nation-states have the right to treat their own citizens as they please, or are there occassions when the demands of humanity trump national sovereignty? How are perpetrators of human rights abuse to be held to account?  Are those who suffered violations of their rights entitled to some form of redress, and if so, from what quarter? How do societies move forward in the aftermath of great crimes?  Broadly speaking, the history of efforts to restrain and redress the effects of injustices has proceeded in two phases. The first, stretching from the late 18th century to the aftermath of the II World War, revolved around efforts to define and enforce international norms of humanitarian conduct in regard to three scourges: slavery, offenses committed during times of war, and genocide. These efforts reached a climax of sorts at Nuremberg, where the leaders of Nazi German were prosecuted. The second phase, beginning at Nuremberg and continuing to our own time, has focused less on prevention or prosecution than on redress , on repairing the injuries that crimes of violations leave. At the most obvious level, this entails making provision for the victims of violations and their survivors, but also involves broader processes of social rehabilitation, aimed at rebuilding political communities that have been shattered. If there is a single common element in all exercises in retrospective justice, it is truth telling. Whether justice is pursued through prosecution, the tendering of formal apologies, the offering of material reparations, or some combination of all three, the first task is to create a clear historical record of events and to inscribe that record in the collective memory of the relevant institution or nation. Of course, the truth is not always easy to discern. Most violations are sprawling events, unfolding over years and involving vast numbers of actors. Documentation is often in short supply, sometimes because records were not kept.  As some revelations suggest, not everyone wishes to have the full truth told. As a general rule, perpetrators and their associates are anxious to see societies "turn the page" on the past. The struggle over retrospective justice is waged not only in courts and legislatures but also on the wider terrain of history and memory, in battles over textbooks.  But if the basic principle of reparations is straightforward enough, the application of that principle in specific cases is complex. What form should reparations take? Who is entitled to receive and who is responsible to provide? How is the value of an injury to be calculated? What happens to reparations claims with the passage of time? Beneath these practical matters lay deeper moral and political questions. What are reparations intended to accomplish? Are they an end in themselves or one aspect of a broader process of repair and reconciliation? How does one make restitution for a human life or time in a torture chamber? What happens when the interests of victims and perpetrators do not agree on the appropriate form of reparations? Even where money is accepted as the medium of reparation, the question of determining the appropriate amount remains.