# 55
Sunday, 15 December 2019- edited by Ilaria
Saltarelli, Laura Harth and Angelica
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With
EBA Status on the Line, Hun Sen Says Cambodia Will
Ignore EU’s Recommendations Cambodia's
Prime Minister Hun Sen
on Wednesday reiterated his stance that
the country would not give in to the European
Union’s recommendations on human rights and
governance simply to preserve the country’s status
under the trade bloc’s Everything But Arms (EBA)
program.
The
EU is currently considering withdrawing Cambodia
from the EBA—which gives developing nations
tariff-free access to the European markets for all
products except arms.
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Human
Development Report 2019
Despite
unprecedented progress against poverty, hunger and
disease, many societies are not working as they
should. The connecting thread, argues a new report from the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is
inequality.
A new
generation of inequalities is opening up,
around education, and
around technology and climate
change - - two seismic shifts that,
unchecked, could trigger a ‘new great
divergence’ in society of the kind not seen
since the Industrial Revolution, according to the
report. “This Human Development Report sets
out how systemic inequalities are deeply damaging
our society and why,” said Achim Steiner, the
UNDP Administrator.
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Famine
risk in South Sudan
According
to the World Food Program, up 5.5 million South
Sudanese are projected to be going hungry in early
2020. Despite in 2019 WFP has reinforced
assistance to reach 4.6 million people, after the
floods that hit the country during in October, it
is estimated that 270 million
dollars are needed to cover the first
half of 2020: of this, 100 million dollars are
essential for January 2020. The risk of famine was
reported by the Executive Director of the UN
Specialized Agency, David Beasley, who on the
basis of the estimate made launches an appeal for
strong financial support.
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Strong
appeal from the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights to the Iranian Government
In
light of information that begin to filter on the
recent protests in Iran on November 15th, the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet,
expresses concern about the continuing lack of
transparency about the victims and physical
treatments, the violations of a fair trial of the
hundreds of detainees as well as the arrests
taking place. At least 7.000 people have been
arrested in 28 of Iran’s 31 provinces. The UN
Human Rights Office has information suggesting
that at least 208 people were killed, including 13
women and 12 children. The same concern for
intimidation against journalists who report the
situation both inside and outside the country. The
High Commissioner urges the authorities for an
immediate release from detention all protestors
who have been arbitrarily deprived of their
liberty, and to ensure their rights to due
process; urges the Iranian Government, in the
event of further protests, to respect Iranians'
rights to exercise freedom of expression, peaceful
association and to investigate violations that
have occurred.
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The
Afghanistan Papers show the corrosive consequences
of letting corruption go unchecked
A
toxic mix of U.S. government policies, under the
administrations of George W. Bush and Barack
Obama, directly contributed to Afghanistan’s
descent into one of the world’s most corrupt
countries.
U.S.
leaders said publicly that they had no tolerance
for corruption in Afghanistan, but that was one of
several topics related to the war effort on which
they systematically misled the public, according
to a trove of confidential government interviews
obtained by The Washington Post.
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