Humanity in Crisis -Youssouf Gabriel Bellamy

    In light of the tragic events that are taking place internationally, serious reflection is necessary. The past several days have been quite challenging, as I have family who has been affected by the maelstrom of the Paris attacks. However, as of today, I am relieved to know that all of my family is safe. As a French citizen, my sympathy remains with those suffering in France as a result of this catastrophe, but as a human being my concern and deepest sorrow is also with the individuals who were slain in Nairobi, Kenya at Garissa University just months ago.

   

                These atrocities reinforce the fragility of the human existence.  As people, we cannot predict our destiny, but we can ensure that we live our lives fully to best of our ability. When terror strikes, it compels us to rethink our purpose in life. 

            Unexpected tragedy reminds us to appreciate those closest to us and encourages us to reach out to those at a distance. Violence as a tactic of retaliation, or redemption is in and of itself a heinous act that only perpetuates more distrust, agony, and pain. The rather ominous status of international affairs presently, thus begs the question as to when will understanding, and empathy prevail? As we have all witnessed, there is much work to be done globally to further the prospect of world peace, and ultimately to reemphasize the value of humanity as a virtue. 

“Dum Spiro Spero”

While I breathe, I hope

-Cicero

The "Problem Tree" with Phoebe Godfrey

"Standing with Mizzou" March

The University of Connecticut standing with the University of Missouri

A conversation with Tim Hardy

I have to say it was certainly a pleasure to have Tim Hardy speak to our group via Skype from Burma yesterday. Not only did Tim shed light on his tremendous work to expand educational opportunities for the youth in need, but he also raised several critical concerns as to what must be done to ameliorate political/social and environmental issues throughout Myanmar.

     After hearing Katherine Thet Swe speak about her grandparent's involvement in the recent Burmese elections, and to hear Tim reaffirm the sentiments of optimism felt by his close friends, we can see how change and a potential shift in the status quo have the ability to affect people's lives. The case of authoritarianism in Burma as we realized in our discussion is very similar to Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and other East, and Southeast Asian nations where such regimes have had the ability to stifle and at very worst obstruct human development. It is gratifying to know that Tim's efforts contribute significantly to the attainment of human rights improvement globally. 

Katherine Thet Swe- "Share Your Experience", in Burma

The Right to Water Conference

Conference Overview

Without water, life is impossible. Such a basic fact should imply that all human beings have, if they have any rights at all, a fundamental right to water. And yet, it was not until 2010 that the international community fully and explicitly recognized the right to water. That year, the UN General Assembly declared that “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights,” and called upon states and international organizations to work together to “provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.” Such belated attention highlights the growing awareness of a “global water crisis” that threatens the lives and dignity of billions of people around the world. Although the natural sufficiency of water is a real problem for some parts of the world, the scarcity that drives this crisis is, as the 2006 UN Human Development Report notes, “rooted in power, poverty and inequality, not in physical availability.” As such, addressing the crisis will require the mobilization not only of economic resources and scientific expertise, but of public participation and political courage at all levels of society.

In 2011, the WHO and UNICEF estimate that 786 million people use unsafe drinking water sources and 2.5 billion—36% of the world’s population—lack access to improved sanitation facilities. The human costs of these failures are staggering. According to a recent UNDP report, some 1.8 million children die each year due to unclean water or poor sanitation; almost 450 million school days are lost each year because of water-related illness; millions of women and girls spend several hours each day collecting water for their households, thereby reinforcing gender hierarchies and limited their educational and economic opportunities. Unsurprisingly, such consequences are not equally distributed around the world: water rights deprivation affects the poorest countries the most, with many Sub-Saharan African countries in particular failing to reach Millennium Development Goals for either sanitation or safe drinking water.

With these challenges in mind, the UNESCO Chair and Institute of Comparative Human Rights will convene experts, activists, officials, and scholars from around the globe to examine the scope and nature of the global water crisis, to discuss the legal and institutional basis of the human rights to water and sanitation, and to consider some innovations and best practices that have been implemented or advocated around the world. As the world prepares to define the Post-2015 Development Agenda, this conference will provide a forum for students, faculty, and the community to explore the centrality of the right to water in our effort to build a more just and sustainable future.

*information provided by http://unescochair.uconn.edu/2015/10/12/right-to-water-conference/

The Dodd Prize

“I dedicate this award to all those who work for human rights in small places around the world,” Molly Melching

“President Clinton, I thank you for your service to the nation and the greater humanity,”

“Go forth and make an impact.”

Monthly Theme: Environmental Consciousness

        In light of our theme and the upcoming Right to Water Conference, it is great to begin the month with a new perspective. The research project I shared with you, which I began in college precipitated a journey to find pragmatic approaches to the improvement of Human Rights and the betterment of society. As I studied the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on the environment, it became abundantly clear, that when profit is concerned the individual is often an afterthought.

             Profit at the expense of one's livelihood is one of the reasons for the issues we observed in the film Maquilaopolis. The violation of ethical work conditions, uneven distributions of wealth, and the exploitation of women who work tirelessly for wages incommensurate to their efforts are all disadvantages that free trade and globalization invariably cause. In consideration of these concerns the broader questions to reflect on, are at what point will the general welfare of society and the conditions of individuals prevail in matters of economics, trade, and more broadly profitability. Alternatively, will the fate of humanity, and the environment, ultimately be subject to the dictates of capitalism?