This week, leaders from around the globe met at the United Nations to review the world’s progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While there’s been some improvement, it’s been uneven. The world won’t win the fight against poverty until it puts human rights at the heart of the struggle. In the last several weeks, tens of thousands of Amnesty International activists have raised their voices in support of that message.
Last Thursday, in advance of the MDGs summit, Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty delivered more than 20,000 signatures and postcards from around the world to Joseph Deiss, the incoming president of the U.N. General Assembly and co-chair of the meeting.
Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty (R) delivers petitions and postcards to incoming U.N. General Assembly President Joseph Deiss (L)
Today, as the General Assembly begins the work of its annual session, including implementing the outcomes of the summit, Amnesty International activists sent a second batch of more than 20,000 signatures and postcards to Mr. Deiss — bringing the total to more than 46,000 names.
Amnesty activists mail petitions and postcards to U.N. General Assembly President Joseph Deiss
There are only five years left until 2015, the deadline for meeting the Goals. And the debate about what anti-poverty framework should replace the MDGs after 2015 — that is, what “MDGs 2.0” should look like — is already well underway. As supporters of human rights, this is a critical moment for us to insist that principles like anti-discrimination, participation and accountability be at the core of the global fight against poverty.
I really have great respect for Amnesty International. They were challenging human rights before any other organization that I know of. I wrote letters in the 80's to various governments.
The United Nations at this point is a shell of what it could be. It's pretty much a political machine at this point. But it could be an instrument for the " people" if Amnesty International could demand more from itself and challenge every government, including the US.
To me it seems Amnesty is designed as the antithesis of the UN as it is now.
Your website is just not enough.
There are plenty of ultra liberal websites. You are extremely different because you have the immediate political power that might force a government to change policy.
I do give money. If you don't have enough money get volunteers to challenge governments. I know there are lawyers who would give time to challenge the infinite number of horrendous decisions made by governments that cause continuous suffering.
The UN should be continually canceled out by Amnesty. As a member, I would hope that you would challenge ALL injustices.
Susan Redding
Broomall PA
I really have great respect for Amnesty International. They were challenging human rights before any other organization that I know of. I wrote letters in the 80’s to various governments.
The United Nations at this point is a shell of what it could be. It’s pretty much a political machine at this point. But it could be an instrument for the ” people” if Amnesty International could demand more from itself and challenge every government, including the US.
To me it seems Amnesty is designed as the antithesis of the UN as it is now.
Your website is just not enough.
There are plenty of ultra liberal websites. You are extremely different because you have the immediate political power that might force a government to change policy.
I do give money. If you don’t have enough money get volunteers to challenge governments. I know there are lawyers who would give time to challenge the infinite number of horrendous decisions made by governments that cause continuous suffering.
The UN should be continually canceled out by Amnesty. As a member, I would hope that you would challenge ALL injustices.
Susan Redding
Broomall PA
The MDGs are noble goals in themselves. Inclusion of the human rights approach to achieving them will make the impact of these goals effective and sustainable.
Progress in MDGs have been uneven and it is well accepted that not all countries will achieve them- some will achieve some of the goals and some will not achieve any. However, this does not mean that progress is not being made. On the contrary, huge progress has been made since the inception of MDGs. We are saving millions of lives of children and women due to our combined effort towards MDGs. As Melinda Gates rightly said about slow progress on MDGs at the UN meeting "We need to be impatient with the way the world is but we need to be very optimistic towards the future".
I do not believe that it is Amnesty Vs the UN as the earlier comment suggests. We are here to champion a cause i.e. human rights. The key to achieving it is not working against each other but forging an alliance within organizations that believe in that cause. And I believe that the UN fundamentally believes in the cause of human rights and can be a strong ally of Amnesty.
The MDGs are noble goals in themselves. Inclusion of the human rights approach to achieving them will make the impact of these goals effective and sustainable.
Progress in MDGs have been uneven and it is well accepted that not all countries will achieve them- some will achieve some of the goals and some will not achieve any. However, this does not mean that progress is not being made. On the contrary, huge progress has been made since the inception of MDGs. We are saving millions of lives of children and women due to our combined effort towards MDGs. As Melinda Gates rightly said about slow progress on MDGs at the UN meeting “We need to be impatient with the way the world is but we need to be very optimistic towards the future”.
I do not believe that it is Amnesty Vs the UN as the earlier comment suggests. We are here to champion a cause i.e. human rights. The key to achieving it is not working against each other but forging an alliance within organizations that believe in that cause. And I believe that the UN fundamentally believes in the cause of human rights and can be a strong ally of Amnesty.