The 24th of October 2015 the world will be hit by a blue wave reaching all main monuments,churches, archeological sites of almost 200 countries: blue, the official color of the United Nations that day celebrate its 70th birth anniversary.The statue of the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Pisa Tower, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Empire State Building in New York, the Hermitage Museum in Russia, all these monuments will remind us that 70 years ago, on that date, the Charter of the...

This Saturday we had the pleasure to assist to the VIDES European seminar “Volunteering changes the reality or the reality changes volunteering? An open horizon.” together with several Salesian representatives from all over the world and VIDES ex-volunteers.The speakers were Guido Barbera, president of VIDES International, Eugenio Melandri, Italian activist and politician, European parliamentarian, Co-founder of different associations and director of the magazine ”Solidarietá Internazionale”, Fabio Attard, Salesian’s international responsible of Youth Ministry, Sr. MariaGrazia Caputo, founder of VIDES and main representative to the UN at the IIMA Human Rigths...

On Tuesday, September 29, 2015 the office assisted to the “Cultural Rights and Vulnerable Groups” side event held by the UNESCO Basque Country Centre, UNESCO Etxea, and the International Catholic Centre of Geneva (CCIG). The panel consisted of Mylène Bidault. Human Rights Officer at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Gemma Carbó, Director of the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policies and Cooperation at the University of Girona and Beatriz Barreiro, Professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the Rey Juan Carlos University.The panelists discussed how cultural...

On the occasion of the 30th Session of Human Rights Council, IIMA addressed once again the topic of Youth Empowerment, by delivering an oral statement co-sponsored by VIDES.The human rights office of IIMA and VIDES urged the  Council to address major challenges youth are facing in regards to the full enjoyment of their rights. The statement highlighted the importance of  young people as an instrument in fostering constructive dialog for the well being of present and future generations. Accordingly, IIMA called on all Member States to take concrete actions at local and...

 “Show me who makes a profit from war and I’ll show you how to stop the war.”                                         Henry FordOn Thursday, September 17, the office attended in conjunction with the 30th session of the Human Rights Council the side-event “Where is the Political Will to Stop the Wars in Syria and Iraq?” organized by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See along with Caritas International, Dominicans for Justice and Peace,...

 “Show me who makes a profit from war and I’ll show you how to stop the war.”                                          Henry Ford On Thursday, September 17, the office attended in conjunction with the 30th session of the Human Rights Council the side-event “Where is the Political Will to Stop the Wars in Syria and Iraq?” organized by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See along with Caritas International, Dominicans for Justice and Peace, World Evangelical Alliance and Associazione Comunita Papa...

Imagine, your daughter disappears with a child in her womb and you never know what happened to either of them…Estela de Carlotto, a testimony of hope and peaceful fightThe 14 September 2015 the Permanent Mission of Argentina at the United Nations presented, at the Palais de Nations in Geneva, the movie “True truths” directed by Nicolás Gil Lavedra.  The protagonist Estela Barnes de Carlotto was among those present, as well as a large number of NGOs and ambassadors from the Human Rights Council Member States. “The truth is neither good...

On Monday the office of human rights attended the 30th Session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, where the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Humans Rights and the Report of the office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary General were discussed.Present in the council were H.E. Mr. Mangala Samaraweera,Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka, and H.E. Mr. Roberto Campa, Undersecretary for Human Rights, Ministry of the Interior, Mexico.The Council was inaugurated by a touching speech of the High Commissioner...

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.- Mother TheresaIt has been four years, 4 million refugees, 7.6 million of internally displaced people, 23 million in need and 220 000 deaths since Syria’s civil war started.Desperate to flee the violence that has overran their country and their lives, Syrians are taking dangerous routes in the search for peace in nearby countries. One of this routes is the passage to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea, in which according to a UNHCR...