Great info Karen,

I would point people who are interested to the websites below for
information on NGO's efforts.


http://www.web.net/~ngoun98/

http://www.web.net/ccpi/un/


http://povnet.web.net/welhr.html

S

-----Original Message-----
From: Health Promotion on the Internet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Karen Serwonka
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000 6:52 PM


At the recent 4th Annual Western Canada Poor People's Conference in
Winnipeg, I learnt that some social justice groups such as the National
Anti-Poverty Organization have done some important work to expose the
violations by various levels of government in Canada (federal, provincial,
municipal) of international covenants (e.g. Human Right; Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights) signed at the United Nations.

Why am I mentioning this?  The observations of these UN committees can, in
turn, be used as powerful lobbying tools to hold our government(s) to task
for international obligations they have made by virtue of signing these
covenants.

>From a 1999 observation of the UN Human Rights Committee on fingerprinting,
it would seem that drug testing similarly violates the privacy rights of
social assistance recipients.  The 1999 UN Human Rights Committee
observation was as follows:

"The Committee is concerned about the increasingly intrusive measures
affecting the right to privacy, under article 17 of the Covenant
(International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), of people relying on
social assistance, including identification techniques such as
fingerprinting and retinal scanning.  The Committee recommends that the
State Party (the federal government) take steps to ensure the elimination of
such practices."
Source: Observation #16 in the Concluding observations of the Human Rights
Committee: Canada. 07/04/99. CCPR/C/79/Add.105. (Concluding
Observations/Comments)

We may have some influence over anti-democratic policy if we create more
opportunities to REMIND (or inform them in the first place) POLITICIANS at
all levels of government of their obligations under these international
covenants which Canada has signed.  I suggest partnering with the National
Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO) in Ottawa on such efforts.

As a signatory to these Covenants, the Federal Government must submit
reports to the UN Committees named above, (usually every five years).  NAPO
was one of several NGOs, whose witness testimony and evidence presented to
the commmittees, resulted in (a) UN recognition of areas where the
government failed to live up to the obligations, (b)UN recommendations on
how the goverment could meet their obligations under the convenants.

The Covenants which Canada has signed, as well as the Concluding
Observations from these UN Committees on Canada's progress in living up to
the commitments of these covenants, are available on the web site of the
United Nations High Commision for Human Rights at http://www.unhchr.ch/

Good luck in your lobbying efforts.

Karen Serwonka