By Ahan Gadkari Source: https://ejfoundation.org/news-media/for-climate-refugees-tomorrow-will-be-too-late I.              Introduction: On 7th January 2020, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (“UNHRC”) missed an opportunity to advocate for climate opportunities as it adopted its decision in the case of Ioane Teitiota v. New Zealand. When looking at legal commentary surrounding the issue, the verdict appears to have been heralded as a significant success for climate change refugees and the movement in general. Academics a ..read more

This week the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights is having its 186th Period of Sessions at UCLA. This post is made up of highlights of each of the hearings from Friday, March 10, 2023.  Right to identity of trans persons in El Salvador Participants: RedLacTrans, Arcoiris El Salvador (ASPIDH), State of El Salvador By Erin Rubin Contributed by Leah Bishop Representatives of trans and LGBTQ+ rights organizations appeared before the Commission to request their assistance pressuring the government of El Salvador to pass laws protecting the trans and gender-nonconforming people from viol ..read more

This week the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights is having its 186th Period of Sessions at UCLA. This post is made up of highlights of each of the hearings from Thursday, March 9, 2023.  Rights of Haitians in mobility in the United States Participants: Transnational Legal Clinic University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, International Human Rights Clinic and Immigration Clinic University of Miami School of Law, Haitian Bridge Alliance, RFK Human Rights, Alternative Chance, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDJ), United States By Aizzah Adil Contributed by Ezgi Kuyu ..read more

By Irene Rizzolatti, Rammya Rajan, and Shayla Sullivan The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (“CERD”) convened its 107th Session to review the policies and practices of the United States of America (“U.S.”) with civil society representatives, Country Rapporteurs, and representatives of the U.S government in Geneva, Switzerland from August 8-11.  Importance of CERD CERD holds governments accountable for their international obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (“ICERD”). It does so by evaluating state pra ..read more

by Madhavi Narayanan On Tuesday, March 1, Singapore will decide whether to execute Nagaenthran Dharmalingam (known as “Naga”), a Tamil Malaysian man who was set to be hanged last November for drug trafficking. Naga’s mental state is such that he does not know he is on death row. Despite multiple appeals, expert testimony as to his intellectual disability, over 10 years on death row, and international cries for clemency, only one thing temporarily stayed his execution: Naga’s COVID-19 positive result. As Singapore’s Court of Appeals prepares for one last hearing before ordering his execution in ..read more

by Amy McMeeking   Elementary school children in the Quiché department of Guatemala. Quiché is home to several indigenous Mayan languages, such as Ixil and K’iche’, that are spoken by immigrant communities in the United States. Photo from Sam Lee via Flickr.   2022 begins the United Nations (UN) International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL), which aims to “draw attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages.” These goals align with language justice, which several civil society organizations ha ..read more

An interview with Ohene Yaw Ampofo-Anti, Program Associate at Centre for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)UCLA Law School Alumni Class of 2019 When were you at UCLA and where did you do your undergraduate studies? I was at UCLA from August 2018 until May 2019 to do an LLM with specializations in Public Interest Law and Policy; and Critical Race Studies. Before my LLM, I did an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) at the University of Cape Town from 2009 until 2013. What is your current role? I am a Program Associate. In my role, I provide research and advocacy support across several CESR projects, with a pa ..read more

by Landry Ballance   The recognition of the right to a healthy environment by the UNHRC is a distinct and hard-won victory that sends an impactful and aspirational message to activists. Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash.   Human health is intimately connected to the environment in which one lives.  As research has shown, defects in the natural environment can negatively affect human health and well-being.  For example, pollutants alone have been linked to heart disease, respiratory illness, and even some cancers.  By World Health Organization estimates, as many as 13 ..read more

by Nalinaksha Singh The Supreme Court of Mexico has recently pronounced a series of landmark rulings championing reproductive justice. The foremost of these rulings is the Court’s unanimous decision (10-0) to decriminalise abortion in the state of Coahuila and declare the state’s regressive anti-abortion law to be unconstitutional. As stated by Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar, this decision is “a watershed moment in the history of the rights of all women, especially the most vulnerable.” The Coahuila Ruling Coahuila is one of Mexico’s northern states. It shares a border with Texas. Locator map ..read more

by Aisiri Raj and Rahul Rajasekar   Brazil’s failed land demarcation policy has allowed extractive industries to access natural resources on indigenous lands, especially in the Amazon. Photo by Wilson Dias/Agência Brasil on Wikimedia Commons.   In the past few years, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has embarked on the commercialization of indigenous lands in the name of economic development, which has forced the indigenous peoples of the Amazon to defend their lands and resources. Although such attacks on indigenous peoples’ rights are not new, President Bolsonaro’s explicit anti ..read more