TIMOR-LESTE ISSUES UN-BACKED HUMANRIGHTS GUIDE FOR ARMED FORCESA

TIMOR-LESTE ISSUES UN-BACKED HUMANRIGHTS GUIDE FOR ARMED FORCESA booklet that aims to buildhuman rights awareness among the members of the armed forcesof the young nation of Timor-Leste was released today andimmediately welcomed by the United Nations mission in thecountry, known as UNMIT. This initiative by theGovernment is a sign of its commitment to human rights asexpressed by Prime Minister Xanana GusmxE3,o, the Chief ofthe Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section of UNMIT,Louis Gentile, said, pointing out that the Prime Ministerhas repeatedly stressed the importance of human rights as akey element to strengthen the professionalism of the armedforces.Described by UNMIT as a user-friendly, portableguide for the forces 700 soldiers, the booklet wasdeveloped by the Ministry of Defense with the assistance ofUNMIT and is available in Tetun, Portuguese andEnglish.It provides an introduction to basic human rightsconcepts and addresses such issues as the role of armedforces in a democratic state and accountability ofindividuals Rosetta Stone V3 for their actions, UNMIT said.The publicationwas formally presented to President JosxE9, Ramos-Horta, inhis capacity as Supreme Commander of the Defence Force, atthe opening of the Security Sector Reform and DevelopmentSeminar held at the Presidents Palace, Lahane, Dili,today.An UNMIT report in August said that Timor-Leste wasmaking progress in key human rights areas, includingadherence to the rule of law, strengthening the judicialsystem and addressing past violations.However, theMission expressed concern over an increase in the number ofcases of ill-treatment by members of the security forcesreported during the state of exception that followed theFebruary assassination attempts against PresidentRamos-Horta and Prime Minister GusmxE3,o. SOME50,000 COLOMBIANS IN ECUADOR TO BE REGISTERED UNDERUN-BACKED SCHEMENearly 50,000 Colombian refugees areexpected to benefit from the Ecuadorian Governmentsnationwide registration scheme, which aims to recognize anddocument refugees who have been in the country for more thana year, the United Nations said today.Ecuador is home tosome 20,000 refugees, but an additional 130,000 people whomay be in need of international protection have not beenregistered, either through lack of information or difficultyof access, according to the UN High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR). Like other countries in the region,Ecuador faces a major challenge of refugee documentation, UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters inGeneva.The scheme began this week in two pilot locationsin Rosetta Stone Spanish Latin Ecuadors Amazonian region along the border withColombia the small community of Barranca Bermeja and LaBonita. Three mobile teams made up of registrationofficials, representatives from the Ecuadorian Governmentand UNHCR observers are taking part in the pilotphase. The objective is to speed up the registrationprocess, so that people in need of international protectioncan be interviewed, assessed and issued with documentationon the same day, said Mr. Redmond.According to UNHCR,the majority of refugees come from Colombia, where armedconflict and violence have forced millions of people to fleetheir homes.UNHCR in Colombia marked the 60th anniversaryof the Universal Declaration of Human Rights earlier thisweek by issuing a new call for solidarity with internallydisplaced people.During a celebration in BogotxE1, onWednesday night, 5,000 paper lanterns were lit up in supportof internally displaced people and other victims of theconflict.The celebration marked the close of theUNHCR-led Corre por la Vida (Running for Life) campaign tofoster solidarity with the displaced and raise understandingof the massive human rights violations that lead to forceddisplacement.The UN refugee agency has 12 offices insideColombia, where it has been working since 1998 to supportthe South American nation in addressing one of the largestcrises of forced internal displacement in the world.Itworks from four locations in Ecuador, three of them alongthe northern border with Colombia. UNHCR also has offices inVenezuela, Brazil, Panama and Costa Rica, all of which havelarge numbers of Colombian refugees. CYPRUS:SECURITY COUNCIL EXT MANDATE OF UN PEACEKEEPINGMISSIONThe Security Council today extended the mandate ofthe United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP)by six months, welcoming Septembers historic launch oftalks between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and TurkishCypriot communities aimed at reunifying the Mediterraneanisland.The Council voted unanimously to keep the mission,which has been in operation since 1964 after the eruption ofintercommunal violence between the Greek Cypriot and TurkishCypriot communities, in place through 15 June 2009.Thenegotiations have created the prospect of a comprehensiveand durable settlement, the resolution said, urging thesides to take full advantage of the opportunity by steppingup the pace of talks and maintaining the existing atmosphereof trust and goodwillThe 15-member body also called onthe sides to continue to consult with UNFICYP on thedemarcation of the buffer zone.In his latest report onCyprus to the Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said hewas encouraged that Greek Cypriot leader DemetrisChristofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat haddecided Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish to resume formal negotiations towards achieving abizonal, bicommunal federation. It reflected politicalcourage, vision and commitment, which both leaders clearlyshare, he wrote.The latest round of talks took placebetween the leaders of the two communities last week in theUN Protected Area in Nicosia.