Kenya 'Olkaria IV' Case Study Report: Human Rights Analysis of the Resettlement Process

This case study considers the involuntary resettlement of about 950 people in August 2014 as part of the Olkaria IV project. Olkaria IV is a 140 MW geothermal power plant in Kenya, constructed with the financial support of European and other international finance institutions (IFIs). The Olkaria area by now has four plants and another four are being planned. In addition to Olkaria, geothermal exploration has been undertaken elsewhere in the Rift Valley. All Kenyan geothermal power plants, in Olkaria and elsewhere, are already or are expected to be registered as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. Geothermal power also accommodates international donors’ and development banks’ official commitments to support climate mitigation. In this context the Olkaria IV resettlement may serve as a showcase of the socioeconomic challenges and human rights infringements project affected people are exposed to. The case study discusses the alleged human rights violations and disentangles the complex web of responsibilities. It provides for local background information, discusses the national and international legal frameworks, and puts its focus on the extraterritorial obligations of the financiers, in particular of the European Investment Bank and its shareholders: the EU and the EU member states. Emphasis of the human rights analysis rests on the situation of procedural rights, which arguably contributed to the infringement of substantive rights

Human rights and the clean development mechanism

The 2010 UN climate conference in Cancún emphasized that "Parties should, in all climate change related actions, fully respect human rights". However, so far there is no further guidance. This article discusses the relevant legal human rights norms and two case studies from the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The first case (Bajo Aguán, Honduras) shows that the current absence of any international safeguards can lead to registration of highly problematic projects. The second case (Olkaria, Kenya) suggests that safeguards, introduced here as a side effect of World Bank involvement, can have a positive impact, but that it is necessary to have them based on human rights. It therefore seems recommendable that the UN climate regime develop mandatory human rights safeguards. In addition or alternatively, individual buyer countries or groups of countries, such as the European Union, could introduce their own additional requirements for CDM projects

Human rights and the clean development mechanism

The 2010 UN climate conference in Cancún emphasized that "Parties should, in all climate change related actions, fully respect human rights". However, so far there is no further guidance. This article discusses the relevant legal human rights norms and two case studies from the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The first case (Bajo Aguán, Honduras) shows that the current absence of any international safeguards can lead to registration of highly problematic projects. The second case (Olkaria, Kenya) suggests that safeguards, introduced here as a side effect of World Bank involvement, can have a positive impact, but that it is necessary to have them based on human rights. It therefore seems recommendable that the UN climate regime develop mandatory human rights safeguards. In addition or alternatively, individual buyer countries or groups of countries, such as the European Union, could introduce their own additional requirements for CDM projects

Kommunikation mit dem Markt

KOMMUNIKATION MIT DEM MARKT Kommunikation mit dem Markt / Wilhelmy, Stefan (Rights reserved) ( -

Impact of electronic medical record on physician practice in office settings: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increased investments are being made for electronic medical records (EMRs) in Canada. There is a need to learn from earlier EMR studies on their impact on physician practice in office settings. To address this need, we conducted a systematic review to examine the impact of EMRs in the physician office, factors that influenced their success, and the lessons learned.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For this review we included publications cited in Medline and CINAHL between 2000 and 2009 on physician office EMRs. Studies were included if they evaluated the impact of EMR on physician practice in office settings. The Clinical Adoption Framework provided a conceptual scheme to make sense of the findings and allow for future comparison/alignment to other Canadian eHealth initiatives.</p> <p>In the final selection, we included 27 controlled and 16 descriptive studies. We examined six areas: prescribing support, disease management, clinical documentation, work practice, preventive care, and patient-physician interaction. Overall, 22/43 studies (51.2%) and 50/109 individual measures (45.9%) showed positive impacts, 18.6% studies and 18.3% measures had negative impacts, while the remaining had no effect. Forty-eight distinct factors were identified that influenced EMR success. Several lessons learned were repeated across studies: (a) having robust EMR features that support clinical use; (b) redesigning EMR-supported work practices for optimal fit; (c) demonstrating value for money; (d) having realistic expectations on implementation; and (e) engaging patients in the process.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Currently there is limited positive EMR impact in the physician office. To improve EMR success one needs to draw on the lessons from previous studies such as those in this review.</p

Entitlements, Capabilities and Human Rights

Schade J. Entitlements, Capabilities and Human Rights. In: Faist T, Schade J, eds. Disentangling Migration and Climate Change: Toward an Analysis of Methodologies, Political Discourses and Human Rights. Dordrecht/Heidelberg/New York/London: Springer; 2013: 231-253

Unilaterales US-Handeln im multilateralen Kontext - Eine tabellarische Übersicht

Schade J. Unilaterales US-Handeln im multilateralen Kontext - Eine tabellarische Übersicht. In: Hippler J, Schade J, eds. US-Unilateralismus als Problem von internationaler Politik und Global Governance. Vol 70. INEF Report. Duisburg: INEF Eigenverlag; 2004: 26-57

Climate change and planned relocation: Risks and a proposal for safeguards

Schade J. Climate change and planned relocation: Risks and a proposal for safeguards. In: Faist T, Schade J, eds. Disentangling Migration and Climate Change: Toward an Analysis of Methodologies, Political Discourses and Human Rights. Dordrecht/Heidelberg/New York/London: Springer; 2013: 183-206

'Zivilgesellschaft' - Eine vielschichtige Debatte

Schade J. 'Zivilgesellschaft' - Eine vielschichtige Debatte. INEF-Report. 2002;59

Zivilgesellschaft - eine Reformidee und ihre Grenzen

Schade J. Zivilgesellschaft - eine Reformidee und ihre Grenzen. Stimmen der Zeit. 2003;221(3):185-197