177 research outputs found
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Rereading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: plurality and contestation, not consensus
In this paper I examine the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My analysis counters conventional narratives of consensus and imposition that characterize the development of the UN human rights regime. The central argument is that within the founding text of the contemporary human rights movement there is an ambiguous account of rights, which exceeds easy categorization of international rights as universal moral principles or merely an ideological imposition by liberal powers. Acknowledging this ambiguous history, I argue, opens the way to an understanding of human rights as an ongoing politics, a contestation over the terms of legitimate political authority and the meaning of âhumanityâ as a political identity
âRepeal the 8thâ in a Transnational Context: The Potential of SRHRs for Advancing Abortion Access in El Salvador
This article undertakes a discursive feminist reading of citizenship and human rights to understand, through the cases of Ireland and El Salvador, domestic abortion rights movements as part of a transnational womenâs rights movement. While abortion has been partially decriminalised in Ireland, approximately 42 per cent of the worldâs women1 of reproductive age still live in a country where abortion is prohibited entirely or only permitted to save a womanâs life or health (Singh et al., 2018, p. 4). In El Salvador, abortion is illegal and those suspected of having the procedure are prosecuted. As in Ireland, since 2012/2013 numerous controversies have brought the issue to wider public attention and have further galvanised the feminist movement to campaign for reform. Feminist abortion rights campaigns in both countries have connected important sites of activism and contestation: civil society, national parliaments, regional human rights systems and the United Nations
Using smart pumps to help deliver universal access to safe and affordable drinking water
It is estimated that broken water pumps impact 62 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the last 20 years, broken handpumps have represented US$1¡2â1¡5 billion of lost investment in this region, with 30â40% of rural water systems failing prematurely. While the contributory factors are complex and multi-faceted, the authors consider that improved post-construction monitoring strategies for remote water projects, which rely on smart pumps to monitor operational performance in place of physical site visits, may address some of these problems and help reduce the heavy time and resource demands on stakeholders associated with traditional monitoring strategies. As such, smart pumps could play a significant role in improving project monitoring and might subsequently help deliver universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030, which constitutes one of the key targets of United Nations sustainable development goal 6 and is embedded in some national constitutions
What could a strengthened right to health bring to the post-2015 health development agenda?: interrogating the role of the minimum core concept in advancing essential global health needs
Comparative and international higher education in a new key? Thoughts on the post-pandemic prospects of scholarship
How prevention of violence in childhood builds healthier economies and smarter children in the Asia and Pacific region
Involving Local Fishing Communities in Policy Making: Addressing Illegal Fishing in Indonesia
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing has been identified by the UN as one of the
seven major threats to global maritime security; it causes loss of economic revenue, severe
environmental damage, and far-reaching livelihood implications for coastal communities.
Indonesia, by far the biggest archipelagic state, faces enormous challenges in all aspects of
IUU fishing and addressing those is one of the current Indonesian Governmentâs top priorities.
This article addresses the under-researched dimension of how IUU fishing affects fishing
communities. With the use of collage making focus groups with fishermen from different
Indonesian fishing communities, the research highlights the interrelated environmental
(depletion of resources), socio-economic (unbridled illegal activities at sea), cultural
(favouritism) and political (weak marine governance) dimensions of IUU fishing as
experienced at the local level. However, the research also indicates a strong will by fishermen
to be seen as knowledge agents who can help solve the problem by better dissemination of
information and cooperation between the local government(s) and the fishing communities.
The article concludes by arguing for the involvement of local fishing communities in national
and international policy making that addresses IUU fishing
Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for achieving sustainable social housing (SSH)
The overarching objective of social housing is to meet housing needs, particularly those of the vulnerable households â low and middle income earners. However, there is evidence to show that social housing is not adequately supported to achieve sustainable goals despite its significance for addressing the housing crisis. The aim of this study is to determine the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for achieving Sustainable Social Housing (SSH) from economic, environmental and social perspectives for meeting housing needs. The document content analysis approach involving relevant literature resources was used for generating the success factors (SFs) for achieving SSH. Findings from this approach were refined before using them in preparing a questionnaire used to gather data from housing authorities (public) and private non-profit social housing organisations in England and they were asked to rank the criticality level of the identified success factors. The data gathered through the relevant documents and respondents were analysed respectively with NVivo and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Findings revealed some of the CSFs for achieving SSH for meeting housing needs as: adequate funding and provision, affordability, efficient economic planning, appropriate construction technology, environmental protection, use of environmental friendly materials, effective land use planning, appropriate design, security of lives and property, provision of social services and ensuring social cohesion. The paper recommends the use of efficient sustainable development (SD) strategies and legal and institutional frameworks for monitoring and evaluating the delivery of SSH. The Government must embark on effective housing programmes for ensuring adequate provision of social housing that is sustainable for meeting housing needs in the short and long-run. There is need for the Government to regularly provide financial supports to social housing providers and users for addressing the housing crisis
Exploring urban metabolismâTowards an interdisciplinary perspective
Š 2017 The Author(s) The discussion on urban metabolism has been long dominated by natural scientists focussing on natural forces shaping the energy and material flows in urban systems. However, in the anthropocene human forces such as industrialization and urbanization are mobilizing people, goods and information at an increasing pace and as such have a large impact on urban energy and material flows. In this white paper, we develop a combined natural and social science perspective on urban metabolism. More specifically, innovative conceptual and methodological interdisciplinary approaches are identified and discussed to enhance the understanding of the forces that shape urban metabolism, and how these forces affect urban living and the environment. A challenging research agenda on urban metabolism is also presented
Self-management of health by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
BackgroundSelfâmanagement of health includes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) playing a key role in health management in collaborating with healthcare professionals.MethodsThis study analysed data from Personal Outcome MeasuresÂŽ surveys (n = 1,341) to explore selfâmanagement of health. We had the following research questions: Who is most likely to be supported to selfâmanage their health? How does being supported to selfâmanage impact different areas of health? and How does being supported to selfâmanage impact other healthârelated organizational supports? ResultsFindings revealed the impact of selfâmanagement of health can be wideâranging, regardless of impairment severity. When supported to selfâmanage their health, healthcare professionals were more likely to address healthcare issues, and interventions were more likely to be effective.ConclusionsSelfâmanagement represents a paradigm shift for people with IDD because it transforms people from passive recipients to active directors of their health
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