International Law Blog Postings

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan today authorized the creation of a special UN political mission in Nepal to advance reconciliation, support a transitional government, and assist with elections. The mission consists of a small group of multi-disciplinary civilian advisors led by Ian Martin, in his new role as special envoy. Martin returns on Monday to Nepal from UN Headquarters in New York. It's unclear what the appointment means for his current role as the head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal. The mission is being created in response to a joint request by Nepal's government and the insurgent Maoist rebels for UN assistance. At first glance, the mission's limited staffing and lack of enforcement authority may seem an insufficient response, but the mission will have importance influence at a crucial juncture for Nepal's struggle for democratic self-determination. Continue Reading

Jiang Zuojun, China's Vice Minister of Health, today denounced the recent mass dog-destruction campaigns as unnecessary. He recommended that local authorities should increase rabies vaccinations as the primary control strategy. While his advice is consistent with the latest recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), he disappointedly failed to recognize rabies as a public health priority. At a press conference this morning, Jiang stated that the recent rabies fatalities are "normal" and that China has not experienced an increase in the number of rabies' incidences or deaths. However, according to data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention within China's Ministry of Health, rabies incidences during the first six months of 2006 increased 36% compared to the same time period in 2005. Moreover, the Center reported 198 deaths from rabies in June 2006, surpassing the number of deaths from tuberculosis to make rabies the country's leading epidemic killer that month. Given the desire and need by local authorities to protect public health against a growing threat, the Ministry of Health should be working with international agencies to develop a integrated rabies control strategy and to communicate the latest standards and guidelines to local authorities. Continue Reading

In a significant breakthrough, Nepal's government and the Maoist rebels today submitted a five-point letter to the United Nations requesting assistance with the ceasefire and the elections. The two sides specifically asked for a UN peace operation to monitor human rights, the ceasefire code of conduct, arms management of the rebels, the confinement of the army to its barracks, and the constituent assembly elections. The consensus letter comes a day after the rebel negotiators indicated that the peace talks were on the verge of collapse. The parties are to be commended for taking the courageous step to work with U.N. peace negotiators, the OHCHR, international conflict experts, and retired military strategists to end the decade-long insurgency through democratic means. Now, the world needs to assist Nepal with its transition to a post-conflict society. The UN can play a critical role in building a stable and enduring peace in Nepal by providing teams to implement security protocols during the interim government, to ensure inclusive participation of women, to monitor and verify election results, and to oversee the reconciliation process. Continue Reading

In response to three deaths in April from rabies and 360 reported dog bites this year, local officials in Yunnan Province, China, ordered the extermination of all dogs regardless of rabies vaccination status, with the exception of military and police canines. Since the start of the campaign on 25 July 2005, a total of 54,429 dogs in Mouding County have been killed by clubbing, hanging, electrocution, or drugs, according to the Shanghai Daily. On Thursday, officials in Shandong Province announced that they soon will kill all dogs within five kilometers of the villages where sixteen people have died from rabies in 2006. The dog-culling programs do not violate Chinese law or international laws because those laws only protect endangered species. The cullings do defy the conclusion by the World Health Organization in June 2005 that dog destruction efforts are ineffective and that the elimination of rabies requires mass vaccination programs. To control the threat to human health by rabies, China is encouraged to pursue a vaccination campaign in accordance with international standards and guidelines and to seek the assistance of international agencies, such as the OIE and WHO, to develop a long-term, integrated strategy. Continue Reading