Random

Just when you think it's all getting a bit repetitive, possibly a bit stale, maybe a little boring, you have a Tuesday night in Kampala.

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michéal Martin, has been on a five-day visit to Uganda. Uganda is Irish Aid's single biggest aid and development program, apparently, and the Irish are well known within Kampala for being one of the most prominent and active of the diplomatic missions here, being almost universally well-regarded. On Monday Michéal Martin announced a pledge of €166 million for Uganda over the next four years, which is an amazing and encouraging promise to make during a year when every diplomatic mission, NGO and aid project is experiencing budget difficulties. All of which makes me very proud; Ireland gives more per capita in foreign development aid than many European countries, and to lose this uniquely generous characteristic due to domestic crisis would be a true shame.

Anyway, there was a drinks reception at the Irish Ambassador's residence to mark the occasion. I would imagine most of the Irish in Kampala – and quite a few from upcountry – were there. The Residence is a nice spot: beautiful but not imposing, luxurious but casual. The wine was flowing along with 2-litre bottles of Paddy whiskey, and brown soda bread and smoked salmon was being served on trays. And more wine was flowing. The Ambassador and the Minister made short speeches (a group of Ugandan school girls had sung the Irish national anthem as gaeilge to the Minister at a remote rural school earlier that day, and yes, he made Cork-Kerry football jokes). More wine. We briefly said hello to the Minister and shook his hand. Another glass of wine, and then one for the road.

Who did I meet at the Residence?

An instructor from a teacher-training college in Dublin who was travelling all over the country visiting students who are on placement in Ugandan schools for the summer, and his teenage daughter who was accompanying him.

A girl from Galway who took a year out after her Leaving Cert to come here, aged 17, alone, to teach English. What was I doing when I was 17? As far as I can remember, I nervous about leaving my uncle's shop and getting a job somewhere else in town. Which is more unusual – that I was nervous and shy, or that she is so brave?

Some people I'd met very, very late on Saturday night, who didn't remember meeting me. Enough said...

People who knew Front Line, and my Director in Dublin, and Margaret, and my housemate Sarah. Kampala is a small place.

Another glass of wine.

At about 10.30, we all went off down the road to Bubbles O'Leary's, the Irish bar (yep, everyone I meet down here can mysteriously remember my surname...) There had been wild rumours that the Minister would make an appearance there, but it wasn't meant to be. In fairness, he had flown across the country and spent the day trecking around Karamoja, one of the most devastated and remote parts of rural Uganda, so it was probably a good reason to be tired.

Who did we meet at Bubbles?

A group of Mexicans who were in Uganda making a horror film. Not that they were just in Uganda making a horror film, but they had come to Uganda especially to make a horror film. Strangely I never found out exactly why Uganda was the place for the project. Also with them was a guy from Dun Laoighaire who had somehow met up with one of the crew and had come down here specifically to help out. Makes me feel I really don't ever come across the right people in my wanderings. I'm still disappointed they didn't ask me if I'd like to be a zombie or chain-saw victim or a poltergeist.

Three Irish soldiers who have been sent down here by the Defence Forces to join an EU Joint Task Force to train members of the Somali national army, the training taking place in Uganda. Yes, I did ask the very question – Somalia has a national army? Indeed they do. The problem is that they don't have jurisdiction over very much territory. One of them - of course - was from Killarney, a Ronan Corcoran from Lisivigeen, who knows my uncles (he seemed a bit upset actually that they were my uncles rather than my brothers – I take it I made him feel old...!) Talking about the Spa football team and explaining just where in Tiernaboul Knockeragh is located, in a pub in Kampala, with a guy wearing full khakis and a beret, was one of the more bizarre experiences I've had in a while.

An Irish lady I had previously heard about but hadn't met, who runs an organisation here that works with refugees, with whom I promptly had an energetic argument about the International Criminal Court.

Amongst others.

At about 2.30am, we were arguing with the single taxi driver left outside the bar, who was predictably trying to overcharge us, when a guy we had been talking to inside earlier on came along and told us he was going to Muyenga if we wanted a lift. We had never met him before, and had only talked to him for five minutes that night, but he went out of his way to give us a drive home. Not only that, but it turns out he is from South Africa and works in Kampala training a local football team. So a South African football coach gave us a lift us home on the night Spain beat Portugal. Why not?!

Don't mention the fact that I have to leave Uganda in two weeks' time. It's nights like these, random, spontaneous and beautifully wholesome fun, that makes the idea of it break my heart.

Armenia

In lieu of writing about Armenia, I'll show you a little of it instead...

Island monastery on Lake Sevan

Lake Sevan

With Orsi and Nabou from the Geneva office

Four little Ladas, all in a row... every second car in Armenia is soviet-era kitsch

Still cannot believe how fab this one was!

Armenia: UN expert urges Government to address ongoing obstacles faced by human rights defenders

The extended version of this kept us up late last night....!

Armenia - UN expert urges Government to address ongoing obstacles faced by human rights defenders

YEREVAN (18 June 2010) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, urged the Armenian authorities to publicly acknowledge the role and importance of human rights defenders, and to address the ongoing obstacles faced by them in the country.

The Special Rapporteur welcomed Armenia’s commitment to promoting respect for human rights, as demonstrated by its ratification of a wide number of international human rights instruments, and acknowledged the challenges faced by the Government of Armenia and its law enforcement officials.

“I am worried by documented cases of ongoing violence, assaults, intimidation, harassment and stigmatization of defenders, in particular journalists,” the UN independent expert said at the end of a five-day fact-finding mission to Armenia*, which was the first visit to the country by a UN Human Rights envoy since 2000.

Ms. Sekaggya noted that “these cases would seem to illustrate an apparent culture of impunity in Armenia which impinges upon the work of human rights defenders. This impunity appears to be closely related to the deep-rooted problems within the police system as well as with the shortcomings of the justice system.”

The human rights expert urged the authorities “to undertake prompt, thorough and transparent investigations of all human rights violations, in particular attacks against journalists, in order to create a safe and enabling environment in which human rights defenders can carry out their activities.”

“I would like to reiterate a request I made to the Prime Minister during my meeting with him asking him to publicly acknowledge the role and importance of human rights defenders in achieving a flourishing, pluralistic and democratic society,” she said.

The UN Human Rights Council envoy also drew attention to “the significant constraints imposed on the exercise of freedom of assembly in Armenia,” noting that “in a democratic society, the right to hold peaceful, open and public demonstrations, including indoor assemblies, should be available to all individuals without undue restrictions.”

“I also add my voice to those who have already expressed serious concerns about the amendments to the Law on Television and Radio. If signed into law by the President of Armenia, these amendments will further restrict and seriously hamper the plurality of voices and opinions available to Armenian society,” Ms. Sekaggya stressed.

In this context, Ms. Sekaggya recommended the Government “to implement a comprehensive programme of reform within the police service, to immediately take steps to address the shortcomings of the justice system.” In her view, “this should be carried out in conjunction with the implementation of an extensive anti-corruption strategy in order to ensure accountability within government structures.”

The UN independent expert emphasized the need to fully consult, include and incorporate the views of civil society and human rights defenders in decision-making processes; as well as addressing the specific needs of human rights defenders, including women defenders and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) defenders within the National Action Plan on Human Rights.

The Special Rapporteur will present her report to the United Nations Human Rights Council at its sixteenth session in March 2011, and will make further recommendations for the consideration of the Government and other stakeholders.

Margaret Sekaggya, a lawyer from Uganda, was appointed Special Rapporteur in March 2008 by the UN Human Rights Council. She is independent from any Government and serves in her individual capacity.

(*) Read the full statement by the Special Rapporteur:

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=10168&LangID=E

OHCHR Country Page

–

Armenia: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/AMIndex.aspx

Real Armenian Kitchen

Top Five Things About Armenia

• Long days: at 10pm it's still bright, 27 degrees, and people are swimming and lounging around on sunbeds beside the pool (In Kampala it gets dark at 7pm all year round)
• No mosquitoes!!! In Uganda, lounging around a pool after 6pm would involve so many mozzie bites that it wouldn't make life worth living
• Strong showers. Showers in Africa dribble, for obvious reasons
• Fast internet. My god, its life changing. In Kampala I usually read newspaper articles or go off and watch the kettle boil while waiting for emails to open or attachments to download...
• Coffee. Coffee, and wonderful bread. And mezze. And dolma. Fruit. Salad. Fresh cherries. Cheese. Copious amounts of vegetables, in all the colours of the rainbow. And did I mention the coffee?

We had lunch Sunday, our only free day, at "Real Armenian Kitchen", a restaurant recommended to us near the hotel. Because it was Sunday and we're in the government/business district it was very quiet so we were the only people there besides some people who knew the owners - everyone was sitting around watching the football on a flat screen tv. We had an overwhelmingly warm welcome and service from them, but the problem is we have no idea why. There were three possibilities:

• Armenians are genuinely lovely, warm people who treat guests with great generosity
• The restaurant owners were good businessmen who were upselling hard and wanted us to come back and bring more business
• They don't see many Africans around here (we have two - Margaret, who is Ugandan, and Nabou, who is from Senegal)

Which do you think is more likely?!

It was quite endearing, they were so excited to see us. They kept bringing us food. As we tried to decipher the menu and decide what to order, they just started bringing food to the table ("Appetizer! Is appetizer!") and they kept on going. Plate after plate, after plate. ("Is ok, is appetizer!").

First an overflowing basket of four types of that wonderful bread (flat, white, black and plaited). A plate of three different types of cheese (sheep, goat and a yellow one, cow I guess). A plate piled high with cucumber, oddly phallic hot green peppers and fat, rich, ripe tomato - made me think straight away of pomidori, almost exactly the same as the great Polish summer tomatoes, which make you realise that we've forgotten what real tomatoes taste like in Ireland. A plate of two types of dried/cured beef ("Is Armenian. Is good!"). A bowl of cold stewed aubergine, tomato and sweet peppers, sort of a pepperonata or ratatouille ("Is homemade!"). A plate of "greens", but what a lovely plate - radishes, spring onions, bunches of parsley and other herbs, and a mix of dark and green leaves.

We didn't order any of this: when the first plates began to arrive ("Is appetizer!") we thought, ok, that looks nice - no harm to have something to pick on, to start with. But as the table started to fill up and we began to run out of room to fit all the bowls and dishes, we had to start turning them away. Another plate of cured meat for example. Pyramids of asparagus. And they were very upset that we refused soup ("Chicken soup - is very good! No? Asparagus soup? Bean soup? No? No? Yoghurt soup then").

On top of all this - and it would have more been more than enough - we had main courses coming. I had beautiful dolma - meat and rice mixed with herbs, onion and garlic and wrapped up in vine leaves, with a yoghut and garlic sauce. Yum yum yum. Orsi had the dolma filling stuffed into vegetables like courgette and cabbage rather than vine leaves. Nabou had veal stew with flat bread. Margaret had the brilliantly-named "domestic chicken". Domestic chicken turned out to be tiny, not much bigger than a pigeon, spatch-cocked and laid out on the plate with its little legs thrown up in surrender. She said it was tasty but labour-intensive in terms of deconstruction.

Then the presents began. A jug of strawberry wine, which was ludicrously delicious, like a concoction from a fairy tale or a children's movie where they drink something utterly scrumptious that couldn't seem to possibly exist in real life. Also a jug of dark red juice, half full of cherries soaked and bloated which were put out in a bowl for us when the jug of juice was drained. I think it was cherry juice but I'm not sure if it was a mix - it was slightly dry and tart like cranberry ("This from us, this present - you try!").

Halfway through our main courses he arrived with another plate of cured meat. No, no, we couldn't possibly - we already had more than enough food. "No, you try," he insisted, putting one piece on each of our plates. "Is from chef. Is Armenian! Is very good. You try." As if it was of such good quality that we really had to try it for our own good, he knew better than we did that we needed to taste it, it'd be good for us. He seemed terribly relieved when we all brightened and smiled and agreed it was very nice.

Dessert? Absolutely not - we couldn't possibly. Full stomach gestures all round the table, comical and absurd. No! That wouldn't do. He dashed enthusiastically over to a table in the centre of the room where a few dishes of cakes were covered with cling film. "No no, you try, you try!"

No, really, we were full (we also had no idea at this point how much anything cost or whether they were just ripping us off).

"Is present!" he cheered, full of excitement and joy, like a child giving a gift he has made himself. Plates were whipped away, new ones appeared from cupboards, and a dish of pastries was placed in front of us. We didn't have a chance to pick up our spoons before a second guy was bringing over plates of stiff yoghurt and a bowl of honey. ("Is Armenian. Is natural. Is homemade!"). The yoghurt was really like ricotta, stiff as ice cream so that a spoonful sat up by itself, pert on the plate. I can't bear dairy but even I thought it was lovely; with the honey in fact it was almost immaculately beautiful. There was something ancient and ancestral about it. Just a spoonful made you think of the farmers and the hills and the countryside, and of the timelessness of so simple and perfect a recipe must be unchanging, of all the generations and the peoples over all the hundreds of years who must have eaten food just exactly like this.

And in fairness to them, everything was a present. They didn't charge us for drinks or desert or the things they had pressed upon us as gifts. And after fierce hand shaking and wild gesturing and profuse, broken English, we stumbled outside laughing and tottered back to the hotel to fall into a happy food coma.

Human rights defenders:UN expert launches fact-finding mission to Armenia

Woohoo!

About to run to the airport, to face a 32 hour journey to Yerevan....

Media Advisory

10 June 2010

Human rights defenders: UN expert launches fact-finding mission to Armenia

GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, will undertake her first fact-finding mission to Armenia from 14-18 June 2010, in what will also be the first visit to the country by a UN Human Rights envoy since 2000.

“The recent review of Armenia’s human rights record in the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council,” the independent expert said, “provides a good opportunity to discuss the recommendations pertinent to the human rights defenders mandate and to assess the mechanisms the Government has already and intends to put in place in the future in order to implement them.”

“The aim of the mission is to evaluate in person, in an objective and impartial manner, the situation of human rights defenders in the country, and to initiate a process of constructive cooperation with the authorities,” added Mrs. Sekaggya, who will visit Armenia at the invitation of the Government.

In order to gather first-hand information, the Special Rapporteur will meet with State officials, representatives of the legislative and judicial branches, a broad segment of civil society and the press, representatives of UN agencies and regional human rights organizations, and the diplomatic corps.

A press conference will be held in Yerevan at the conclusion of the Special Rapporteur’s visit on 18 June 2010 at xx pm, in the UN Conference Hall.

A final report on the visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in 2011.

ENDS

Margaret Sekaggya, a magistrate from Uganda, was appointed Special Rapporteur in March 2008 by the UN Human Rights Council. She is independent from any Government and serves in her individual capacity.

For more information about the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, log on to: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/index.htm

OHCHR Country Page – Armenia:

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/AMIndex.aspx

DRC: UN experts call for reinforcement of investigation into killing of prominent Congolese human rights defender

GENEVA (9 June 2010) – A group of UN independent experts* welcomed the announced suspension of the chief of the Congolese National Police, General Inspector John Numbi, and the arrest of several police officers in the investigation of the killing late last week of human rights defender Floribert Chebeya Bahizire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the disappearance of his driver, Fidele Bazana Edadi.

“This killing not only deprives the DRC of one of its most vocal and effective human rights defenders, but also sends a message of intimidation and brutality to the entire DRC human rights community“, said the experts. “Failure to identify and prosecute the perpetrators would constitute a huge step backwards, and risks undermining many of the Government’s other efforts”, they noted. “Urgent efforts should also be deployed to locate Mr Edadi, whose whereabouts are still unknown.”

While welcoming the arrests that have been made, the experts urged the DRC authorities to invite independent forensic experts to assist in the investigation and ensure that any prosecutions that are brought are solidly supported by all available forensic and other evidence.

The experts welcomed the call by the UN Secretary-General for a thorough, transparent and independent investigation, and the commitment by the Congolese Minister of Interior in relation to the investigation. “Bringing in international expertise to reinforce the domestic investigation would show clearly and unmistakably the Government’s commitment to solving this terrible crimem,” the experts said.

In addition, the experts recalled the previous recommendation contained in reports of several Special Procedures mandate-holders to adopt national and provincial laws on the protection of human rights defenders, developed in consultation with civil society. Such laws would certainly enhance and give legitimacy to the work of defenders.

In the ongoing context of attacks and threats against defenders and journalists, and the prevailing impunity in most cases, the Special Rapporteurs further recalled that there can be no democracy without human rights defenders, including journalists. “The Government of the DRC has the prime responsibility under international human rights law to ensure the protection of human rights defenders against any violence, threats, retaliation, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a result of their human rights work,” they concluded.

(*) The Special Procedures mandate-holders are Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=10133&LangID=E

Catch Up

I have shamefully neglected this the last week or two, but only because I have been far too busy for my own good, both in terms of work and in terms of enjoying myself.

This weekend I travelled to remote north west Uganda, to the West Nile district, visiting a friend who is volunteering up there. It was quite the experience - she's one of only two muzungus in town, and I found the countryside and people up there markedly different to the places I've been so far. It all made a strong impression so I will write more in a few days when I've had some time to collect my thoughts.

In other news, work has been very busy as we're currently preparing for an official country visit by the Special Rapporteur next week. Margaret undertakes two official missions per year during which she generally carries out fact-finding, meets government, defenders and civil society, and carries out an overall review of the situation for human rights defenders in the country. Guess where she's heading to?

Armenia.

And guess who's wonderful employers have provided funding to accompany her?

Yes, I have been an extremely lucky girl this year..... !

So we leave on Friday for 10 days, and hence the pressure is on at the moment.

In lieu of a more caring entry for you, my dedicated and beloved readers (whomsoever you may be) I'm posting a few photos I took last week of the kids messing around at the house. I previously wrote about my Ugandan digs here but never provided any photos of my housemates. Below you can see nine-year old Sharon, five-year old Jojo and four-year old Chris messing around on a Thursday afternoon.