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world news Diaranson 23 Juni 2021

China, Canada spar at UN body over human rights failings

(AP) — Canada and 40 people have been arbitrarily
other countries on Tues- detained in Xinjiang — some
day urged China to allow facing torture and other “in-
“immediate, meaningful human” treatment — and
and unfettered access” that Uyghurs and others face
so independent observ- disproportionate surveillance
ers can visit its western and restrictions on their cul-
Xinjiang region, while a ture.
Chinese envoy demanded China has insisted the cen-
that Canadian authorities ters are used for training and
“stop violations of human to help fight terrorism in
rights” at home. Xinjiang.
The mutual finger-pointing, The statement from Norton
which preceded admissions also called for an end to “the
from Canada’s envoy about arbitrary detention of Uy-
shortcomings in her coun- ghurs and members of other
try’s rights record, came in a Muslim minorities,” and also
debate at the Human Rights expressed concerns about
Council, the U.N.’s top hu- human rights in Hong Kong
man rights body. and Tibet.
The showdown in the largely China’s statement about
virtual council session ex- Canada was on behalf of sev-
posed an ongoing rift be- eral other countries, includ-
tween the West and allies ing Russia, Belarus, North
of China, which has been of crimes against Indigenous Canada presented a state- including the High Com- Korea, Iran and Syria.
increasingly pushing back peoples and faulted racism ment from 41 mostly West- missioner,” Canadian am-
against the criticism of its hu- and xenophobia in Canada. ern countries that echoed bassador Leslie Norton said, “We acknowledge that Cana-
man rights record. widespread concerns among referring to the U.N. High da has historically denied the
“We urge Canada to im- human rights groups about Commissioner for Human rights of Indigenous peoples
Chinese envoy Jiang Duan mediately stop violations of detention centers in Xin- Rights Michelle Bachelet. through assimilationist poli-
inveighed against Canada’s human rights,” he said, add- jiang, where hundreds of cies and practices,” said Nor-
past mistreatment of Indig- ing that U.N. bodies should thousands of Muslim Uy- Bachelet’s office has been ton. “We know that the world
enous peoples and the re- “keep following the human ghurs and other minorities trying since the start of her expects Canada to adhere to
cent discovery of the remains rights issues in Canada.” have been held. tenure in 2018 to arrange a international human rights
of more than 200 children visit to Xinjiang and she said standards. We, too, expect no
at an Indigenous boarding “Canada has also repeatedly “We urge China to allow im- Monday she hoped to carry less of ourselves.”
school in Canada. He called used human rights as an in- mediate, meaningful and un- one out by year’s end. Canada held its National In-
for a “thorough and impar- strument to promote its po- fettered access to Xinjiang Norton cited “credible re- digenous Peoples’ Day cel-
tial investigation” into cases litical agenda,” Jiang said. for independent observers, ports” that over 1 million ebrations on Monday.

Australia fights UN downgrade of Great Barrier Reef health

(AP) — Australia said headquarters in devising so- Australia, which is one of 21
Tuesday it will fight called “corrective measures,” countries on the committee,
against plans to down- which would likely include will oppose the listing, Ley
grade the Great Barrier tougher action to reduce said.
Reef ’s World Heritage sta- Australia’s greenhouse gas
tus due to climate change, emissions. “This decision was flawed.
while environmentalists Clearly there were politics
have applauded the U.N. Any downgrade of the reef’s behind it,” Ley told reporters.
World Heritage Commit- World Heritage status could “Clearly those politics have
tee’s proposal. reduce tourism revenue that subverted a proper process
the natural wonder generates and for the World Heritage
The committee said in a draft for Australia because fewer Committee to not even fore-
report on Monday that “there tourists would be attracted to shadow this listing is, I think,
is no possible doubt” that the a degraded environment and appalling.”
network of colorful corals off dead coral.
Australia’s northeast coast The network of 2,500 reefs tion Society environmental ally hope that it does make
was “facing ascertained dan- Reef cruise operators said the covering 348,000 square ki- consultant Imogen Zethoven because it will open up a lot
ger.” report was wrong and that lometers (134,000 square welcomed the committee’s of potential change,” she said.
tourists continued to be awed miles) has been World Her- recognition that “Australia
The report recommends that by dazzling coral and multi- itage-listed since 1981. hasn’t done enough on cli- Richard Leck, a spokesman
the world’s most extensive colored fish. But some tour- mate change to protect the for the environmental group
coral reef ecosystem be added ists said the reef had seemed But its health is under in- future of the reef.” WWF, said listing the reef as
to UNESCO’s List of World more colorful during visits creasing threat from climate in-danger would be “a real
Heritage in Danger, which decades ago. change and rising ocean tem- The reef would become the shock” to many Australians.
includes 53 sites, when the peratures. first site to be added to the
World Heritage Commit- Environment Minister Sus- List of World Heritage in In 2014, Australia was warned
tee considers the question in san Ley said she and Foreign The report found the site had Danger primarily for climate that an “in danger” listing
China in July. Minister Marise Payne had suffered significantly from change reasons, Zethoven was being considered rather
called UNESCO Director- coral bleaching events caused said. than being proposed for im-
The listing could shake Aus- General Audrey Azoulay to by unusually warm ocean mediate action. Australia had
tralians’ confidence in their express the government’s temperatures in 2016, 2017 “It would be a very signifi- time to respond by develop-
government’s ability to care “strong disappointment” and and last year. cant step for the World Heri- ing a long-term plan to im-
for the natural wonder and “bewilderment” at the pro- tage Committee to make this prove the reef’s health called
create a role for UNESCO posal. Australian Marine Conserva- decision and one that we re- the Reef 2050 Plan.