UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 30 May 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

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Zeid urges further investigation into human rights violations by international forces in Central African Republic
GENEVA (30 May 2015) – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Saturday said he has urged several States to intensify their efforts to investigate long-standing allegations that soldiers in their forces sent to keep the peace in the Central African Republic may have committed very serious violations, including killing of civilians, summary executions, abductions and sexual exploitation of local women.

“These allegations were extremely disturbing,” Zeid said. “People in CAR were desperate for protection. The role of international forces in halting the worst of the fighting and sectarian slaughter in CAR has been invaluable, and their presence has unquestionably saved many, many lives. Yet, in some cases the longed-for protectors turned into predators.”

“In the wake of the revelations of alleged serious sexual abuse of children, currently under investigation by the French authorities, my Office has taken a deeper look into these issues and the extent of the follow-up into alleged serious violations by soldiers belonging to several other international contingents operating under the MISCA* umbrella in 2014,” the UN Human Rights Chief said. “Some of these incidents have been at least partly investigated, and some States have apparently sanctioned some of the soldiers involved, but the fact that a number of foreign contingents may have been implicated is in itself a matter of enormous concern.”…

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International development financing: “It’s not just about more resources” – UN human rights expert
5/26/2015
GENEVA (26 May 2015) – The Third International Conference on Financing for Development should endorse and reinforce a human rights based approach to development, UN expert Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky has said today, urging governments worldwide to drum up the necessary resources to ensure that future international development goals can realistically be met.

The appeal* by the UN Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and human rights comes as States negotiate the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 13-16 July 2015.
“Human rights must be at the core of development financing to ensure that everybody can enjoy a decent life, free from hunger, and has access to education, health care, housing and drinking water,” Mr. Bohoslavsky stressed. “The Conference should reiterate that the human being is the central subject of development and should be its active participant and beneficiary.”

The expert urged negotiators to recognize in the Conference’s outcome document that unsustainable debt burdens continue to pose challenges to sustainable development and to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. “While international debt relief for highly indebted poor countries has been important, most of them are expected to miss the UN Millennium Development by the end of this year,” he said.

“Unfortunately, some of these countries are again at risk of falling into a debt trap,” Mr. Bohoslavsky warned. “This failure should not be repeated and long-term solutions to the global problem of unsustainable debt are required, including for middle-income and highly developed countries.”

The Independent Expert noted that private finance and businesses enterprises can make an important contribution to sustainable development; however, he underscored that “the conference should reiterate that States have to ensure that all investments must comply with relevant social, environmental and human rights standards, including the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Guiding Principles on Foreign Debt and Human Rights.”

“Infrastructure projects financed by development loans have displaced millions of people around the world during the last decade and affected individuals have not always received adequate compensation,” he said expressing concern that the environmental and social safeguard procedures of development banks have not been sufficiently robust to prevent human rights violations…