NEWS FROM THE WORLD
EU signed the Convention on Artificial Intelligence
The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights was signed during the conference of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice on September 5, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Convention sets out a legal framework that covers the lifecycle of AI systems, ensuring that the AI activities are fully consistent with human rights, democracy, and rule of law. Particularly, it is focused on transparency, accountability, and innovation, while supporting ethical governance and fostering public trust. The Convention was signed by the EU Commission, EU countries, and 9 non-EU countries, in the presence of other international stakeholders. In the EU countries, the Convention will be implemented through the EU AI Act, which entered into force in August.
Nominations of the Slovak Republic for the post of Judge of the ECHR
The Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, at its 9th session, elected three candidates for the post of Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The current holder of the post is Alena Poláčková, whose mandate expires on 28 December this year. The Slovak Republic has elected three people for the next term. They are Daniela Ježová, Ondrej Laciak and Radoslav Procházka. At the Judicial Council hearing, Laciak and Procházka received the unanimous support of the Judicial Council, while Ježová received 11 votes out of the 14 members of the Judicial Council present. Subsequently, the Government of the Slovak Republic approved the nomination of the three candidates at a meeting on 25 September. Once the nominations have been submitted, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will elect a new judge of the ECHR.
Compulsory Pre-Primary Education in South Africa
On 13 September, the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law that makes one year of pre-primary education compulsory. Generally speaking, compulsory education is an obligation of the government to ensure free, accessible, inclusive and quality education. Among other provisions, the law marks an important step toward addressing long standing challenges in South Africa’s democratization, dating back to the 1995´s anti-apartheid groups´ vision of freedom for the country that included a free, compulsory, universal and equal education for all.
Summary of the United Nations High-Level Week
Following the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), world leaders and experts attended the UN High-level Week 2024 on 20-27 September at the UN Headquarter in New York, US.
At first, the Secretary-General of the UN convened the Summit of the Future Action Days to create an additional platform for engagement.
Then, on 22-23 September, the Heads of State and Government gathered at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit resulted in the adoption of the Pact for the Future, an action-oriented document aimed to bolster global cooperation that affirms the UN Sustainable Development Goals. On 24 September, the UN reflected on the state of implementation of the SDG between now and 2030.
On 24-28 and 30 September, the world leaders engaged in the annual high-level General Debate under the theme, “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”. At a roundtable on “In defense of democracy, countering extremism”, the President of the European Council, Charles Michael, stressed three principles as a commitment to democracy, namely fairness and inclusiveness, respect for human rights and political freedoms, stable and reliable institutions.
On 25-26 September, global leaders, experts, and stakeholders gathered at high-level plenary meetings, addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise and the antimicrobial resistance. They also commemorated the International day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Accountability for Afghanistan’s Violations of CEDAW Declaration
Australia, Canada, Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have taken formal steps to call on Afghanistan to stop violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), according to a press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia on 26 September. Afghanistan is a party to the Convention. The move is also welcomed by Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard.
Israeli Invasion of Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) claims that The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) notified them on 30 September about their plan to start a ground incursion into Lebanon. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) press release from 4 October, the UN experts concluded that the ground invasion was in violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and Security Council resolution 1701. Moreover, the UN experts deplored Israel´s increased disregard for international law.
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