#ICRC hands over management of International Tracing Service

Germany: ICRC hands over management of International Tracing Service
Geneva (ICRC) –The ICRC is to hand over management of the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen to the German Federal Archives after over half a century. The ITS was founded in 1943 to provide answers to millions of families who had lost touch with relatives during the Second World War.

Speaking at the ITS on 29 November, ICRC president Peter Maurer explained that "The ICRC is handing over management of the ITS, but we’re not leaving it." He stressed that the ICRC would remain in regular contact with the ITS, through its Central Tracing Agency in Geneva, tracing agencies in ICRC delegations, and the tracing services of national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world. The ICRC will continue to provide its technical expertise, helping the ITS serve the victims of Nazi persecution and their families.

“The ITS strives to be of service to people,” Maurer added. “Yes, it possesses archives, but those archives reflect human beings and the unthinkable suffering of so many millions during the Second World War and beyond.”

Indeed, the archives cover civilians detained in Nazi concentration or labour camps and people who had to flee their homes because of the Second World War. They house over 50 million card files relating to more than 17.5 million civilians persecuted by the Nazis.

Ever since its creation, the ITS has been governed by the 11-nation International Commission for the International Tracing Service (ICITS) under the 1955 Bonn Agreement and its 2006 Protocols. The following countries are members of the Commission: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since 1955, the ICRC has managed the ITS on behalf of the ICITS, as a neutral and independent supervisory body.

As the mission of the ITS has now extended beyond purely humanitarian work to englobe research, management of the Service will be handed over on 1 January 2013 to the German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) and the International Commission has appointed a new director, history professor Rebecca Boehling, who will continue and develop the work of the past five decades.

#germeny #icrc

Syria: Urgent call on warring parties to respect civilians

Geneva/Damascus (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remains alarmed by the manner in which the parties to the conflict in Syria are conducting hostilities. “Little regard is being paid to the plight of the population by the fighting parties,” said ICRC director of operations Pierre Krähenbühl.

“Close to twenty months of unabated fighting have resulted in massive destruction, the displacement of entire families, thousands of casualties and refugees, and ever-increasing numbers of civilians struggling to obtain basic necessities like food, water and medical care,” Krähenbühl continued. The humanitarian situation in Syria is getting worse by the day and the needs of ordinary people continue to increase.

“As armed confrontations escalate, taking a heavy toll on civilians, we strongly urge all sides involved in the fighting to take immediate action to fully comply with international humanitarian law, otherwise known as the law of armed conflict,” he continued. These rules and principles apply to all parties to the armed conflict in Syria, and impose restrictions on the means and methods of warfare that they may use. The ICRC has repeatedly reminded them that they must at all times distinguish between civilians and persons directly participating in the fighting.

Affected families are facing grief and desperation as the insecurity and general uncertainty regarding their future increase. Livelihoods have been disrupted, health standards have fallen, basic food items are harder to obtain and many children have stopped going to school. Numerous public spaces have been transformed into basic makeshift shelters. Over the past months, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children have fled their homes as a result of the conflict. Many have had to cross national borders to seek security, and have found refuge in neighbouring countries.

The ICRC reiterates that under international humanitarian law attacks may be directed only against military objectives and not against civilians, or against civilian objects such as homes, schools, medical facilities and vehicles, community shelters or places of worship. International humanitarian law also stipulates protection for the civilian population and those not (or no longer) participating in hostilities, such as the sick, the wounded and those who have been detained, who must be treated with dignity at all times.

“At a time when humanitarian needs are ever more acute, the ICRC again calls on all those bearing weapons to respect the staff of humanitarian organizations,” added Mr Krähenbühl. The harsh reality is that six Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have been killed while on duty since the onset of the violence. “The aim of the Red Crescent and the Red Cross is to bring life-saving assistance to those in need, in a completely impartial and neutral manner,” Krähenbühl emphasized. Medical personnel have been working under extreme conditions and have not been spared in the fighting. Everybody must respect and facilitate the work of health personnel at all times, and all sides must respect the red cross and red crescent emblems.

#syria #human #lebanon #kuwait #ksa #jo #wakeup #syria #ICRC

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence

 

 

KUWAIT CITY, 25 November (UNDP Kuwait) - UNDP Kuwait, together with national supporters, commemorated the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence by raising awareness on the subject.

The event is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute

coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.

The institute originally chose to conduct the campaign between the dates of November 25

(International Day Against Violence against Women) and December 10 (International Human Rights Day)

in order to reinforce the fact that violence against women is a human rights issue.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the ensuing 16 Days of

Activism against Gender Violence are commemorated every year around the world to raise awareness

and trigger action on this pervasive human rights violation.

In Kuwait, Promoting Women’s Rights and Legal Empowerment Project (WRACATI), a UNDP

regional initiative, in collaboration with Women Cultural and Social Society and in partnership with the

Supreme Council of Development and Planning, commemorated the day and the following 16 Days of

Activism by disseminating information on what is violence and how it can be eliminated by effective

action. A comprehensive strategy to tackle violence against women is an essential benchmark in

assessing Kuwait’s progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries

to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166

countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As

they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

#UNDP #UN #KUWAIT #GENDER

 

من هو قتيل شاطئ الفرات في الكتاب المقدس? ايزابيل بنيامين ماما آشوري العراق

من هو قتيل شاطئ الفرات ؟ ضمن دراستي الكهنوتية للكتاب المقدس والتي استمرت سنوات وانا اتفكر في نص غريب موجود في الكتاب ... المقدس لكوني عراقية ونهر الفرات يمر في البلد الذي اسكنه. سألت عن هذا النص الكثير من قساوستنا وعلمائنا واساتذتنا وراجعت التفاسير والمراجع الخاصة بتفسير الكتاب المقدس ولكن يبدو أن الجميع تواطأ على السكوت. حتى ألتقيت بقداسة الانبا المقدس البطريارك الماروني : صبيح بولس بيروتي. وسألته عن النص الذي يذكر بأن هناك ذبيح على شاطئ الفرات، فمن يكون . فنظر لي مليا ثم قال . لولا انك مسيحية وباحثة في علم

 

اللاهوت وان هذا ضمن دراساتك ما اجبتك على سؤالك ولكني سأجيب. قال : أولا أن شاطئ النبوءة يمتد طولا على امتداد نهر الفرات من منابعة وحتى مصبه في البصرة. ولكنني استطعت أن احصر منقطة الحدث في صحراء تقع في العراق بالقرب من بابل. الثاني : بحثت ايضا عن تفسير هذه النبوءة فوجدت أنه من تاريخ نزول هذه النبوءة وحتى يومنا هذا لم تتحقق هذه النبوءة إلا مرة واحدة. قلت له : واين المكان ومن هو الذبيح؟ قال : أن النبوءة تتحدث عن شخص مقدس (ابن نبي) وهو سيّد عظيم مقدس اسمه ((اله سين )). ولما سألت قداسة الاب بطرس دنخا كبير الاساقفة عن معنى كلمة ((إله سين )) قال : أن العرب في جنوب العراق يقلبون الهاء حاء . فتصبح (الحسين) .

 

هذا هو المذبوح بشاطئ الفرات وهي نبوءة تتعلق بابن نبي مقدس جدا وهو سيكون سيّدا في السماء. من هذه النقطة بحثت وتعمقت والآن أضع هذا النص بين يدي الاخوان لعلي احظى بإطلالة شافية كافية وافية مع أن النص واضح لأنه يُشير إلى معركة مصيرية كبيرة بجانب شط الفرات في ارض يُقال لها ((كركميش)) من أجل ارجاع خلافة مغتصبة لأن النص يقول بأنه هذا السيّد ذهب ليرد سلطته .وعندما بحثت في معجم الكتاب المقدس وجدت أن

 

 

((كركميش)) تعني كربلاء فمن هذا السيد الذي ذُبح بجانب شط الفرات ولماذا يصف الكتاب المقدس هذه الواقعة بهذا الوصف المخيف وكأن مصير البشرية يتوقف عليها . صحيح اني وضعت احاديث واشياء تدل على هذه الواقعة لكن كلها افتراضات لأني لست من داخل الحدث الإسلامي ولكن هذا الشيء موجود على شكل نبوءة لم يستطع احد ان يغيرها او يتلاعب بها ، ومنذ كتابتها منذ لآلاف السنين لم تتحقق هذه النبوءة إلا في الاسلام من حيث المكان والشخص المقتول كما يقول كبير علماء اهل الكتاب والمتضلع بالكتب السماوية ((كعب الاحبار بن ماتح )) اتمنى القراءة بتدبر وتروي وعدم الانسياق وراء العاطفة وإنما يتم تحكيم العقل .

 

 

جاء في سفر إرمياء الاصحاح 46 : فما 6 ـ 10 النبوءة التالية وهي تحكي عن المستقبل البعيد حيث كان وصف إرمياء النبي صحيح مائة بالمائة فقد كان الوصف مهيبا رهيبا كأنك ترى ذلك المصروع والجيوش التي التفت حوله : (( أسرجوا الخيل ، واصعدوا أيها الفرسان وانتصبوا بالخوذ اصقلوا الرماح البسوا الدروع . لماذا أراهم مرتعبين

 

ومدبرين إلى الوراء ، وقد تحطمت أبطالهم وفروا هاربين ، في الشمال بجانب نهر الفرات حيث عثروا وسقطوا لأن للسيد رب الجنود ذبيحة عند شط الفرات )) . ثم ماذا تقول النبوءة عن اسباب ذهاب هذا السيد إلى ذلك المكان ؟ تقول : ((ذهب ليرُد سلطته إلى كركميش ليُحارب عند الفرات في الصحراء العظيمة التي يُقال لها رعاوي عند الفرات )). وكلمة كركميش تعني كربلاء ، وكلمة رعاوي هي الصحراء الواسعة التي تمتد من حدود بابل إلى عرعر والتي

 

يسميها الكتاب المقدس (رعاوي) وهي بالقرب من مدفن مقدس لأهل الكتاب اسمه النواويس ولا يُعرف بالضبط السر في وجود دور عبادة لأهل الكتاب في هذا المكان تحيط به المقابر، ولكن الأب أنطوان يوسف فرغاني يقول : بأن اكثر اهل الكتاب دفنوا في هذا المكان لأنهم كانوا ينتظرون ذلك السيد المذبوح لينصروه لأنه مقدس جدا ، ولكن قدومه تأخر وماتوا وهم ينتظروه ، ولذلك لم يُقتل مع هذا المقدس عند نهر الفرات سوى نصارى اثنين يُقال انهم اعتنقوا دين هذا المقدس.

 

لم يصف احد من شخصيات الاديان نفسه بأنه هو المذبوح هناك على ساحل كركميش حيث رعاوي الصحراء القاحلة . فقط الحسين عليه مراحم الرب وبركاته يصف نفسه بأنه المذبوح بجانب الفرات وانه ابن الذبيحين وهذا ما قاله كعب الأحبار المتضلع بالتوراة ، عندما مرّ بجانب الفرات في كربلاء حيث قال : ((ما مررت في هذا المكان إلا

 

وتصورت نفسي أنا المذبوح حتى ذبح الحسين فقلنا هذا هو لأننا نروي ان ابن نبي يُذبح في هذا المكان)) . ملاحظة أن كعب الاحبار قال ذلك امام حشد من الصحابة وغيرهم كما في الرواية التالية ((ولمّا أسلم كعب الأحبار وقدم جعل أهل المدينة يسألونه عن الملاحم الّتي تكون في آخر الزمان وكعب يخبرهم بأنواع الملاحم والفتن ثمّ قال كعب: نعم ، وأعظمها فتنة وملحمة هي الملحمة الّتي لا تنسى أبداً ، وهو الفساد الّذي ذكره الله في الكتب ، وقد ذكره في كتابكم

 

بقوله : ( ظَهَرَ الفَسَادُ فِي البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ وإنّما فتح بقتل هابيل ، ويختم بقتل الحسين )) المصدر انظر مقتل الخوارزمي الجزء الأول ص 162 هذا اذا اخذنا بنظر الاعتبار رواية امام أهل السنة احمد التي تؤكد بأن ابن النبي يقتل بشاطئ الفرات وإليك الرواية : ((روى الامام أحمد بن حنبل من حديث علي بن أبي طالب ـ في ص85 من الجزء الاول ـ من مسنده، بالإسناد إلى عبد الله بن نجا عن أبيه: قال: «دخلت على رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ذات يوم وعيناه تفيضان، قلت: يا نبي الله، ما شأن عينيك تفيضان؟ قال: قام من عندي جبرئيل قبل، فحدثني أن ولدي الحسين يقتل بشط الفرات)) أو في الرواية التالية : ((روى الشافعي ـ في باب إنذار النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله) بما سيحدث بعده ، من كتابه أعلام النبوة ـ عن عروة، عن أم المؤمنين عائشة، قالت: دخل الحسين بن علي على رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) وهو يوحى إليه، فقال جبرائيل: إن أُمّتك ستفتتن بعدك وتقتل ابنك هذا من بعدك، ومدّ يده فأتاه بتربة بيضاء، وقال: في هذه يقتل ابنك، اسمها الطف، قال: فلما ذهب جبرائيل، خرج رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)إلى أصحابه والتربة بيده ـ وفيهم: أبو بكر، وعمر، وعلي، وحذيفة، وعثمان، وأبو ذر ـ وهو يبكي، فقالوا: ما يبكيك يا رسول الله؟ فقال: «أخبرني جبرائيل: أن ابني الحسين يقتل بعدي )) بحثت فلم اجد غير ذلك تفسيرا فهل هناك اضافة لا أعرفها.

 

#الحسين #عاشوراء #jo #jo #syria #islam  jesus #hussian #hussien #ksa #bahrain #usa

 

New ICRC website reunites dispersed families

Geneva (ICRC) – War, disaster and migration separate thousands of family members every year. To help members of dispersed families restore contact with each other, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is launching a new website – familylinks.icrc.org – on 13 November.

"Familylinks.icrc.org will change the way people go about getting back in touch with family members they've become separated from," said Olivier Dubois, deputy head of the Central Tracing Agency and Protection Division of the #ICRC. "Staying in touch with other members of one's family has a huge effect on a person's well-being and their ability to cope with a crisis. We have developed this simple, user-friendly website together with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies for people who want to restore contact with relatives during or after a crisis," he explained. "A few clicks will put them in touch with dedicated specialists who will provide personal follow-up on enquiries."

Regardless of whether people are fleeing armed conflict, other violence, natural disaster, poverty or other causes of hardship, displacement can cause them to be cut off from their loved ones. Whatever the reason for a person's struggles, staff and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent network strive to ensure that they are treated with dignity, respect and compassion.

"What makes the new familylinks.icrc.org website special is the way it combines suitable technology and unique resources," explained Mr Dubois. "The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has a grassroots network of volunteers already on the ground, in virtually every corner of the world, who actively search for missing persons. No other organization in the world can provide such a service."

One example of the strength of the grassroots network is provided by the story of a Libyan man who fled his country in 1968 and settled in Switzerland. For decades, he was totally cut off from relatives and friends. This year, with help from the ICRC and the Swiss Red Cross, he was able to get back in contact with his loved ones in Libya and go visit them. "Seeing your family again after 43 years – it's like being born again," said Mr Al Naji, overwhelmed by emotion as he set foot on Libyan soil.

"Many more people will be able to find out what services are available and how to obtain them. We may well see an increase in the number of tracing requests," said Mr Dubois. The new website will provide information on tracing services available in every part of the world, contact details of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and ICRC delegations, and other useful resources. While the chief purpose of familylinks.icrc.org will be to serve people searching for loved ones, the website may also be of interest to humanitarian organizations and welfare service providers to whom these people have turned for help. The site will also serve as a platform for exchanges between tracing specialists.

Under international law, people have the right to be informed of the fate of missing relatives. Where appropriate, everything possible must be done to find out where they are, restore contact with them and reunite them with their families.

The ICRC launched its first website of this kind in 1996 in response to the Bosnia conflict. The organization has since set up ad hoc sites in response to 23 crises, most recently in connection with last year's tsunami in Japan. Over the years, these efforts have helped countless people restore contact with relatives.

#syria #lebanon #jo #libya #kuwait #ksa

#KIPCO announces nine months net profit KD 23.7 million

KIPCO announces nine months net profit KD 23.7 million (US$ 84.3 million)

‘Underlying trends continue’ says company’s CEO Investment

Kuwait City, 5^th November, 2012: KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company - has announced a net profit of KD 23.7 million (US$ 84.3 million), or 18.27 fils (US$ 6.5 cents) per share for the first nine months of 2012 - an increase of 0.4 per cent on the KD 23.6 million (US$ 85.7 million) profit, or 19.02 fils (US$ 6.9 cents) per share, reported in the same period last year.

KIPCO’s third quarter profit (for the three months ended September 30, 2012) of KD 6.6 million (US$ 23.5 million) was a decrease of 7 per cent on the KD 7.1 million (US$ 25.8 million) profit achieved in the third quarter of 2011.

KIPCO’s total revenues for the first nine months of 2012 increased by 22 per cent to KD 323 million (US$ 1.15 billion) compared to the KD 265 million (US$ 962 million) reported for the first nine months of last year.

The company also saw a rise in operating profit to KD 66 million (US$ 235 million) for the first nine months of 2012 - an increase of 12 per cent from the KD 59.1 million (US$ 215 million) reported in the first nine months of 2011.

KIPCO’s consolidated assets increased in the first nine months of 2012, to KD 6.4 billion (US$ 23 billion) from KD 5.9 billion (US$ 21.2 billion) for the year-end 2011.

Mr Tariq Abdulsalam, KIPCO’s Chief Executive Officer - Investment, said KIPCO’s third quarter results were consistent with the company’s expectations

“As expected, the underlying trends within our first quarter and half year results have continued into the third quarter, with our financial services, media and real estate companies showing consistent levels of growth in both revenue and profitability. Although our profits show only a slight year-on-year increase, our companies are demonstrating a high degree of resilience to difficult market conditions. If these trends continue until year-end, then we can expect to meet the financial targets we set for this year.”

 

#kuwait #KIPCO #investment