UN staff, including eight OHCHR colleagues, detained in Yemen
OHCHR calls for their immediate release.
For the third phase, the ACT Project has been implemented in 12 of the countries already selected under previous phases. 17 countries participated in it for the first time, among which Afghanistan , Burkina Faso , Comoros , Ethiopia , Samoa and Uzbekistan .
The Ecole ménagère “Les Hirondelles” held a course on human rights from November 2002 to April 2003 for 60 young women in need from the Moroni region, Comoros. The courses were given both in the French and the Comorian language. Journalists were invited to interview the students on what they learnt, and the programmes were largely broadcast. As a result, many young girls who were not registered in the school inquired on how they could benefit from similar courses.
The Fondation anjouanaise des droits de l’homme in Comoros used the grant with a view to facilitating access to human rights information for its visitors: a computer and TV materials were bought, as well as subscriptions to human rights newspapers. The NGO also developed contacts with local radios in order to broadcast human rights information programmes. On 19 November 2002, the NGO organized a workshop on internally displaced children and child pornography, and on 10 December (Human Rights Day), workshops were held on democracy, the rule of law and the role of civil society in the promotion of human rights; these activities allowed the NGO to cooperate with many government officials.