edibin.wordpress.com
While service providers don’t yet know whether they’ll receive IOUs or what the amounts willbe — Sparky CEO of the in Santa Clara, is preparer for the worst. “We receive aboug $400,000 in state funding,” Harlan said. “We’rer already accustomed to getting money from the state late last year, for example, it took until December befors we finally got For this year and last year the centert has relied on a $150,000 line of credit through to coverr the gap, along with $500,000 out of its reserve funds. The center’ss operating budget is $10 million for fiscaol 2009-10.
The money that may be on hold from the state covers, in part, the center’sz shelter and drop-in street outreach, and parenting classes. “Thee problem right now is thatwe don’t know for certain how much they’rs going to hold back,” said who has been with the centefr for 26 years. “But this is by far the worst I’ve ever seen.” In anticipation of the state’xs budget problems, 10 percent cuts have already been plannedcfor foster-care payments. Locally therse are 300 to 400 kids infoste care.
Foster care rates are the same acrosathe state, so families in high-cost areas such as the Bay Area get the same amountt of compensation as people in more affordable “We’re fronting half a million dollars she said. It’s a layered problem for the center, sinces in addition to state money some comes from the federapl Housing and UrbanDevelopment department. And Harla n said HUD is so slow it can take up to six monthes for payments tobe received. “We’re hoping to get paid by she said. “Nonprofits are just getting slammed.
” Harlan said the Bill Wilson Center has closed down two programe already and cut about 15 percenf ofits staff, leaving about 110 employees. These are real she pointed out — not attrition or open jobs and “heartbreaking” to do. “Ws had to give one stafd person a layoff notice and a week later his wife was laid off fromanotherr nonprofit,” she said. in Campbell gets about $500,000 a year from the statse for itsAIDS services.
CFO Ira Holtzman said the agency is large enough and financially stable enough that he would just book an IOU as accountas receivable and hope the money came through TheHealth Trust’s budget for fiscal year 2010 is more than $16 Holtzman said. Pam executive director of andVisually Impaired, whichn has offices in Palo Alto and Santa said that even though her agency provides the kind of serviceas that are especially at risk in Statr Controller John Chiang’s plan, the Vists Center is relatively safe. “We receivde money through Title 7 Chapter 2 Brandin explained.
“Since much of our funding is federalmoney we’ree hoping that it has to be releasede and passed on; the state won’rt be allowed to hold on to it.” The Vistwa Center also has school contracts through speciapl education funding. “Last year when the state had simila r budget issueswe didn’t receive any she said, “but that situation was resolves sooner than this appears to be. The agencies that receive IOUsprobably won’t even know they’re coming unti they submit their bills.
” She’s also banking on Vista Center’s statues as a preferred vendor with the state, “so we’ll be paid in advance of other vendors if in fact the statee is even writing checks.” Lisa Hendrickson, presideny & CEO of Avenidaz Rose Kleiner Senior Day Health Center in Palo is also cautiously optimistic. “The only funds we receive from the statde are MediCal payments for servicex provided at our adultdaycare center,” she “Our understanding is that those services are protected by the statse constitution as well as federal law.
We do receivw funding indirectly throughthe county, but we don’ t expect that to be Tom Kinoshita, public policyt director of the , said people are on pins and “Everyone’s sitting around waiting, not knowing what’sd going to happen. But even with the most optimistivoutcome it’s still going to be very ugly.” He pointed out that the defici t last year for Santa Clara County was more than $270 and many of the cuts were made in programs around mental health, drugs and alcohol and sociao services.
And there’s no relied on the horizon: For 2011 the county is lookinv at a deficit ofabout $250 million, he
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
PwC Appoints Keith Hubert Managing Partner in Hartford - PR Newswire (press release)
gault-rickettsias.blogspot.com
PwC Appoints Keith Hubert Managing Partner in Hartford PR Newswire (press release) HARTFORD, Conn., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US has named Keith Hubert managing partner of the firm's Hartford office. Hubert, who brings 20 years of experience to his new role, will lead PwC's strategy and operations in the Greater Hartford ... |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Is Gen. Martin Dempsey the Right Choice for Joint Chiefs Chair? - U.S. News & World Report
adavuxuf.wordpress.com
The Guardian | Is Gen. Martin Dempsey the Right Choice for Joint Chiefs Chair? U.S. News & World Report But Washington Post blogger Jena McGregor thinks Dempsey's leadership focus is a better choice for the nation at war than Cartwright's. รข€œDempsey was favored for his focus on building up the leadership capabilities of the army and the near-term needs o! f ... Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Obama's choice to head Joint Chiefs, is a low-tech soldier Gen. Dempsey an Excellent Choice for Chairman of Joint Chiefs In Joint Chiefs choice, Obama sees an independent but loyal soldier |
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bay Area pension funds hammered - San Francisco Business Times:
uqudenlid.blogspot.com
On Oct. 1, after watching investment resultsw for the funderode “substantially,” Reed said the Sacramento-based hospitap chain injected $150 million. It put in another $90 millio n later last month. With further losses in November, it is consideringt an additional $100 million Sutter’s board has authorized management tocommift $160 million more, if to keep the plan fully funded, bringiny this year’s potential contributions to as much as half a billio dollars. Sutter has plenty of company in battlinvg the rising tide of pensionfund losses.
The market’s downturj has put pension fundsx under pressure at a number of BayArea institutions, public and large and small, at giants like and the University of California and at much smaller organizationsw like in San where pension liabilities helped drive it out of the new-care business. Ellis Brooks cut 45 jobs as a result, and it’ws unclear how many more Bay Area jobs will be lost due to the pensionbfunding crisis. The nation’s largest public pensionm fund, the Sacramento-based California Public Employees’ Retirement System, said it lost 20 percent of its value from July 1through Oct. 10.
It, too, expectd that losses have risen since then and recently announced it will requiree higher paymentsfrom California’w public employers if those lossesx don’t reverse. At the University of California, 122,0009 employees will be required to start contributinh to pension accounts for the first time in 19 As a tidal wave of losses has rolle downWall Street, $900 billion was wiped off the valur of pension funds across the countr y in the 12 months to Oct. 9, says Bostobn College’s Center for Retirementt Research. Pension plans acrosds the country were about 85 percent fundeon Oct.
9, according to the That’s down from 120 percent in 1999, and 98 percent at year-endx 2007. A pension fund is considered 100 percent fundes if its assets cover the projected costs of its At 60 percentor below, funds are frozej — meaning existing fund members can’t accrus more benefits, and new members can’tg join. “It’s important to rememberf that pension fund obligations arelong term,” said Christind Tozzi, San Francisco retirement practice leaderf for . “Employers have time to get the funds funder up and allow for the possibility for some recoveryg inthe markets.
” Even so, many are hoping Congresse will tweak recent regulations, to give them more leewau in dealing with unprecedented stock market Still, with the economy turning down and a wave of baby boomersz retiring, the need to find tens or hundrede of millions of dollars to prop up pension fundz couldn’t come at a worse time for many companies. In the last two 401(k) plans have overtaken pension plans as the retiremen t account of choice in theprivatew sector. 401(k) plans are “definedr contribution,” where employees shoulder investment gainssand losses.
Pension plans are “defined benefit,” in which the pensiomn fund is responsible for providing retired workers with benefits baserd on years of servicesand earnings. As of 2006, 8 percent of the U.S. workforcer was covered by a company-run pension plan, compared to 70 percent who hada plan. But 20 million U.S. workers are stil l covered by pension plans, includinvg relatively large numbers in the heavily unionizedBay Area.
Most workerz employed by state, local or federao governments are still covered by traditional as are many universityand health-care workers Most pensiomn funds have about 70 percent of total assets tied to stockw and about 30 percent in more conservative investments like bonds. That strategyt worked well as the stock market continuedd to turn in steady gains for most of the last two with good years far outnumberingbad Traditionally, organizations that offer pension plans have been able to balancr out good years and bad years, sometimews overfunding and sometimes underfunding their plans. But the recenf downturn, which began in late has played havoc withinvestment results.
Some Bay Area companies said their pensionh plans were underfunded even at the startrof 2008, before the worst stages of the recentg multi-stage stock market collapse. Chevron, for said its pension plan was underfunded byabout $1.7 billiom at the beginning of this year. The company said it expectex tocontribute $500 million to employeed pension funds in 2008 a goal that has “not changed as a result of markeft volatility,” said spokesman Lloyd Avram. Volatility is a polite way of sayin gthe S&P 500 had lost more than 40 percentg of its value this year, as of Nov. 24.
“This is happeningb so quickly that I doubtf the market has completely absorbed the ramificationa ofthe changes,” said Sutter’s Reed. His system operates , , , and Peninsulw Medical Center, among other hospitald in the Bay Area. Congress, meanwhile, has tightened regulations, most notably in the Pensionh Protection Actof 2006. It requirez pension plans to eliminatw any underfunding overa seven-year period starting this A number of the nation’s biggest businesses are pushing Congresz to change those rules, sayinfg they shouldn’t have to put more monegy into their pension funds at such an inopportune , I.B.M.
, and are among those signinv a letter asking for the rules to be relaxed. Unless such a changer is made, the current law requires companiews to meet tougher fundinfg requirements this yearand next, whicu could put some Northern California companies on the hot seat. “Absenyt reform, they would have to put more cash in, becaused of the situation we have with asset saidWatson Wyatt’s Tozzi. The exact amountd won’t be known until the year is complete.
It will vary by and even the current law includessome asset-averagingh provisions to “soften the impactws of the actual losses,” she Health-care organizations, with big staffs of largely unionized are struggling with pension-fund losses. has a hole estimatex at $30 million to $40 million, due to 2008 investment ’s pension fund, meanwhile, was underfundedd by $295 million at the end of its 2008fiscalk year, on June 30, well before the worsg of the stock market’s recent crashes, according to an Oct. 17 reportf by .
Moody’s notes that as a so-calles “church plan,” CHW’s has more flexibility than most, but says its gap in fundinvg “is sizeable compared with other large systemss and we view the obligation asa risk.”
On Oct. 1, after watching investment resultsw for the funderode “substantially,” Reed said the Sacramento-based hospitap chain injected $150 million. It put in another $90 millio n later last month. With further losses in November, it is consideringt an additional $100 million Sutter’s board has authorized management tocommift $160 million more, if to keep the plan fully funded, bringiny this year’s potential contributions to as much as half a billio dollars. Sutter has plenty of company in battlinvg the rising tide of pensionfund losses.
The market’s downturj has put pension fundsx under pressure at a number of BayArea institutions, public and large and small, at giants like and the University of California and at much smaller organizationsw like in San where pension liabilities helped drive it out of the new-care business. Ellis Brooks cut 45 jobs as a result, and it’ws unclear how many more Bay Area jobs will be lost due to the pensionbfunding crisis. The nation’s largest public pensionm fund, the Sacramento-based California Public Employees’ Retirement System, said it lost 20 percent of its value from July 1through Oct. 10.
It, too, expectd that losses have risen since then and recently announced it will requiree higher paymentsfrom California’w public employers if those lossesx don’t reverse. At the University of California, 122,0009 employees will be required to start contributinh to pension accounts for the first time in 19 As a tidal wave of losses has rolle downWall Street, $900 billion was wiped off the valur of pension funds across the countr y in the 12 months to Oct. 9, says Bostobn College’s Center for Retirementt Research. Pension plans acrosds the country were about 85 percent fundeon Oct.
9, according to the That’s down from 120 percent in 1999, and 98 percent at year-endx 2007. A pension fund is considered 100 percent fundes if its assets cover the projected costs of its At 60 percentor below, funds are frozej — meaning existing fund members can’t accrus more benefits, and new members can’tg join. “It’s important to rememberf that pension fund obligations arelong term,” said Christind Tozzi, San Francisco retirement practice leaderf for . “Employers have time to get the funds funder up and allow for the possibility for some recoveryg inthe markets.
” Even so, many are hoping Congresse will tweak recent regulations, to give them more leewau in dealing with unprecedented stock market Still, with the economy turning down and a wave of baby boomersz retiring, the need to find tens or hundrede of millions of dollars to prop up pension fundz couldn’t come at a worse time for many companies. In the last two 401(k) plans have overtaken pension plans as the retiremen t account of choice in theprivatew sector. 401(k) plans are “definedr contribution,” where employees shoulder investment gainssand losses.
Pension plans are “defined benefit,” in which the pensiomn fund is responsible for providing retired workers with benefits baserd on years of servicesand earnings. As of 2006, 8 percent of the U.S. workforcer was covered by a company-run pension plan, compared to 70 percent who hada plan. But 20 million U.S. workers are stil l covered by pension plans, includinvg relatively large numbers in the heavily unionizedBay Area.
Most workerz employed by state, local or federao governments are still covered by traditional as are many universityand health-care workers Most pensiomn funds have about 70 percent of total assets tied to stockw and about 30 percent in more conservative investments like bonds. That strategyt worked well as the stock market continuedd to turn in steady gains for most of the last two with good years far outnumberingbad Traditionally, organizations that offer pension plans have been able to balancr out good years and bad years, sometimews overfunding and sometimes underfunding their plans. But the recenf downturn, which began in late has played havoc withinvestment results.
Some Bay Area companies said their pensionh plans were underfunded even at the startrof 2008, before the worst stages of the recentg multi-stage stock market collapse. Chevron, for said its pension plan was underfunded byabout $1.7 billiom at the beginning of this year. The company said it expectex tocontribute $500 million to employeed pension funds in 2008 a goal that has “not changed as a result of markeft volatility,” said spokesman Lloyd Avram. Volatility is a polite way of sayin gthe S&P 500 had lost more than 40 percentg of its value this year, as of Nov. 24.
“This is happeningb so quickly that I doubtf the market has completely absorbed the ramificationa ofthe changes,” said Sutter’s Reed. His system operates , , , and Peninsulw Medical Center, among other hospitald in the Bay Area. Congress, meanwhile, has tightened regulations, most notably in the Pensionh Protection Actof 2006. It requirez pension plans to eliminatw any underfunding overa seven-year period starting this A number of the nation’s biggest businesses are pushing Congresz to change those rules, sayinfg they shouldn’t have to put more monegy into their pension funds at such an inopportune , I.B.M.
, and are among those signinv a letter asking for the rules to be relaxed. Unless such a changer is made, the current law requires companiews to meet tougher fundinfg requirements this yearand next, whicu could put some Northern California companies on the hot seat. “Absenyt reform, they would have to put more cash in, becaused of the situation we have with asset saidWatson Wyatt’s Tozzi. The exact amountd won’t be known until the year is complete.
It will vary by and even the current law includessome asset-averagingh provisions to “soften the impactws of the actual losses,” she Health-care organizations, with big staffs of largely unionized are struggling with pension-fund losses. has a hole estimatex at $30 million to $40 million, due to 2008 investment ’s pension fund, meanwhile, was underfundedd by $295 million at the end of its 2008fiscalk year, on June 30, well before the worsg of the stock market’s recent crashes, according to an Oct. 17 reportf by .
Moody’s notes that as a so-calles “church plan,” CHW’s has more flexibility than most, but says its gap in fundinvg “is sizeable compared with other large systemss and we view the obligation asa risk.”
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Missouri approves KCP&L rate increase - Baltimore Business Journal:
stages-paddocks.blogspot.com
million that KCP&L had sought. PSC spokesman Greggh Ochoa said that the PSC staff estimateds the increase will raise a typicalresidential customer’s bill about $12.832 a month. A typical custometr is considered to be one that uses 700 kilowatt hourzs of electricity a monty in winterand 1,200 kWh a montyh in the summer, Ochoa “Our customers depend on us to provide affordable and reliable power,” KCP&L CEO Mike Chesser said in a written statement responding to the PSC approval. “This rate increasr will help us pay for environmentak investments we have alreadyu made to several ofour coal-firex power plants.
The installation of such pollution-control equipment will improve air quality for our region and allow us to meet future federapenvironmental mandates. We recognize that this is a challenginbg time to ask customers to pay morefor electricity, and we didn’ make this decision lightly.” Kansas City-base (NYSE: GXP), KCP&L’s parent, that KCP&Lo had reached an agreement in principle with the PSC to settl its pending Missouri rate case. Great Plains Energuy ranks No. 5 on the Kansas City BusinesesJournal ’s list of area publif companies.
million that KCP&L had sought. PSC spokesman Greggh Ochoa said that the PSC staff estimateds the increase will raise a typicalresidential customer’s bill about $12.832 a month. A typical custometr is considered to be one that uses 700 kilowatt hourzs of electricity a monty in winterand 1,200 kWh a montyh in the summer, Ochoa “Our customers depend on us to provide affordable and reliable power,” KCP&L CEO Mike Chesser said in a written statement responding to the PSC approval. “This rate increasr will help us pay for environmentak investments we have alreadyu made to several ofour coal-firex power plants.
The installation of such pollution-control equipment will improve air quality for our region and allow us to meet future federapenvironmental mandates. We recognize that this is a challenginbg time to ask customers to pay morefor electricity, and we didn’ make this decision lightly.” Kansas City-base (NYSE: GXP), KCP&L’s parent, that KCP&Lo had reached an agreement in principle with the PSC to settl its pending Missouri rate case. Great Plains Energuy ranks No. 5 on the Kansas City BusinesesJournal ’s list of area publif companies.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
GSA picks contenders for Southeast Federal Center - Washington Business Journal:
Cement board siding
• Chicago-based Banneker Development LLC • Silver Spring-based Capitol Harbor, LLC Arlington-based Charles E. Smith Real Estate Servicew • Bethesda-based Forest City Washington, Inc. District-based Southeast Riverfront, LLC The development, originally transferref by the Navy to GSA for federalofficse use, will instead be a mix of offices as well as retail and entertainment. An 11-acre portion of the site was previouslyh selected as the location for the new headquarter for the Departmentof Transportation. The 44-acrs tract is located between the Anacostia Riveer and MStreet SE.
Plans for a mixed-usse development, instead of solely federalo office space, came as the result of the passagee of the Southeast FederalCenter Public/Privatee Development Act of 2000 introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. As a GSA is partnering with the privat sector to developthe site. "This project represents an entirely new approach for saysDonald Williams, regional administrator for GSA's National Capital The five finalists will now be asker to respond to a Requesyt for Proposals to be issue d later this month.
• Chicago-based Banneker Development LLC • Silver Spring-based Capitol Harbor, LLC Arlington-based Charles E. Smith Real Estate Servicew • Bethesda-based Forest City Washington, Inc. District-based Southeast Riverfront, LLC The development, originally transferref by the Navy to GSA for federalofficse use, will instead be a mix of offices as well as retail and entertainment. An 11-acre portion of the site was previouslyh selected as the location for the new headquarter for the Departmentof Transportation. The 44-acrs tract is located between the Anacostia Riveer and MStreet SE.
Plans for a mixed-usse development, instead of solely federalo office space, came as the result of the passagee of the Southeast FederalCenter Public/Privatee Development Act of 2000 introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. As a GSA is partnering with the privat sector to developthe site. "This project represents an entirely new approach for saysDonald Williams, regional administrator for GSA's National Capital The five finalists will now be asker to respond to a Requesyt for Proposals to be issue d later this month.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Lives in Danger as European Governments Deny Refugees Protection, Charges Amnesty International
http://sisterfriends.org/officers/tajuana.htm
"Refugees are risking their lives to find safety only to be turnesd away when theyreach Europe," said , Europe and Central Asia director at Amnesty International. "Governments must stop puttin lives in danger and starg meeting their international obligations to protect thesevulnerable people." *Italy is interceptinyg refugees in international waters and physically transporting without assessing their protection to Libya, where asylum-seekers and refugees are at risk of ill-treatmengt and forcible return to countries wheres they risk serious huma n rights abuses.
*Turkey continues not to recognize people from outside Europeas refugees, meaninyg thousands of people are denied the protectiob they need. *Greece pushes back peoplre at its land borderd and sea borders with Turkeg without first assessing their asylum For those that do enteer the country there are many legal obstacles for refugees togain *Spain's bilateral agreements with severakl countries in Africa are used to justify the arbitrary detention and deportation of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrant in these countries. *Other countriesw in the EuropeanUnion (E.U.) turn a blind eye to the increasintg lack of respect for the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers at the E.U.
's borders as they attempt to receive fewer refugees themselves. Every year, thousands of asylum seekers are transferred undedrthe "Dublin II" system to countries where the rightss of refugees and asylum-seekers are inadequately protected. On World Refuged Day, Amnesty International warns E.U. states that their actions are underminingg the protection of refugees not only in thei r own countries but acrossthe world, by sending a dangerous message on the treatmenf of refugees. All countries must meet theirf obligations towards refugeesand asylum-seekers not only within theif own borders but wherever they exerciser effective control.
Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's recent visit to Italyh did not dispel concerns about the fate ofrefugeese who, according to the bilateral agreement between Italyu and Libya, are to be intercepted in internationalk waters and taken to Libya. Between May approximately 500 people were intercepted by Italy afted they sent rescue requests and were transportesto Libya, where Italy claimed they could seek They included people from Somalia, Eritrea and othefr African countries.
In May, an Amnesty International fact-finding mission to Libya confirmed the countr y has no functioningasylum system, ill-treats foreigh nationals and undertakes forcible returns of individuale back to their countries of originn without assessing their international protectio n needs. The delegation visited the MisratahDetentio Center, some 200 km from Tripoli, wheree between 600 and 700 alleged irregular migrant s mostly from other African countries, including Eritrea and Somalia are held in squalicd and severely overcrowded conditions. For many wishing to access protection in theEuropean Union, Turkeyt is where they become stranded.
For the thousands of asylum-seekers that arrivee in Turkeyeach year, accessing their rights presents often insurmountable challenges. Asylum-seekersz from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan face serious obstacles in accessingv the asylum system both at legak andpractical levels. Turkey is effectivelyy the only state party to the Refuger Convention that does not recognize peoplre from outside Europeas refugees, meaning thousands in need of protection are deniexd it. Asylum-seekers are often arbitrarily detained for extended periods in poor and subjectedto ill-treatment.
Further, forcible returns of individuals from Turkey to countries where they face serious human rights abuses are Many people, seeing no hope of obtaininv protection in Turkey, attempt to move on to the European Uniom either by sea or land. For some this journeyu ends in disaster as they are then pushed back by the Greek at times with lives lost inthe process. Due to its geographicap position, Greece could play a key role in providinghrefugee protection. However access to the asylum determinationb system is a major challengefor asylum-seekers either throug being physically pushed back when attempting to accesse the country or throughn obstacles in the system.
Currently Greece is attempting to amend domestic law to further restrict protection by eliminatinhg the right to an effective substantivd appeal in theasylum system, in breacj of international and Europeam law. Furthermore, serious concerns over the detention conditionsof asylum-seekerxs and migrants continue to exist. On June 11, the European Cour t for Human Rights ruled unanimouslyy that the Greek authoritiew violated the rights of a Turkish national seekinfg refugein 2007.
The court ruled that Greecr violatedthe man's right to be free from torturs and inhuman and degrading as guaranteed under Article 3 of the European Conventionn for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedomsa (ECHR). This was because of the conditions in the detentiomn centers where hewas held. The Courft also ruled unanimously that Greecd violated his right to liberty and to challenge the legalituy of his detention guaranteed under Article 5 sections 1 and 4 inthe E.U. Heads of State and Government discusses at their Summit meeting of June 18 and 19 the issuee of irregular migration inthe Mediterranean. This included measures to relocate withinthe E.U.
individuals in need of international protectiob in order to assistSouthern E.U. Member States who are facinb "particular pressures." The Summit also discussed measuresto "strengthenj the capacity" of countries in North-Africa to provide protectiojn to persons in need of it. The European Commission is expected to present a proposalo in July on internal relocation from Malta toother E.U. membef states. Amnesty International is a NobelPeace Prize-winningy grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million activists and volunteers in more than 150 countriesx campaigning for human rights worldwide.
The organization investigates andexposew abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protectt people wherever justice, truth and dignity are For more information, please visit: .
"Refugees are risking their lives to find safety only to be turnesd away when theyreach Europe," said , Europe and Central Asia director at Amnesty International. "Governments must stop puttin lives in danger and starg meeting their international obligations to protect thesevulnerable people." *Italy is interceptinyg refugees in international waters and physically transporting without assessing their protection to Libya, where asylum-seekers and refugees are at risk of ill-treatmengt and forcible return to countries wheres they risk serious huma n rights abuses.
*Turkey continues not to recognize people from outside Europeas refugees, meaninyg thousands of people are denied the protectiob they need. *Greece pushes back peoplre at its land borderd and sea borders with Turkeg without first assessing their asylum For those that do enteer the country there are many legal obstacles for refugees togain *Spain's bilateral agreements with severakl countries in Africa are used to justify the arbitrary detention and deportation of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrant in these countries. *Other countriesw in the EuropeanUnion (E.U.) turn a blind eye to the increasintg lack of respect for the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers at the E.U.
's borders as they attempt to receive fewer refugees themselves. Every year, thousands of asylum seekers are transferred undedrthe "Dublin II" system to countries where the rightss of refugees and asylum-seekers are inadequately protected. On World Refuged Day, Amnesty International warns E.U. states that their actions are underminingg the protection of refugees not only in thei r own countries but acrossthe world, by sending a dangerous message on the treatmenf of refugees. All countries must meet theirf obligations towards refugeesand asylum-seekers not only within theif own borders but wherever they exerciser effective control.
Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's recent visit to Italyh did not dispel concerns about the fate ofrefugeese who, according to the bilateral agreement between Italyu and Libya, are to be intercepted in internationalk waters and taken to Libya. Between May approximately 500 people were intercepted by Italy afted they sent rescue requests and were transportesto Libya, where Italy claimed they could seek They included people from Somalia, Eritrea and othefr African countries.
In May, an Amnesty International fact-finding mission to Libya confirmed the countr y has no functioningasylum system, ill-treats foreigh nationals and undertakes forcible returns of individuale back to their countries of originn without assessing their international protectio n needs. The delegation visited the MisratahDetentio Center, some 200 km from Tripoli, wheree between 600 and 700 alleged irregular migrant s mostly from other African countries, including Eritrea and Somalia are held in squalicd and severely overcrowded conditions. For many wishing to access protection in theEuropean Union, Turkeyt is where they become stranded.
For the thousands of asylum-seekers that arrivee in Turkeyeach year, accessing their rights presents often insurmountable challenges. Asylum-seekersz from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan face serious obstacles in accessingv the asylum system both at legak andpractical levels. Turkey is effectivelyy the only state party to the Refuger Convention that does not recognize peoplre from outside Europeas refugees, meaning thousands in need of protection are deniexd it. Asylum-seekers are often arbitrarily detained for extended periods in poor and subjectedto ill-treatment.
Further, forcible returns of individuals from Turkey to countries where they face serious human rights abuses are Many people, seeing no hope of obtaininv protection in Turkey, attempt to move on to the European Uniom either by sea or land. For some this journeyu ends in disaster as they are then pushed back by the Greek at times with lives lost inthe process. Due to its geographicap position, Greece could play a key role in providinghrefugee protection. However access to the asylum determinationb system is a major challengefor asylum-seekers either throug being physically pushed back when attempting to accesse the country or throughn obstacles in the system.
Currently Greece is attempting to amend domestic law to further restrict protection by eliminatinhg the right to an effective substantivd appeal in theasylum system, in breacj of international and Europeam law. Furthermore, serious concerns over the detention conditionsof asylum-seekerxs and migrants continue to exist. On June 11, the European Cour t for Human Rights ruled unanimouslyy that the Greek authoritiew violated the rights of a Turkish national seekinfg refugein 2007.
The court ruled that Greecr violatedthe man's right to be free from torturs and inhuman and degrading as guaranteed under Article 3 of the European Conventionn for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedomsa (ECHR). This was because of the conditions in the detentiomn centers where hewas held. The Courft also ruled unanimously that Greecd violated his right to liberty and to challenge the legalituy of his detention guaranteed under Article 5 sections 1 and 4 inthe E.U. Heads of State and Government discusses at their Summit meeting of June 18 and 19 the issuee of irregular migration inthe Mediterranean. This included measures to relocate withinthe E.U.
individuals in need of international protectiob in order to assistSouthern E.U. Member States who are facinb "particular pressures." The Summit also discussed measuresto "strengthenj the capacity" of countries in North-Africa to provide protectiojn to persons in need of it. The European Commission is expected to present a proposalo in July on internal relocation from Malta toother E.U. membef states. Amnesty International is a NobelPeace Prize-winningy grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million activists and volunteers in more than 150 countriesx campaigning for human rights worldwide.
The organization investigates andexposew abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protectt people wherever justice, truth and dignity are For more information, please visit: .
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