The United Kingdom’s 0.7 percent commitment gets its day in Parliament, Human Rights Watch details Ethiopia’s violence against protesters, while lawmakers in the United States threaten to crack down on refugees, instead of guns in the wake of another mass shooting. This week in development news:
The United Nations human rights chief, in the wake of a mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded, urged U.S. leaders to reconsider the nation’s gun laws. “It is hard to find a rational justification that explains the ease with which people can buy firearms, including assault rifles, in spite of prior criminal backgrounds, drug use, histories of domestic violence and mental illness, or direct contact with extremists — both domestic and foreign,” said Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. A recent U.N. report documented, “the dramatic consequences of the widespread availability and misuse of firearms,” and urged that states’ obligations to protect citizens from gun deaths and injuries constitutes a human rights issue. In the U.S., the American Medical Association said gun violence is a “public health crisis” and urged lawmakers to overturn a special interest-backed ban that prevents the Centers for Disease Control from conducting gun violence research.
A large group of U.S. lawmakers, also in the wake of the Orlando shooting, are seeking to block all refugees from resettling in the United States, regardless of their countries of origin. According to Foreign Policy, which has seen the draft legislation, it would prohibit, “the admission of refugees until Congress passes a joint resolution authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to resume the resettlement of foreigners. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on refugees who receive benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance, and other programs.” The proposed legislation would not likely gain enough support to become law, and would likely be vetoed by President Barack Obama.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.