HAITI

• Noble Venture Designs, curators of trending and purpose-driven accessories made by human trafficking survivors and artisans in at-risk communities from around the world, has launched the South Seas Collection in time for Mother's Day.
• SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Noble Venture Designs, curators of trending and purpose-driven accessories made by human trafficking survivors and artisans in at-risk communities from around the world, has launched the South Seas Collection in time for Mother's Day.
• The radiant South Seas Collection is a testament to survivors' resilience and creativity, featuring island-inspired necklaces handmade in Cambodia and Haiti.
• Beyond the collection, Noble Venture offers more than 200 unique jewelry items in a variety of colors, patterns and styles.

• Businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison, who initiated Good Deeds Day 18 years ago, said, "On International Good Deeds Day, so many good people and good organizations stepped out to do a good deed worldwide, creating a critical mass of people who are united in good.
• I have always believed that if we think good, speak good, do good, and safeguard our togetherness, our world will be a better place."
• Enthusiasm around this international day of good increases every year, with millions of people joining in to volunteer and do something positive for others on Good Deeds Day, which has become an internationally unifying day of good.
• The theme of this year's Good Deeds Day was United in Good, with the goal of strengthening and illuminating the good in the world while emphasizing unity and togetherness.

• United by a common history and a strong relationship, Canada and France share a vision for the future.
• This renewed partnership will create more opportunities for Canadian and French entrepreneurs, and attract investment across Canada, France, and the European Union.
• The Monument recognizes more than four centuries of shared history and values and more than 90 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and France.
• In 2023, Canadian exports to France amounted to $4.3 billion, while imports from France totalled $8.6 billion.

• The Tutsi were targeted primarily due to long-standing ethnic tensions between the Tutsi minority and the majority Hutu population.
• As the mass killings were happening, the international community stood by in a stupor, even though the nations of the world had a legal and moral obligation to intervene in cases of genocide.
• To its credit, the United Nations had already put in place a peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (Unamir).
• In my view this was possible but would have required three main things: detailed intelligence, preventive measures and political will.

Detailed intelligence

• Unfortunately, the UN mission felt deaf and blind in the field as it did not have the analytical capacity to synthesise these important pieces of evidence.
• It was also prevented by UN headquarters from taking measures to secure more information and taking steps for prevention.

Preventive action

• Had the UN taken deterrent actions early on, it might have been able to stop the genocide at the outset.
• Later, a large deployment of troops would have been needed to bring a halt to the many senseless killings.
• UN preventive actions should have dealt with people (both plotters and resisters), the genocide structures (networks) and the tools (weapons) of the genocide.
• In response to illicit weapons flowing into Kigali, the peacekeeping force should have firmly applied the embargo.
• Quick, decisive action by the UN might have isolated the genocide to the Kigali sector before it spread into the countryside.

Political will

• The simple answer is a lack of political will.
• The lack of US commitment was largely the result of a disastrous mission in Somalia the previous year.
• Still, these peacekeepers managed to save 20,000 to 30,000 lives, showing what dedicated action from a small force can achieve.

Moving forward

• Primarily it is a matter of fostering a sense of enlightened self-interest among all nations, linking human welfare around the globe with one’s own.
• It means recognising that when crimes against one section of humanity are committed, no matter where, it is a crime against all of humanity.
• If this isn’t enough, then the fear of inaction should also be a motivating force.

Walter Dorn receives a salary and funding from the Department of National Defence.