Louise Arbour: champion of international law

Abstract

In October, 1970, Canada was embroiled in what was arguably the worst political crisis in its history. Members of the radical Front de libération du Québec kidnapped British diplomat James Cross, then kidnapped and murdered Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte. The federal government invoked the War Measures Act, sent armed troops on the streets, suspended civil liberties, and arrested hundreds of people, largely for their political views. At the time, Louise Arbour was a law student at the Université de Montréal, and what she saw profoundly shaped her legal and political philosophy. “You can't reduce everything to a single factor, but that period had a very significant impact on the way I perceive power, abuse of power, and the need for having proper checks and balances and protection of minorities against huge oppressive forces”, she says. Historic global agreement on migrationAt a time when migration and migrants are considered unpopular at best and a threat at worst in many parts of the world, most UN member states decided to do what would have been unthinkable a mere few years ago and on July 13, 2018, came to an agreement on a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).1 This compact is a remarkable historic achievement and a nod to multilateralism, but, perhaps just as important, it is a collective acknowledgement of the need to better harness the undoubted benefits of migration and mitigate its complex and many challenges. Full-Text PDF The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the moveWith one billion people on the move or having moved in 2018, migration is a global reality, which has also become a political lightning rod. Although estimates indicate that the majority of global migration occurs within low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), the most prominent dialogue focuses almost exclusively on migration from LMICs to high-income countries (HICs). Nowadays, populist discourse demonises the very same individuals who uphold economies, bolster social services, and contribute to health services in both origin and destination locations. Full-Text PDF