Annan to propose Security Council expansion, rights panel changes at UN News
Annan to propose Security Council expansion, rights panel changes at UN

[JURIST] Saturday's Los Angeles Times reports that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan [official website] will propose significant changes to the organization at a General Assembly meeting Monday. According to a draft copy of Annan's scheduled Report on Larger Freedom [available on the UN website at 10 AM ET Monday] obtained by the newspaper, he will ask the General Assembly to approve an expansion of the Security Council from 15 to 24 members and the conversion of the controversial UN Commission on Human Rights [official website] into a smaller human rights council directly elected by the General Assembly itself. The report also calls for reinforcement of the UN's power to make world security and development decisions, and the framing of an anti-terrorism convention by September 2006. The General Assembly and world leaders attending a UN summit in September must approve the reforms before they take effect. Read the LA Times report here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.