Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO SCRUTINIZE FRANK BAINIMARAMA
The following information was released by the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG):
The Human Rights Council this morning heard an update from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on salient human rights issues that remained of the utmost concern for the human rights community, and then held a general debate on the update.
At the beginning of the meeting, the President of the Council, Ambassador Alex Van Meeuwen of Belgium, replying to the point of order raised yesterday by Brazil and Argentina, said he had received a letter indicating that the Permanent Representative of Honduras in Geneva was not the accredited representative of President Zelaya's Government. He had consulted with the parties concerned, the Bureau and regional groups, and appropriate action was taken on the issue. There was consensus in the Human Rights Council that the decision of the General Assembly on the recommendations of the report of the Credentials Committee would be followed.
The delivery of the High Commissioner's update was postponed by 24 hours after Latin American countries yesterday challenged the legitimacy of the Honduran representative in the Council and asked for a suspension of the session until this issue was resolved.
Ms. Pillay said there still existed huge gaps between lofty pledges and national realities in the human rights sphere. Indigenous peoples in many countries endured age-old discrimination and exclusion. The protection of minorities was a key concern around the world. Women's human rights also continued to be denied or curtailed in too many countries. Civilians continued to be targets of attacks motivated by ethnic or religious hatred, and by the ruthless pursuit of economic greed and political control. States also had to do a better job of ensuring that victims of sexual violence obtained full and real justice, and it was hoped that the recent announcement of a zero tolerance policy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo would be followed by concrete and immediate action to hold perpetrators accountable.
Another alarming global trend was attacks against peaceful opponents and critics of those at the helm of power, said Ms. Pillay. Human rights defenders faced arrest, abduction, torture and even death for their engagement in promoting and defending human rights. Governments had to do much more to protect human rights defenders. The issues of political participation and free and fair elections had a direct impact on the realization of human rights, and they deserved attention and scrutiny by the Council. When the Council reviewed its work and methods as provided by General Assembly resolution 60/251, it would be of utmost importance to ensure that it firmly maintained its focus on pressing human rights issues and specific situations. Such focus was -- and should remain -- the body's core responsibility.
In the general debate on the High Commissioner' update, speakers welcomed the impartiality and independence of the High Commissioner and concurred with her concern about continuing discrimination, racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. Countries supported the view of the High Commissioner that the Human Rights Council and other United Nations institutions should ensure that parties to conflicts should put in place effective measures to protect civilians in accordance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Some countries noted it was imperative to safeguard the role played by all Special Procedures mandate holders in monitoring, advising and publicly reporting on serious human rights situations and thematic issues, while others emphasized the need for mandate holders to respect the code of conduct and provide equal treatment to information and reports submitted by States.
Speaking in the general debate on the High Commissioner's update were Nigeria on behalf of the African Group, Egypt on behalf of Non-Aligned Movement, Sweden on behalf of European Union, Pakistan on behalf of Organization of the Islamic Conference, Tunisia on behalf of the Arab Group, Qatar, China, France, India, Netherlands, South Africa, Italy, Burkina Faso, Slovenia, Indonesia, Bahrain, Republic of Korea, and Brazil.
Also this morning, the Council adopted its agenda and programme of work, as well as the results of the drawing of lots to determine the order of review of States to be considered at the seventh, eighth and ninth sessions of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group and to select the troikas for the sixth, seventh and eighth Universal Periodic Review Working Group sessions. These results were agreed upon in an informal meeting yesterday.
The States which will be considered during the seventh session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group (8 to 19 February 2010) are Qatar, Nicaragua, Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The States which will be considered during the eighth session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group (3 to 14 May 2010) are Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Guinea, Laos, Spain, Lesotho, Kenya, Armenia, Guinea Bissau, Sweden, Grenada, Turkey, Guyana, Haiti, Kuwait and Belarus.
The States which will be considered during the ninth session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group (22 November to 3 December 2010) are Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia, Panama, Maldives, Andorra, Bulgaria, Honduras, United States, Marshall Islands, Croatia, Jamaica, Libya, Micronesia, Lebanon and Mauritania.
The lists of countries and troikas will be available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights under: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMain.aspx
The Human Rights Council will resume its work at 3 p.m. today, when it is scheduled to continue the general debate on the High Commissioner's update and to hear from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict.
Opening Statements
ALEX VAN MEEUWEN, President of the Council, replying to the point of order raised yesterday by Brazil and Argentina, said he had received a letter indicating that the Permanent Representative of Honduras in Geneva was not the accredited representative of President Zelaya's Government. He had consulted with the parties concerned, the Bureau and regional groups, and appropriate action was taken on the issue. There was consensus in the Human Rights Council that the decision of the General Assembly on the recommendations of the report of the Credentials Committee would be followed. This was agreed.
The programme of the session was very heavy, and the Council was already behind. Efforts would be made to remedy this. It was an honour for the President to open this fourth cycle of the Programme of Work of the Council, and it would continue its work in a spirit of openness, transparency and mutual respect. The Programme of Work was an evolving document, and would be adapted as per needs over the next three weeks. The agenda was therefore adopted, as was the drawing of lots for the troikas for the next sessions of the Universal Periodic Review.
NAVI PILLAY, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in an update on developments in the human rights sphere, observed, on the positive side, that they had this year seen the expansion of international human rights law through the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the adoption by the Durban Review Conference of an outcome document that would strengthen efforts to address racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. There still existed huge gaps between lofty pledges and national realities, however. Indigenous peoples in many countries endured age-old discrimination and exclusion, including land grabs, the suppression of traditional customs, and outright violence. She had also followed with concern the recent disturbances in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region and those previously in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and surrounding areas. The protection of minorities was a key concern around the world. Women's human rights also continued to be denied or curtailed in too many countries. For example, in the Gulf region, despite recent positive developments, the overall situation of women fell well short of international standards. A crucial step in the right direction was the ratification and implementation of key human rights conventions. Yet, even when States had ratified international conventions, application of the law was often arbitrary. Lubna Hussein, a former United Nations staff member in Sudan, had been sentenced to prison earlier last week on charges of dressing in an indecent manner - essentially because she was wearing trousers. Civilians also continued to be targets of attacks motivated by ethnic or religious hatred, and by the ruthless pursuit of economic greed and political control. For example, in Sri Lanka, internally displaced persons were effectively detained under conditions of internment. They also had to do a better job of ensuring that victims of sexual violence obtained full and real justice, and it was hoped that the recent announcement of a zero tolerance policy in the Democratic Republic of Congo would be followed by concrete and immediate action to hold perpetrators accountable.
In the context of armed conflict, Ms. Pillay urged the international community, including the Council, to insist on full accountability for all violations and to ensure assistance to the victims. All States contributing to military operations should enhance their efforts to prevent civilian casualties, which in Afghanistan and elsewhere remained at unacceptably high levels. Another alarming global trend was attacks against peaceful opponents and critics of those at the helm of power. Human rights defenders faced arrest, abduction, torture and even death for their engagement in promoting and defending human rights. Mentioned in that connection were the sentencing of political opposition leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi to a further period of house arrest by the Myanmar authorities; the abduction, torture and murder of Lucas Lucia and Manuel Ponce Rojas, two human rights defenders working to promote and protect the human rights of indigenous peoples in Mexico; and the kidnapping and shooting in the Northern Caucasus of well-known human rights activist Natalia Estemirova. Governments had to do much more to protect human rights defenders.
Turning to other situations, it was noted that elections in Afghanistan, which had been a cause for hope, had been marred not only by insurgent violence, but also by heightened pressures on freedom of expression, and on political participation, as well as by a severe backlash against women's rights. In Honduras and Fiji, constitutional order had been subverted and democratic space undermined. The issues of political participation and free and fair elections had a direct impact on the realization of human rights, and Ms. Pillay believed that they deserved attention and scrutiny by the Council.
The Human Rights Council had to achieve a sense of shared purpose and be a paragon of international cooperation on behalf of human rights, Ms. Pillay stressed.
To ensure its credibility, the Council should be prepared to confront violations wherever and whenever they took place. A failure to rise to that challenge would constitute a betrayal of the victims of human rights violations all over the world who placed faith in the United Nations and, in particular, the Human Rights Council. When the Council reviewed its work and methods as provided by General Assembly resolution 60/251, it would be of utmost importance to ensure that it firmly maintained its focus on pressing human rights issues and specific situations. Such focus was and should remain the body's core responsibility.
Source: States News Service 09-15-09
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