ADDRESS OF BERTRAND G. RAMCHARAN ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE CLOSING OF THE 60TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTSîÁÚÁÄ
ADDRESS OF BERTRAND G. RAMCHARAN ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE CLOSING OF THE 60TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
ADDRESS OF BERTRAND G. RAMCHARAN ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE CLOSING OF THE 60TH SESSION OF THE
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
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Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Members of the Commission,
The 60th session of the Commission on Human Rights began in a world
in turmoil. It ends in a world in turmoil. Thanks to your steadying
hand, the support of the Bureau and the cooperation of the members
and observers, the Commission is ending with many achievements to
its credit at the 60th session. Allow me, on behalf of my colleagues
in the secretariat, to thank you Mr. Chairman, the Expanded Bureau
and everyone who has helped to make this a constructive session. You
have been a superb Chairman.
The High-Level segment is turning out to be a useful innovation,
raising the profile of human rights in international relations and
promoting international cooperation. The participation of national
human rights institutions brings added value to the Commission. Some
3,000 NGO representatives participate in your sessions making this
Commission the United Nations body that is closest to the Peoples of
the United Nations. Your work is characterised by greater
transparency and a spirit of cooperation. The inter-sessional of
consultations and meetings are giving your work more and more the
character of a de facto all year round forum. The Commission is
without a doubt one of the leading United Nations organs alongside
the General Assembly and the Security Council. Justice is its
mission.
A highlight of the session was undoubtedly the address of the
Secretary-General on 7th April. The Secretary-General sought to
rally this Commission and the international community to more
determined efforts for the prevention of gross violations of human
rights. The Secretary-General"s decision to establish the position
of Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide will take its place
in the history books as an important moment in the establishment of
a preventive mechanism alongside that of the position of High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
Allow me to express my personal gratitude to the members of the
Commission for their decision to establish the position of Special
Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings especially women and
girls. This problem has given me cause for deep concern ? which led
to my appeal to the Commission to act on it. It is my hope that this
position will turn out to be a protective building block for the
hundreds of thousands of young women trafficked into prostitution
and slavery annually.
In the report I submitted to you on human rights and terrorism I
had, at your request, identified two options for consideration in
future activities to reinforce respect for human rights in
counter-terrorism strategies: the idea of an Independent Expert or
the idea of a Special Rapporteur. You have opted for the option of
the Independent Expert working closely with the High Commissioner.
We shall do our utmost to assure cooperation with the Independent
Expert.
In his proposals for strengthening the United Nations and its
programmes, the Secretary-General laid emphasis on support to Member
States for the strengthening of their national protection systems. I
am grateful that you have commended our Office for the priority
accorded to the establishment and strengthening of national human
rights institutions and that you have called upon us to continue to
strengthen our coordinating role in this field. You have also
welcomed the practice of independent national institutions
participating in their own right in meetings of the Commission and
its subsidiary bodies. This is an important new area of cooperation
that can be further developed.
The Secretary-General has also placed emphasis on enhancing the work
of the human rights treaty bodies and the special procedures. You
have requested the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a
comprehensive and regularly updated electronic compilation of
special procedures" and treaty bodies" recommendations by country,
including the relevant comments of States thereto as published
within the United Nations system. We shall give priority to this
because it is directly related to the strengthening of national
protection systems.
I note that you have requested the special procedures to make
recommendations, within their respective mandates, for the
prevention and protection from human rights violations, including
through urgent appeals and their follow up when necessary. I thank
you for this important policy emphasis.
Allow me to thank you also for the new courses you have charted for
the development of human rights education. You have stressed the
importance of education for tolerance, for respect, and for non
discrimination. Human rights education must, without a doubt, be a
foundation building block of the future. In my address to you on 19
March I had urged that there be teaching materials, in local
languages, for every teacher in primary schools and likewise for
secondary schools. In calling for a plan of action for the future
you have emphasised the importance of focusing on the primary and
secondary school systems. I am grateful to you for this. You have
also stressed the role of national human rights institutions in
supporting human rights education.
Without doubt, the role of the courts in the protection of human
rights must be emphasized in the human rights strategies of the
future. In presenting my Annual Report on 19 March I had urged that
attention be given to providing judges and legal personnel with
materials in local languages on the human rights norms and
jurisprudence. I had also urged more exchanges among judges
regionally and internationally on these matters. I welcome your call
to reinforce advisory services and technical assistance in the field
of administration of justice and for "an action programme to
facilitate the exchange of experience among judges as regards their
role in the protection and promotion of human rights, inter alia,
through the compilation of key decisions of international human
rights jurisprudence and the organization of periodic consultation
among judges at the international, regional and sub regional
levels." We shall put this policy to work.
You have, at this session adopted positions that, I believe, will
influence the policy architecture of the future. I was struck that
in one of your resolutions you stressed that "the deep fault line
that divides human society between the rich and the poor and the
ever-increasing gap between the developed and developing world pose
a major threat to global prosperity, security and stability." You
have underlined the inextricable link between full respect for the
rights contained in the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights and the process of development "the central
purpose of which is the realization of the potentialities of the
human person with the effective participation of all members of
society? as agents and beneficiaries of development, as well as with
a fair distribution of its benefits."
In your resolution on racism and racial discrimination you have
noted that no derogation from the prohibition of racial
discrimination, genocide, slavery, is permitted. You have stressed
that States and International Organizations have a responsibility
that measures taken in the struggle against terrorism do not result
in discrimination. You have emphasized the cross-cutting thematic
issues of poverty eradication and education.
The Declaration adopted by Women Ministers of Foreign Affairs and
other Women Ministers and Representatives pointed out that
safeguarding women"s dignity and liberty, protecting their health
and subsistence and promoting their education and empowerment must
be at the core of political engagement for a democratic, just and
equitable society. The strengthening of women, they added, will also
actively and forcefully contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The Declaration highlighted the fact that women and children suffer
disproportionately during and after wars. They form the majority of
refugees and internally displaced persons. They endure rape and
sexual abuse. The Declaration expressed the conviction that much
more attention must be given to the consequences of conflicts on
women and children, and in particular to their protection from
gender-based violence. This Declaration was an important outcome of
this session, and I applaud it.
You have called upon States to provide transparent, responsible,
accountable and participatory government, responsive to the needs
and aspirations of the people, in order to achieve the full
realization of human rights. You have requested the High
Commissioner to continue to work for the promotion and consolidation
of democracy.
In a resolution you adopted, you urged states to ensure equal access
to education in law and in practice and you have expressed deep
concern at programmes and agendas pursued by extremist organizations
and groups aimed at the defamation of religions. At the heart of
this issue is the principle of mutual respect and friendly relations
among nations and peoples.
You have emphasized the importance of combating impunity and in this
regard urged States to take appropriate measures to address the
question of impunity for threats, attacks and acts of intimidation
against human rights defenders. Thank you for this emphasis. You
have asked us to compile best practices on combating impunity for
human rights violations and on remedies available to victims of such
violations and you have decided on the designation of an Independent
Expert to update the Principles on this topic.
You have called for a new Fund to assist minorities to participate
in human rights meetings. You have asked the secretariat to
undertake a number of studies and reports, including one on the
human rights responsibilities of transnational corporations. The
partnership between the Commission and the secretariat is thus
intensified
In your resolution on the strengthening of the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights you have encouraged transparency in
its activities and operations through a process of dialogue and
consultations with Member States. The principle of dialogue is
indeed an important one. You have also called upon our Office to
assume a larger role in the promotion of human rights through
cooperation with Member States and by an enhanced programme of
advisory services in the field of human rights. We shall give
priority to this.
In your resolution on mercenarism you have recognized that armed
conflicts, terrorism, arms trafficking and covert operations
encourage the demand for mercenaries on the global market. This
issue is related to the political and military landscape of our
world and to ways and means of injecting a human rights perspective
in the security architecture of the future.
In your resolution on the right to development, you requested the
High Commissioner in mainstreaming the right to development to
effectively undertake activities aimed at strengthening the global
partnership for development between Member States, development
agencies and the international development, financial and trade
institutions.
You have taken action on a number of country situations and renewed
the mandates of several thematic procedures. You have established
new special procedures on country situations and on thematic issues.
Our world is one in which conflicts, especially internal conflicts,
are prevalent. In a number of decisions you have effectively
elaborated a policy on ensuring respect for human rights and
humanitarian law during armed conflicts. You have adopted decisions
on several country situations where there has been conflict in the
recent past. A notable exception is the situation in Iraq. It is a
perplexing and troubling omission. There must be accountability in
warfare. At this point in time there is no international monitoring
of the human rights situation in Iraq, whether it be in respect of
terrorism or in respect of the extent of the use of force and the
treatment of civilians.
While you have been in session I have established a Commission of
Inquiry into the events of 25 and 26 March in Cote d"Ivoire. I also
sent a fact-finding mission to Sudan and the neighboring areas in
Chad to probe into the serious allegations of criminal violations in
Darfur. The mission I established is currently in Sudan. I shall
submit its report to you, urgently, after it returns.
It is also my intention to compile a report on the human rights
situation in Iraq. I shall do so using the competence of the High
Commissioner, whose functions I have been carrying out for the past
year. It will be the fourth fact-finding exercise I shall have
initiated: on Liberia, Cote d"Ivoire, Darfur, and now Iraq, I
believe it is important to monitor human rights issues in Iraq.
In the early days of the Commission, the great Charles Malik of
Lebanon told the Members, during the process of the drafting of the
Universal Declaration:
" We require, I submit, the sensitive insight of the poet, the
prophet, the philosopher; and I hope we shall call in these types of
minds to aid us in our important enterprise. If only jurists and
politicians and diplomats work out this Bill (the International Bill
of Rights), I am afraid it will come out a distorted thing: it will
lack vision and unity; it will lack sweeping simplicity. Vision and
sensitiveness belong pre-eminently to the prophet, unity to the
philosopher, simplicity to the poet."
One may ask: where are the prophets, the philosophers, the poets?
They are to be found among the non-governmental organizations. We
must listen to them more.
To conclude, allow me to thank you all for your endeavors for human
rights over the past six weeks. There are those, especially the
human rights non-governmental organizations, who would have wished
to see stronger action in the face of serious violations of human
rights in many parts of the world. You are increasingly emphasizing
an "assistance focus" in some situations. It will be important to
keep this under review with a view to making sure that the
Commission strikes a balance between cooperation and assistance on
the one hand, and protection on the other. These two dimensions must
go together. If you ever dilute the protection role of the
Commission, history"s judgment will be harsh. For it is the peoples
who suffer when there is silence of the face of atrocities. The call
of the peoples of the world is for "No more silence".
Any assessment of this session, nevertheless, must take account of
the important building blocks you have put down for the future of
international cooperation for the universal realization of human
rights for all. For this I thank you. I hope that we shall develop
on these building blocks and make this Commission an instrument of
justice for the world"s peoples.http://nvolgatrade.ru/
