HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS THE HIGH-LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSION ON IMPACT OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISES ON REALIZATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The Human Rights Council this afternoon heard statements from six dignitaries under its high-level segment and then held a high-level panel discussion on the impact of the global economic and financial crises on the universal realization and effective enjoyment of all human rights.

Sujata Koirala, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, said the Human Rights Council had emerged as a global forum for deliberations on pressing issues of human rights and had demonstrated the capacity and resilience of addressing ongoing as well as emerging human rights situations.

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, said that the recent international financial meltdown posed a real threat to the aspirations of developing countries. Racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia continued to bedevil societies and South Africa urged countries to accelerate implementation of the Durban Declaration.

Riad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine, said that Palestine had been living under the yolk of Israeli occupation for decades. As a result, the social and economic rights of the Palestinian people had been stunted. The right to return to the homeland and the right to development and prosperity had been violated.

Pedro Lourtie, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal, said since its creation in 2006, an impressive number of relevant initiatives had been undertaken by the Human Rights Council, but more could be done. Whether by thematic or country-specific issues, the Council had to keep striving to live up to its mandate and responsibilities.

Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General, applauded the work of the Council in its four years to date. Much was and had been expected of it as the principal world body on human rights and the Council was committed to moving towards being a representative, effective, credible and accountable institution.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, appreciated progress made by the Council over the last four years in terms of fulfilling its mandate. The mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review had to be acknowledged as an efficient tool for promoting human rights.

Opening the panel discussion, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that although there was growing hope that the global economy was slowly recovering, the full impact of the crises on individuals, and in particular on human rights, was yet to unfold. States had the primary responsibility to protect human rights; however, the crisis, because of its global character, required international responses.

The panellists were Francisco Santos Calderon, Vice-President of Colombia; Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization; Martin Uhomoibhi, Permanent Representative of Nigeria and former president of the Human Rights Council; Martin Khor, Executive Director of the South Centre; and Irene Khan, Chancellor of the University of Salford and Former Secretary-General of Amnesty International.

Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, said that without stable access to social protection, growth in employment levels could not be deemed as a recovery. To come out of the crises with a human rights vision, employment had to become a key macro economic goal.

Martin Uhomoibhi, Representative of Nigeria and former President of the Human Rights Council, said success in global economic recovery efforts could not be achieved without human rights-oriented policies and the joint efforts of the international community to overcome the crises.

Martin Khor, Executive Director of the South Centre, said that Governments were operating with tighter budgets and while deciding what expenditures to cut, they must make sure they protected human rights and jobs, rather than commercial interests.

Irene Khan, Chancellor of the University of Salford and Former Secretary-General of Amnesty International, said in times of recession, human rights should be given more attention. Global assistance was an obligation especially as the crisis started in the developed world and burdened the developing world.

National delegations then took the floor to make comments on the presentations and ask questions of the panellists. They said there was no doubt that the financial and economic crisis had had and would continue to have an impact on a wide range of rights, in particular the rights to food, health, and housing, and the right to development. Hunger and poverty were among the worst forms of human rights violations, and it was thus vital for international solidarity to be deployed to combat these scourges. The economic, monetary and financial system needed to be reformed, and this reform should reflect the relative weight of developing countries in the world economy, with a view to achieve global financial stability and the elimination of poverty.

Speaking in the discussion were the representatives of Thailand on behalf of the Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative, Thailand in a national capacity, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Egypt, Russian Federation, Spain on behalf of the European Union, Colombia on behalf of GRULAC, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, India, Turkey, and Indonesia.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea spoke in right of reply.

The next meeting of the Council will be on Tuesday, 2 March at 10 a.m., when it will resume the high-level segment and then hold a high-level discussion on the draft United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training.

High-Level Segment

SUJATA KOIRALA, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, said the Human Rights Council had emerged as a global forum for deliberations on pressing issues of human rights. Through its regular and special sessions, it had demonstrated the capacity and resilience of addressing ongoing as well as emerging human rights situations. It had witnessed the willingness of States to be engaged in discussions of human rights issues, and its ability could be further strengthened with adequate resources and institutional back-up. Nepal attached equal importance to the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, such as the Universal Periodic Review, the Special Procedures, the Advisory Committee, and the Complaint Procedure. The mechanisms had a unique role to play in the protection and promotion of human rights in an impartial, objective and non-selective manner. Appointments to these mechanisms should meet the high standards of integrity with due recognition given to regional, linguistic and gender balance, as well as socio-cultural and political diversities.

All human rights were universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing. The interdependence and interrelatedness of human freedom, human rights, human dignity, peace, security and development called for a holistic approach to address human rights issues. This required cooperative efforts to promote civil and political rights along with economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development. The people of Nepal were deeply engaged in building inclusive political institutions, reconstructing social and economic infrastructures, strengthening the capacity of national institutions, rehabilitating ex-combatants, and restructuring the State in line with the provisions of the Peace Accord and Interim Constitution. An enhanced level of support was vital to ensure the consolidation and sustainability of democratic transformation and lay a solid foundation for wider respect for human rights. Nepal appealed for an increased level of support in its task of making a peaceful, stable, prosperous and democratic Nepal contribute thus to creating a strong pillar for global peace, security and prosperity.

MAITE NKOANA-MASHABANE, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, said that South Africa was encouraged by the outcomes of the Copenhagen United Nations climate change conference and saw them as an important step for the international community to work towards a legally binding instrument. The Government of South Africa had prioritised, among others, decent jobs, access to education and health facilities and rural development and food security and it believed those priorities would assist the country in ensuring the practical socio-economic rights for their people. The recent international financial meltdown posed a real threat to the aspirations of developing countries since it would impact negatively on the ability of their peoples to realise their right to development. The Global South continued to face serious challenges of poverty and underdevelopment and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 remained a paramount preoccupation of all the developing countries. It was incumbent upon the Council to ensure that its operations and methods of work were firmly predicated on the accepted norms and standards provided for under international human rights and international humanitarian law.

Racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia continued to bedevil societies and South Africa urged all countries to accelerate implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. The priority should be afforded to the situations affecting women, children and persons with disabilities and more needed to be done to ensure that their rights were promoted and adequately protected. The Government had created a fully-fledged Ministry for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities and despite domestic challenges of lack of adequate resources, remained committed to fulfilling its international obligations. Last year South Africa had supported the convening of the ninth Special Session following the incursion of the Israeli Defence Force into the Gaza Strip. It was regrettable that a few weeks ago, Israel had refused to allow an independent investigation, and South Africa urged the Israeli Government to cooperate with the international community in this regard and hoped the Council would be more resolute in addressing the recommendations contained in the report of the High-Level Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza.

RIAD MALKI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Palestine, said he was pleased to participate in today’s High-Level Segment, expressing his country’s commitment to protecting inalienable human rights. It was regrettable that efforts were being undermined by political interventions. There were new movements against human rights. Palestine had been living under the yolk of Israeli occupation, which violated international charters, including the basic right to life and self-determination, for decades. The right to return to the homeland and the right to development and prosperity had been violated. This was in breach of international human rights laws. How long would Israel continue to do so in broad daylight and with impunity? The occupying power was confiscating houses, expelling owners, and damaging the Islamic and Christian character of the city of Jerusalem. Tombs had been profaned. The movement of worshippers had been restricted. Families had been separated and children had been prevented from going to school, all because of the wall. The Quartet considered that these actions were illegal as was the construction of illegal settlements. Still, Israel was violating such rights.

Hundreds of Palestinians who had rejected the occupation had been imprisoned by Israel. As a result, the social and economic rights of the Palestinian people had been stunted. Israel had imposed a blockage on the Gaza Strip, making life much more difficult. It was a war crime, in light of the last offensive, which had cost lives and damaged infrastructure. Palestine appealed to the global community to rebuild Gaza immediately and to put pressure on Israel for food and other supplies to enter the area. Israel continued to keep the remains of Arab and Palestinian citizens, who had died in detention. The recent killing of a Hamas official in Dubai was an act of terrorism. Palestine would carry out internal enquiries to ensure that the perpetrators of violations against human rights would be brought to justice. The rights of Palestinians were inalienable and its capital city should be East Jerusalem, while refugees would have to have the right to return to the territories. The rights of the child, women, food, and the right to decent housing were crucial. Palestine appreciated global efforts to protect human rights, the efforts of the Quartet, the United States, and that of Egypt, in terms of its role in national reconciliation. Despite Israel’s occupation, it hoped that the international community would pursue its efforts towards a peace process to ensure a lasting stability throughout the region.

PEDRO LOURTIE, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal, said since its creation in 2006, an impressive number of relevant initiatives had been undertaken by the Human Rights Council, expressing the importance attached by the international community to human rights, as well as the need to swiftly address the most urgent and prominent human rights problems that unfortunately still arose all over the world. But more could be done. Whether by thematic or country-specific issues, the Human Rights Council had to keep striving to live up to its mandate and responsibilities. While considering urgent situations with the required priority, the Council had to keep concentrating, at the same time, on everyday situations that also led to, or implied, human rights violations. It was not only in times of dire need that the work of the Council was fundamental - its work was equally important in setting standards and upholding the protection of human rights of all sorts - civil, cultural, economic, political and social. The action of the Council on such matters as the right to education, the right to food, freedom of religion or freedom of expression, the fight against racism and racial discrimination, as well as the promotion of children's rights, to name only a few, were essential to everyday life.

This was the thirteenth session of the Council, and a great deal had been accomplished so far. The
time for improvements had arrived and it was important to work together in order to achieve a successful review of the body. Among the Council's new tools, one of the most important was the Universal Periodic Review. In this session, there were many important issues on the agenda. Resolutions on the right to adequate housing, the right to food, the rights of the child, human rights defenders and human rights while countering terrorism were just a few of these. Portugal was committed to the creation of a complaints procedure for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and in this regard hoped that the mandate of the Working Group would be reinforced. Protecting and promoting human rights throughout the world was a never-ending task, a task that could count on Portugal's full support and commitment.

KAMALESH SHARMA, Commonwealth Secretary-General, speaking on behalf of the Commonwealth of Nations, applauded the work of the Council in its four years to date. Much was and had been expected of it as the principal world body on human rights and the Council was committed to moving towards being a representative, effective, credible and accountable institution. Twenty-seven Commonwealth countries had gone through the Universal Periodic Review and all had been aided by the Secretariat in that process. Other aspects of the Commonwealth human rights work included practical support for the ratification of United Nations conventions, human rights training to police in some 40 countries, a network of nearly 40 national human rights institutions and ombudsmen, and the work to empower women, youth programmes and others.

The Commonwealth recognised that no one was perfect and pledged itself towards journeying with its members towards democracy, development and diversity. Its Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, the focus of peer review and guardianship of the Commonwealth’s values and principles, had taken stands on what it termed the serious or persistent violation of those values and principles, where democratic constitutions had been rescinded. In this context, the Ministerial Action Group had fully suspended Fiji Islands last September because of unconstitutionality. The Commonwealth of Nations sought to advance defence of human rights and as a peer group it sought to support each other and where necessary to sensitise each other in that process, which made it an organization given more to engagement than to pronouncement. It was ready to work with the 14 of its members which had yet to ratify the two 1966 United Nations covenants or subsequent conventions and offered them practical support in meeting the requirements of ratifying, implementing or reporting. The Commonwealth would continue to do all in its power to partner its members in protecting and promoting human rights at every level of their societies.

EKMELEDDIN IHSANOGLU, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said his presence at the Council bore testimony to the increasing importance that the Organization of the Islamic Conference attached to it, propelled as it were by a vision of moderation and modernization. The Organization of the Islamic Conference appreciated the progress made by the Council over the last four years in terms of fulfilling its mandate. It lauded the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ efforts in promoting human rights. The mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review had to be acknowledged as an efficient tool for promoting human rights. The Council had to be constructive and remedial, not judgemental or selective. Through the Council, the role of the international community was to galvanize political will and to build capacities through the technical aspects of rights based systems, which included treaty bodies and special procedures. Although the Council’s Special Sessions were satisfactory, in order to make them more credible, those had to be accompanied by effective strategies and decision-making mechanisms. The Council had to address as a matter of urgency the plight of the Palestinian people and the frequency of flagrant violations of their human rights by Israel, as outlined by the Goldstone Report, which was seen to be balanced. It was up to the Council and other United Nations bodies to take steps to implement that report and to demand action. The Organization of the Islamic Conference called for a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It also encouraged promoting and protecting the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Islamaphobia was a contemporary form of racism. Physical and psychological attacks against Muslims and their sacred symbols were a violation of human rights. Such incidents, particularly in situations of Muslim minorities, could and had caused serious disturbance of public order and must not be allowed to threaten regional as well as global peace and security. This phenomenon had to be addressed through long-lasting engagement. In the globalized world, the task of improving the human rights conditions on a global scale was not the duty of a single region, group or civilization alone. It was a shared responsibility that must be borne collectively by all nations represented in the family of the United Nations. Tackling contemporary threats to global peace and security posed by conflicts and terrorism solely from the security angle would not lead to durable and comprehensive solutions. Short term solutions must give way to mid- and long-term approaches requiring proper understanding of the root causes, which often lay in political grievances, backwardness, underdevelopment and concerns related to the preservation of national, ethnic, cultural and religious identities. Human rights were indivisible and interrelated. It was an important development that the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had been opened for signature. The Council’s establishment of a mandate for an Independent Expert on Cultural Rights was a notable development. The Organization of the Islamic Conference was on the verge of creating an Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights, partly to help it cope with challenges faced by Muslims today.

Panel Discussion on the Impact of the Global Economic and Financial Crises on the Universal Realization and Effective Enjoyment of Human Rights

Opening Statement

NAVI PILLAY, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, opening the panel discussion, said a year ago when the Council held its tenth Special Session, the global economy was on the verge of collapsing, as the financial crisis kept cascading from country to country. The outlook for the economy was somewhat different today; there was growing hope that it was slowly recovering. Nonetheless, the full impact of the crisis on individuals, and in particular on human rights, was yet to unfold. What was clear, however, was that levels of unemployment in both developed and developing countries were not on the mend. It was therefore expected that the number of persons living in poverty would continue to increase. As a result, the conditions of those who were already marginalised and vulnerable were likely to worsen.

An urgent shift was needed, so that stimulus packages designed to rescue banks, financial institutions and large-scale employers went hand in hand with policies that directly addressed how individuals were being affected in their everyday lives, in their access to employment, and to essential social services such as education and health. There were many commendable examples of such measures at the national and international levels. The United Nations, through the Chief Executive's Board for Coordination, had prioritised the issue of social protection. There should be continued monitoring to ensure that, as the international community designed rescue packages and counter-recession policies, it constantly bore in mind the impact on individuals throughout the world.

A human rights perspective brought tremendous value in building a sustainable recovery across the world. Ensuring that the poor and the marginalised had access to basic services and social protection was a critical component of crisis responses. The international community must work incessantly to empower the poor and the vulnerable and defeat the discrimination and human rights violations that marginalised them. Strengthening the protection of economic, social and cultural rights, alongside civil and political rights, was especially important in efforts to overcome economic deprivation and a lack of social and political participation. These were conditions which in and of themselves represented a denial of human rights. States had the primary responsibility to protect human rights; however, the crisis, because of its global character, required international responses. States were duty-bound to cooperate with each other, and to provide assistance to those in need and to muster the support of all relevant stakeholders in this effort.

Statements by Panellists

FRANCISCO SANTOS CALDERON, Vice-President of Colombia, said that there was a general agreement about the adverse impact of the financial and economic crises on human rights. Economies of all countries had suffered significant consequences, from increase in unemployment, to decrease in income and volume of trade and in some cases banking crises had ensued. In the Latin American case they saw that the most recent crisis had affected the continent much less than the previous crisis, for a number of reasons: fiscal policies had been designed to promote savings, and public policies had been sustainable and were able to absorb the shock. The case of Colombia was illustrative of what had happened. Colombia had experienced a fall in income and trade and an increase in unemployment. Economic growth had dropped to 2 per cent in 2009. The Government had taken a number of measures in order to reduce the impact of the crisis, including investment in infrastructure, investment in social spending and social capital, and ensuring credit for private and public spending.

In 2009 they had seen the increase in spending in both the public and private sectors, which resulted in job creation, both directly and indirectly, and this had helped to absorb the shock. There was an increase in subsidies for health care, the Families in Action programme had increased its scope, and the number of children receiving nutritional assistance had increased by 30 per cent. The behaviour and the conduct in financial markets must obey a code of conduct and must be ethical. Social investment could not be sacrificed to contain crises. They must be careful with inflation because any increase in inflation would have the worst impact on poor people. Measures taken against crises should not be protectionist. The opening of markets and trade were the key in fastest responses. It was vital to save during time of abundance to be able to maintain public spending during the times of crisis.

JUAN SOMAVIA, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, said the linkage between workers rights and human rights had always existed, at least since the organization’s inception. It later found its anchor in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This interaction remained very important and strong. Without stable access to social protection, growth in employment levels could not be deemed as a recovery. It was worrying to see that employment and people’s needs took longer to recover while the economy could recover a lot quicker. Fiscal constraints made the worry greater since a lot of public money had been invested, thus criteria had to be used to address that. That would entail reducing salaries, which could have ramifications. The fiscal situation of the developed world was better than in the developing world. Thus unemployment would be coupled with fiscal constraints that were regionally specific. The policy that would help countries recover from the job crisis would be different to the one that got them into it in the first place. To come out of it with a human rights vision, employment had to become a key macro economic goal. The financial system should be put at the service of the real economy. Safety nets were not the solution. A notion of a basic social floor of protection that would vary from country to country should be put in place in light of the review of the Millennium Development Goals next year.

MARTIN UHOMOIBHI, Permanent Representative of Nigeria and former President of the Human Rights Council, said this issue first cropped up during his tenure as President of the Council. The global financial and economic crisis was one of the human rights issues of this time. The issue remained pertinent today. The world's poor and marginalised, mainly women, youth, and the disadvantaged, continued to suffer disproportionately from the rise in property prices, diminution in access to jobs, and lack of social safety nets. It was not only the impact of the crisis that risked negatively impacting human rights, but the response of Governments to the crisis could also negatively impact them everywhere, as little attention had been given to the human rights dimension and impact of the crisis. The duties of States lay primarily in the response that they made to crises. What the world had been faced with since the onset of the crisis had been a human rights crisis based on an inappropriate response to the financial and economic crisis. This response needed to be analysed and critiqued.

From the human rights prism, there should be less concern for the difficult situation that Governments found themselves in and more concern for the human rights dimension of their response to that situation. While the spread of democracy had empowered many, the concentration of world and economic power in the hands of a few had disempowered millions economically and socially. The crisis, as it existed today, was the result of mechanisms that had generated impressive gains for some, and excessive impoverishment for others. Global challenges required global responses. The need for safety nets across the world for all at all times should not be ignored. There should be global coordinated stimulus packages, including a responsibility to address the needs of the poorest in societies. States should create an environment at the national and regional levels that was conducive to growth and human rights. Success in global economic recovery efforts could not be achieved without human rights-oriented policies and the joint efforts of the international community to overcome the crisis. This was a global human rights challenge, and the Human Rights Council had a responsibility and a duty to respond.

MARTIN KHOR, Executive Director of the South Centre, said that the Human Rights Council had a decisive role to play in how the economic and financial crises would impact on human rights. Already the ability of Governments and people to realize their human rights had been compromised. Governments were operating with tighter budgets and must make a trade off in policies. When deciding what expenditures to cut, they must make sure they protected human rights and jobs, rather than commercial interests. Protection of the poor must be the ultimate priority for any Government, together with protecting local food production. While considering financial packages and bail outs, developed countries must look beyond their own needs and look at the needs of developing countries which were suffering as collateral damage. Cuts in aid must be avoided, as well as the emerging protectionism. Developed countries must take a lead in examining the World Bank and International Monetary Fund policies and the related conditionality.

In relation to the ad hoc Working Group that would follow up on the financial crisis conference of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Khor proposed to find measures to meet the foreign exchange shortfalls, and examine the proposal for a Debt Court to protect the developing countries from the new debt crisis as a consequence of the current financial and economic crises. It should include reform of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, review of trade agreements and the revision of the global financial system. The repetition of the financial crises of the last year must be avoided. Central role must be given to the United Nations and the follow-up mechanism must be put in place.

IRENE KHAN, Chancellor of the University of Salford and Former Secretary-General of Amnesty International, said the number of people living in poverty would continue to increase. Social tension, discrimination, xenophobia against minority groups, and pressure on women’s human rights problems would grow. In times of recession, human rights should be given more attention. There had been an unprecedented global response to revitalize the economy. Was there an equal response to the effects on human rights of that crisis? Those were the results of actions of governments and economic actors. Human rights represented common human values. They were the moral navigators of measures adopted by Governments. Human rights required transparency and the inclusion of women. Trade offs were inevitable, which was why dialogue was crucial. Human rights pushed States towards economic and social rights. Making economic and social rights real implied rig fencing budgets to reduce infant mortality and to ensure free primary education. It also meant lifting barriers against the poor.

Second, global assistance was an obligation especially as the crisis started in the developed world and burdened the developing world. This obligation was legally founded yet politically contested. Third, proposals for reforming bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization had focused on more participation by developing countries. How they understood their part in international human rights had to be assessed. Fourth, monitoring and assessment was evermore crucial, covering all aspects: to respect, protect and to fulfill human rights. Little attention had been given to assessment of the public policy impact on human rights, as it was difficult to pin down those responsible. How could the Council support such initiatives? Could it consider a form of greater involvement of civil society? The 2010 United Nations summit was an opportunity to review the impact of the economic crisis on human rights. The Millennium Development Goals did not reflect issues such as social protection. This crisis gave the Council an opportunity to create human rights-friendly economic policies.

Discussion

National delegations then took the floor to make comments on the presentations and ask questions of the panellists. Among issues raised were that the right to the enjoyment of the highest possible standard of physical and mental health had been seriously hampered by the financial and economic crises. Due to the crises, there had been a cut-back in tax collection in a number of countries; vital infrastructure work had been postponed as a result. International efforts to address health should be as bold as those aiming to save international financial institutions from bankruptcy. Setbacks in Millennium Development Goals had an impact on the situation, and an integrated approach was required in order to meet the common goals set by the international community. By promoting responsible consumption and other positive steps, progress could be made. There was no doubt that the financial and economic crisis had had and would continue to have an impact on a wide range of rights, in particular the rights to food, health, and housing, and the right to development. Hunger and poverty were among the worst forms of human rights violations, and it was thus vital for international solidarity to be deployed to combat these scourges.

The economic, monetary and financial systems needed to be reformed, and this reform should reflect the relative weight of developing countries in the world economy, with a view to achieve global financial stability and elimination of poverty. Reports had indicated that developing countries had suffered disproportionately from the crises, and were suffering long-term consequences, in terms of providing education, health-care, employment, and social services. To what extent had the large-scale fiscal packages in developed economies led to a form of protectionism and thus exacerbated the consequences on developing countries, a speaker asked. A more fair and equitable order should be developed in order to overcome the crises, as it brought significant challenges to all national Governments. Human rights were not just essential for a dignified life. They were also important to conserve civil and political rights, consolidate the rule of law, and build societies that were democratic, fair, and prosperous. It was time to prepare for the post-crisis stage of development, and a humanitarian approach was what was needed in the radically new situation which would prevail when the crises ended, a speaker said. States should, in the mean time, remember their commitments to the freedoms of expression and association, another noted.

Concluding Remarks

JUAN SOMAVIA, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, said that the speaker from Brazil talked about the important link between development and human rights. The experience of the International Labour Organization demonstrated that countries that had engaged in social dialogue were able to put in place policies that were much more stable. The review of Millennium Development Goals must be done and must include the missing role of social protection. Part of the reflection that they all needed to make was that the model of globalization that had led the world to this crisis had overvalued the capacity of the market to self regulate, undervalued the role of governments and public policies and devalued the respect for environment and the importance of social policies. There was growing acknowledgement of this and the question for the future was how to put sustainable economies in place. Essential elements of the future outlook were putting in place international cooperation organised around the values of human rights and the knowledge that they needed to get out of the crisis productively. If they did not reflect, they would go back to the business of the past and the policies that had brought the international community to this stage in the first place.

MARTIN UHOMOIBHI Permanent Representative of Nigeria and former President of the Human Rights Council, said the discussion on the impact of the global economic crisis revealed that everyone had to take part in it. Second, development and human rights were mutually linked. Third, human rights involved Governments and Member States.

MARTIN KHOR, Executive Director of the South Centre, said there were three issues with regard to stimulus packages, including the bail-outs and the regulation of financial institutions. It was undeniable that countries that had the money for bail-outs were tilting the playing field against developing countries that did not have the money, and the countries that had the funds had an advantage over those developing countries that did not. However, he was not against the bail-outs and stimulus packages, as those countries that were using them to keep their economies alive were also helping the global economy. It should be noted that when there were negative implications on other countries, then there was a policy implication in other countries. The developing countries that wanted to do bail-outs did see a double standard, and the rectification was that there should be rectification of the powerful financial institutions and they should allow bail-outs in developing countries. On subsidies, if financial institutions were heavily subsidised in the developed countries, then developing countries should not come under pressure to open up their financial markets, as had been the case in the World Trade Organization. The World Trade Organization, together with other institutions, should conduct a study process on the implications and what should be done to rectify the situation, and the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms should also carry out such a study and put forward its proposals.

IRENE KHAN, Chancellor of the University of Salford and Former Secretary-General of Amnesty International, said there had been a reaffirmation here that human rights could not be sacrificed to financial pressures. However, the financial and economic crises had had a negative impact on the human rights and real lives of people. The economic crisis had forced a rethink of the old model that focused on markets and diminished the role and responsibility of the State. There was an investment gap in human rights, which needed to be filled, to address both the supply and demand side of human rights, with investment in human rights institutions and in creating empowered citizens. There had also been acknowledgement of the role the international community played in a globalized world. The normative framework of human rights should be strengthened. There should be an integrated, comprehensive approach, and the Human Rights Council could play an important role in this regard. How to make human rights real and respected in this crisis was the best way of addressing the situation.

Right of Reply

CHOE MYONG NAM (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), speaking in a right of reply, said there were strong reservations to allegations made by the United States and Portugal. The mandate on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea resulted from conspiracy by the United States and its allies, leading to confrontation that was incompatible with dialogue and cooperation. This was indicative of the United States' wish to take the Council back to the era of the Commission, characterised by politicisation. This could not be justified, nor accepted under any circumstances. The United States mentioned its commitment to fidelity and truth. If it were honest enough to deal with situations on the ground, it should volunteer to support the establishment of a mandate for a Special Rapporteur on the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq to study the situation of human rights there.


For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC10/009E