HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL OPENS TWELFTH REGULAR SESSION

The United Nations Human Rights Council this morning opened its twelfth regular session, holding a high-level segment in which it heard statements from three dignitaries from Sri Lanka, the United States and Thailand.

Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights of Sri Lanka, said since June this year, when Sri Lanka last addressed the Council, it had made significant strides towards a lasting and durable solution to the long-standing conflict. With the defeat of terrorism, the Government was doing its utmost to restore, rebuild and renew the foundations of a democratic social order throughout the territory of the Sri Lankan nation. Sri Lanka had to rebuild its institutional foundations to foster and preserve the new multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Sri Lanka that it wished to create. The vision was the creation of a new Sri Lankan identity which acknowledged and cherished the wonderful diversity that characterised its society; to enable this, the protection and promotion of human rights, economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights and the right to development, were of prime importance.

Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs of the United States, said that it was with a sense of mutual respect that the United States took its place on the Human Rights Council, next to the friends and partners with whom it would work to forge common ground on the most fundamental roles of the State: to protect and advance human rights. Freedom of speech, expression and belief; due process; equal rights for all – those enduring principles had animated some of the proudest moments in United States history. The United States aspirations for the Council encompassed several key themes: universality, dialogue, principle and truth. The United States urged States to support the independence of human rights special procedures as vital resources in the fight for human rights. The United States was also dedicated to working with other nations who shared its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and fighting against negative stereotyping. It was vitally important that the Human Rights Council find ways to work together on those themes.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand said violence against women was one of the areas that required a renewed sense of urgency. Another gender specific issue required greater attention, namely the treatment of women prisoners, since the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners might no longer be adequate to address the specific needs of women prisoners. The promotion and protection of human rights was certainly one of Thailand’s top national priorities. With its strong adherence to democratic values, human rights and humanitarianism, Thailand wished to present its candidacy to the Human Rights Council for the period 2010/2013 and was determined to assume responsibilities in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide and to contribute constructively to the effective work of the Council. The link between the respect for human rights and the rule of law had never been more evident. Gender sensitivity was the new rule of the game and the road towards enhancing the lives of female inmates was a test of their political will.

Brazil and Argentina raised points of order and asked the President when they could speak about the issue of the participation of the delegation of Honduras. The President, Ambassador Alex van Meeuwen of Belgium, invited them to speak at an appropriate moment.


The next meeting of the Council will be at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will draw lots of the members of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review, and select the troikas for the sixth, seventh, and eighth session of the Universal Periodic Review.


Statements

ALEX VAN MEEUWEN, President of the Council, in his opening statement, said he wished to welcome all delegations to the Council as well as the high-level dignitaries present.

MAHINDA SAMARASINGHE, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights of Sri Lanka, said since June this year, when Sri Lanka last addressed the Council, it had made significant strides towards a lasting and durable solution to the long-standing conflict. With the defeat of terrorism, the Government was doing its utmost to restore, rebuild and renew the foundations of a democratic social order throughout the territory of the Sri Lankan nation. Nearly 290,000 Sri Lankan hostages were rescued from the clutches of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and were moved to temporary accommodation facilities and later to relief villages. The sheer numbers of persons arriving at these centres did stretch the capabilities of the Government but it was a matter for satisfaction that within a matter of weeks, the Government was able to accommodate and provide an adequate level of care for these persons. It was the Government's position that the internally displaced persons could and would be permitted to leave the relief villages and welfare centres once they were screened, and their bona fides established.

Since the end of the successful armed operations to rescue the civilians in the theatre of conflict in May 2009, over 14,500 persons had been cleared to live with relatives; and over 31,000 persons had been reunified with members of their families after having been separated during military operations. Resettlement had commenced with limited returns being made possible by demining. Despite progress, there was an orchestrated campaign being conducted by vested interests to grossly distort the conduct of the humanitarian operations and the good work that was being done to care for those rescued from the clutches of terrorism, and these forces would be defeated. The Government's programme could be summarised under the five heads of relief, reconstruction, resettlement, reintegration and reconciliation. Internecine conflict such as that experienced by Sri Lanka for nearly three decades had an inevitable corrosive effect on the institutions and mechanisms that ensured peace, order and good governance. Sri Lanka had to rebuild its institutional foundations to foster and preserve the new multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Sri Lanka that it wished to create. The vision was the creation of a new Sri Lankan identity which acknowledged and cherished the wonderful diversity that characterised its society: to enable this, the protection and promotion of human rights, economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights and the right to development, were of prime importance.

ESTHER BRIMMER, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs of the United States, said that it was with a sense of mutual respect that the United States took its place on the Human Rights Council, next to the friends and partners with whom it would work to forge common ground on the most fundamental roles of the State: to protect and advance human rights. Freedom of speech, expression and belief; due process; equal rights for all – those enduring principles had animated some of the proudest moments in United States history. Those human rights and fundamental freedoms were part of the national DNA of the United States, just as they were a part of the DNA of the United Nations. And yet, the United States recognized that its record on human rights was imperfect. Its history included lapses and setbacks, and there remained a great deal of work to be done. The United States decision to join the Council was not entered into lightly, and was reached based on a clear and hopeful vision of what could be accomplished there. The United States aspirations for the Council encompassed several key themes: universality; dialogue, principle and truth. They were all endowed at birth with the right to live in dignity, to follow their consciences and speak their minds without fear, to choose those who governed them, to hold their leaders accountable, and to enjoy equal justice under the law. "Those rights extended to all, and the United States can not accept that any among us would be condemned to live without them", Ms. Brimmer underscored.

The United States would work with others to address the most egregious human rights abuses at the Council, Ms. Brimmer continued. It was inspired by the impassioned demands of human rights defenders under siege around the world who looked to the Council for action. It was also motivated by the pernicious machinations of countries seeking to obscure and deny their abuses. Country-specific resolutions demonstrated their collective will to address some of the most important human rights situations around the world. They provided space for human rights defenders to carry out their valiant work and, through the work of the mandate holders, offered monitoring mechanisms and recommendations that could guide reform. The United States urged States to support the independence of human rights special procedures as vital resources in the fight for human rights. The United States was also dedicated to working with other nations who shared its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and fighting against negative stereotyping. It was vitally important that the Human Rights Council find ways to work together on those themes. The United States believed that Governments had a responsibility to condemn hateful speech and to promote respect and tolerance; it also believed fundamentally that the best way to fight intolerance and hate was through open and free debate and discussion of ideas. As the United States sought to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms across the globe, it embraced a commitment to live up to those ideas at home and to meet its international human rights obligations. Along those lines, the United States looked forward to its upcoming Universal Periodic Review process, which was an opportunity for both self-reflection and transparency.

PRINCESS BAJRAKITIYABHA (Thailand) strongly endorsed the view of the High Commissioner that violence against women was one of the areas that required a renewed sense of urgency. Another gender specific issue required greater attention, namely the treatment of women prisoners, since the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners might no longer be adequate to address the specific needs of women prisoners. She brought the attention of the Council to the project called Enhancing Lives of Female Inmates that aimed at calibrating United Nations standards and norms for the better treatment of women in prison. Thailand had undertaken to develop the Draft United Nations Rules for Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders. The open-ended intergovernmental expert group meeting to be held in Bangkok in November this year would open the way for the tangibility in this regard.

The promotion and protection of human rights was certainly one of Thailand’s top national priorities. With its strong adherence to democratic values, human rights and humanitarianism, Thailand wished to present its candidacy to the Human Rights Council for the period 2010/2013 and was determined to assume responsibilities in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide and to contribute constructively to the effective work of the Council. The link between the respect for human rights and the rule of law had never been more evident. The world must recognise that gender sensitivity was the new rule of the game and the road towards enhancing the lives of female inmates was a test of their political will.


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