HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HEARS FROM SEVENTEEN DIGNITARIES AS IT CONTINUES HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its high-level segment, hearing speeches from seventeen dignitaries, who addressed a wide range of issues. Many speakers spoke of the reform process in the United Nations, urging further transparency and inclusiveness. The Universal Periodic Review was also a topic of interest for many speakers, who noted that such a mechanism was an important step forward from the old Commission on Human Rights, and should be an important tool for strengthening the existing human rights machinery.

Abdelaziz Ziari, Minister in charge of Relations with Parliament of Algeria, said the Human Rights Council had a vocation to become one of the main parts of humanity’s conscience, and it should remain a space for dialogue and not for confrontation. It should be a tribunal advocating tolerance, and giving pride of place in its work for transparency.

Paulo Vannuchi, Minister of State and Special Secretary on Human Rights of Brazil, said the first aim of the Human Rights Council was to establish the basis of its institutions. The Universal Periodic Review mechanism was the central body and key difference between the Council and the former Commission on Human Rights. A global human rights report would strengthen universality and transparency.

Azouz Begag, Minister for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities of France, said the perspective of a global reform should commit all the member countries of the United Nations in the long term. The success of the reform must be achieved by consensus within the Council. All forms of discrimination should be addressed because they were a major obstacle to the effective implementation of all other rights.

Manouchehr Mottaki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, said the widely diagnosed maladies of the human rights mechanism had been politicisation, selectivity, and double standards. Human rights, democracy and freedom per se were basic principles and values, but not good excuses to cover up illegal or unilateral wrongdoings. Cooperation and dialogue would best serve the protection and promotion of human rights all over the world.

Rita Kieber-Beck, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, said the greater concern was cooperation and dialogue and their translation into action by the Council. A stronger effort should be made to reach out across regions and to ensure a broad understanding of human rights issues was expressed in the Council’s daily work. There had been positive signs, such as the stepping up of efforts in the area of institution building.

Samuel Santos Lopez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, said that in the context of strengthening and improving human rights, Nicaragua assumed a personal and national commitment with all governmental and civil bodies to fight injustice and work in an effective way for the promotion and protection of human rights. Dialogue should be placed before confrontation so that peace and reconciliation prevailed.

Vuk Draskovic, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia, said when human rights were not respected, then this meant, logically and unfortunately, that violations and violators were very respected, very protected, and untouchable. All should be reminded of the issue of the province of Kosovo in this regard. The historical, cultural and religious rights of Serbs in Kosovo should be protected.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, said efforts should be redoubled to ensure that the examination of mandates, mechanisms, roles and responsibilities of the former Commission were transferred effectively to the Human Rights Council so that it was legitimate and effective in the pursuit of its objectives.

Johannes Hendrik de Lange, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa, said global poverty and underdevelopment were demanding that the international human rights system had to produce a new global normative standard or Convention on the Right to Development, creating space for people-centred development, the preservation of human dignity and the fight against debilitating poverty.

Roberto Garcia Moritan, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Argentina, said the Council had been created to protect and promote human rights without bias and selectivity. To ensure the effectiveness and credibility of the Council, there was a need to ensure constant evaluation of its successes and possible failures. However, there had been also cases where consensus had been replaced by argument, and this had caused a lack of success in various areas.

Marta Altolaguirre Larranondo, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, said the promotion and protection of human rights continued to enjoy full support from Guatemala. The Universal Periodic Review mechanism was important and necessary for the promotion and protection of human rights, and the revision of mandates and procedures should be priority concerns for the Council.

Masayoshi Hamada, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said the Human Rights Council was currently at a critical crossroads concerning the ability of establishing a mechanism that would live up to the expectations entrusted to it by the international community. Country-specific resolutions on the situation of human rights and the country-specific rapporteur mechanism were among the indispensable means for the Council.

Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, said the establishment of the Council marked a new chapter in the collective endeavours to strengthen the human rights system. There was an opportunity to build on previous accomplishments, and to rectify shortcomings that had become disturbingly apparent. All human rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political, should be given equal attention.

Belela Herrera, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, said poverty remained a major violation of economic, social and cultural rights, and one of the world’s most serious and widespread human rights violations generally. Circumstances must be created that favoured sustainable, just and equitable human development, and efforts to apply the Millennium Development Goals should be redoubled.

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs of Malta, said since its establishment, the Human Rights Council had proceeded in fits and starts, with some notable and some disappointing results. The broad mandate of the Council should not preclude it from being a flexible tool and its work must be related to activities on the ground.

Raymond Johansen, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, said the fight against terrorism should not become a pretext for deviating from the fundamental principles of rule of law and fair trial guarantees. The prohibition against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment was absolute, and any person who perpetrated such acts should be brought to justice. Freedom of expression was a fundamental and universal human right.

Bernardino Leon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Spain, said the international community had created a potentially very valuable tool to protect human rights throughout the world in the Council. Politicisation and sterile confrontation should be avoided in its work, and a constructive spirit of cooperation and dialogue should be the shared objective, as should be the protection and promotion of all human rights, which were universal and interdependent.

The Council is scheduled to resume its high-level segment on Tuesday, 13 March at 10 a.m.

Statements

Abdelaziz Ziari, Minister in charge of Relations with Parliament of Algeria, said a year ago significant reforms had begun to make the United Nations organization more representative and impartial. Transparency should prevail in the decision-making process, including in the management and evaluation of subsidiary bodies in the human rights sphere. The Human Rights Council had a vocation to become one of the main parts of humanity’s conscience, and it should remain a space for dialogue and not for confrontation. It should be a tribunal advocating tolerance, and giving pride of place in its work for transparency. The Council had to listen to the voices of the weak, the neglected, and show solidarity with all victims of human rights violations throughout the world, without violating the dignity of the human person.

Human rights should remain humanity’s heritage. They did not belong to any civilisation or region, and work should be done to mediate between the different legacies. Human rights were more than just declarations of principles: they were freedoms that should be exercised every day, allowing citizens to participate in the life of the State and flourish as individuals. There had been a real flourishing in economic, social and cultural rights in Algeria, and this fortunate evolution had taken place under the aegis of the President, heralding the arrival of a new era in human rights in the country, with all in the country brought together to built a new nation. The rights and freedoms of all peoples should be respected under all circumstances.

PAULO VANNUCHI, Minister of State and Special Secretary on Human Rights of Brazil, said Brazil’s struggle for social justice was not limited to internal affairs but also looked outwards. The first aim of the Human Rights Council was to establish the basis of its institutions. Brazil renewed its support for dialogue, transparency, cooperation and coordination, joint efforts to promote human rights, and for tolerance and understanding of diversity. The Universal Periodic Review mechanism was the central body and key difference between the Council and the former Human Rights Commission. A global human rights report would strengthen universality and transparency.

Brazil had proposed the establishment of objective criteria for country mandates based on assessment of a country’s performance in terms of human rights. Specific goals should be established and achieved if the Council were not to become an arena for stalemate and sterile debate. Brazil proposed a Working Group to draw up a plan of specific goals to be pursued in parallel with the Millennium Development Goals. For example, could a timeframe be established to abolish the death penalty? What could be achieved to promote the eradication of torture and forced disappearances? Cultural, religious and historical diversity were not forces for division, he said, but forces for the enrichment of understanding among nations. Solid, transparent, inclusive and efficient institutions were the key bridges that the Council must build.

AZOUZ BEGAG, Minister for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities of France, said that he fully complied with the statement made this morning by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on behalf of the European Union. One year ago, France had addressed the Human Rights Council, which had its first meeting then, urging it to act in a more voluntarily and ambitious way to protect all the victims of the violations of human rights in the world. He affirmed the willingness of France to be one of the first countries to be subjected to the future Universal Periodic Review, which should be a place of dialogue and cooperation. All the actors were asked to make a contribution to enhance the protection and promotion of human rights. The perspective of a global reform should commit all the member countries of the United Nations in the long term. The success of the reform must be achieved by consensus within the Council.

Since one year, the Council had already taken some important decisions, Mr. Begag said. Concerning the special session held last year on the situation in Darfur, France was very satisfied by the decision of the Council to send a fact-finding mission there in order to evaluate the situation. France regretted that the high-level mission was not able to visit Darfur. States had to cooperate with the Council and with its Special Procedures. France encouraged all States to issue an open invitation to the Special Procedures. The Council was still in a crucial phase of determination. All forms of discrimination should be addressed because they were a major obstacle to the effective implementation of all other rights, like racial discrimination that was a universal challenge the international community must face together, the fight against any violence based on religion or belief, the abolition of the death penalty or the situation of children. France was defending the principles of universality and indivisibility of human rights.
Manouchehr Mottaki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, said the Commission, in its long journey and gradual development, had provided invaluable lessons to be learnt, and these should be heeded. Overcoming these negative phenomena required a shift in the culture of those involved in the protection and promotion of human rights. The widely diagnosed maladies of the human rights mechanism had been politicisation, selectivity, and double standards. Any condoning or failure to deal promptly with these deficiencies would indeed take all back to the same challenges experienced by the Commission. The Council should discard a confrontational approach by targeting countries on an arbitrary basis which had become the insidious manifestation of politicisation and double standards in the past.

Human rights, democracy and freedom per se were basic principles and values, but not good excuses to cover up illegal or unilateral wrongdoings. The Human Rights Council should be able to address the violation of all human rights, in particular the right to life of innocent people living under foreign occupation under the disguise of defending democracy. Cooperation and dialogue would best serve the protection and promotion of human rights all over the world, and mutual trust, understanding and due regard for national and cultural particularities were among the essential elements of any meaningful undertaking aimed at attaining the common goal. The Universal Periodic Review mechanism should be an important tool for strengthening the existing human rights machinery.

RITA KIEBER-BECK, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, said that while Liechtenstein shared concern for individual human rights situations in certain countries, the greater concern was cooperation and dialogue and their translation into action by the Council. A stronger effort should be made to reach out across regions and to ensure a broad understanding of human rights issues was expressed in the Council’s daily work. There had been a lack of commitment in this regard and the trend should be reversed. There had been positive signs, such as the stepping up of efforts in the area of institution building. A Universal Periodic Review system to enable the human rights record in individual States to be considered should be established, together with Special Procedures to maintain the strengths of the old system and address its shortcomings.

However, the widening gap between human rights standards and implementation was a cause for concern, and very little progress had been made in the operationalization of the right to development, allowing significant setbacks to occur. The Council would face a credibility gap if agreement could not be reached to follow up standards with practical application. There had not been sufficient political will aimed at translating the promotion and protection of human rights into action.

SAMUEL SANTOS LOPEZ, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, said that Nicaragua was working to ensure that economic, social and cultural rights were, among others, implemented. Despite the progress made in the promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua, they were still not always respected in some areas. Nicaragua faced an ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, the Government together with the people had set out guidelines for social and economic benefit for all Nicaraguans. A council for food security had been established in order to address poverty. The new government was working to improve the situation in the country.

Nicaragua considered that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights could only be implemented effectively if everyone could enjoy not only civil and political rights but other rights like economic, social and cultural rights as well as the right to development. In the context of strengthening and improving human rights, Nicaragua assumed a personal and national commitment with all governmental and civil bodies to fight injustice and work in an effective way for the promotion and protection of human rights. In accordance with this commitment, Nicaragua was working together with all members of the Council to promote the respect of human rights in those parts of the world where violations were taking place. Nicaragua emphasized the importance of the continuation of the genuine dialogue. Dialogue should be placed before confrontation so that peace and reconciliation prevailed.

Vuk Draskovic, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia, said when human rights were not respected, then this meant, logically and unfortunately, that violations and violators were very respected, very protected, and untouchable. All should be reminded of the issue of the province of Kosovo in this regard. In the name of the protection of the human rights of the Albanian majority, the United Nations Security Council had adopted resolution 12/44, declaring United Nations governance of that province. Over the last eight years, in the huge presence of the United Nations troops and civilian mission, the Albanian majority had expelled over 200,000 Christian Serbs. More than 1,000 Serbs, many of whom were children, had been killed.

A Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General had decided a few days ago to propose Kosovo’s independence to the Security Council. This implied a change of the internationally recognised borders, and an intervention on Serbian soil against the will of Serbia. This was against the United Nations Charter, and also against all principles of human rights. Serbia had a proposal to change the Charter of the United Nations in this regard. The historical, cultural and religious rights of Serbs in Kosovo should be protected. If Serbia lost hope in the basic principles of law and justice, it would lose everything.

MARIA FERNANDA ESPINOSA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, said the approval of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was a significant development. Another landmark was the International Convention for the Protection of People against Forced Disappearance. Ecuador expressed confidence in the Universal Periodic Review system and the Special Procedures. A number of problems in countries bordering Ecuador continued to pose risks for the people of Ecuador, notably glyphosphate spraying in Colombia, where the health of people dwelling in the border areas, notably of children and indigenous communities, was jeopardized. Ecuador continued to fight the cultivation of illegal drugs, and its armed forces had been provided with the financial and human resources needed for controlling and monitoring cultivation of these drugs.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador reiterated an earlier call to Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations to visit Ecuador and see the effects on human and animal health of this glyphosphate spraying. More broadly, efforts should be redoubled to ensure that the examination of mandates, mechanisms, roles and responsibilities of the former Commission be transferred effectively to the Human Rights Council so that it might be legitimate and effective in the pursuit of its objectives. This aspiration should strengthen multilateralism, and fulfil the historic duty to build a Council that was effective in protecting and promoting human rights throughout the world.

JOHANNES HENDRIK DE LANGE, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa, said that the Council provided a vision and excellent leadership under very difficult and trying times. South Africa associated itself with the statement earlier made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Alberto G. Romulo, on behalf of the Convening Group of the Community of Democracies. The first year of the existence of the newly established Human Rights Council marked a defining moment for the international human rights community. Global poverty and underdevelopment were demanding that the international human rights system had to produce a new global normative standard or Convention on the Right to Development, creating space for people-centred development, the preservation of human dignity and the fight against debilitating poverty. The South African human rights policy was founded on the principles of respect for, promotion, protection and fulfilment of all generations of human rights. Therefore, it was unavoidable that the Council’s agenda and programmes addressed critical issues such as the realisation and practical enjoyment of the economic, social and cultural rights by all people everywhere, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the development and adoption of a new normative instrument (a Convention) on the right to development and the insurance of the achievement of the right of self-determination for nations still living under foreign occupation among others, as a matter of priority.

The Deputy Minister said that South Africa welcomed the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as the International Convention on Enforced Disappearances. The adoption of the resolution on convening the Durban Review Conference in 2009 was another milestone achievement by the Council. As this year marked the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, South Africa was calling upon the United Nations and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure the proper celebration of this important occasion. Throughout the last thirteen years, South Africa had made discernable progress in its national delivery system, especially in the areas of economic, social and cultural rights. The country encouraged the continuous dialogue between the Human Rights Council and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. South Africa’s national priority was to intensify its social development programmes.

Roberto Garcia Moritan, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Argentina, said that the Council had been created to protect and promote human rights without bias and selectivity, and there was pride in the efforts that had been made one year along. To ensure the effectiveness and credibility of the Council, there was a need to ensure constant evaluation of its successes and possible failures. In preliminary stocktaking of what had been done, there was a decision to avoid a vacuum, by strengthening special mechanisms and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. However, there had also been cases where consensus had been replaced by argument, and this had caused a lack of success in various areas.

The situation in Myanmar, for example, had not been discussed, and the situation of some areas, such as Darfur and the Middle East, were incomplete. The sources of the Council’s legitimacy were the effectiveness of its measures and its impartiality in action. There was a need for a strong body to ensure effective action throughout the world, and this would be the principal task of the Council. Argentina sought to fully implement all mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights. The rights of indigenous peoples were supported, and the Declaration on their rights should be promptly adopted. The Council should review all mandates and set up a Universal Periodic Review. Thematic mandates and Country Rapporteurs should be preserved where appropriate. Improvements needed to be made to the individual country procedure, with an independent analysis of allegations. The Council could achieve better results if it gave non-governmental organizations a greater possible level of participation.

MARTA ALTOLAGUIRRE LARRAONDO, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, said the promotion and protection of human rights continued to enjoy full support from the Government of Guatemala, and Special Rapporteurs on numerous issues had paid numerous visits to the country, and other visits were planned. Internally, Guatemala was pursuing measures aimed at combatting organised crime, and several commissions and bodies had been set up to investigate the activities of criminal organizations. In social development, policies to combat racism, human trafficking, child labour, and poverty and to support indigenous groups and women were underway. The inefficiency of the justice system in combating impunity was being closely examined, especially concerning violence against women.

Migration and the affairs of migrant communities were also under the spotlight, and Guatemala was committed to fight the brain drain that was affecting the country by improving opportunities locally. The problem of international adoption was also a priority area, with investigations revealing the presence of agencies operating outside the law and against the interests of children. Measures had been set up to overcome the limitations that had prevented Guatemala from fulfilling the provisions of the Hague Convention on international adoptions. Guatemala considered the Universal Periodic Review system to be important and necessary in the promotion and protection of human rights. The revision of mandates and procedures should be priority concerns for the Council. Agreement on the draft United Nations Declaration on the Protection of Indigenous Peoples should also be a priority.

MASAYOSHI HAMADA, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said that Japan recently added a new pillar to its foreign policy, placing a greater emphasis on universal values such as human rights, the rule of law, and democracy. Japan wished to do its part to support the development of a prosperous and stable region where such fundamental values would take root, while keeping in mind the differences in culture, history and the stage of development among nations. Japan had contributed $ 10 million to the United Nations Democracy Fund and hoped to contribute by this way to the efforts to the international community to consolidate democracy. Japan’s diplomacy was in step with the global mainstreaming of human rights taking place throughout the world. The Human Rights Council was currently at a critical crossroads concerning the ability of establishing a mechanism that would live up to the expectations entrusted to it by the international community. Japan intended to actively participate in the discussions on the development of the Council and considered especially the Universal Periodic Review to be one of the essential pillars of the Human Rights Council.

Country-specific resolutions on the situation of human rights and the country-specific rapporteur mechanism were among the indispensable means for the Human Rights Council, the Vice Minister said. For an example, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was making sincere efforts to improve the Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s human rights situation even though the visit of the rapporteur was refused. Japan again strongly urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to make serious efforts to resolve the abduction issue and requested the country to ensure the safety of all abductees and their return. As the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea provided that the abduction of foreign nationals was a violation of human rights, it was essential that the international community coordinated and cooperated in a united front to urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to resolve this issue. Japan hoped that the Human Rights Council would reach an early agreement on the working methods of the Council. In addition, Japan would engage in broad cooperation through joint initiatives with other nations and would endeavour to protect and empower vulnerable groups.

Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, said this was a crucial stage in the rebuilding of the human rights machinery. The establishment of the Council marked a new chapter in the collective endeavours to strengthen the human rights system. There was an opportunity to build on previous accomplishments, and to rectify shortcomings that had become disturbingly apparent. Fairly intense discussions had already taken place on institution building in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 60/251. It was important to use this session of the Council to give clear guidance to the delegations on the direction that they should take in further deliberations. Economic, social and cultural rights continued to be denied parity with civil and political rights. There was an obstinate resistance to accept the right to development as a right. Existing standards did not effectively address some of the main threats to human dignity in present times.

All should realise that human rights did not exist in a vacuum, and were to be realised within given economic and political contexts, which latter was, in present times, provided by the process of globalisation. Existing standards and enforcement mechanisms appeared remarkably inadequate in addressing the challenges posed by globalisation. The chronic failings of the human rights machinery, namely politicisation, selectivity and double standards continued to threaten any new edifice that could be constructed. All human rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political should be given equal attention in the work of the Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. There should be effective mechanisms for the full realisation of the right to development, and to access the impact of measures underpinning globalisation and to redress any negative consequences of these measures for the enjoyment of human rights.

BELELA HERRERA, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, said poverty remained a major violation of economic and social rights, and one of the world’s most serious and widespread human rights violations generally. Circumstances must be created that favoured sustainable, just and equitable human development, and efforts to apply the Millennium Development Goals should be redoubled. In Uruguay, national programmes and policies to promote and protect human rights included creating a national human rights institution, signing the International Convention on the Protection of Persons Against Forced Disappearances, collaboration in support of disability rights, and participation in the Convention Against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment.

Ms. Herrera said capacity building measures to assist state bodies in Uruguay had increased, and this would continue. Cooperation with the International Criminal Court was also in progress. Uruguay would continue to work to ensure the Council was a qualitative and tangible advance over the old Commission. Different historical, economic, cultural and religious contexts should not interfere with respect for human rights, and dialogue should be cultivated to facilitate understanding between States. Special Procedures should be strengthened alongside the Universal Periodic Review system, and the participation of civil society should remain an indispensable part of the success of the Council.

CARMELO MIFSUD BONNICI, Parliamentary Secretary from the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs of Malta, said Malta hoped for a Human Rights Council that was sufficiently equipped to put human rights on the forefront of the international agenda. Since its establishment, the Human Rights Council had proceeded in fits and starts, with some notable and some disappointing results. Key among its achievements had been the approval by the Council of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, later on adopted by the General Assembly. Another important achievement was the approval of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. The broad mandate of the Council should not preclude it from being a flexible tool and its work must be related to activities on the ground. The Human Rights Council faced a formidable challenge, that of being able to rise above national and regional politics and cultural differences in order to remain a credible institution addressing key human rights issues worldwide.

As humanity had since antiquity looked upon the need to protect individuals from abuse, the Human Rights Council should keep this concept as its central and guiding light. By the fact that the international community saw it appropriate to establish the Human Rights Council, States showed that they recognized the value of human rights and the need for their promotion and protection. In this context, Malta expressed its strong view that the Council had to address the challenges posed by human rights situations in more substantive terms. Cross-regional cooperation had become all the more crucial in order to make the Human Rights Council an effective mechanism for the promotion and protection of human rights. Malta was proud of its membership and observance of the United Nations human rights machinery and instruments and continued to unequivocally support the Human Rights Council and believe in it. Although not a member of the Council, Malta wished to see the institution grow as a channel of dialogue and peace among all nations and people. Although it was sometimes difficult for the Human Rights Council to resolve the world’s problems, Malta believed that the Human Rights Council was an opportunity that must be seized in order to address concerns together and open new perspectives.

Raymond Johansen, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, said the challenges were daunting: the Member States of the United Nations had to follow up their commitment. The situation of human rights defenders was of critical importance to the protection and promotion of human rights, and today they continued to be at risk, in particular defenders from indigenous groups. There was also deep concern for the ongoing human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Violence against women was universal, and affected the lives of countless women, an obstacle to the achievement of equality, development and peace in all continents. Violence against children constituted serious human rights violations that were rightly at the forefront of the deliberations during the session. All, including the High Commissioner, the Council, its Special Procedures and the Independent Experts should work together to end violence against the most vulnerable of all.

All agreed that preventing acts of terrorism remained necessary in order to secure the civilian population from potential random violence. But the fight against terrorism should not become a pretext for deviating from the fundamental principles of rule of law and fair trial guarantees. The prohibition against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment was absolute, and any person who perpetrated such acts should be brought to justice. Freedom of expression was a fundamental and universal human right. Restrictions on that right could have far reaching consequences for other fundamental human rights such as freedom of religion or belief. Dialogue was about finding ways to manage fundamental differences, and the Human Rights Council should play its part in this dialogue.

Bernardino Leon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Spain, said the international community had created a potentially very valuable tool to protect human rights throughout the world in the Council. Politicisation and sterile confrontation should be avoided in its work, and a constructive spirit of cooperation and dialogue should be the shared objective, as should be the protection and promotion of all human rights, which were universal and interdependent. The Human Rights Council should be a capable and independent institution. The Council required truly operational and effective operating and protecting mechanisms. The launching of an effective country-review mechanism should be one of the central elements of the machinery. The legitimacy entrusted by the General Assembly to the Council to intervene in cases of serious human rights violations should have real content, and real action needed to be taken, representing progress and improvement where it was necessary.

The use of special sessions of the Council when the situation required it also meant added value for the new body, and so far the institution’s attention had been focussed on some of the most urgent and serious human rights violations in the world. The Human Rights Council, when in the course of the session it considered the report of the High-Level Mission to Darfur, should take a strong stand on the matter of Sudan, and take steps to put an end to the crisis. It was hoped the fourth session would allow the Council to address other substantive matters, both geographical and thematic, in the context of the interactive dialogues. It was only by uniting the efforts and commitments of all that it could be ensured that the Council fulfilled the expectations placed on it.

For use of the information media; not an official record

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