HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS PANEL ON THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF CORRUPTION ON THE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The Human Rights Council in a midday meeting today held a panel on the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights.

Opening the panel, Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that corruption was an enormous obstacle to the realization of all human rights, including the right to development. The principles of transparency, accountability, non-discrimination and meaningful participation, when upheld and implemented, were the most effective means to fight corruption. Anti-corruption efforts and the promotion of human rights were complementary and shared similar values, such as justice, fairness and the rule of law, conducive to a life of dignity.

Miklos Marschall, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, said that when Transparency began its crusade against corruption, the link between the two was not so clear but it had come to the realisation that anti-corruption efforts and human rights were closely and deeply linked. Corruption constituted a violation of human rights and the fight against it could not be successful if there was only a focus on economic development.

Sangeetha Pursuhottam, Executive Director, Best Practices Foundation, India, said that grass roots women experienced corruption as endemic, pervasive and part of everyday life experience. Their definition of corruption was more nuanced and included not just bribery or use of power but poor or absent service delivery, poor governance, as well as physical or sexual abuse. Several existing anti-corruption strategies created laws and frameworks to protect rights but could not ensure their implementation.

Marling Haydee Rodriguez Cerro, President of the Union of Women’s Producer Cooperatives Las Brumas, Nicaragua, said that traditionally women in Nicaragua had been discriminated against with regards to basic services, including health, education and access to land. It was important for citizens to be informed and trained and there was a need to increase capacity in that regard. Victims should be made aware of their rights and effective local points and contact the authorities where needed.

Dzidek Kedzia, Member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, referred to instances that could contribute to preventing corruption as a social phenomenon in the context of human rights mechanisms. The Committee had emphasised the lack of determination of States parties to take effective anti-corruption measures and dysfunctional anti-corruption bodies often worsened the problem. The Protocol to the Covenant would soon enter into force and could contribute to additional measures to prevent corruption

Phil Matsheza, Global Policy Advisor for Anti-Corruption, United Nations Development Programme, said that despite progress made in linking corruption with development, the divide between the two persisted. Even though the two disciplines came from different backgrounds, from the point of view of the United Nations Development Programme, the human factor was at the heart of both corruption and development. It was undeniable that corruption was one of the main obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights.

Claudia Sayago, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that there was a two-way relationship between human rights and corruption, so the fight against corruption could only be fully efficient through the human rights approach. The United Nations Convention against Corruption acknowledged that principles such as integrity, accountability, transparency, equality, and the right to information reinforced human rights.

Suzanne Hayden, International Anti-Corruption Academy, said that it was impossible to look at corruption through any lens and miss the causal connection to human rights. A primary factor in fighting corruption was education, from small children, to graduate students, to citizens, as a necessary way of safeguarding human rights by fighting corruption.

Abdeslam Aboudrar, President, Central Instance for the Prevention of Corruption, Morocco, said that Morocco had ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption in 2007 and since then had carried out many efforts to make sure that a binding mechanism was adopted by the international community to ensure its implementation. Corruption was felt at a grass roots level and everyday corruption needed to be tackled directly.

During the panel discussion, delegations emphasised the links between anti-corruption efforts and human rights. Corruption, which affected most countries, was an obstacle to the promotion of development and the rights of people, including the eradication of hunger and the delivery of basic services. Therefore corruption seriously reduced the ability of the public administration of States to ensure the enjoyment of human rights. Countering corruption was an important dimension of ensuring compliance with human rights and concerted efforts were necessary to counter corruption and its manifestations, among others, measures to improve transparency and accountability, public awareness campaigns and education. Emphasis needed to be placed on cooperation and international agreements regulating human rights and promoting good governance. Delegations underlined national efforts to address corruption, such as the creation of national anti-corruption agencies and the introduction of relevant legislation.

Speaking in the discussion were Morocco, Gabon on behalf of the African Group, Poland, Benin, Liechtenstein on behalf of a group of states, Canada on behalf of the Francophone Group, Burkina Faso, United States, Estonia, Togo, Malaysia, Georgia, European Union, Indonesia, Montenegro, Maldives, Brazil, Bahrain on behalf of the Arab Group, Guatemala, Tanzania, Australia, Egypt, Uruguay and Algeria.

The following non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Reporters Without Borders, International Association of Schools of Social Work, European Union for Public Relations, Commission Africaine des droits de l'homme, Indian Council of South America also took the floor.

The Council is holding a full day of meetings and this afternoon, at 3 p.m., the Council will consider the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of Czech Republic, Argentina and Gabon.

Opening Statement

NAVI PILLAY, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivering the opening statement, said that the money stolen through corruption every year was enough to feed the world’s hungry 80 times over. Funds stolen from the public treasury could have been spent to meet development needs, lift people out of poverty, and provide children with education. There was no doubt, said Ms. Pillay, that corruption was an enormous obstacle to the realization of all human rights, including the right to development. The principles of transparency, accountability, non-discrimination and meaningful participation, when upheld and implemented, were the most effective means to fight corruption.

There was growing awareness of the links between human rights and the struggle to combat corruption, and, as a result, there was increasing activism on the part of
United Nations human rights mechanisms, including the treaty bodies, Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review. Corruption was not localized but a global problem which plagued public office, businesses, and sports alike. From 2000 to 2009 developing countries reportedly lost $ 8.44 trillion to illicit financial flows, 10 times more than the foreign aid they received. Anti-corruption efforts and the promotion of human rights were complementary and shared similar values: justice, fairness and the rule of law were conducive to a life of dignity. Ms. Pillay concluded by commending this panel’s key sponsors and all Council members on bringing this important discussion into the Human Rights Council.

Statements by the Moderator and the Panellists

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director, Transparency International, Panel Moderator, said that this was the first time the Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on the negative impact of corruption on human rights. When Transparency began its crusade against corruption, the link between the two was not so clear. After two decades of hard work, it had come to the realisation that anti-corruption efforts and human rights were closely and deeply linked. Corruption was a violation of human rights and the fight against it could not be successful if there was only a focus on economic development. The focus should be on people and how corruption was devastating their lives; a people-centric approach was a human rights approach.

SANGEETHA PURSUHOTTAM, Executive Director, Best Practices Foundation, India, spoke of a study on women’s grass roots organizations and how they experienced and fought corruption. Grass roots women experienced corruption as endemic, pervasive and part of everyday life experience. Their definition of corruption was more nuanced, included not just bribery or use of power, but poor or absent service delivery, poor governance, as well as physical or sexual abuse. The study found that accountable governance was achieved not just because they participated, but because they were affiliated to a mobilized constituency. This made a strong and direct case for their demand for more support. Many felt the need for education and information on corruption and legal expertise on how to fight it. Several existing anti-corruption strategies created laws and frameworks to protect rights but could not ensure their implementation. It was through direct engagement that women fought for their rights and engaged with Governments.

MARLING HAYDEE RODRIGUEZ CERRO, President of the Union of Women’s Producer Cooperatives Las Brumas, Nicaragua, said that traditionally women in Nicaragua had been discriminated against with regards to basic services and with previous governments it had been even harder, particularly with regards to basic services, health, education and access to land. The situation had been improving slightly but regarding corruption, there were real problems, including with regards to the police force in rural areas. When women asked for something they were often also asked to pay in sex. What these women had done was create strategies together with the police and judges, courts and local governments, and they were able to forge alliances with them. However, this was of course not enough. They, women at grass roots levels, had to carve out their own space in the Government so that they could be empowered. It was important for them to be informed and trained and there was a need for increased capacity in that regard. Victims should be made aware of their rights and effective local points and contact with the authorities where needed.

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, said that the Office of the High Commissioner had been running a social media campaign about the human rights case against corruption with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Development Programme and Transparency International. The programme was called #RightsNotBribes, the hashtag created on Twitter for this campaign had reached almost 2.3 million unique users since 4 March. Almost 1,000 people and organizations had sent tweets using this hashtag and generated more than 11.5 million potential views. A Google­+ Hangout, which was an online video discussion broadcast live on YouTube, on the subject last Thursday was watched by many people online. So there was a lot of interest inside and outside this Council. Many questions and comments had been received. One tweet said that corruption was not just about stealing money, but stealing rights. Mr. Marschall asked Dzidek Kedzia what was the human rights case against corruption and what various United Nations human rights mechanisms could do to help?

DZIDEK KEDZIA, Member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, referred to instances that could contribute to preventing corruption as a social phenomenon in the context of human rights mechanisms, such as the empowerment of victims, the establishment of accountability mechanisms, and creating protective mechanisms against unfair treatment for alleged perpetrators. The work of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had underlined both structural and specific dimensions of the phenomenon. The Committee had emphasised the lack of determination of States parties to take effective anti-corruption measures and dysfunctional anti-corruption bodies often worsened the problem. Anti-corruption measures required effective implementation measures. The Committee had observed that the low salaries of civil servants could also block anti-corruption efforts. The Committee had underlined the need for special protection for disadvantaged or marginalised group and special attention had also been paid to the situation of human rights defenders. A corrupt justice system might itself enhance corruption in the country, sometimes even at the level of supreme judicial instances. The Protocol to the Covenant would soon enter into force and could contribute to measures to prevent corruption, as the Committee was mandated to carry out inquiries, with the consent of the concerned parties, on any systematic violation of the right or any issue arising from communications with the Committee, all of which could be used to counter corruption.

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International and Panel Moderator, asked about the experience of fighting corruption from the perspective of the United Nations Development Programme.

PHIL MATSHEZA, Global Policy Advisor for Anti-Corruption, United Nations Development Programme, said that despite progress which had been made in linking corruption with development, the divide between the two persisted. Even though the two disciplines came from different backgrounds, from the point of view of the United Nations Development Programme, the human factor was at the heart of both corruption and development. They may question methodologies and the accuracy of figures, but it was undeniable that corruption was one of the main obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights, said Mr. Matsheza. However, fighting corruption from a human rights perspective was not easy, because corruption was not just a crime but also an impediment to the United Nations Development Programme’s primary aim of creating and boosting sustainable development. The United Nations Development Programme supported programmes of risk management in order to fight corruption by creating transparency, equality and freedom of expression.

CLAUDIA SAYAGO, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that there was a two-way relationship between human rights and corruption, so the fight against corruption could only be fully efficient through the human rights approach. The United Nations Convention against Corruption acknowledged that principles such as integrity, accountability, transparency, equality, and the right to information reinforced human rights. It was important to take measures in order to protect the victims of corruption, persons reporting crimes of corruption, and experts dealing with such crimes. Furthermore, an impartial, independent and fair judicial system which performed its duties with integrity was essential in the fight against corruption. Concerning the review mechanism of the Convention, Ms. Sayago clarified that that was a peer-review mechanism which did not seek to judge and produce a ranking but, rather, to identify remaining challenges in the implementation of the Convention and to make recommendations.

SUZANNE HAYDEN, Senior Advisor International Anti-Corruption Academy, said that as an international organization of a very young age it had enjoyed the richness of fabric of its constituency. It was impossible to look at corruption through any lens and miss the causal connection to human rights. One of the events at the Academy entitled the Power of the Pen brought together investigative journalists from the Middle East and North Africa for a roundtable discussion on the role and responsibility of the media in the changing world, which explored the notion of what characteristics they should embody. The stronger they became the stronger citizens became, armed with facts and truths. They spoke of everyday people and the effects that corruption had on them. The Academy had finished the first of seven modules of a Masters programme for practitioners in the field of anti-corruption. The Academy’s focus and experience was not limited to the public sector but also the private sector. Ms. Hayden suggested that a primary factor in fighting corruption was education, from small children, to graduate students, to citizens, as a necessary way of safeguarding human rights by fighting corruption.

ABDESLAM ABOUDRAR, President, the Central Instance for the Prevention of Corruption, Morocco, said that Morocco ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption in 2007 and since then had made many efforts to make sure that a binding mechanism was adopted by the international community to ensure its implementation. Twelve years before ratification, a handful of civil society activists including himself set up the first association to campaign against corruption and very quickly found themselves faced with a dilemma, whether to deal with large scale or small scale corruption. It was quickly decided that they should deal with corruption at the smaller level. Corruption was felt at a grass roots level. High level corruption was something abstract for the man on the street and everyday corruption needed to be tackled directly. The world had to take the bull by the horns and look at the various sectors, interview all relevant players, carry out risk-mapping, and try to come up with solutions and remedies. The theory was clear but a great deal had to be done on tackling the link between corruption and human rights, or rather the absence of human rights.

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, summarising some of the initial remarks by panellists, underlined the importance of a nuanced definition of corruption and the importance of using a service approach, given the consequences of denial and lack of access to basic services. There were a number of grass roots initiatives that the Council could learn. Anti-corruption activists could also be regarded as human rights defenders; similarly, citizen participation and many other rights were related to anti-corruption efforts. Training and education programmes could also assist participation. Corruption denied human rights and when assessing corruption cases the context and broad picture should be consider.

Discussion

Morocco said that corruption, which affected most countries, was an obstacle to the goal of eradicating hunger. Morocco had taken measures to strengthen transparency and fight corruption. Gabon, on behalf of the African Group, said that this was the first time that the Council had the opportunity to discuss the negative impact of corruption on human rights. Concerted efforts were necessary to counter corruption and its manifestations. Poland said that it had made efforts to tackle the problem of corruption for many years. The measures it had taken included public awareness-raising campaigns in collaboration with non-governmental organizations. Benin said that the phenomenon of corruption seriously reduced the ability of the public administration of States to ensure the enjoyment of human rights. Benin had taken steps in that direction, and in 2011 it had adopted a counter-corruption law. Liechtenstein, on behalf of a group of States, said that the repatriation of illicit funds derived from corruption was an important issue, but underlined the need for a comprehensive approach to combating corruption in all its forms through strengthening good governance and the rule of law. Canada, on behalf of the Francophone Group, said that countering corruption was part of the combat for compliance with human rights, which was of the utmost importance. It was regrettable that for a number of years efforts made to counter corruption and to reinforce human rights went on in parallel rather than in conjunction with each other.

Burkina Faso said that by creating injustice corruption seriously jeopardized the enjoyment of human rights. Burkina Faso had made the fight against corruption a priority, and to that end it had established specific institutions. United States said that the Council should examine how corruption impacted on the enjoyment of human rights by individuals, including women and girls, and should emphasize the importance of non-discrimination and access to information in the fight against corruption. Estonia said that all countries were affected by corruption, the fight against which could help to reduce poverty, and stressed that transparency and free access to public information by everyone were important aspects of the anti-corruption fight. Togo said that corruption was a worrying phenomenon in society which led fragile societies to decline. Emphasis needed to be placed on cooperation and international agreements regulating human rights and promoting good governance. Malaysia said that corruption undermined a State’s integrity and affected a country’s social fabric. Malaysia had created a National Anti-Corruption Commission and had taken steps to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of that body. Georgia said that international cooperation and exchange of good practices were important in the fight against corruption. Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Council had been expanded to include civil society, and amendments had been made to the Criminal Code in order to provide a clearer definition of bribery.

Reporters Without Borders said that journalists and newsproviders were the watchdogs of democracy and human rights and mentioned a number of incidents targeting journalists in a number of countries. Legislation restricting the freedom of the media should be strongly condemned. International Association of Schools of Social Work, in a joint statement, condemned the prolonged United States’ occupation of Hawaii and said that corruption persisted at both local and international levels, including the Council, such as when selectivity protected the interests of powerful States. The International Association of Schools of Social Work called on the Council to address the right to self-determination.

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, said that it was indeed very good and promising that the consensus in the room seemed to be that there was a strong link between human rights and anti-corruption. Mr. Marschall recalled the question about further and more concrete examination of this link, with special attention to vulnerable groups. Another issue concerned the role of independent anti-corruption agencies. It had been said by some speakers that it was important to set up some international standards, similar to those applied to national human rights institutions. Other questions concerned the protection of journalists and whistleblowers in the context of corruption cases, such as the protection granted to human rights activists. Finally, there had also been a question about e-government.

SANGEETHA PURSUHOTTA, Executive Director, Best Practices Foundation, India, said that gender should be an element of all studies on corruption, which usually failed to pay sufficient attention to gender-specific issues. India had initiated a programme with strong participation from both women and youth.

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, said that in the language of advocacy it was easy to talk about the link between human rights but it was harder to think in terms of concrete violations. How should corruption be addressed then? Corruption was often addressed as a structural phenomenon but it should also be thought of in relation to specific situations.

ABDESLAM ABOUDRAR, Central Instance for the Prevention of Corruption, Morocco, said that when defining violations when civil servants stole or deviated funding, the State was violating people’s rights, for example guarantees to equitable access to basic services, etc. The point was that these links were not theoretical but concrete links between rights and violations, cases in which recognised rights were not being implemented by States.

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, concerning the question about anti-corruption agencies, asked whether there was an opportunity or desire to provide an international standard.

DZIDEK KEDZIA, Member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said that it was important to count with standards for these bodies that integrated human rights into their work and this was an area in which the link between human rights and corruption could be significant. The interest in various procedures and instruments at the country level should be expanded. By a way of example, the concept of public interest litigation was an interesting instrument concerning the linkage between the two phenomena.

ABDESLAM ABOUDRAR, President of the Central Instance for Prevention of Corruption of Morocco, recalled the international definition of corruption and said that it was those who provided public services - public authorities holding power - that needed to be deployed responsibly. Public authorities might be tempted and that was why an independent body was important to diagnose the problem and identify solutions. Countries suffering from large-scale corruption needed major structural reforms.

CLAUDIA SAYAGO, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, mentioned the Declaration and principles of anti-corruption bodies and agencies, which needed to be independent and able to operate without due influence. This discussion would be taken further in the May 2013 meeting in Vienna and in Panama by the end of this year.

SUZANNE HAYDEN, Senior Advisor International Anti-Corruption Academy, said that journalists addressing the issue of corruption needed to have adequate protection in order to use the power of pen.

CLAUDIA SAYAGO, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that the Convention recognised that it was important to protect persons who investigated different aspects of corruption, without impediment. The Convention did not refer specifically to the protection of journalists but referred to the protection of persons. There was a lot of work to be done and there were different scenarios and jurisdictions which could be taken into account. Within the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there was some work being carried out to help journalists to carry out their activities with accountability and professionalism, but also to evaluate protection mechanisms for journalists to be able to report. This was an area where there was a lot to be done.

PHIL MATSHEZA, Global Policy Advisor for Anti-Corruption, United Nations Development Programme, said it was commonly accepted that corruption happened where the opportunity of stealing was there and the likelihood of getting caught was thin. Where information was available, including on licenses and permits, drastic reductions of cases of corruption in procurement and service delivery were seen. Most governments were adopting more transparent systems and indeed this should be encouraged

Maldives stressed that corruption, if left unchecked, halted development, undermined the role of good governance and had a negative impact on human rights. It affected both developed and developing countries, said Brazil and it occurred in public and private sectors alike. The scourge of corruption was an obstacle in achieving the Millennium Development Goals as well, said Bahrain on behalf of the Arab Group, and specifically affected goals on extreme poverty and education.

A comprehensive and overarching approach to combating corruption was needed, said Guatemala, to tackle its root causes and prevent corruption through actions such as combating bribery, while Egypt stressed the need for the repatriation of funds of illicit origin as the outflows hurt developing countries and caused suffering of their populations. Algeria said that corruption was a transnational crime, which required the coordinated effort of the international community.

Best defences against corruption were a free and independent media, clear legislation against corrupt practices, and an effective and independent judiciary, said the European Union. Challenges ahead included inter-agency cooperation and the capacity of the police and courts to investigate and prosecute cases, said Montenegro.

In terms of anti-corruption efforts and measures undertaken by States, Tanzania had established a unit to combat cyber crime and recover assets, and since September 2011 had implemented an Open Government Partnership which had improved public service delivery and restored the trust of citizens. Uruguay had many norms to ensure access of the public to information, publicly declared the incomes of President and other high officials, and trained its officials in ethics and anti-corruption norms. Commission Africaine des droits de’homme said that there was a need to rebuild human and historical patrimony and get back the backbone of Guinea.

Australia was committed to combating corruption through its aid programmes whose strategic goal was effective governance, and it worked with its partners to support their efforts to tackle corruption and improve transparency and accountability. Indonesia asked the panellists how to make the best use of media, particularly the new media, in combating corruption. Indian Council of South America asked the High Commissioner to convene a seminar on the right to self-determination and to look into violations of this right as forms of corruption.
Concluding Remarks

MIKLOS MARSCHALL, Deputy Managing Director of Transparency International, Panel Moderator, asked panellists to make concluding remarks in one minute

SUZANNE HAYDEN, Senior Advisor International Anti-Corruption Academy, said that understanding the problem and educating society about the problem of corruption though formal and informal means was a way to address human rights by strengthening the anti-corruption regime.

CLAUDIA SAYAGO, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that it was important to take into consideration that efforts had to be put in place in a coherent fashion and that there were certain obligations for the State, but also roles for civil society, business and academia and there were opportunities to continue working so that the prevention of corruption would become increasingly realized, reinforcing the protection of human rights and the rule of law.

PHIL MATSHEZA, Global Policy Advisor for Anti-Corruption, United Nations Development Programme, responding to a question concerning youth education, said that corruption was a system of failures of State institutions. Anti-corruption work could not concern anti-corruption agencies alone.

ABDESLAM ABOUDRAR, President, the Central Instance for the Prevention of Corruption, Morocco, said that the fight against corruption required reliance on those who were primarily concerned by it, namely the citizens, who needed to be mobilized, informed and empowered to seek accountability of those responsible.

MARLING HAYDEE RODRIGUEZ CERRO, President of the Union of Women’s Producer Cooperatives Las Brumas, Nicaragua, said that it was important for all to work together in combating corruption and strengthening capacities to carry out social auditing.

DZIDEK KEDZIA, Member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said that the Committee could continue to apply systematic approaches to the relation between corruption and human rights and should take a more proactive approach in initiating technical assistance for States parties, which was within its mandate. It would be important to establish closer cooperation between the system of the United Nations efforts on corruption and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

SANGEETHA PURSUHOTTAM, Executive Director, Best Practices Foundation, India, reiterated the important role of grass roots women in anti-corruption efforts. Two possible interventions could be the rethinking of the definition of corruption and for international organizations to adopt and expanded the definition. Secondly, in order to create gender-sensitive programming, women should be consulted when it came to the design of those strategies at the macro level, and grass roots women’s organizations should be supported. Ms. Pursuhottam said that indicators to monitor corruption were being developed and that these would be shared in future.

MIKLOS MARSHALL, Deputy Managing Director, Transparency International, and Moderator, in closing remarks welcomed the rich and inclusive approach of the participants, where corruption was addressed from the grass roots level up to the transnational level and said that a very strong link was created between corruption and human rights. It was hoped that corruption could thus become a permanent, standing issue for the Council. A better linking of institutions and frameworks was required. Comments on the protection of anti corruption campaigners as human rights defenders were also welcome. If a study were to be undertaken, it should address corruption that led to direct violations. Corruption was an enormous obstacle to the realization of human rights and efforts to combat it were most effective and sustainable when coupled with an approach that respected all human rights and put people at the centre.