EIGHTEEN DIGNITARIES ADDRESS THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AS IT CONTINUES ITS HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its high-level segment, hearing statements from dignitaries from Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Cameroon, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Italy Uruguay, Myanmar, Greece, Nepal, Norway, Poland, Japan, Bolivia, Iran, Belarus, the Commonwealth, and the Council of Europe.

Marcel Amon-Tanoh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire, noted the significant progress in peace, security and the rule of law, and in consolidating the foundation for national reconciliation and social cohesion. Reforms of the security section through the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration processes must be accelerated to ensure that security forces were more professional. The right response to terrorism, a global threat to stability, must address the scourge, and the international community must work together in this regard.

Mustafa Ramid, Minister of Justice of Morocco, noted that the challenges and crises that the world faced today had an immeasurable impact on human rights. In Morocco, a great emphasis had been placed on legal reforms and on addressing human rights challenges – this was a strategic choice in determining relationships with future partners, and to ensure the rights of all Moroccans. Morocco continued to positively engage in political attempts to address the situation in Western Sahara and expressed its continuous support for its self-determination.

Lejeune Mbella Mbella, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, said that the September 2016 meeting in New York was a turning point on how to manage migration and create a more predictable and responsive system to migration, and stressed that there should not be a factual demarcation between “good” and “bad” migrants. It was commendable that the debate on racial profiling, including in the context of migration, was on the Council’s agenda.

Luwellyn Landers, Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, said South Africa’s engagement with the global system of governance was predicated on respect for the centrality of the Charter of the United Nations, the belief in multilateralism and respect for the rule of law. Migration was a challenge for South Africa, and recently, some citizens had attacked non-nationals. The root causes of that were poverty, inequality, unemployment and the scarcity of resources.

Akmal Saidov, Director of the National Human Rights Centre of Uzbekistan, said that last year was a milestone in the development of Uzbekistan, with the holding of transparent and democratic presidential elections. Uzbekistan had adopted a strategy of action 2017-2021 which focused on building a better society, promoting the rule of law and further reform of the judiciary, opening of the economy, and constructive foreign policy, and this was a roadmap to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Benedetto Della Vedova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, expressed deep concern over repeated violations of the truce in Syria and said that a cohesive support to the Libyan Presidency Council and the Government of National Accord as a partner in eradicating terrorism and managing migration was in the interest of all Libyans and of the international community. Italy supported Egypt in its commitment to fight terrorism, and praised the efforts of the Iraqi authorities to address the humanitarian needs arising from the Mosul campaign.

José Luis Cancela, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, said that the refugee crisis had put to the test the capacity of the international system and the respect for values and norms, and it was regrettable that human rights had not always emerged victorious. The role of the Council was irreplaceable; concerns existing today on possible political impacts or changes in international relations in the course of this year must not detract the Council from advancing the integrational human rights agenda, and its mandate, given by the General Assembly, must be fulfilled.

Kyaw Tin, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, said human rights must be addressed in a manner that was inclusive, equal and non-discriminatory. Today’s Myanmar was totally different from the past, having entered a new era since its democratically elected government had taken office; it was making efforts to create a fair and just society for all its people, and national reconciliation and peace was a priority. Remaining challenges included bringing harmony to the two communities in Rakhine State, and the new Government had been wrongfully accused of indifference to the plight of that state’s peoples.

Ioannis Amanatidis, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, stated that the migration and refugee issue remained a cause of major concern. Greece was facing particularly strong migratory pressure due to its geographic position at the external border of the European Union. Despite severe economic constraints, the Government had been giving its utmost attention to that problem. It went without saying that an international crisis of such a magnitude could only be tackled through international cooperation and burden sharing.

Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, said that for developing countries like Nepal, the right to development was particularly profound and called for that right to be mainstreamed and treated equally with civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. The attainment of the right to development should be an integral part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, he said, and welcomed the decision of the Council last September to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the right to development.

Marit Berger Røsland, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Norway, said the international community faced an unacceptable and growing implementation gap between established norms and the realities on the ground. Norway supported the mechanism on Syria set up to investigate violations of international criminal and humanitarian law. Curtailing free speech and the media were often signs of an impending crisis, she said, and the best defence against repression, violence and conflict was inclusive dialogue and the free exchange of opinions.

Joanna Wronecka, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland, opposed any attempt to limit the scope of the engagement of civil society in the Council’s work, and acknowledged the importance of experience sharing between civil society organizations, especially those active in the field of democracy promotion. Recent events had shown that people could not enjoy real development and security if those two did not go hand in hand with human rights. To achieve that goal, Geneva and New York had to be brought closer together and human rights had to be placed at the heart of conflict prevention.

Motome Takisawa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said that serious human rights violations and humanitarian concerns gave rise to an enormous number of challenges for the Human Rights Council. As a responsible member of the international community, Japan would actively extend assistance and cooperation in response to those serious human rights concerns, including through providing approximately six billion dollars to help prevent the expansion of violent extremism and build a tolerant and stable society in the Middle East.

Guadalupe Palomeque, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, said Bolivia had been going through a democratic cultural revolution and one of its main planks was human rights. Bolivia attached great importance to the issue of indigenous peoples, and had been one of the promoters of the indigenous peoples’ mechanism in the Human Rights Council. Bolivia was committed to contributing to building a fairer society - one that was respectful of the noblest human values, in harmony with Mother Earth.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran, noted the great challenge of extremist ideologies which ravaged the Middle East while distorting and defaming a great religion. Iran continued efforts towards the promotion of human rights, based on a cooperative approach on all levels, and found it thus unacceptable that the Council had adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran. The Council should be a cooperative forum for advancing and advocating human rights worldwide, not a forum for accusation and division.

Valentin Rybakov, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus said the world was ever less mindful of the causes that had led to global armed conflict, and that in Europe, there was such faith in the international order that it had not recognised that the world had changed. It was frightening to realise how divided nations were. The Council could become a body for cooperation and unity if all refrained from promoting their own political priorities through the current membership of the Council.

Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth said that the Commonwealth’s work on human rights focused on strengthening the capabilities of national human rights institutions, parliaments and parliamentarians. Another important topic was countering violent extremism, and a special unit had been established to that end. The Commonwealth continued to support the work of the Commonwealth Forum of National Human Rights Institutions, and there was great scope for parliaments to contribute to the work of the Human Rights Council.

Thornbjørn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, stressed that Europe’s populist problems did not begin with Donald Trump’s Twitter account; the renaissance of populism in Europe was due to its failure to cope with its own problems. The rules established after the Second World Two for refugee protection were not made for the sunny day, but were made to guide the international community in difficult times like today. And yet, many were departing from the rules to deal with difficult problems. The only way to deal with the chaos was to recall the words of the United Nations Charter and the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Summaries of statements delivered at the opening of the high-level segment on 27 February, including the statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and since, can be found here, here, and here.

The Council will next meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 1 March, to conclude its high-level segment.

High-level Segment

MARCEL AMON-TANOH, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire, said that despite several challenges, Côte d’Ivoire had made significant progress in peace, security and the rule of law. Today, Côte d'Ivoire was a country of peace and security that was attractive to investors. Following recent crises, it had turned over a new page and was now consolidating freedoms and democratic governance. It was also consolidating the foundation for national reconciliation and social cohesion. Nevertheless, Côte d’Ivoire needed to accelerate reforms of its security section through the process of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration and ensure that security forces become more professional. Mr. Amon-Tanoh emphasised the respect that Côte d’Ivoire’s President had for human rights and highlighted the country’s collaboration with human rights mechanisms, including moving into the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review. Moreover, the Government spared no effort in contributing to the protection of human dignity and paid particular attention to terrorism as it was one of the greatest threats to stability worldwide. The right response was needed to address the scourge and, in that regard, the international community had to work together. He went on to condemn the mistreatment of migrants and called on countries to improve their integration policies.

MUSTAFA RAMID, Minister of Justice of Morocco, noted that the challenges and crises that the world was facing today had an immeasurable impact on human rights. In Morocco, a great emphasis had been placed on legal reforms and on addressing human rights challenges, which was a strategic choice in determining relationships with future partners and ensuring the rights of all Moroccans. Morocco continued to positively engage in political attempts to address the situation in Western Sahara and expressed its continuous support for its self-determination. The efforts made so far had been lauded by the Security Council and several international organization. The new plan for southern regions had been adopted to ensure that they enjoyed all the rights under the Constitution. In the light of those continued efforts, and as a part of its commitment, Morocco would undergo its third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in 2017. In partnership with others, steps were being taken to address the issues of development, climate and migration, and Morocco stressed the need for solidarity in addressing the situation of irregular migrants. Morocco continued to support efforts to find just and lasting solutions to the situation of the Palestinian people, and stressed the need for greater cooperation to ensure security in the region.

LEJEUNE MBELLA MBELLA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, stated that the September 2016 meeting in New York had been a turning point on how to manage migration and create a more predictable and responsive system on how to respond to migration. There should not be a factual demarcation between “good” and “bad” migrants. It was commendable that the debate on racial profiling, including in the context of migration, was on the Council’s agenda. Migration was an asset when it came to the melting pot of people and economic development. When migration was not regular, migrants were far from safe; migration needed to be well managed. In 2013, the war against Boko Haram had broken out, creating an unprecedented flow of refugees, which affected Cameroon and neighbouring countries. The humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad region was the subject of a recent humanitarian conference in Oslo, whose goal was to formulate sustainable policies to address that problem and collect donor funds. Mr. Mbella Mbella welcomed the upcoming visit of the members of the Security Council to Cameroon, which would discuss the refugee crisis in the Lake Chad region and the fight against Boko Haram. Extremist and radical elements in Cameroon had raised demands for the federalization of the country, and made regular threats against those who refused to boycott schools and workplace. Their leaders had been arrested in conformity with national laws.

LUWELLYN LANDERS, Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, said that South Africa’s commitment to human rights and the promotion of human dignity and equality was unwavering. South Africa’s engagement with the global system of governance was predicated on respect for the centrality of the Charter of the United Nations and the belief in multilateralism and respect for the rule of law. Migration was a challenge for South Africa, and, recently, some citizens had attacked non-nationals. The root causes of that were poverty, inequality, unemployment and the scarcity of resources. Poverty continued to afflict the majority of South Africans, which the Government together with businesses and organized labour had sought to mitigate through agreeing on a national minimum wage. South Africa would use its re-election to the Human Rights Council to champion the realization of economic, social, and cultural rights globally, as well as the establishment of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in the Diaspora. The ongoing violations of the right to self-determination of the people of Palestine and Western Sahara remained an issue of serious concern, Mr. Landers said, and should remain “pivotal” to the Council’s work.

AKMAL SAIDOV, Director of the National Human Rights Centre of Uzbekistan, said that last year had been a milestone in the development of Uzbekistan, with the holding of transparent and democratic presidential elections. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a framework for the protection of the future of the planet and future generations, and it called upon all to protect human rights and freedoms. Uzbekistan had adopted a strategy of action 2017-2021 focused on building a better society, promoting the rule of law and further reform of the judiciary, opening of the economy, and a constructive foreign policy. That was a roadmap to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Year 2017 was a year of dialogue with the people in Uzbekistan, and, in that sense, the President had signed a decree for the establishment of a Supreme Court and the transfer of the Military Court into the Supreme Court system. A priority for the reforms was to protect private property and promote entrepreneurship; a new mechanism – the Ombudsman for businesspeople – was being established to protect the rights of that particular group. Measures were also being taken to address corruption. In order to implement the United Nations principles on the elderly, Uzbekistan had adopted a law for social protection of the elderly and was promoting the drafting of a convention on the rights of elderly persons.

JOSÉ LUIS CANCELA, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, stressed the collective responsibility to protect human rights worldwide, and reiterated the unwavering commitment of Uruguay in that regard. Uruguay was a party to all the human rights treaties and had a standing invitation to all Special Procedure mandate holders of the United Nations and the Inter-American systems. The international panorama was complex and challenging, shot through with paradoxes and uncertainties. The world evolved, millions had seen improvements in their living standards, while scientific and technological change had engendered progress in health and education. Yet, the world was riddled with an alarming number of humanitarian and security crises; they all contained, as a cause or a consequence, human rights violations of millions of people. The international community, including the Council, had an obligation to put an end to that. International terrorism continued to afflict indiscriminately a number of countries around the world, and that ideology of hatred, which even tried to constitute itself as a state, was a threat to collective humanity. More had to be done to address behaviours that undermined peace, namely xenophobia, discrimination, racial or sectarian violence. The refugee crisis had put to the test the capacity of the international system but also the prevalence of values and norms, and it was regrettable that human rights had not always emerged victorious. The role of the Council was irreplaceable, stressed Mr. Cancela.

KYAW TIN, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, said that human rights had to be addressed in a manner that was inclusive, equal and non-discriminatory. Myanmar believed the Universal Periodic Review was the most dependable process. Today’s Myanmar was totally different from the past, having entered a new era since its democratically elected government had taken office. Myanmar was making efforts to create a fair and just society for all its people, and national reconciliation and peace was a priority. Remaining challenges included bringing harmony to the two communities in the Rakhine State, and the new Government had been wrongfully accused of indifference to the plight of that state’s peoples. Mr. Tin expressed surprise at allegations contained in a report unilaterally released by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, and noted that an investigative commission was making efforts to come up with a more thorough and credible report. The challenges in Rakhine could not be seen through the narrow lens of the human rights of one community alone, he said, asking the international community to take a more positive approach to help the Government of Myanmar resolve the issue rather than focusing on condemnation, punishment and resentment. Any action by the Human Rights Council had to be part of the solution, not the problem. Myanmar looked to the international community for help to succeed with its democratic transition.

IOANNIS AMANATIDIS, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, stated that Greece remained committed to the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all fundamental rights, providing its full support to the multilateral human rights system within the United Nations. Greece had presented its candidacy for membership to the Human Rights Council for the period 2019-2021 and, if elected, it would continue to work in a spirit of cooperation and constructive dialogue with all relevant United Nations bodies and Member States. Greece focused its work on cross-regional initiatives aiming to tackle important social and economic rights, such as the right to work, the world drug problem, the enjoyment of cultural rights and the protection of cultural heritage, youth and human rights. Greece actively supported the protection of human rights defenders, the fight against racism and other forms of discrimination, and the safety of journalists. In light of the harsh economic crisis, Greece had been striving to protect the rights of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. The issue of migrants and refugees remained a cause of major concern. Greece was facing a particularly strong migratory pressure due to its geographic position at the external border of the European Union. Despite severe economic constraints, the Government of Greece had been giving its outmost attention to that problem. It went without saying that an international crisis of such a magnitude could only be tackled through international cooperation and burden sharing.

PRAKASH SHARAN MAHAT, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, said that human rights were universal, indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. There should be no preference to one set of rights over others. Only by taking a holistic approach could one see an accurate picture of the measures required to promote and protect all human rights. In that context, the Universal Periodic Review had become a hallmark of international cooperation in the realm of human rights. For developing countries like Nepal, the right to development was particularly profound, Mr. Mahat said, calling for that right to be mainstreamed and treated equally with civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. The attainment of that right should be an integral part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Minister welcomed the decision of the Council in September 2016 to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the right to development. The political transformation in Nepal over the past decade ensured equal rights to all people, he said. At the same time, the country was making serious efforts to strengthen its National Human Rights Commission and other independent constitutional commissions established to protect and promote human rights in all spheres of national life.

MARIT BERGER RØSLAND, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Norway, said that the international community faced an unacceptable and growing implementation gap between established norms and the realities on the ground. Political crises and human rights violations were often interlinked, and therefore the protection of human rights had to be part of addressing conflicts. Norway supported the mechanism on Syria set up to investigate violations of international criminal and humanitarian law. The international community needed to ensure the financial capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. Norway would present a standard resolution at the current session of the Human Rights Council on renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, and all States were invited to join forces on that cause. Turning to the crucial role of the right to freedom of expression, Ms. Røsland said that an independent and diverse media sector was vital to providing the public with information and to holding governments accountable. Norway was concerned that some governments who had a responsibility to protect and implement human rights imposed laws and policies which, instead, undermined freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Curtailing free speech and the media were often signs of an impending crisis, she said, and the best defence against repression, violence and conflict was inclusive dialogue and the free exchange of opinions.

JOANNA WRONECKA, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland, noted that the international human rights system could not exist without civil society and human rights defenders. Poland opposed any attempt to limit the scope of the engagement of civil society in the Council’s work. It acknowledged the importance of experience sharing between civil society organizations, especially those active in the field of democracy promotion. Recent events had shown that people could not enjoy real development and security if those two did not go hand in hand with human rights. To achieve that goal, Geneva and New York had be brought closer together and human rights had to be placed at the heart of conflict prevention. The international community could not forget the dire human rights situation in Syria and eastern Ukraine where lack of respect for internationally recognized principles resulted in the suffering of innocent people. Such situations should remain in the focus of the Council’s attention. Poland supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and strongly condemned the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. It remained committed to supporting such vital initiatives as the protection of the rights of the child, freedom of religion and belief, and the promotion of good governance. Ms. Wronecka reminded that armed conflicts were devastating not only to innocent civilians but also to cultural heritage.

MOTOME TAKISAWA, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said that serious human rights violations and humanitarian concerns gave rise to an enormous number of challenges for the Human Rights Council. In Asia, there continued to be issues related to the respect for basic human rights and the rule of law. In particular, abductions by “North Korea” had yet to be resolved and the voices of concern within the international community on the systematic and widespread violation of human rights in the country had been growing since the publication of the report by the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2014. As a responsible member of the international community, Japan would actively extend assistance and cooperation in response to those serious human rights concerns. In the Middle East, it would provide assistance of approximately six billion dollars to help prevent the expansion of violent extremism and build a tolerant and stable society. Meanwhile, it was in the process of implementing an assistance package toward the creation of peace and stability in Africa. The concept of “human security” was one of the pillars of the country’s foreign policy and it had actively contributed to the protection and promotion of human rights in collaboration with the United Nations and other international bodies.

GUADALUPE PALOMEQUE, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, said Bolivia had been going through a democratic cultural revolution and one of its main planks was human rights. Bolivia had ratified the 18 instruments of the international human rights system, and submitted the required reports to the competent bodies. Over the past 11 years, Bolivia had spared no effort when it came to combatting poverty, including through legislative efforts such as a law declaring a Decade of Afro-Bolivian people. In the past year, Bolivia had also approved a law which had created a truth commission. Bolivia attached great importance to the issue of indigenous peoples, and had been one of the promoters of the indigenous peoples’ mechanism in the Human Rights Council. Bolivia had a strong position on the human rights to water and sanitation. Bolivia deplored the violations of human rights as a consequence of the occupation of the Palestinian territories. In the current high-level segment, the Deputy Minister restated Bolivia’s commitment to contributing, with other Member States, to building a fairer society--one that was respectful of the noblest human values, in harmony with Mother Earth.

SEYED ABBAS ARAGHCHI, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran, noted that the most serious challenge to the fulfilment of human rights worldwide was the emergence of extremist groups in different parts of the world. Extremist ideologies had ravaged the Middle East while distorting and defaming a great religion. In light of such an evil phenomenon, Iranian President Rouhani had called on world leaders to support his initiative “World against Violence and Extremism”. The root causes of the problem should be addressed. An end should be brought to those financially supporting extremist movements. The international community should not idly sit by while innocent civilians were brutally attacked in Yemen by the United Arab Emirates. Perpetrators should be held accountable. It was ironic that Israel and the United Arab Emirates flocked together in their anti-Iranian policies and gestures while they committed flagrant violations of human rights, supporting ideologically, financially and militarily the most extremist terrorist mercenaries of the time while trying to play the blame game of labelling Iran. It was unacceptable that the Council had adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran. It was unfortunate that the abuse of the United Nations mechanisms for seeking political objectives had become routine for certain Member States.

VALENTIN RYBAKOV, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belarus, said the world was ever less mindful of the causes that had led to global armed conflict. In Europe, there was such faith in the international order that they had not recognised that the world had changed. The most precious of human rights, the right to life, was impossible without peace and security. It was easy to list Council decisions on issues that had divided countries. Unfortunately, conflict had become routine in the work of the organ. Indeed, it was frightening to realise how divided nations were. Nevertheless, the Council could become a body for cooperation and unity if all refrained from promoting their own political priorities through the current membership of the Council. The Council must also refrain from using monitoring mechanisms without consulting the affected Member State. Instead, its work should shift to capacity building for States, without which safety or human rights could not be achieved. For its part, Belarus had launched the implementation of its national plan as part of the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review and was open to international collaboration on human rights issues.

PATRICIA SCOTLAND, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, expressed appreciation for the Commonwealth’s partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, as well as the partnership with the Group of Friends of Small Island Developing States. That partnership in turn facilitated the participation in the work of the Council by Member States which did not have a permanent presence in Geneva, through the Commonwealth Small States Office. Commonwealth priorities included the empowerment of women, she said, welcoming the United Nations Secretary-General’s report last July on child, early and forced marriage. Freedom of opinion and expression was another topic to which the Commonwealth attached great importance, as violating those rights had a direct negative impact on the situation of human rights defenders. The Commonwealth’s work on human rights focused on strengthening the capabilities of national human rights institutions, parliaments and parliamentarians. Another important topic was countering violent extremism, and a special unit had been established to that end. The Commonwealth continued to support the work of the Commonwealth Forum of National Human Rights Institutions, and there was great scope for parliaments to contribute to the work of the Human Rights Council.

THORNBJØRN JAGLAND, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, said that in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, the world was witnessing the greatest human rights crisis since World War II, despite the commitments that the States had made to act in the collective interest. Instead, they were acting in their own interest. In 2015, some 1.5 million refugees had arrived to the European Union, three million had entered Turkey, hundreds of thousands were in camps in Jordan and Lebanon, a quarter million were expected to flee Mosul, and there were hundreds of thousands internally displaced person in Ukraine. Europe could continue to be obsessed with military spending, said Mr. Jagland, but that would not address the heart of the matter, and the key threat to Europe’s security, which was the chaos surrounding it. Only a small proportion of the United Nations’ financing requirements for the support to Syrian refugees were met, prompting many people to seek livelihood elsewhere. Europe must spend the money where it was needed, finance the United Nations agencies, open the borders, and live up to its collective responsibility. It must take care of unaccompanied minors, who were among the most vulnerable groups seeking safety in Europe, who because of lack of protection, were falling victims to human trafficking or joining radical movements. Europe’s populist problems did not begin with Donald Trump’s Twitter account; the renaissance of populism in Europe was due to failure to cope with its own problems; it did not see the refugee problem coming, also due to insufficient financing for the United Nations Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme, and because of failed integration policies. The rules established after the Second World Two for refugee protection were not made for the sunny day, but were made to guide the international community in difficult times like today. Yet many were departing from the rules to deal with difficult problems. The only way to deal with the chaos was to recall the words of the United Nations Charter and the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.



For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC17/007E