UN: Credibility at Stake for Rights Commission by Human Rights Watch / Amnesty International 8:47am 10th Mar, 2004   Geneva, March 10, 2004 (Human Rights Watch)    Instead of exposing human rights problems, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights risks drawing a veil across some of the worst human rights situations in the world, Human Rights Watch said today ahead of its annual session.    “Abusive governments have long used their membership of the commission to block criticism of each other’s human rights records,” said Rory Mungoven, global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. “But now, some Western governments that profess to champion human rights are trying to shield their friends and allies in the international fight against terrorism from criticism.”      This year’s session will consider proposals for the creation of a special mechanism to monitor the human rights impact of counterterrorist measures. However, the United States, Britain, Spain and Australia have joined India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in resisting the idea.       In the face of U.S. pressure, no EU government has pushed to renew the mandate of a U.N. expert to monitor human rights conditions in Iraq. Meanwhile, the United States and Italy are seeking a resolution that would ignore continuing and systemic human rights problems in Afghanistan.      So far, neither the United States nor any EU member has committed itself to tabling a resolution on China. While early discussions among the commission’s European members suggested there was momentum for a resolution on Chechnya, it is still unclear whether EU states will introduce a resolution.      The European Union has also been split on whether to condemn the deteriorating situation in Iran, and Canada is still weighing up whether to introduce its own resolution. A resolution on Iran was voted down at last year’s session, but subsequently adopted at the U.N. General Assembly.      Governments with poor human rights records have continued their efforts to prevent the commission from criticizing or even discussing human rights violations in specific countries. In particular, Cuba, Zimbabwe and China have in the past used procedural motions to block the discussion of their own human rights practices.      Human Rights Watch warned that the Commission was increasingly offering technical assistance rather than condemning abuses.      “In the case of repressive governments that have no intention to reform, such as Uzbekistan, relying solely on technical assistance is a completely inadequate approach,” Mungoven said.      The United States and some EU members have appeared halfhearted in pressing for the Commission to take action on Uzbekistan.      However, some of the most positive human rights initiatives have now come from Latin American and African governments, Human Rights Watch said. Mexico is spearheading efforts to safeguard human rights in the fight against terrorism. Brazil is championing a new resolution to tackle violence and discrimination against people on the basis of their sexual orientation. African members of the commission are leading an initiative on behalf of children abducted in the continent’s many wars.      “The commission can still regain some of the credibility it has lost in recent years,” Mungoven said. “But only if governments that support human rights rally together to confront the worst abuses, regardless of where they occur.”      Geneva,10/03/2004 (Amnesty international)    UN Commission on Human Rights must reform itself or risk irrelevance    By failing to act promptly and effectively, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights risks becoming irrelevant, said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, on the eve of the 60th session of the Commission, which begins on 15 March.    "The Commission is the pre-eminent human rights body within the UN. It was created to uphold human rights and denounce violations wherever they occur. But instead, time and time again, the Commission has behaved in a highly fractious, self-interested, politically expedient manner, turning a blind eye to human rights violations and allowing perpetrators to operate with impunity," said Ms Khan.    "Countries with appalling human rights records, such as Algeria, China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Zimbabwe, have escaped serious scrutiny, while the scandalous situation of detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has not even made it to the Commission's agenda."    "All too often the Commission has ignored the finding and recommendations of its own rapporteurs and experts. All too often, Commission members have failed to implement the resolutions and decisions of the Commission, damaging its credibility and undermining its effectiveness," she added.    "We challenge the Commission to reform itself by establishing transparent and objective criteria for selecting the countries it will scrutinise, and by putting in place a more effective system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation by States of the Commission's recommendations," said Ms Khan.    Over the next six weeks the Commission is expected to consider the human rights situation in some 20 countries and address a range of thematic issues. Amnesty International is calling on the Commission to give urgent attention to Haiti where a human rights catastrophe is unfolding as regime supporters and past perpetrators agitate against the background of a UN-sanctioned intervention, and to Iraq where escalating violence continues to endanger civilian lives as plans are made to hand power to an Iraqi government. Amnesty International is also calling on the Commission to take up the human rights situation in Nepal, which is experiencing the highest level of violence since 1996, and in the Sudan where fresh conflict in the Darfur region has affected tens of thousands of people.    Noting the launch of Amnesty International's worldwide campaign to Stop Violence against Women on 5 March 2004, Irene Khan urged Commission members to give priority attention to ensure that women can lead lives free from the fear of violence.    "A decade after the Vienna Conference endorsed women's rights as human rights and the Commission established the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, one in three women in the world still continues to suffer serious abuse, attack, rape or coerced sex because of inequality and discrimination, impunity and apathy of state and society alike. This is an outrageous scandal that should shame every government into urgent attention," said Ms Khan.    "The international legal framework exists - what we now need is commitment and concrete action by governments to implement and uphold those obligations. The Commission is uniquely placed to demand states' compliance of standards that guarantee women's rights to freedom from violence. We support the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur to focus on effective implementation of international treaties and standards."    According to Amnesty International, as of last year, 54 countries still have laws that actively discriminate against women, 79 countries have no law against domestic violence and 127 countries have no laws against sexual harassment.    Welcoming the appointment of Louise Arbour as the next UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Khan said: "We count on her, as the UN's chief advocate on human rights, to provide leadership to the UN human rights machinery."    "Ultimately, however, the responsibility rests with the member-states of the United Nations. At a time when confidence in the United Nations is low and respect for international law and human rights are under unprecedented pressure, the Commission must rise to the challenge to regain lost territory and re-establish its credibility." Visit the related web page
	Next (more recent) news item
	Next (older) news item