New UN Human Rights Council Kicks Off
June 19, 2006
Opening the two-week inaugural session of the new 47-nation Human Rights Council, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the world was watching -- particularly the victims of human rights violations.
"I trust that all members of the council are fully aware of the hopes that have thus been raised, and are determined not to disappoint them," he said in the presence of ministers and senior representatives from 100 countries.
The new body replaces the former UN Commission on Human Rights, which was widely regarded as discredited due to the dominant presence of countries with poor human rights records and pervasive behind-the-scenes political bargaining that helped states duck criticism.
"The council's work must mark a clean break from the past," Annan said. "Never allow this council to become caught up in political point-scoring or petty maneuver," he cautioned. "Human rights are an inherently sensitive topic. But that does not mean they are inherently intrusive, or antithetical to state interests. Nor should we accept the widely parroted notion that there is a built-in tension, or a necessary trade-off, between freedom and security."
No more double standards?
The council will seek to avoid a charge leveled at the 53-nation commission -- that it was selective in the cases it treated -- by carrying out systematic human rights reviews for each of the UN's 191 member states.
Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the new council was "uniquely positioned to redress the shortcomings of the past."
"It is empowered to devise the means that will prevent abuses, protect the most vulnerable, and expose perpetrators," she told the session.
Beset by criticism
The council, however, is already beset by criticism and lacks the support of the United States. Washington was one of only a handful of UN members to vote against the new body, saying the reforms did not go far enough to correct the deficiencies of the commission. It also objected to the inclusion of Cuba and other alleged rights abusers, such as China and Saudi Arabia.
Pressure groups have also spotlighted the membership of countries such as Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and Tunisia.
Arbour noted that, when they stood for election, the new council members had pledged to promote and respect human rights. Member states serve a renewable three-year term.
"Despite these solemn undertakings, some critics see little value in what they deem as yet another series of empty declarative gestures," she told the session. "It is incumbent upon all members of the Human Rights Council to prove these critics wrong and earn the trust invested in this new body."
Working methods
An important test for the council will be the establishment of the so-called universal periodic review system (UPR) to investigate and evaluate the human rights standards around the world. All 191 UN member countries will be subject to review under this process, but the council has yet to agree on the rules of procedure.
Delegates at the first session will start by establishing the council's working methods. No examination of individual cases is expected, except for a possible discussion of the situation in the Palestinian territories.
The council is also expected during its first session to adopt a resolution on forced disappearances and a declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.