إحاطة إعلامية غير رسمية بشأن مشروع الإطار الاستراتيجي الذي وضعه الأمين العام للفترة 2016 – 2017، البرنامج 20، حقوق الإنسان

12 May 2014

I’m pleased to be here today to present to you the proposed Programme 20, Human Rights, of the Secretary-General’s Strategic Framework for the period 2016-2017. This follows up on the Human Rights Council President’s Statement of 11 October 2010 (PRST 15/2) which invited me “to present the Secretary-General's proposed strategic framework ... to the Council prior to its submission to the Committee for Programme and Coordination” and “to compile and submit the views of States and relevant stakeholders for transmission to the Committee for its consideration”.

In keeping with the Human Rights Council President’s Statement, and following the practice initiated previously by my Office, I have also brought the proposed Strategic Framework to the attention of the members of the Council through a letter to its President that I sent on 2 May. As indicated in that letter, I will relay to the Committee for Programme and Coordination, through the Programme Planning and Budget Division of the United Nations Secretariat, any comments members and observers of the Council have provided by May 19th.

The proposed Strategic Framework before you will be reviewed by the Committee for Programme and Coordination – which is the main subsidiary organ of the ECOSOC and the General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination -- at its 54th session in New York, in June. On June 10 I will present it to the Committee for Programme and Coordination by video conference. By 27 June, the CPC, which works by consensus, will submit its conclusions and recommendations regarding the various Programmes to the General Assembly, through its Fifth Committee, for final approval of the programme budget.

I want to emphasize that this proposed strategic framework for 2016-2017 represents a continuation of the programme plan and priorities that were approved by the General Assembly for the period 2014-2015. The few changes that have been introduced are intended to update the document in light of relevant General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions. In addition, OHCHR has also complied with the overall parameters set by the CPC to make the strategic framework more concise, and this required the word-count of the segments “Overall orientation” and “Strategy” to be reduced by 20 per cent in comparison with the previous programme.

Programme 20: Human rights, includes the following elements:

• An overall orientation as a high-level synopsis of the main themes of programmatic activity.
• The objectives of the Organization, Expected accomplishments and indicators of achievement and strategy for each of the four sub-programmes; and
• A list of relevant resolutions by the intergovernmental bodies providing the mandates for each sub-programme.

Under Sub-programme 1: Human rights mainstreaming, right to development, and research and analysis, OHCHR will continue its efforts to further integrate human rights into all relevant areas of work of the UN system. OHCHR’s strategy in this area is to strengthen partnerships with UN agencies to raise awareness and build capacities of all UN staff members on human rights issues. OHCHR will support the implementation of the right to development, in accordance with the Declaration on the Right to Development, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and other relevant mandates. The Office will also continue its research and analysis of human rights issues and its consolidation, further development, strengthening and application of substantive human rights expertise and methodologies. OHCHR will also continue to provide advisory services and training to States on measures to be taken to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

A reference to gender mainstreaming has been added to the objective, and to the first expected accomplishment and indicator, in line with the overarching accountability framework for implementation of the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Responsibility for implementing the sub-programme lies with the Research and Right to Development Division of OHCHR.

Under Sub-programme 2: Supporting human rights treaty bodies, OHCHR will continue to fully support the treaty bodies’ work and their efforts to improve and enhance their working methods. Work in this area will focus on implementation of the outcome of the treaty bodies strengthening process, including renewed efforts to support State parties on their reporting obligations and on follow up to the recommendations.

The sub-programme is under the responsibility of the Human Rights Treaties Division. A reference has been added to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, the Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, and the Special Fund under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OP-CAT), to note the work of this Division in administering these funds.

Under Sub-programme 3: Advisory services, technical cooperation and field activities, we will continue our meaningful engagement with Member States and other relevant stakeholders, including civil society actors, in order to support the implementation of human rights standards at the country and regional levels. The strategy includes providing States and stakeholders at the national and regional levels with human rights legal and policy-oriented advice, as well as education and training. This will be done through mutually agreed technical cooperation programmes to strengthen the administration of justice and develop effective national human rights protection systems, including through robust national human rights institutions, human rights education programmes and comprehensive national human rights plans of action. The strategy also includes work on strengthening UN efforts for peace, security and development by enhancing the capacity of United Nations country teams, peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding activities.

This sub-programme is under the responsibility of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division.

Finally, under Sub-programme 4: Supporting the Human Rights Council, its subsidiary bodies and mechanisms, OHCHR will continue providing strengthened support and advice to the Human Rights Council and its subsidiary bodies and mechanisms, including the Advisory Committee, the complaint procedure, the special procedures and the Universal Periodic Review. The outlined strategy includes strengthening partnerships to support follow up to the outcomes of these mechanisms.

The Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division of OHCHR is responsible for implementing this sub-programme. A new expected accomplishment has been added to this sub-programme, to reflect the establishment of the Universal Periodic Review Branch within the Division, and the work of this Branch in giving assistance to “requesting States in the implementation of the recommendations they have agreed to in the universal periodic review process, through the provision of assistance from the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance for the implementation of the universal periodic review”.

Against the backdrop of the current climate of economic austerity, OHCHR is taking the necessary steps to secure the highest possible value-added, effectiveness and efficiency in the use of resources. The Office is currently carrying out a functional review that aims to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness, examining how the Office performs its functions at headquarters (Geneva and New York), regional and country levels. In 2013, OHCHR adopted a programme for implementation, following a scoping phase that identified three over-arching challenges to be addressed: internal alignment, operational effectiveness and the ability to respond flexibly to changing priorities. Through 2014, Office-wide teams will be collaborating on several initiatives for process mapping and functional analysis. These initiatives will help OHCHR to streamline working methods and better organise its work. In addition, they will produce the information necessary to establish an improved organisational structure - one that will better equip OHCHR to lead the human rights pillar of the United Nations system.

However, in spite of a greater focus on results, and streamlined procedures aimed at increasing value for money, the three per cent of the regular budget that the UN devotes to the human rights programme remains a constraint for the implementation of the Office’s mandate. The assistance that you have given to addressing this shortfall in the intergovernmental budget review processes has been most helpful. I am particularly grateful for your support in the treaty body strengthening process, which has demonstrated the potential of concerted and sustained action. But there is still a long way to go. The UN human rights programme continues to grow consistently, through the adoption of new international treaties and conventions, and with new or expanded human rights mandates established by the Human Rights Council at every one of its sessions, and yet the resources allocated to this very important work remain a small percentage of the United Nations budget.

The Committee for Programme and Coordination that will be reviewing the proposed strategic framework in June works on a consensual basis. If consensus is not reached in relation to one specific programme, the relevant part of the Strategic Framework is submitted for discussion by the appropriate General Assembly Committee: the Third Committee, in the case of human rights. This is what happened with the human rights programme of the current biennium Strategic Framework which, as you might recall, was sent to the Third Committee. On that occasion the Third Committee was also unable to reach consensus, and the human rights programme was finally submitted to a vote.

I believe you will agree that submitting the United Nations human rights programme to a vote does not send the right message of universality that human rights merit and require. That human rights was the only programme of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Strategic Framework which was not approved by consensus is particularly unfortunate.

OHCHR is looking forward to engaging in a constructive discussion with Member States here in Geneva, and at the Committee for Programme and Coordination in New York, in order to ensure that the Secretary General’s Strategic Framework for human rights faithfully translates into effective action the decisions of Member States, as reflected in the resolutions of United Nations intergovernmental bodies.

I am convinced that this year all the necessary elements are present in order for the CPC to repeat the very positive experience of the 2012 - 2013 biennium, and reach consensus on the Strategic Framework. This is a document that simply reflects already-approved mandates.

Today’s meeting is one of the several meetings with Member States that I am convening this year, in accordance with the spirit of transparency and constructive dialogue to which I have always been committed. We will be soon meeting again in the context of the launch of the Annual Report, and the Technical Briefing on the content of that report.

I will be happy to hear your comments and to respond to any further questions you might have on the proposed Strategic Framework.

Thank you.