COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES DEBATE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Commission on Human Rights
57th session
3 April 2001
Afternoon






Independent Expert on Extreme Poverty and
Human Rights Presents Report


The Commission on Human Rights this afternoon continued its debate on economic, social and cultural rights, hearing from speakers who highlighted issues ranging from the negative effects of globalization on economic, social and cultural rights in developing countries to the effect of foreign debt on the implementation of these rights and the need for support from the international community to order to ensure them.

Anne-Marie Lizin, the Independent Expert on human rights and extreme poverty, said that although there were real efforts being made against extreme poverty by Member States, they were not entirely effective. Extreme poverty still existed, but those fighting extreme poverty were growing in number. Global migration of the poor showed the irrepressible desire of people to emerge from extreme poverty, she said, adding that people were running away from poverty, using all the means available to them. Globalized economic growth and actions against racism had to be addressed together.

Different aspects of implementing economic, social and cultural rights were discussed by speakers. Among others, Malaysia said that the majority of the developing countries, especially the least developed countries, continued to face tremendous difficulties in reaping the benefits of globalization. They continued to be marginalized and this had had a significant negative impact on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights of the citizens of those countries.

Several delegations spoke about their countries’ efforts to implement economic, social and cultural rights. Pakistan said that as a developing country, it was faced with internal and external constraints in fulfilling its international obligations. Fighting poverty by low-income countries like Pakistan alone was a daunting task; but together with strong developed countries and international institution, the battle could be won.

On the effect of foreign debt on the implementation of these rights, Honduras, among others, said that foreign debt continued to be a heavy burden in achieving economic and social development. The international financial institutions should take into account the situation in the most heavily indebted countries.

The indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights and fundamental freedoms was also stressed, and delegations said economic, social and cultural rights needed to be given the same priority as political and civil rights.

Another aspect of the debate was the effect of international sanctions on the economic, social and cultural rights in the targeted States. Iraq said the burden of the comprehensive system of sanctions would lead to human sufferings for generations to come. The sanctions imposed on Iraq had political motives, and they undermined the economic, social and cultural rights of its citizens. This was genocide, the Representative of Iraq said.

The World Food Programme said that in a world with sufficient global food supplies yet insufficient access to food, hunger constituted an outrage and a violation of human dignity. The world knew how to produce food, but it did not yet know how to create access for all those who needed it.

The following Representatives took the floor this afternoon: Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Cameroon, Iraq, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, Egypt, Honduras, Nicaragua, Habitat, the Food and Agricultural Organization, Belarus, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Switzerland, the Holy See, the World Food Programme, Cyprus, and the Netherlands.

The non-governmental organizations which provided statements included the General Arab Women’s Federation, the Indian Movement “Tupaj Amaru”, and Nord-Sud XXI.

And Turkey and Cyprus exercised their rights of reply.

The Commission was scheduled to continue its work in an extended evening meeting until 9 p.m. to continue its debate on economic, social and cultural rights.


Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Under this agenda item, there is a report (E/CN.4/2001/54) of the Independent Expert on extreme poverty, Anne-Marie Lizin, which concludes, among other things, that the methodology by which the poorest citizens are consulted in the course of her work will be adapted to their real situations in each Member State and by the structural or technic composition of the poor and their communities; that the Expert will pursue an interactive dialogue already begun with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank with regard to the incorporation of respect of human rights in their poverty-reduction programmes; that the importance of a world alliance against poverty was critical and that mobilization requires sustained action and comprehensive training; and that her strategy for responding to extreme poverty can be broken down into four stages: knowledge of their rights among the poor themselves; training for the fight against poverty; harnessing of capacities to organize and carry out a genuine campaign against the condition of poverty; and necessary mobilization through a worldwide alliance against poverty.

There is a report (E/CN.4/2001/54/Add.1) of an expert seminar on human rights and extreme poverty, held from 7 to 10 February 2001, which notes among its conclusions and recommendations that there is a need for new guiding principles to build on existing norms and standards in a manner that explicitly addresses the phenomenon of extreme poverty; that such principles should be drawn from and build on the outcomes of the world conferences on human-rights matters held over the last 10 years; and that a human-rights-based approach to poverty eradication is an integral part of a human-rights-based approach to development.


Statements

ANNE-MARIE LIZIN, the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, said that this was an interim report. Efforts made against extreme poverty by Member States were real, but they were not entirely effective. Extreme poverty still existed, but those fighting extreme poverty were growing in number. A few countries, major ones also, had ratified the Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The action by China was applauded.

Among the effective measures combatting extreme poverty were States adopting specific measures targeting poor women and poor elderly women. Decentralization -- giving local authorities the resources, was also a step forward. Teaching police to respect extremely poor people was also helpful. It was important not to criminalize extreme poverty. Training people in the social field to deal with poor people was also important. States, regions, national bodies, churches, non-governmental organizations, and civil society all had to be involved.

Ms. Lizin said the report tried to assess the level of awareness the poor had of their rights. National human rights institutions and NGOs had received specific questionaries. The interactive dialogue with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund would continue. They were important players in the preparation of the report. Minimum wage and structural investment in poor urban areas were important. Movement was real on that front, and it should go further. There was an obligation to remain vigilant that all human rights were respected.

Global migration of the poor showed the irrepressible desire of people to emerge from extreme poverty. Never before had there been this scale of migration. People were running away from poverty, using all the means available to them. If their host country did not meet their needs, they would leave. Globalized economic growth and actions against racism had to be addressed together. Durban would be a building block in this undertaking.

AZMAN AMIN (Malaysia) said his country and other members of the Like-Minded Group had initiated in 1999 a resolution entitled "globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of all human rights" in order to attain a better understanding of the linkages between globalization and the realization of human rights. Malaysia was concerned that the majority of the developing countries, especially the least developed countries, continued to face tremendous difficulties in reaping the benefits of globalization. Despite much effort and energy put by many quarters in addressing the imbalances and down-side of globalization, the poor and less-endowed countries continued to be marginalized. That had resulted in these countries being “side-lined" from participating in the mainstream global economy. That had had a significant negative impact on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights of the citizens of those countries. The problem needed to be addressed and an "opening" needed to be provided for them to maximize the positive impact of globalization.

Malaysia had for a long time recognized the linkages between economic growth, resource mobilization and poverty eradication as integral factors in achieving the realization of all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights. They had been incorporated in the national development plans of the country. In addition, Malaysia earnestly hoped that the promotion and protection of all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, would continue to be given priority by the Commission.

MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan) stressed that all human rights and fundamental freedoms were indivisible, inter-dependent and interrelated; however, the international human rights machinery and mechanisms for promoting and protecting human rights created an impression of a hierarchy or order of importance to civil and political rights in comparison to economic, social and cultural rights. Sadly enough, in the thirty-fifth year since the adoption of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the international community was still trying to determine practical ways and means for their implementation. Perhaps, the Commission needed to revisit its approach towards the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and critically evaluate obstacles existing both at the national and international levels which impeded their realization.

At the national level, the Government of Pakistan was fully committed to the realization and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights. As a developing country, Pakistan was faced with internal and external constraints in fulfilling its international obligations. As a nation, it had faced setbacks and reversals on the road to progress due in part to a perilous regional situation and live conflicts on its borders. Notwithstanding those constraints, the Government was committed to fulfil its constitutional and international obligations. Fighting poverty by low-income countries like Pakistan alone was a daunting task; but together with strong developed countries and international institutions, the battle could be won.

SHARAT SABHARWAL (India) said grinding poverty as well as marginalization of individuals and societies continued unchecked. It was only in recent years that economic, social and cultural rights had started receiving attention, though it was still quite inadequate. The Commission therefore needed to focus on these rights at the national and international levels. Although India's Constitution preceded the adoption of the International Covenant, it was deeply influenced by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. India agreed with the Special Rapporteur on the right to education that education was the key to development and the right to education was the key to the enjoyment of many other human rights. Delivering a landmark judgment in 1993, the Indian Supreme Court had said citizens of the country had a fundamental right to education, and further ruled that every child of India had a right to free education until the age of 14.

An "education for all" campaign was being undertaken by the Government to achieve the long-cherished goal of universalization of elementary education through a time bound integrated approach. Its objectives included all children in school by 2003; all children completing five years of schooling by 2007, all children completing eight years of schooling by 2010, elementary education of satisfactory quality with the emphasis on education for life, bridging all gender and social category gaps at the primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education levels by 2010, and universal retention in schools by 2010. The Central and State governments would together implement this partnership with local elected bodies and communities. To signify the national priority for elementary education, a supervisory body with the Prime Minister as the head had been being set up.

FRANCOIS-XAVIER NGOUBEYOU (Cameroon) said that despite the succeeding difficulties of structural adjustment, devaluation, external debt and the drop in commodity prices, Cameroon had made efforts to give the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights its place, thanks to the assistance it received from its partners. The efforts included the preservation of peace, security and stability; consolidation of democracy and the rule of law; the promotion and protection of human rights; the adoption and implementation of a strategy for the fight against poverty in 1998; and the national action for nutrition and a programme of food security, among other things. The promotion of human dignity was at the centre of the Governments's concern. Concrete actions had been taken to implement decisions into practice. The decision by the Government to provide primary education free of charge had resulted in the notable increase in the number of students enrolled. The rate of unemployment had also regressed with the return of economic growth.

Concerning minorities, the Constitution and the subsidiary laws, particularly the electoral law, protected the rights of minorities. With regard to children and women, the Government had adopted measures which encouraged the total reinsertion of their rights at all levels in the State system. The legalization of polygamy was based on the people's culture, civilization and African customary law.

REZA VAEZ MAHDAVI (Iraq) said a decade had elapsed, and the Iraqi people still lived under the burden of a comprehensive system of sanctions which would lead to human suffering for generations to come. These violated several international human rights instruments. This was genocide. The United States and the United Kingdom insisted on keeping the sanctions in place. Infant mortality had broken all world records. The number of victims of these sanctions exceeded 1.5 million, the majority of whom were children. These sanctions ate into the social fabric of Iraqi society. Children were beggars, unemployment was high. When it came to education, 25 per cent of children were no longer in school because they needed to work to provide assistance to their families. All those children had enjoyed free education before sanctions were imposed. A 1996 Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the United Nations and Iraq that required 14 steps be taken to ensure that humanitarian assistance reached Iraq. This had drained the resources of Iraq without improving the humanitarian situation. The sanctions imposed on Iraq had political motives, and they undermined the economic, social and cultural rights of its citizens.

DANIEL TARANTOLA, of the World Health Organization (WHO), recalled that the potential of human rights to contribute to the practice of public health, and to more equitable health outcomes, was being increasingly understood by policy-makers and practitioners alike. That trend was notable in human rights discourse. General Comment no. 14 on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, adopted last year by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, clarified the nature and scope of this human right. It provided the Committee with a normative framework against which to monitor its implementation. WHO had participated in the discourse and had provided technical input to the drafting process.

There were many relevant experiences in the health field. The experience of helping governments, communities and affected people with HIV/AIDS had shown the importance of ensuring that health challenges were best addressed in ways that safeguarded human rights. There were other linkages between health and human rights. Lack of attention to, and violations of, human rights might have direct and serious consequences for people's health. Examples included harmful practices, like female genital mutilation or systematic discrimination on the basis of sex and gender roles.

ALFREDO SFEIR-YOUNIS, of the World Bank, said there was an incredible opportunity to advance the agenda on the right to food. That right must be linked with food security. On the right to education, there was a difference in views with parts of the Special Rapporteur's report, but the World Bank did agree that one of the most important issues was fees in the education sector. That was something that had to be looked into further.

HOSSAM HUSSEIN (Egypt) regretted that the right to work, to education and to health had not been always considered in terms of civil and political rights. It was time that they be revitalized without politicizing them by attributing the sole responsibility to the State. Egypt welcomed the visit to Cairo by the Chairperson of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; however, Egypt had expressed reservations on the idea of adopting an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The draft did not consider the responsibility of non-States. The additional obligation attributed to the State might be too much, similar to the one on the right to development, responsibility for which rested on States.

OLMEDA RIVERA RAMIREZ (Honduras) said his country had reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the well-being of its people. The Government was focusing its energies on guaranteeing the enjoyment of all human rights. Human development was one of the most important elements in meeting the needs and aspirations of people in Honduras. For economic, social and cultural rights to be effective, there needed to be the participation of civil society, as well as transparency and the will to build the necessary infrastructure. Many efforts were made to achieve the right to food, and to help the extremely poor families. There were programmes for poor pregnant women, and medical assistance was available, even in the most remote regions.

The country had been hit by several natural disasters in recent years. National efforts were not sufficient if they were not backed up by international commitments. Any regional and national efforts in Central America should be backed up by the international community. Without it, the vicious circle of unsatisfied demands would continue, and political instability could continue. Last year, the Independent Expert on external debt spoke on the negative impact of foreign debt and how it affected the enjoyment of human rights, especial economic, social and cultural rights. Foreign debt continued to be a heavy burden in achieving economic and social development in Honduras. The financial institutions should take into account the situation in the most heavily indebted countries.

LESTER MEJIA SOLIS (Nicaragua) said that his country had made significant progress in the implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The measures adopted had also enhanced the promotion and protection of the human rights of all Nicaraguans, including the indigenous population, women and children. In the economic sphere, the Government of Nicaragua had adopted a national strategy and programmes on the basis of the attainment of economic, social and cultural rights and had designed a strategy in the fight against poverty. The programme had established basic services to education, health, drinking water and food security. Better coordination had also been created between the actions of the central and regional authorities.

The Government had also defined urgent measures to harmonize sustainable economic development which would bring a positive impact on the living standards of the population. The strategy on national policy on demography had also taken into consideration the mortality rate, fertility, internal and international migration and the population distribution within the national territory. The Government had also strengthened the macro-economic and structural reforms in order to allow the people to further enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights.

SELMAN ERGUDEN, of Habitat, said the ongoing population growth and urbanization process taking place, particularly in developing countries, had serious impacts on living conditions in human settlements. By the beginning of the third millennium, it was estimated that in most cities of the developing countries, more than half of the population lived in informal settlements without security of tenure and in conditions that could be described as life- and health-threatening. The poorest of the poor were the homeless, an estimated 100 million people in the world. Although data was very limited, it was generally accepted that an increasing proportion of homeless people were women and children.

Habitat fully appreciated the preliminary report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, and supported his mandate and activities on housing rights. Implementation of the United Nations Housing Rights Programme and the fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur were complementary activities and Habitat looked forward to fruitful cooperation with him. Habitat requested support from all Governments in the implementation of the programme, and for the activities of the Special Rapporteur.

THEMBA N. MASUKU, of the Food and Agricultural Organization, said that in November 1996, the World Food Summit had gathered in Rome and had adopted an ambitious yet realizable goal of halving the number of undernourished people in the world by 2015. It had reaffirmed the right of everyone to adequate food, and the fundamental right of everyone to freedom from hunger. Further consultations had focused on implementation at the national level of the right to adequate food. Indeed, while the normative content of the right to adequate food and the nature of State obligations had been largely clarified, much work remained to be done on the implementation at the national level.

FAO was inviting heads of state and government to lead their national delegations to this year's FAO conference in order to participate in a global forum called "The World Food Summit: Five Years Later". The meeting would provide an opportunity to take stock of achievements since the 1996 Summit, and for countries to restate their commitments to actions, which would enable them to meet the goals of the Summit. In the months before the conference, there would be a series of consultations, concerning mainly the themes of fostering the political will to fight hunger, and mobilizing the necessary resources. In the support documentation prepared by FAO, prominence was given to human rights issues, and particularly to the utility of applying the concept of the right to food in formulating programmes to enhance food security.

SERGEI ANOSHKO (Belarus) said that the Government believed in the development of social potentials and the introduction of legal systems in which people could enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights. During its transitional period, Belarus had developed a moral basis for the enjoyment of people's rights. Because of the many-facetted cultural and historical developments, there had been a tradition which did not allow the full enjoyment of the economic, social and cultural rights in the country. In order to eradicate adverse conditions to the enjoyment of human rights and economic, social and cultural rights, Belarus had adopted a series of measures in that regard. The Government of Belarus was making more efforts in laying down the basis for equal enjoyment of all rights.

HAN SUNG IL (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) said the dignified life of a human being was inconceivable without such political rights as the right to elect or to be elected, as well as economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to food and shelter. The economic, social and cultural rights, as one of the two pillars of human rights, constituted an indispensable element in promoting the enjoyment of human rights. Now more than one billion people were threatened by extreme poverty. Forty-thousand children died of hunger and curable diseases every day, and 1.5 billion illiterate persons and 15 million refugees still existed in the world.

There were some groundless accusations by individual countries that used economic, social and cultural rights to cover political rights abuses, with a view to justifying their position that absolute value and priority should be given to civil and political rights. All these attempts caused negative effects upon worldwide efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights since they were motivated by political interests. The Commission should contribute to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights of the people in developing countries by discussing and adopting practical means and methods for establishing a just and equitable international economic order.

SEYED MOHSEN EMADI (Iran) said his country had carried out programmes with a view to improve the economic, social and cultural rights of its people, in particular in the field of education, health, food security and the fight against narcotic drugs. Iran considered food security to be one of its basic priorities. Indeed, the Government was obligated under the Constitution, which emphasized the need to provide food for all, to make the measures necessary to ensure it. The Constitution also referred to many of the key prerequisites for food security, such as agricultural development and poverty eradication. Iran had already taken remarkable measures in the last 20 years towards achieving food security. In addition, it should be noted that one of the obstacles facing the developing countries in the implementation of their economic, social and cultural rights was the problem of foreign debt. Those countries should be helped and supported.

JEAN-DANIEL VIGNY (Switzerland) said it took interest in the preliminary report on the right to food. This report should be the basis for a proactive analysis. It contained original solutions. The debate was not between developing and industrialized countries, but it was a debate for each individual country to have by itself. The right to food could not be considered in isolation of efforts to reduce poverty in general. The report also highlighted the problem of internal coherence between United Nations agencies. Sustainable human development could not be achieved without the respect for human rights, and the right to food was amongst these.

DIARMUID MARTIN (the Holy See) said the very nature of a modern, knowledge-based economy had helped draw attention to the fact that it was people and their capacity for creativity and innovation that were the centre of economic progress. Investment in people and in human society was recognized more and more as being an essential prerequisite for economic development. In that context, the economic, social and cultural rights of people took on a new significance in development policy. Poverty could no long be defined only in terms of lack of income; poverty was linked with the ability of people to realize their God-given capacities; and fighting poverty required a multi-dimensional approach to enable people to realize themselves completely as human beings, with their individual dignity and with all their potential for creativity, enterprise and work.



WERNER H. SCHLEIFFER, of the World Food Programme (WFP), said in a world with sufficient global food supplies yet insufficient access to food, hunger constituted an outrage and a violation of human dignity. The world knew how to produce food, but it did not yet know how to create access for all those who needed it. All of WFP’s programmes -- which provided food aid to 83 million people in 83 countries last year, including 35 million in sub-Saharan Africa and 36 million in Asia -- had one basic objective: the fight against hunger. WFP's people-centered approach explicitly put the interests of food-insecure people first and sought to create an enabling environment in which people, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, could enjoy their basic rights. Yet providing food aid represented a dangerous task. Twenty-seven WFP officers had been killed, some literally executed, in their duty over the last 10 years.

It was important to stress that the right to food was not about a right to receive food aid. It was about physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or disposal of a resource base appropriate for its procurement. WFP was working with its partners to ensure that access to food was expanded to all population groups in ways that safeguarded human dignity and promoted self-reliance.

ALEXANDROS VIKIS (Cyprus) said the continuing occupation of almost 40 per cent of the territory of Cyprus by the Turkish armed forces which maintained a military force of 40,000 fully armed and equipped men on the island, contrary to all UN relevant resolutions, was accompanied by a policy of Turkification of the occupied part of the island. Turkey, through its subordinate local administration, had for the last 27 years been pursuing the systematic destruction of Cyprus' cultural heritage. Almost all of the 502 registered Greek Orthodox churches and 17 monasteries in the occupied part of Cyprus had been desecrated, looted, severely damaged or demolished.

Turkey's policy for the systematic destruction of the historical, religious and cultural identity of a country with a 9,000-year civilization was a crime against history. It was an act of genocide, with the victims being not a people, in this case, but the cultural treasures of countless generations. The destruction of this cultural heritage was an act of barbarity and should be condemned. Turkey was another sad example of a very small group of countries that had no respect for cultures and civilizations other than their own.

BAREND C.A.F. VAN DER HEIJDEN (the Netherlands) said poverty made the right to an adequate standard of living illusory for very many people. Although there had been significant economic growth over the last decades and many people had seen their conditions significantly improved, the economic, social and cultural rights of those who really needed them have been increasingly undermined. Sustainable development combined economic development, social development and environmental protection. But it included also full respect for all human rights, be they economic, social and cultural rights or civil and political rights.

A fundamental principle that underlay human rights law was that the primary responsibility for the implementation of all human rights rested with the State. Democracy, respect for human rights, transparent, representative and accountable government and administration in all sectors of the society, as well as effective participation by civil society, were the indispensable foundation for the realization of sustainable development. The Netherlands would welcome any progress that could be made with regard to strengthening the international supervision on the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights.

JULIETTE SAYEGH, of the General Arab Women's Federation, on behalf of a number of non-governmental organizations, said the economic and social impact of the sanctions on Iraq had been well documented in reports by United Nations agencies, teams of health and education experts, surveys undertaken by universities and by the reports of many NGO fact-finding missions. However, the sanctions continued to be imposed while the daily bombardments by the United States and the United Kingdom continued. They caused even more casualties, deaths and destruction of the infrastructure and the land. There was finally an awakening of a growing world public opinion of what was being done by the continuation of these sanctions, which were causing so much suffering and misery to the entire population of Iraq.

The Commission could not continue to gloss over human rights violations committed against the Iraqi people in the economic, social and cultural fields. The Commission was urged to press for the lifting of the sanctions against Iraq. The Federation also called on the Commission to bring to the Security Council's attention the need to consider the human rights and humanitarian law aspects in deciding the imposition of economic sanctions on a country in order to prevent their negative consequences on the people. The experience with regard to Iraq and the suffering of its people must never be repeated.

LAZARO PARY, of the Indian Movement "Tupaj Amaru", on behalf of a number of non-governmental organizations, said that in the visions of the indigenous peoples, the economic, social and cultural rights could be resumed in the fundamental elements of the right to food, clothing and adequate shelter. The inalienable and indivisible rights were conditioned by the development model of the mode of production and distribution of the modern society. The process of globalization had actually obligated States to abandon their economic function in planning the social production in favour of a market economy in which the transnational companies were pretending to transfer the world into a vast economic zone without any ethics. Those same transnational companies were pillaging the natural resources of the indigenous peoples and they were exploiting the third world for the sole purpose of maximizing their profits and accumulating capital. The developed world had tightened its frontiers and had restricted the movement of people from the developing countries.

LYNA AL-TABAL, of Nord-Sud XXI, said the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Israeli military had had a severely negative impact upon the basic human rights of the Palestinian population. Since the end of September, many Palestinians had either been unable to reach their places of employment, or had been unable to work due to a lack of business or resources. It was estimated that half the population of the Gaza Strip was either directly or indirectly dependent upon income generated by work within Israel. Prior to the intifada, more than 130,000 Palestinians had worked within Israel, in settlements, or in Israeli industrial areas. Since the intifada began, this number had been cut to approximately 20,000. Daily direct losses due to lost work in Israel were estimated at $ 2.7 million per day. Additionally, lost income due to an inability to import means of production or export products, restrictions on travel and decreased productivity in the occupied territories had greatly affected the Palestinian economy. The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator had estimated that Palestinian losses had reached as high as $ 1.15 billion at the end of January.

There needed to be international protection for the Palestinian people by pushing for the creation of an international protection force by the Security Council. Nord-Sud XXI also demanded that the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention enforce the provisions of the Convention and its Protocols. It urged the international community and the United Nations General Assembly to exercise their role under international law by adopting effective measures, including economic sanctions, to oblige Israel to adhere to United Nations resolutions. It was vital that economic, social and cultural rights be accorded full recognition within the United Nations treaty monitoring system. Four of the six international human rights treaties already had optional protocols providing for individual communications to the treaty bodies. Developing an optional protocol to the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would be a critical step towards realizing the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights, upon which the entire United Nations human rights system was based.


Rights of Reply

A Representative of Turkey, exercising a right of reply, said the Representative of Cyprus had made preposterous allegations, some of which barely demanded a denial. Turkey had no jurisdiction at all in Northern Cyprus. It had its own elected Government. Turkey was in no way responsible for the actions of the authorities there. But since the Turkish Republic of Cyprus was not present here, there should be some response to the baseless claims. The Turkish presence in Cyprus was not an occupation, but a lawful presence based on international agreements. The Turkish army was there under legal agreements to keep peace. The allegations of looting were baseless. The Greek Cypriots had always tried to erase the island of its ethnic Turkish population.

A Representative of Cyprus, speaking in right of reply in response to the Representative of Turkey, said that Turkey was the violator of human rights in Cyprus, and it had been condemned for its acts of genocide by the European Union and in many countries' parliaments. It had looted the wealth of the island. What Turkey could do was to stop what it was doing now, and halt its pillage of the historic heritage of Cyprus.

A Representative of Turkey, exercising a second right of reply, asked how the Representative of Cyprus could put forward such a fictitious allegation of genocide? It was the ethnic Turks living in Cyprus who had had to fend off efforts of extermination.

A Representative of Cyprus, in a second right of reply, said that his reference to genocide was based on the fact that Turkey had been condemned for its acts of genocide in a number of parliaments in many countries around the world. That was an undeniable fact.




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