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COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS ENDS THIRD DAY OF HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
16 March 2005
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Commission on Human Rights
AFTERNOON
16 March 2005
Speakers from Democratic Republic of Congo, Lithuania,
Czech Republic, Kenya,Azerbaijan, Romania, Bangladesh,
Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, and Pakistan Address the Commission
The Commission on Human Rights concluded the third day of its high-level segment this afternoon, hearing addresses by dignitaries from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Romania, Bangladesh, Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Pakistan.
Many of those addressing the Commission made in-depth presentations about the situation of human rights in their own countries, and addressed issues related to reform of the Commission and the need to reaffirm the indivisibility, universality and interdependence of all human rights.
Marie-Madeleine Kalala, Minister for Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the human rights situation in her country was improving, notwithstanding the presence in some parts of the territory of elements that continued to generate human rights violations. The Government was working to establish peace and the rule of law.
Sarunas Adomavicius, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said Lithuania's ombudsman institutions had proved themselves efficient in protecting and furthering human rights; not only did they defend the rights of individuals but they also contributed to State policies and laws by reviewing the compatibility of national laws and practices with international human rights norms.
Pavel Svoboda, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, stressed that promotion and protection of human rights was one of the fundamental objectives of the United Nations. The instruments of the Commission should be assessed and reinforced in order to allow it to fulfil its mission which included the monitoring of human rights situations in different countries and thematic areas.
Kiraitu Murungi, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Kenya, stressed that human rights could only be meaningful if they addressed insecurity, unemployment, drought, famine, crop failure, poverty and disease. Following the 2002 elections, which had brought a new Government to power, Kenya was committed to becoming a hard-working, free, democratic, prosperous and corruption-free State.
Mahmud Mammad-Quliyev, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijan had covered considerable ground in bringing itself closer to the democratic standards of the Council of Europe in recent years. Various State programmes and laws to enhance social security, foster economic growth, reduce poverty, and fight corruption had been enacted. Moreover, as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional State, Azerbaijan remained committed to the principles of equality among all its citizens.
Carmen Liliana Burlacu, Director-General of the Department for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Council of Europe and Human Rights in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, said her country had been striving to fulfil international human rights standards over the past 15 years, while creating the conditions for integration into the European Union. Romania was proud of the progress achieved in sensitive areas such as the promotion of national minorities’ rights, reform of the legislative and institutional system of childcare, and prevention of trafficking in human beings.
Reaz Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, noted that his country had held three consecutive elections in peace and stability, inclusiveness and transparency. A finalized draft National Human Rights Commission had been elaborated, while an interlinked institutional framework was taking shape, which sought to increase the efficiency of the judiciary and to increase recourse for citizens to the legal system.
Omer Berzinji, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, said the new Government of Iraq was trying to get rid of aggression and cruelty, as well as tensions between the various religions and sects. Were it not for terrorist threats, the participation in the recent elections would have been much greater. Iraq was still facing a great problem, a problem which the world should share responsibility for, and this was the fight against terrorism which had killed people in ways as barbaric as those of the previous regime.
Vuk Draskovic, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro, said his country would fulfil its obligation to collaborate with the Hague Tribunal, and raised concern about the situation of the non-Albanians -- mainly Serbs -- who continued to be discriminated against in Kosovo and Metohija, where part of Serbian territory had been under the administration of the United Nations since June 1999. The United Nations was under the obligation to protect the fundamental human rights of those people.
Mladen Ivanic, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina had improved more in 2004 than in any year since the end of the war. While various challenges continued to confront the country, significant advancement had been seen in the fields of legislation, institutions, analysis and reporting.
Petko Draganov, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, said the idea of universalizing the Commission’s membership had its positive aspects, but there was also a certain risk of bringing the promotion and protection of human rights to the lowest common denominator, thus lowering rather than raising the Commission’s standards. Of particular urgency was the need to refine the mechanisms for adequate and fast reaction to human rights crisis situations so that more emphasis was placed on prevention rather than rehabilitation.
Muhammad Wasi Zafar, Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights of Pakistan, noted that in 2004 the President of Pakistan had announced the establishment of an independent human rights commission, to be conferred with broad and wide-ranging powers to investigate human rights abuses. Democracy was being consolidated in the country.
The Commission will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 17 March, to conclude its high-level segment.
Statements
MARIE-MADELEINE KALALA, Minister for Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was improving, notwithstanding the presence in some parts of the territory of elements that continued to generate human rights violations. Among other violations, such elements had been responsible for the recent killing of nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers from the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - MONUC. Reiterating the Government’s condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh, she said that some of those responsible had already been prosecuted and sentenced, and others remained under house arrest until their trials. She also raised the issue of the sexual abuse of women and children by some members of MONUC, but assured those present that their violations did not lessen the Congolese regard for the troops that had not been involved.
Among its initiatives, the Government was working to establish peace and the rule of law and had increased efforts to expedite the mixing of troops, drawn from various armed elements, in order to compose the national army and police force. New human rights campaigns which focused on training law and security enforcement officers were being carried out at the highest levels, and the courts had taken steps to defend the fundamental rights of the people. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes for former child soldiers continued throughout the country, and the practice of recruiting children was on the verge of disappearing. Moreover, the Government had instituted regional seminars to harmonize the texts criminalizing sexual violence against women and children. The draft Constitution currently before Parliament contained a proposal for gender equality. The Government was committed to doing everything to ensure peace, and to prepare for free, democratic and transparent elections in order to establish good governance and to end the crisis of the illegitimacy of the Government. To that end, the Government was working to ensure that the independent electoral commission organized elections at all levels, and for an identification and survey operation to begin this month.
Regionally, the country continued to take active part in efforts to bring peace, security and development to the Great Lakes region, Ms. Kalala stated. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had subscribed to all resolutions and recommendations of the United Nations and the African Union, and remained prepared to give the best part of itself to any initiative to ensure peace and stability. All the regional parties involved should respect their obligations, as well. She reiterated the call to establish an international criminal tribunal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to cover crimes committed before the entry into force of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. She also expressed the hope that the independent inquiry would establish responsibility for recent incidents in which civilians had been killed, and for those incidents in which women and children had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of MONUC staff. Commending those States that had instituted inquiries against their own nationals, she urged them not to forget the compensation due to the victims. The credibility of peacekeeping and peace-building missions was at stake, and ending immunity from prosecution would set a good precedent.
ŠAR?NAS ADOMAVI?IUS, Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said Lithuania's ombudsman institutions had proved themselves efficient in protecting and furthering human rights; not only did they defend the rights of individuals but they also contributed to State policies and laws by reviewing the compatibility of national laws and practices with international human rights norms. Lithuania's Ombudsman on equal opportunities for men and women, after having been operational for a few years, had been granted a wider field of responsibility.
States should continuously strive to meet obligations in accordance with the universal standards of human rights. International treaty monitoring mechanisms were extremely valuable tools in assisting States to identify problems and to indicate methods on how to improve human rights practices. However, this assistance could only be provided when the treaty monitoring bodies had timely and sufficient information. Both sides of the reporting process should work together and assist each other, and only then would the process have a real effect with regard to the situation on the ground.
The situation of human rights could benefit and could also be furthered by the cooperation of States within the Commission’s special procedures. In this regard, and noting the impediments to the conduct of democratic elections in Belarus in 2004, the Lithuanian Government called on Belarus to cooperate fully with all the mechanisms of the Commission, as requested in its resolutions, and in particular with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
Moreover, Lithuania hoped that the determination to resolve human rights issues in Chechnya and to improve the situation there, as indicated by the Russian Federation, would be followed by appropriate actions. The task of changing the human rights situation in that region was immense and it was hoped that all necessary resources would be utilized in achieving that.
PAVEL SVOBODA, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, pledged the Czech Republic's support for the efforts of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to bring the standards and principles of human rights nearer to the everyday needs of affected groups and individuals. One of the conditions for effective universality of human rights mechanisms was the cooperation with regional mechanisms and non-governmental organizations. The common activities to facilitate the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan were a good example in that respect, despite the persisting difficult security situation. The protection of human rights would take on special significance not only in cases of their gross and massive violations but especially in the periods of transition to democracy. A transition to democracy required, among other things, inclusion of all segments of society, particularly women, reflection on the country’s past, and the sensible use of the instruments of transitional justice.
The promotion and protection of human rights was one of the fundamental objectives of the United Nations, as confirmed by the report of the High-level Panel. The Commission was a central body of human rights protection within the United Nations framework. In order to fulfil its mission, including the monitoring of human rights situations in different countries and thematic areas, the instruments of the Commission should be assessed and reinforced. The Czech Republic agreed with the view that it was better to support the synergy of the existing human rights mechanisms, rather than to create new ones or to modify them experimentally. A common view was a very positive feature of the Commission even if it carried with it the much criticized political influences stemming from a historical context and from a lack of willingness to engage in a dialogue.
Concerning the proposal of universal membership of the Commission, the Czech Government was of the view that this would be a questionable step, particularly without a parallel discussion on the role of the Economic and Social Council and the Third Committee of the General Assembly. Paradoxically, universal membership could lead to greater demands on procedural instruments.
KIRAITU MURUNGI, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Kenya, said that human rights remained an abstract concept for too many people who remained caught up in the daily struggle for survival. Human rights, therefore, could only be meaningful if they addressed insecurity, unemployment, drought, famine, crop failure, poverty and disease. Human dignity remained inseparable from the struggle against hunger, disease and ignorance; the right to development was as fundamental as civil and political rights. Against that background, the report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change had identified challenges faced by the Commission, and had made some recommendations for the way forward. Among other proposals, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be strengthened through unearmarked resources as a matter of priority. Human rights defenders should be furnished with resources adequate to carry out their mandates effectively. Kenya stood ready to support the drafting of an annual report on human rights worldwide.
Kenya recognized that all human beings, irrespective of their economic or social status, were equal, and upheld the universality, interdependence and inter-relatedness of all human rights. For many years, the country had lived under an oppressive, one-party regime with a history of gross violations of human rights. However, the 2002 elections had brought a new Government to power - one committed to a hard-working, free, democratic, prosperous and corruption-free Kenya. Committed to attaining high economic growth rates, wealth and employment creation, and the eradication of poverty and corruption, the Government was determined to make a radical break with the past, and had vowed to protect the people against tyranny and oppression, and to ensure peace, stability, freedom and justice.
Among concrete steps taken by the Kenyan Government to that end, he cited the removal of barriers to freedom of expression, and more room for unlimited democratic participation. His own Ministry had been established, as well as a National Commission on Human Rights and an inter-ministerial committee to work with civil society on cross-cutting issues dealing with human rights, as well as the implementation of international human rights obligations. A National Action Plan on human rights was being developed, and the country had been among the first African countries to volunteer for review under the New Partnership for African Development’s peer review mechanism. Notorious torture chambers had been closed, the perpetrators of ethnic clashes had been dealt with, and a commitment to abolish the death penalty had been stated. Finally, he noted that the global human rights approach must be based on an appreciation of objective social realities in different regions; it should aim to support, not to vilify, countries. For that reason, Kenya would not support any resolution targeting specific countries for condemnation.
MAHMUD MAMMAD-QULIYEV, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said as the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations’ Charter approached, the United Nations faced serious tests to its credibility and effectiveness. Today, nobody could deny the premise that the United Nations needed reform and transformation in order for it to be able to effectively address the challenges that were becoming more acute and dangerous, as well as to reconfirm its place in today’s transformed international system. It was hoped that the Millennium Summit Plus 5 later this year would be able to record the much-needed progress in the collective march towards achieving the benchmarks fixed five years ago.
Azerbaijan had in the course of the last few years covered considerable ground in bringing itself closer to the democratic standards of the Council of Europe. Since restoring its independence it had ratified almost all major international treaties on human rights, and the implementation of commitments contained in those treaties remained a priority. Various State programmes and laws on enhancing the social security of people, fostering economic growth, addressing the reduction of poverty and fighting corruption, had been enacted. As a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional State, Azerbaijan was committed to the principles of equality among all its citizens, as well as the principle of unity in diversity.
The major factor negatively affecting Azerbaijan's ability to continue in its process of democratic transformation and fulfilment of obligations in the field of human rights was the unresolved conflict with neighbouring Armenia. Armenia had no moral right to portray itself as an ardent advocate of human rights when it had brutally done away with one of its minorities some twenty years ago. The promotion and protection of human rights, as well as security and stability in the south Caucasus, were dependent on the ability through joint efforts of all to achieve peaceful settlement of the outstanding conflicts, in order to give children and grandchildren the inherent right that every human being should enjoy the right to live in peace, security and prosperity.
CARMEN LILIANA BURLACU, Director-General for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and Human Rights, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, said over the last 15 years, Romania had been striving to abide by international standards in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Romania’s endeavours aimed at ensuring a dignified life for all of its citizens, while creating the conditions for the integration of the country into the European Union. Romania was proud of the progress achieved so far in some very sensitive areas, including the promotion of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, reforming the legislative and institutional system of childcare and creating a comprehensive framework for preventing and combating trafficking in human beings. Nevertheless, Romania was fully aware that much remained to be done and the authorities should never cease their efforts in accompanying the highest attainable standards in the field of human rights protection.
Romania reiterated its willingness to strengthen its cooperation and dialogue with all human rights mechanisms and procedures. Romania had launched a standing invitation to the United Nations special procedures and was always ready to cooperate, whenever necessary, with other envoys of the Commission. Romania was fully aware of the critical importance that human rights had in ensuring regional stability and prosperity. Therefore, the focus of Romanian diplomacy was oriented towards sharing the experience and lessons learned in the democratic transition towards the stabilization of the neighbouring region and their functional connection to a united Europe.
Human rights and fundamental freedoms represented basic values for democracies all around the world; therefore, promoting democracy and democratic standards should remain one of the core functions of the Commission. Romania intended to introduce this year in the Commission, together with other countries, a draft resolution on “Democracy and the Rule of Law”, as a continuation of resolutions adopted previously on topics related to democracy.
REAZ RAHMAN, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, stressed that Bangladesh had been upholding the indivisibility, universality, non-selectivity and interdependence of all human rights, and believed that a holistic approach to the protection and promotion of human rights, with a particular emphasis on the right to development, should be adopted. Economic empowerment was also essential, as poverty continued to constitute the greatest denial of human rights. While advocating cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights’ special procedures and with non-governmental organizations, he said no country could claim victory in the human rights process, which was a continuing process. Moreover, sweeping criticism could be detrimental to the process of increasing respect for human rights.
For its part, Bangladesh had held three consecutive elections in conditions of peace, stability, inclusiveness and transparency. The national system, in which elections took place under an interim, caretaker Government, was unique and had proved eminently successful. A finalized draft National Human Rights Commission had been elaborated, while an interlinked institutional framework was taking shape, which sought to increase the efficiency of the judiciary and to increase the recourse of citizens to the legal system. Since last year, Bangladesh had also made progress in elaborating an independent national anti-corruption commission, which would be empowered with three functions: investigation, prosecution and education. Moreover, the higher judiciary was already free and independent, and efforts were underway to free the lower judiciary from the executive branch. Innovative measures were also being considered for dispute resolution at the village level.
In terms of economic empowerment, the Government sought to encourage sustained economic growth, improvement in per capita poverty income, food security, and enhanced disaster management, among others things. The current medium-term macro economic framework underpinned poverty reduction strategies. In addition to reform in the fiscal sector, which would enable the Government to increase its tax revenues, reforms were underway in the financial sector and anti-money laundering procedures were being implemented.
OMER BERZINJI, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, said the sons of the new Iraq were working hard to free Iraqis from the dangerous violations that humans could inflict on each other. We hope that that the new Iraq will be democratic and federalist and that all Iraqis would participate in it and build their new country which had freed itself from the claws of tyranny. The National Assembly was meeting in Iraq today for the first time since the elections which took place after the fall of the criminal regime which had committed many crimes without discrimination. An example was the bombing with poisonous chemical weapons of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1988 which had killed 5,000 and wounded another 5,000 in one hour. This was not the only crime. The former regime used all kinds of violence, terrorism, murder and rape which had left the Iraqis in a big prison named Iraq.
Iraqis who did not want to serve in the army had had their ears cut off and their faces marked, and the families of deserters were punished. That was why the army had collapsed in 2004. Iraqis had known that the military would leave their units and rejoin their families, as it had not been a war to defend the country but to defend Saddam and his criminal regime. The rule had been that any opponent deserved to be killed, and the former regime found many ways to kill and torture the sons of Iraq. The people had suffered for years because of the wars and the economic sanctions which were the results of wrong policies by the former regime. The standard of living of Iraqis had declined seriously, with families forced to send their young children to work. Although Iraq was a land of wealth and ancient civilisations, the economic, social and cultural rights of Iraqis had been denied. The new Government was trying to reverse this situation and to improve the standard of living of the people of the land.
The Iraqi people had tried for many years to get rid of the perpetrators of the savage criminal regime, and this was why collective graves were being discovered every day. The new Government was trying to get rid of aggression and cruelty, as well as tensions between the various religions and sects. Were it not for terrorist threats, the participation in the recent elections would have been much greater. Iraq was still facing a great problem, a problem which the world should share responsibility for, and this was the fight against terrorism which had killed people in ways as barbaric as those of the previous regime. The international community should be concerned, in particular neighbouring countries, as Iraq was hindered in its reconstruction by terrorist attacks. Every Iraqi was guaranteed his or her freedoms and human rights.
VUK DRASKOVIC, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro, said his country would fulfil its obligations in collaborating with The Hague International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia. It had so far made progress in its cooperation with the Tribunal in dealing with war criminals who denigrated the honour and history of the country. He said if a man deprived of his basic human rights was a slave, then there were about 300,000 slaves in Europe today. They lived in his country and they were the non-Albanians, mainly Serbs, discriminated against in Kosovo and Metohija, part of the territory of Serbia under the administration of the United Nations and its military and police forces since June 1999. According to Amnesty International figures, approximately 230,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians had been driven out of Kosovo and Metohija. More than 40,000 of their homes had been destroyed and thousands had been forcibly occupied and UNHCR had recorded a decreasing number of returns. In 2003, 3,800 non-Albanians returned to Kosovo and Metohija; that figure dropped to 2,300 last year.
Mr. Draskovic said that 150 century-old churches and monasteries had been burned down, demolished and otherwise destroyed. Many Christian cemeteries had also been targets of vandalism. More than 70,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians living in enclaves – "small scattered islands in a sea of Albanian majority" - were not only deprived of freedom of movement and employment, but also of life. The United Nations was under the obligation to protect the fundamental human rights of those people.
MLADEN IVANIC, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the situation of human rights in his country had improved more in 2004 than in any year since the end of the war. While various challenges continued to confront the country, significant advancement had been seen in the fields of legislation, institutions and analysis and reporting. For example, in the legislative sphere, new and revised laws had been adopted, at both the State level and among the entities, concerning freedom of religion and equal status of churches and religious communities; missing persons; movement of foreigners in the country; and refugees and displaced persons. Both the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina had adopted new laws on elementary and secondary education, the implementation of which was an important pre-requisite for the elimination of discrimination in the educational field. The Republika Srpska had also passed a law on minority rights, and a similar bill was currently before the Parliament. Recognizing that the rule of law represented the foundation of a civilized society, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s goal was to transform the legislative system by gradually adopting European standards and legislation.
With regard to the strengthening of institutional capacity to protect and promote human rights, new institutions, services and State resources had been established, including the "Return Fund" and the Agency for Gender Equality at the State level. A domestic Commission for Real Property Claims of Refugees and Displaced Persons had taken over responsibility from its international predecessor, and the Competition Council and Concessions Commission had brought greater transparency to the functioning of Government agencies. This year, the Government hoped to establish an office of representation at the European Court for Human Rights.
In the analytical-reporting sphere, the Government had fulfiled several important international obligations in the past year, and the reports and analyses submitted had all been arrived at through domestic brainstorming, inter-resource cooperation among the employees of organizations and institutions of the State and entities, and the activities with the non-governmental sector. In the country as a whole, the greatest efforts in 2004 had been expended on ensuring the rights of refugees and displaced persons. The implementation of property laws had reached almost 99 per cent, the "Return Fund" had been formed and four regional centers of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees had been established. However, many returns remained economically unsustainable, while a decrease in foreign donor interest had been seen. Moreover, employment opportunities and social and health service provision remained inadequate.
PETKO DRAGANOV, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, said the concerted efforts of the world community to enhance the efficiency of the international protection of human rights corresponded to the vision of the Secretary-General that internationally recognized human rights standards should be mainstreamed in all spheres of activity of the United Nations system. The idea of universalizing the Commission’s membership had its positive aspects, but there was also a certain risk of bringing the promotion and protection of human rights to the lowest common denominator, thus lowering rather than raising the Commission’s standards. It was also particularly urgent to refine human rights mechanisms to allow for adequate and timely responses to human rights crisis situations so that more emphasis was placed on prevention rather than rehabilitation. Decreasing the number and streamlining the substance of thematic resolutions could also improve effectiveness.
The protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the full observance of international human rights standards, in particular for those who were most vulnerable, was a top priority in Bulgaria’s national and international agenda. The interdependence between development and human rights was an axiom. The profound economic changes in Bulgaria during the process of transition towards a market economy had affected all segments of society. The processes of work migration in a globalizing world had posed the problem for the effective implementation of international human rights instruments by the independent national judiciary. This problem transcended national borders.
Bulgaria drew attention to the fundamental importance of the Commission’s work in forging an ever-widening consensus with respect to the recognition of the universal character of human rights and the need for their full realization throughout the world. Bulgaria was committed to contributing to the constructive and effective work of the Commission.
MUHAMMAD WASI ZAFAR, Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights of Pakistan, said a fair and balanced international human rights system was vital for the promotion and protection of human rights globally. The Commission was a pivotal organ of the United Nations for achieving that goal. Islam did not recognize any differentiation on the basis of caste, creed, colour or religion. Pakistan was committed to realize the vision of its founding father of a modern, moderate and tolerant State. In 2004, the President of Pakistan had announced the establishment of an independent human rights commission, which would be a permanent body, conferred with broad and wide-ranging powers to investigate human rights abuses. Democracy was consolidating in the country. The National Commission on the Status of Women was not only focused on eliminating discrimination against women but also on creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women, among other things.
Year after year, the Commission had heard statements about the need to protect the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir. According to the information documented by leading non-governmental organizations and the international media since 1989, thousands of Kashmiris had lost their lives or had disappeared. The Kashmiri people and their leaders faced restrictions on political activities as well as on the freedom of their expressions and opinion. The people of Indian-held Kashmir should be given their right to self-determination provided for in the Security Council resolutions. In the current dialogue process between Pakistan and India, in order to improve the deteriorating human rights dispute, Pakistan had made a number of constructive proposals. Recently, the two countries had agreed to start a bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. Pakistan wanted to work sincerely and earnestly for a win-win solution.
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For use of the information media; not an official record
AFTERNOON
16 March 2005
Speakers from Democratic Republic of Congo, Lithuania,
Czech Republic, Kenya,Azerbaijan, Romania, Bangladesh,
Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, and Pakistan Address the Commission
The Commission on Human Rights concluded the third day of its high-level segment this afternoon, hearing addresses by dignitaries from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Romania, Bangladesh, Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Pakistan.
Many of those addressing the Commission made in-depth presentations about the situation of human rights in their own countries, and addressed issues related to reform of the Commission and the need to reaffirm the indivisibility, universality and interdependence of all human rights.
Marie-Madeleine Kalala, Minister for Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the human rights situation in her country was improving, notwithstanding the presence in some parts of the territory of elements that continued to generate human rights violations. The Government was working to establish peace and the rule of law.
Sarunas Adomavicius, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said Lithuania's ombudsman institutions had proved themselves efficient in protecting and furthering human rights; not only did they defend the rights of individuals but they also contributed to State policies and laws by reviewing the compatibility of national laws and practices with international human rights norms.
Pavel Svoboda, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, stressed that promotion and protection of human rights was one of the fundamental objectives of the United Nations. The instruments of the Commission should be assessed and reinforced in order to allow it to fulfil its mission which included the monitoring of human rights situations in different countries and thematic areas.
Kiraitu Murungi, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Kenya, stressed that human rights could only be meaningful if they addressed insecurity, unemployment, drought, famine, crop failure, poverty and disease. Following the 2002 elections, which had brought a new Government to power, Kenya was committed to becoming a hard-working, free, democratic, prosperous and corruption-free State.
Mahmud Mammad-Quliyev, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijan had covered considerable ground in bringing itself closer to the democratic standards of the Council of Europe in recent years. Various State programmes and laws to enhance social security, foster economic growth, reduce poverty, and fight corruption had been enacted. Moreover, as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional State, Azerbaijan remained committed to the principles of equality among all its citizens.
Carmen Liliana Burlacu, Director-General of the Department for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Council of Europe and Human Rights in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, said her country had been striving to fulfil international human rights standards over the past 15 years, while creating the conditions for integration into the European Union. Romania was proud of the progress achieved in sensitive areas such as the promotion of national minorities’ rights, reform of the legislative and institutional system of childcare, and prevention of trafficking in human beings.
Reaz Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, noted that his country had held three consecutive elections in peace and stability, inclusiveness and transparency. A finalized draft National Human Rights Commission had been elaborated, while an interlinked institutional framework was taking shape, which sought to increase the efficiency of the judiciary and to increase recourse for citizens to the legal system.
Omer Berzinji, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, said the new Government of Iraq was trying to get rid of aggression and cruelty, as well as tensions between the various religions and sects. Were it not for terrorist threats, the participation in the recent elections would have been much greater. Iraq was still facing a great problem, a problem which the world should share responsibility for, and this was the fight against terrorism which had killed people in ways as barbaric as those of the previous regime.
Vuk Draskovic, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro, said his country would fulfil its obligation to collaborate with the Hague Tribunal, and raised concern about the situation of the non-Albanians -- mainly Serbs -- who continued to be discriminated against in Kosovo and Metohija, where part of Serbian territory had been under the administration of the United Nations since June 1999. The United Nations was under the obligation to protect the fundamental human rights of those people.
Mladen Ivanic, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina had improved more in 2004 than in any year since the end of the war. While various challenges continued to confront the country, significant advancement had been seen in the fields of legislation, institutions, analysis and reporting.
Petko Draganov, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, said the idea of universalizing the Commission’s membership had its positive aspects, but there was also a certain risk of bringing the promotion and protection of human rights to the lowest common denominator, thus lowering rather than raising the Commission’s standards. Of particular urgency was the need to refine the mechanisms for adequate and fast reaction to human rights crisis situations so that more emphasis was placed on prevention rather than rehabilitation.
Muhammad Wasi Zafar, Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights of Pakistan, noted that in 2004 the President of Pakistan had announced the establishment of an independent human rights commission, to be conferred with broad and wide-ranging powers to investigate human rights abuses. Democracy was being consolidated in the country.
The Commission will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 17 March, to conclude its high-level segment.
Statements
MARIE-MADELEINE KALALA, Minister for Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was improving, notwithstanding the presence in some parts of the territory of elements that continued to generate human rights violations. Among other violations, such elements had been responsible for the recent killing of nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers from the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - MONUC. Reiterating the Government’s condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh, she said that some of those responsible had already been prosecuted and sentenced, and others remained under house arrest until their trials. She also raised the issue of the sexual abuse of women and children by some members of MONUC, but assured those present that their violations did not lessen the Congolese regard for the troops that had not been involved.
Among its initiatives, the Government was working to establish peace and the rule of law and had increased efforts to expedite the mixing of troops, drawn from various armed elements, in order to compose the national army and police force. New human rights campaigns which focused on training law and security enforcement officers were being carried out at the highest levels, and the courts had taken steps to defend the fundamental rights of the people. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes for former child soldiers continued throughout the country, and the practice of recruiting children was on the verge of disappearing. Moreover, the Government had instituted regional seminars to harmonize the texts criminalizing sexual violence against women and children. The draft Constitution currently before Parliament contained a proposal for gender equality. The Government was committed to doing everything to ensure peace, and to prepare for free, democratic and transparent elections in order to establish good governance and to end the crisis of the illegitimacy of the Government. To that end, the Government was working to ensure that the independent electoral commission organized elections at all levels, and for an identification and survey operation to begin this month.
Regionally, the country continued to take active part in efforts to bring peace, security and development to the Great Lakes region, Ms. Kalala stated. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had subscribed to all resolutions and recommendations of the United Nations and the African Union, and remained prepared to give the best part of itself to any initiative to ensure peace and stability. All the regional parties involved should respect their obligations, as well. She reiterated the call to establish an international criminal tribunal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to cover crimes committed before the entry into force of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. She also expressed the hope that the independent inquiry would establish responsibility for recent incidents in which civilians had been killed, and for those incidents in which women and children had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of MONUC staff. Commending those States that had instituted inquiries against their own nationals, she urged them not to forget the compensation due to the victims. The credibility of peacekeeping and peace-building missions was at stake, and ending immunity from prosecution would set a good precedent.
ŠAR?NAS ADOMAVI?IUS, Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, said Lithuania's ombudsman institutions had proved themselves efficient in protecting and furthering human rights; not only did they defend the rights of individuals but they also contributed to State policies and laws by reviewing the compatibility of national laws and practices with international human rights norms. Lithuania's Ombudsman on equal opportunities for men and women, after having been operational for a few years, had been granted a wider field of responsibility.
States should continuously strive to meet obligations in accordance with the universal standards of human rights. International treaty monitoring mechanisms were extremely valuable tools in assisting States to identify problems and to indicate methods on how to improve human rights practices. However, this assistance could only be provided when the treaty monitoring bodies had timely and sufficient information. Both sides of the reporting process should work together and assist each other, and only then would the process have a real effect with regard to the situation on the ground.
The situation of human rights could benefit and could also be furthered by the cooperation of States within the Commission’s special procedures. In this regard, and noting the impediments to the conduct of democratic elections in Belarus in 2004, the Lithuanian Government called on Belarus to cooperate fully with all the mechanisms of the Commission, as requested in its resolutions, and in particular with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
Moreover, Lithuania hoped that the determination to resolve human rights issues in Chechnya and to improve the situation there, as indicated by the Russian Federation, would be followed by appropriate actions. The task of changing the human rights situation in that region was immense and it was hoped that all necessary resources would be utilized in achieving that.
PAVEL SVOBODA, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, pledged the Czech Republic's support for the efforts of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to bring the standards and principles of human rights nearer to the everyday needs of affected groups and individuals. One of the conditions for effective universality of human rights mechanisms was the cooperation with regional mechanisms and non-governmental organizations. The common activities to facilitate the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan were a good example in that respect, despite the persisting difficult security situation. The protection of human rights would take on special significance not only in cases of their gross and massive violations but especially in the periods of transition to democracy. A transition to democracy required, among other things, inclusion of all segments of society, particularly women, reflection on the country’s past, and the sensible use of the instruments of transitional justice.
The promotion and protection of human rights was one of the fundamental objectives of the United Nations, as confirmed by the report of the High-level Panel. The Commission was a central body of human rights protection within the United Nations framework. In order to fulfil its mission, including the monitoring of human rights situations in different countries and thematic areas, the instruments of the Commission should be assessed and reinforced. The Czech Republic agreed with the view that it was better to support the synergy of the existing human rights mechanisms, rather than to create new ones or to modify them experimentally. A common view was a very positive feature of the Commission even if it carried with it the much criticized political influences stemming from a historical context and from a lack of willingness to engage in a dialogue.
Concerning the proposal of universal membership of the Commission, the Czech Government was of the view that this would be a questionable step, particularly without a parallel discussion on the role of the Economic and Social Council and the Third Committee of the General Assembly. Paradoxically, universal membership could lead to greater demands on procedural instruments.
KIRAITU MURUNGI, Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Kenya, said that human rights remained an abstract concept for too many people who remained caught up in the daily struggle for survival. Human rights, therefore, could only be meaningful if they addressed insecurity, unemployment, drought, famine, crop failure, poverty and disease. Human dignity remained inseparable from the struggle against hunger, disease and ignorance; the right to development was as fundamental as civil and political rights. Against that background, the report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change had identified challenges faced by the Commission, and had made some recommendations for the way forward. Among other proposals, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be strengthened through unearmarked resources as a matter of priority. Human rights defenders should be furnished with resources adequate to carry out their mandates effectively. Kenya stood ready to support the drafting of an annual report on human rights worldwide.
Kenya recognized that all human beings, irrespective of their economic or social status, were equal, and upheld the universality, interdependence and inter-relatedness of all human rights. For many years, the country had lived under an oppressive, one-party regime with a history of gross violations of human rights. However, the 2002 elections had brought a new Government to power - one committed to a hard-working, free, democratic, prosperous and corruption-free Kenya. Committed to attaining high economic growth rates, wealth and employment creation, and the eradication of poverty and corruption, the Government was determined to make a radical break with the past, and had vowed to protect the people against tyranny and oppression, and to ensure peace, stability, freedom and justice.
Among concrete steps taken by the Kenyan Government to that end, he cited the removal of barriers to freedom of expression, and more room for unlimited democratic participation. His own Ministry had been established, as well as a National Commission on Human Rights and an inter-ministerial committee to work with civil society on cross-cutting issues dealing with human rights, as well as the implementation of international human rights obligations. A National Action Plan on human rights was being developed, and the country had been among the first African countries to volunteer for review under the New Partnership for African Development’s peer review mechanism. Notorious torture chambers had been closed, the perpetrators of ethnic clashes had been dealt with, and a commitment to abolish the death penalty had been stated. Finally, he noted that the global human rights approach must be based on an appreciation of objective social realities in different regions; it should aim to support, not to vilify, countries. For that reason, Kenya would not support any resolution targeting specific countries for condemnation.
MAHMUD MAMMAD-QULIYEV, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said as the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations’ Charter approached, the United Nations faced serious tests to its credibility and effectiveness. Today, nobody could deny the premise that the United Nations needed reform and transformation in order for it to be able to effectively address the challenges that were becoming more acute and dangerous, as well as to reconfirm its place in today’s transformed international system. It was hoped that the Millennium Summit Plus 5 later this year would be able to record the much-needed progress in the collective march towards achieving the benchmarks fixed five years ago.
Azerbaijan had in the course of the last few years covered considerable ground in bringing itself closer to the democratic standards of the Council of Europe. Since restoring its independence it had ratified almost all major international treaties on human rights, and the implementation of commitments contained in those treaties remained a priority. Various State programmes and laws on enhancing the social security of people, fostering economic growth, addressing the reduction of poverty and fighting corruption, had been enacted. As a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional State, Azerbaijan was committed to the principles of equality among all its citizens, as well as the principle of unity in diversity.
The major factor negatively affecting Azerbaijan's ability to continue in its process of democratic transformation and fulfilment of obligations in the field of human rights was the unresolved conflict with neighbouring Armenia. Armenia had no moral right to portray itself as an ardent advocate of human rights when it had brutally done away with one of its minorities some twenty years ago. The promotion and protection of human rights, as well as security and stability in the south Caucasus, were dependent on the ability through joint efforts of all to achieve peaceful settlement of the outstanding conflicts, in order to give children and grandchildren the inherent right that every human being should enjoy the right to live in peace, security and prosperity.
CARMEN LILIANA BURLACU, Director-General for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and Human Rights, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, said over the last 15 years, Romania had been striving to abide by international standards in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Romania’s endeavours aimed at ensuring a dignified life for all of its citizens, while creating the conditions for the integration of the country into the European Union. Romania was proud of the progress achieved so far in some very sensitive areas, including the promotion of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, reforming the legislative and institutional system of childcare and creating a comprehensive framework for preventing and combating trafficking in human beings. Nevertheless, Romania was fully aware that much remained to be done and the authorities should never cease their efforts in accompanying the highest attainable standards in the field of human rights protection.
Romania reiterated its willingness to strengthen its cooperation and dialogue with all human rights mechanisms and procedures. Romania had launched a standing invitation to the United Nations special procedures and was always ready to cooperate, whenever necessary, with other envoys of the Commission. Romania was fully aware of the critical importance that human rights had in ensuring regional stability and prosperity. Therefore, the focus of Romanian diplomacy was oriented towards sharing the experience and lessons learned in the democratic transition towards the stabilization of the neighbouring region and their functional connection to a united Europe.
Human rights and fundamental freedoms represented basic values for democracies all around the world; therefore, promoting democracy and democratic standards should remain one of the core functions of the Commission. Romania intended to introduce this year in the Commission, together with other countries, a draft resolution on “Democracy and the Rule of Law”, as a continuation of resolutions adopted previously on topics related to democracy.
REAZ RAHMAN, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, stressed that Bangladesh had been upholding the indivisibility, universality, non-selectivity and interdependence of all human rights, and believed that a holistic approach to the protection and promotion of human rights, with a particular emphasis on the right to development, should be adopted. Economic empowerment was also essential, as poverty continued to constitute the greatest denial of human rights. While advocating cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights’ special procedures and with non-governmental organizations, he said no country could claim victory in the human rights process, which was a continuing process. Moreover, sweeping criticism could be detrimental to the process of increasing respect for human rights.
For its part, Bangladesh had held three consecutive elections in conditions of peace, stability, inclusiveness and transparency. The national system, in which elections took place under an interim, caretaker Government, was unique and had proved eminently successful. A finalized draft National Human Rights Commission had been elaborated, while an interlinked institutional framework was taking shape, which sought to increase the efficiency of the judiciary and to increase the recourse of citizens to the legal system. Since last year, Bangladesh had also made progress in elaborating an independent national anti-corruption commission, which would be empowered with three functions: investigation, prosecution and education. Moreover, the higher judiciary was already free and independent, and efforts were underway to free the lower judiciary from the executive branch. Innovative measures were also being considered for dispute resolution at the village level.
In terms of economic empowerment, the Government sought to encourage sustained economic growth, improvement in per capita poverty income, food security, and enhanced disaster management, among others things. The current medium-term macro economic framework underpinned poverty reduction strategies. In addition to reform in the fiscal sector, which would enable the Government to increase its tax revenues, reforms were underway in the financial sector and anti-money laundering procedures were being implemented.
OMER BERZINJI, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, said the sons of the new Iraq were working hard to free Iraqis from the dangerous violations that humans could inflict on each other. We hope that that the new Iraq will be democratic and federalist and that all Iraqis would participate in it and build their new country which had freed itself from the claws of tyranny. The National Assembly was meeting in Iraq today for the first time since the elections which took place after the fall of the criminal regime which had committed many crimes without discrimination. An example was the bombing with poisonous chemical weapons of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1988 which had killed 5,000 and wounded another 5,000 in one hour. This was not the only crime. The former regime used all kinds of violence, terrorism, murder and rape which had left the Iraqis in a big prison named Iraq.
Iraqis who did not want to serve in the army had had their ears cut off and their faces marked, and the families of deserters were punished. That was why the army had collapsed in 2004. Iraqis had known that the military would leave their units and rejoin their families, as it had not been a war to defend the country but to defend Saddam and his criminal regime. The rule had been that any opponent deserved to be killed, and the former regime found many ways to kill and torture the sons of Iraq. The people had suffered for years because of the wars and the economic sanctions which were the results of wrong policies by the former regime. The standard of living of Iraqis had declined seriously, with families forced to send their young children to work. Although Iraq was a land of wealth and ancient civilisations, the economic, social and cultural rights of Iraqis had been denied. The new Government was trying to reverse this situation and to improve the standard of living of the people of the land.
The Iraqi people had tried for many years to get rid of the perpetrators of the savage criminal regime, and this was why collective graves were being discovered every day. The new Government was trying to get rid of aggression and cruelty, as well as tensions between the various religions and sects. Were it not for terrorist threats, the participation in the recent elections would have been much greater. Iraq was still facing a great problem, a problem which the world should share responsibility for, and this was the fight against terrorism which had killed people in ways as barbaric as those of the previous regime. The international community should be concerned, in particular neighbouring countries, as Iraq was hindered in its reconstruction by terrorist attacks. Every Iraqi was guaranteed his or her freedoms and human rights.
VUK DRASKOVIC, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Montenegro, said his country would fulfil its obligations in collaborating with The Hague International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia. It had so far made progress in its cooperation with the Tribunal in dealing with war criminals who denigrated the honour and history of the country. He said if a man deprived of his basic human rights was a slave, then there were about 300,000 slaves in Europe today. They lived in his country and they were the non-Albanians, mainly Serbs, discriminated against in Kosovo and Metohija, part of the territory of Serbia under the administration of the United Nations and its military and police forces since June 1999. According to Amnesty International figures, approximately 230,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians had been driven out of Kosovo and Metohija. More than 40,000 of their homes had been destroyed and thousands had been forcibly occupied and UNHCR had recorded a decreasing number of returns. In 2003, 3,800 non-Albanians returned to Kosovo and Metohija; that figure dropped to 2,300 last year.
Mr. Draskovic said that 150 century-old churches and monasteries had been burned down, demolished and otherwise destroyed. Many Christian cemeteries had also been targets of vandalism. More than 70,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians living in enclaves – "small scattered islands in a sea of Albanian majority" - were not only deprived of freedom of movement and employment, but also of life. The United Nations was under the obligation to protect the fundamental human rights of those people.
MLADEN IVANIC, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the situation of human rights in his country had improved more in 2004 than in any year since the end of the war. While various challenges continued to confront the country, significant advancement had been seen in the fields of legislation, institutions and analysis and reporting. For example, in the legislative sphere, new and revised laws had been adopted, at both the State level and among the entities, concerning freedom of religion and equal status of churches and religious communities; missing persons; movement of foreigners in the country; and refugees and displaced persons. Both the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina had adopted new laws on elementary and secondary education, the implementation of which was an important pre-requisite for the elimination of discrimination in the educational field. The Republika Srpska had also passed a law on minority rights, and a similar bill was currently before the Parliament. Recognizing that the rule of law represented the foundation of a civilized society, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s goal was to transform the legislative system by gradually adopting European standards and legislation.
With regard to the strengthening of institutional capacity to protect and promote human rights, new institutions, services and State resources had been established, including the "Return Fund" and the Agency for Gender Equality at the State level. A domestic Commission for Real Property Claims of Refugees and Displaced Persons had taken over responsibility from its international predecessor, and the Competition Council and Concessions Commission had brought greater transparency to the functioning of Government agencies. This year, the Government hoped to establish an office of representation at the European Court for Human Rights.
In the analytical-reporting sphere, the Government had fulfiled several important international obligations in the past year, and the reports and analyses submitted had all been arrived at through domestic brainstorming, inter-resource cooperation among the employees of organizations and institutions of the State and entities, and the activities with the non-governmental sector. In the country as a whole, the greatest efforts in 2004 had been expended on ensuring the rights of refugees and displaced persons. The implementation of property laws had reached almost 99 per cent, the "Return Fund" had been formed and four regional centers of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees had been established. However, many returns remained economically unsustainable, while a decrease in foreign donor interest had been seen. Moreover, employment opportunities and social and health service provision remained inadequate.
PETKO DRAGANOV, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, said the concerted efforts of the world community to enhance the efficiency of the international protection of human rights corresponded to the vision of the Secretary-General that internationally recognized human rights standards should be mainstreamed in all spheres of activity of the United Nations system. The idea of universalizing the Commission’s membership had its positive aspects, but there was also a certain risk of bringing the promotion and protection of human rights to the lowest common denominator, thus lowering rather than raising the Commission’s standards. It was also particularly urgent to refine human rights mechanisms to allow for adequate and timely responses to human rights crisis situations so that more emphasis was placed on prevention rather than rehabilitation. Decreasing the number and streamlining the substance of thematic resolutions could also improve effectiveness.
The protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the full observance of international human rights standards, in particular for those who were most vulnerable, was a top priority in Bulgaria’s national and international agenda. The interdependence between development and human rights was an axiom. The profound economic changes in Bulgaria during the process of transition towards a market economy had affected all segments of society. The processes of work migration in a globalizing world had posed the problem for the effective implementation of international human rights instruments by the independent national judiciary. This problem transcended national borders.
Bulgaria drew attention to the fundamental importance of the Commission’s work in forging an ever-widening consensus with respect to the recognition of the universal character of human rights and the need for their full realization throughout the world. Bulgaria was committed to contributing to the constructive and effective work of the Commission.
MUHAMMAD WASI ZAFAR, Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights of Pakistan, said a fair and balanced international human rights system was vital for the promotion and protection of human rights globally. The Commission was a pivotal organ of the United Nations for achieving that goal. Islam did not recognize any differentiation on the basis of caste, creed, colour or religion. Pakistan was committed to realize the vision of its founding father of a modern, moderate and tolerant State. In 2004, the President of Pakistan had announced the establishment of an independent human rights commission, which would be a permanent body, conferred with broad and wide-ranging powers to investigate human rights abuses. Democracy was consolidating in the country. The National Commission on the Status of Women was not only focused on eliminating discrimination against women but also on creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women, among other things.
Year after year, the Commission had heard statements about the need to protect the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir. According to the information documented by leading non-governmental organizations and the international media since 1989, thousands of Kashmiris had lost their lives or had disappeared. The Kashmiri people and their leaders faced restrictions on political activities as well as on the freedom of their expressions and opinion. The people of Indian-held Kashmir should be given their right to self-determination provided for in the Security Council resolutions. In the current dialogue process between Pakistan and India, in order to improve the deteriorating human rights dispute, Pakistan had made a number of constructive proposals. Recently, the two countries had agreed to start a bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. Pakistan wanted to work sincerely and earnestly for a win-win solution.
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