Human Rights Council concludes general debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights

13 March 2015

The Human Rights Council this afternoon concluded its general debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.

In the general debate, speakers stressed the importance of maintaining the independence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and providing it with adequate resources. Many strongly condemned attacks on all religious groups, saying that such crimes demonstrated the brutality of extremist groups. The international community must take steps to counter this violence under international human rights law. Terrorism had no religion and no human values; it was a war crime and could not be justified under any reasons. The importance of the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights was underlined. Other issues that were raised were violence against children and the use of children in armed conflicts, migrants, human rights defenders, social protection systems, torture, pollution, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and the rights of women. Speakers made allegations of human rights violations in a number of countries and regions.

The general debate started this morning with the presentation of thematic reports by the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, and of a report by the Joint Inspection Unit. A summary of the meeting can be found here.

Speaking in the general debate were Ukraine, Syria, Lithuania, Chile, Canada, Turkey, Burundi and Montenegro.

The following non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Equality and Human Rights Commission in a joint statement, Article 19 in a joint statement, Helios Life association, Charitable Institute for Protecting Social Victims, International Catholic Migration Commission in a joint statement, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism, MINBYUN, Association Papa Giovanni XXIII in a joint statement, Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos, Civicus, Conectas Direitos Humanos in a joint statement, International Federation for Human Rights, Society of Iranian Women Advocating Sustainable Development of Environment, Action Canada for Population and Development, Institute for Women’s Studies and Research, World Jewish Congress, Colombian Commission of Jurists, International Educational Development, Sudwind, Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, Federation of Associations for the Defence and the Promotion of Human Rights, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Liberation, International Association of Schools of Social Work, Khiam Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture in a joint statement, Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain in a joint statement, Alsalam Foundation, United Nations Watch, European Centre for Law and Justice, Soka Gakkai International in a joint statement, Institut international pour la paix, la justice extra-territorial les droits de l’Homme in a joint statement, African Technology Development Link, World Evangelical Alliance, Human Rights Advocates, Auspice Stella, Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, United Schools International, International humanist and Ethical Union, British Humanist Association, Rencontre Africaine pour la Défence des Droits de l’Homme, European Union of Public Relations, Centre for Environmental and Management Studies, International Association for Democracy in Africa, World Environment and Resource Council, World Muslim Congress, Centre for Inquiry, Agence Internationale pour le développement, Society for Threatened Peoples, Action international pour la paix et le developpement dans la region des Grands Lacs, International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, American Association of Jurists, International Service for Human Rights, Victorious Youth Movement, International Association for the Defence of Religious Liberty, Organisation pour la Communication en Afrique et de Promotion de la Cooperation, Japanese Workers’ Committee for Human Rights, International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies, Canners International Permanent Committee, Prevention Association for Social Harms and Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation.

Ethiopia, Thailand and China spoke in right of reply.

The Human Rights Council will reconvene on Monday, 16 March at 9 a.m., to hold separate interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the commission of inquiry on Eritrea, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar.

General Debate on the Promotion and Protection of all Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the Right to Development

Ukraine welcomed the report on a discussion about persons deprived of their liberty, noting that a member of parliament and other Ukrainians were illegally detained in Russia and persecuted as political prisoners. It warned that there was no progress on addressing the situation of those persons. Policies towards Ukrainians in the Russian Federation were unacceptable. Violations of their human rights had become systemic and a warning had been issued for Ukrainians travelling to the Russian Federation.

Syria shared the conviction that all citizens had the right to be protected, and that it was the obligation of States towards their citizens. That obligation had two levels: national and international. Syria warned that cross-border terrorists were taking advantage of gaps in laws on the right to their return to the country of origin. There was a need to support courts in the fight against terrorism. Syria also condemned the sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela.

Lithuania stressed the importance of maintaining the independence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It strongly condemned attacks on all religious groups. Such crimes demonstrated the brutality of extremist groups. It strongly condemned acts of violence against civilians, and called on all States to protect their human rights, in particular their freedom of religion and belief, and the right to life regardless of their origin and religious denomination.

Chile condemned the extremist violence and atrocities committed against civilians and said that the international community must take steps to counter this violence under international human rights law. However, there should be no restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Chile expressed its support for the Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 on combatting violence against persons based on religion or belief.

Canada had advocated for a robust mandate of the High Commissioner and his Office and strongly supported their independence, which was fundamental to fulfilling their mandate. It was within the High Commissioner’s authority to respond to the report by the Joint Inspection Unit, said Canada, welcoming the response of the Secretary-General to the report.

Turkey said that atrocities of Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shahab in Somalia and attacks against Charlie Hebdo should all be condemned. Terrorism had no religion and no human values; it was a war crime and could not be justified under any reasons. Referring to the earlier statement condemning the plight of Christians in the Middle East, Turkey strongly rejected the categorization of any victims by their religious or ethnic background; what the world needed was not peaceful coexistence, but living together in harmony.

Burundi reassured the Human Rights Council that peace and security were stable in the country. Persons with albinism were safe in Burundi and enjoyed adequate rights and freedoms. Burundi also guaranteed broad freedom of expression and it did not plan to implement any restrictions on fundamental human rights. However, it did stress the need to protect the rule of law in the country. It reiterated its commitment to continue working on the protection of human rights.

Montenegro stressed the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights, and expressed concern about continued violence against children. It appealed to States to end all forms of violence against children. The Montenegrin Government had reformed the juvenile justice system. Montenegro expressed concern about continued enforced disappearances around the world, including a large number of disappeared defenders of human rights. It also expressed concern about death penalty sentences still being handed down to minors.

Equality and Human Rights Commission, in a joint statement with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission, expressed concerns about death from non-natural causes of persons with mental health conditions while being detained in police cells and psychiatric wards in the United Kingdom. It stressed the specific vulnerability of persons with mental health conditions, and underlined the obligation for the State to protect the right to life of these persons.

Article 19 – International Centre Against Censorship, in a joint statement with Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights Leagues), and American Civil Liberties Union, said the creation of a Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy would address the pressing need for ongoing, systematic and authoritative monitoring, reporting and guidance on the scope and content of the right to privacy. The Rapporteur should be able to receive information from States and other stakeholders, carry out country visits and make recommendations.

Helios Life Association said that freedom was an illusion and did not de facto exist as long as restrictions were in place. Restrictions, however, would be here for as long as there was no understanding and no awareness. The Association called for the creation of a Working Group on education for life in charge of awareness building through empowering for the purpose of uplifting the human condition.

Charitable Institute for Protecting Social Victims recalled the prohibition of the use of children in armed conflict and said that punishment for the perpetrators was defined in the Rome Statute. The worst form of child exploitation was using them as child soldiers, human shields or in suicide attacks and the international community must come up with a solution to prevent those catastrophes and hold the perpetrators of those crimes accountable.

International Catholic Migration Commission, in a joint statement with several NGOs1 said that in the last 20 years, at least 15,000 people had died trying to reach Europe’s shores. The Italian Operation Mare Nostrum had been replaced with the Operation Triton with a much smaller mandate and resources. The European Union and others should urgently affect real change in migration policies and prioritize saving lives first with real search and rescue.

Friends World Committee for Consultation welcomed the developments in the Committee on the Rights of the Child relating to the promotion and protection of the rights of children of incarcerated parents, which had called upon States to guarantee systematic contact, including enabling regular visits, keeping prisoners in the closest appropriated facility to their home and increasing child friendly visiting in prisons.

Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism noted that the protection of the rights of children during war and peace should be consistent with the ideals pursued by the United Nations. It urged the Secretary-General to form an international fact-finding mission to investigate crimes committed against children by terrorist organizations.

MINBYUN shared the concern that human rights defenders were exposed to violence of various forms. The Republic of Korea had filed charges against several MINBYUN lawyers, and advised them to make false statements. It also referred to the case of the members of the Unified Progressive Party who were deprived the freedom of association and assembly in the Republic of Korea, and urged the Council to follow up on these cases.

Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII, in a joint statement with several NGOs 2, welcomed the Secretary-General’s report on the realization of economic, social and cultural rights. It warned of the insufficient coverage of comprehensive social protection systems. Such systems could prevent people from falling into poverty, and thus it was important that social security schemes covered the most vulnerable groups even at times of crises. States could reduce their military budgets and divert funds into such systems.

Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos said effective medical and judicial research and documentation were essential to prevent torture. It noted that cases of torture were underreported in fear of reprisals, and underlined the need for consent of victims before reporting cases of torture. It stressed the importance of monitoring the situation of children in detention in order to prevent acts of torture against them.

Civicus said counterterrorism should not undermine human rights principles. Terrorist groups posed threats to security. However, anti-terrorism laws were too often used to undermine human rights and restrict the rights of human rights defenders. Civicus called on the Council to provide leadership by ensuring and helping States to integrate compliance with their obligations under international human rights law into their legitimate efforts to stem the flow of terrorism.

Conectas Direitos Humanos, in a joint statement, was gravely concerned that the President of Brazil’s Supreme Court had issued an interim relief last September, suspending the effects of the so-called “Dirty List”, a federal ordinance by which companies and individuals found in exploiting slave labour were barred from receiving public subsidies, credit from public banks and tax exemptions. As a result, a normative vacuum now existed.

International Federation for Human Rights Leagues – in a joint statement with Reporters Without Borders International and Cairo institute for Human Rights Studies, said that even in 2015 some Governments continued to act in violation of resolution 16/18 on the basis of traditional values, or cultural or religious particularities. The Istanbul process must be re-energized and States must utilize the Rabat Plan of Action to guide the legal and policy measures they put in place. States should also repeal blasphemy laws.

Society of Iranian Women Advocating Sustainable Development of the Environment said that the Middle East had suffered significant damage due to wars and their harmful effects on the environment, including the pollution and particles in the air which harmed children and the elderly. Global and regional environmental agencies needed to be involved in the search for a solution to this problem.

Action Canada for Population and Development was deeply concerned that States’ commitments to women’s human rights were empty words and remained a low priority for many. The gains made since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 20 years ago were under threat from increased militarism, the deepening crises in democracy, lack of political will, the neo-liberal economic order, patriarchy and fundamentalism. Words must be translated into meaningful action and resources must be made available for implementation and accountability.

Institute for Women’s Studies and Research noted that children were among the most vulnerable groups during armed conflicts due to their physical weakness and dependency on adults’ protection. In the Syrian conflict, children were increasingly used in armed combat roles, and exposed to violence at an alarming rate. They were also victims of unlawful killings, displacement, and deprived of basic economic, social and cultural rights. States were urged to criminalize under-age recruitment, and prosecute and investigate perpetrators.

World Jewish Congress said in recent years the greatest threat to the freedom of religion was religion itself, due to extremists’ acts of violence. Violence in the name of religion had cost the lives of many. Many religious minorities all over the world were assaulted. That phenomenon also occurred in Europe. It thus asked the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief to amend his report and look at the fact that violence in the name of religion occurred worldwide and not only in conflict zones.

Colombian Commission of Jurists, in affiliation with the International Commission of Jurists, noted that military tribunals had no jurisdiction to try civilians or to adjudicate claims of serious human rights violations. Those matters should be the domain of civilian courts. It supported the call of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers that the Council endorse and seek implementation of the principles governing the administration of justice through military tribunals.

International Educational Development underlined the Council’s failure to protect the right to self-determination, which had resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. In Kashmir, the question of self-determination had failed to be addressed for 65 years. The first step for peace there should be the withdrawal of Indian troops. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil people had a claim to self-determination that had been ignored, to the detriment of hundreds of thousands civilian war casualties

Sudwind said Iran had blinded a man as a court-ordered sentence, and expressed deep concern about the resurgence of such corporal punishments, including amputations. Courts in Iran consistently failed to meet fair trial conditions, according to United Nations human rights mechanisms. Nearly all prisoners of conscience had been convicted in Revolutionary courts and most executions had been pronounced against drug offenders who had no right to appeal. Revolutionary courts were only meant to be temporary, and were unconstitutional.

Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, said children immensely suffered from armed conflicts, and millions of them were displaced; refugee Syrian children needed help. The international community should work towards the improvement of the situation of children through cooperation with non-governmental organizations and international agencies, and through public awareness raising campaigns on violations of children’s rights and their consequences.

Federation of Associations for the Defence and the Promotion of Human Rights welcomed the High Commissioner’s announcement that human rights monitoring missions would be sent to the Western Sahara. The situation on the ground was deteriorating day by day, and the situation of political prisoners, who were convicted by military tribunals, was of concern. Impartial and credible mechanisms for the monitoring of human rights in the Western Sahara must be immediately put in place.

International Fellowship of Reconciliation was greatly concerned about inequality in the realization of the right to education and the right to health. In large countries, small under-represented minorities could be lost in national averages, and this was the case of the people in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The situation there was worse than in the rest of China in the areas of life expectancy, infant mortality, childhood malnutrition, maternal mortality, illiteracy rates and health services for children and pregnant women.

Liberation drew attention to the deplorable plight of Buddhists and Dalits in India and said that the social practice of untouchability by high caste Hindus continued unabated. Dalit women faced the triple burden of caste, class and gender, and were forced into prostitution. Dalits were treated as slaves, scavengers and lesser humans.

International Association of Schools of Social Work asked that all States adopt a statement supporting that the right to education was a fundamental right, and underlining the importance of eradicating extreme poverty. Country reports should be written in words that children could understand.

Khiam Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Torture, on behalf of 12 non-governmental organizations, appealed to the Government of Bahrain to release Ali Salman, who had been given an unfair political sentence. He was a well-known supporter of non-violent political struggle. Many specialists had described his trial as political oppression.

Centre for Human Rights and Peace Advocacy said that the equal protection of human rights was binding for all States. The Council was repeatedly informed about blatant and continued violations of human rights of minorities in India. While India had done a good job of establishing numerous laws, their implementation was not in sight. Dalits, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs continued to suffer at the hands of the high-caste Hindus.

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, in a joint statement, was concerned about the situation of human rights in Saudi Arabia. The rights of women were violated there, and people had been convicted and sentenced to death for expressing their opinion. Torture and arbitrary and incommunicado detention were being used.

Alsalam Foundation referred to the detention and harassment of human rights defenders and political opponents Nabeel Rajab and Sheikh Ali Salman in Bahrain. Bahrain was trying to escape accountability for these human rights violations. The Council should recognize the arbitrary nature of the prosecution of these men and ask Bahrain to release them, and all those who were held under politically motivated charges.

United Nations Watch referred to an annual civil society forum organized in Geneva the month before, where courageous dissidents and former political prisoners from Hong Kong, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan and Venezuela spoke of and testified on human rights violations in their countries. Raif Badawi, a blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes in Saudi Arabia, was given the Geneva Summit Courage Award.

European Centre for Law and Justice highlighted the case of Mr. Saeed Abedini who was arrested and imprisoned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for exercising his Christian faith. He had suffered repeated beatings in prison, was denied access to necessary medical care as a result of that abuse, was given a sham trial by a biased judge and was sentenced to eight years in prison. The Council should request Iran to release Mr. Abedini and allow him immediate access to the necessary medical treatment.

Soka Gakkai International, in a joint statement with several NGOs3 urged States to remember that media professionals and journalists needed to be enabled so they could fully exercise their right to freedom of expression in order to promote human rights education. It further urged States to implement the right to human rights education and training, as recognized by the Council in its 2014 resolution.

Institut international pour la paix, la justice extra-territorial les droits de l’Homme, speaking in a joint statement, denounced the continued weakening of freedom of speech, even in well-established democratic Member States of the European Union. The Institute spoke about the closing of public broadcasting services in Greece and Spain and said public broadcasting organizations in Europe were experiencing their worst crisis since World War II.

African Technology Development Link recalled that in Pakistan, 352,000 children under the age of five died of preventable causes each year and that 45 per cent of under-five deaths were directly linked to under-nutrition among children and their mothers. The Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 was poorly implemented and there was no effective system of child protection in place in any part of the country.

World Evangelical Alliance was concerned about the high number of countries around world where the rights of minorities were threatened. This problem had no cultural borders and no institutional borders. The treatment of minorities was the litmus test for the rule of law; there could be no freedom if minorities were robbed of their legal rights.

Human Rights Advocates discussed the ongoing issue of torture and stressed that survivors of torture were regularly denied adequate remedies by State actors. By ensuring proper documentation of torture, holding perpetrators of violence to account and providing victims with remedies, State actors could provide survivors of torture with justice.

Auspice Stella said this year the Mapuche community marked 130 years since the cessation of armed resistance against the Chilean and Argentinian armies and events concerning which there was substantial evidence to suggest acts of genocide. The organization deplored that Argentina showed neither the sensitivity nor political will to restore the fundamental rights of the Mapuche communities, such as the basic right to inhabit their ancestral territories.

Commission to Study the Organization of Peace raised human rights concerns related to ongoing conflicts between security forces and militants in southern regions of Asia, especially by Pakistani forces. In particular, the Commission voiced concerns over reports of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings in Baluchistan. It called on Pakistan to affirm its commitment to end enforced disappearances.

United Schools International said despite being a major recipient of foreign aid Pakistan remained unable to effectively guarantee the right of food to many segments of its population, partly because of the continuing feudal environment in the country and partly because it diverted its resources to militarization rather than the welfare of its own people. Food security measures had to be stepped up, particularly in Baluchistan which had the highest percentage of food insecure population in the world, at 67.7 per cent.

International Humanist and Ethical Union noted the perceived tension between freedom of expression and freedom of religion. The right to free expression was essential to countering violence perpetrated in the name of religion. It echoed the right to freedom of religion and was central to humanity and dignity. The Council should see that the Rabat Plan of Action was recommended for implementation by the forthcoming resolution to be adopted on the issue.

British Humanist Association regretted that religion was used to justify crimes, and was concerned about religious minorities being targeted. Some States, including members of the Human Rights Council, had blasphemy laws used against religious minorities, and by doing this because examples to ISIL and other extremist groups. It called on all countries to repeal such blasphemy laws.

Rencontre Africaine pour la Défence des Droits de l’Homme said it was vital to provide enough resources to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to allow the implementation of its mandate. Attacks recently perpetrated in Bamako, Mali were condemned and the situation in Nigeria and Libya, which could spread to neighbouring countries, was a concern. States were urged to support the efforts of African States in combatting Boko Haram.

European Union of Public Relations said that in many countries, laws and policies prohibited women from equal access to land, property and housing, and gender-based violence affected at least 30 per cent of women globally. Women in Pakistan faced spectacularly high rates of discrimination and multiple forms of violence, such as honour killings, rape, acid throwing, forced marriages, trafficking, and domestic violence and those crimes went on unchecked.

Centre for Environmental and Management Studies said that human rights defenders exposed violations and were people who ensured the promotion and protection of human rights for all. The important thing was not who they were but what they did. In many countries they were subjected to death threats and torture, disappeared or murdered and silenced by restrictive laws.

International Association for Democracy in Africa said that the international community had a responsibility to protect the people of Pakistan from torture. Many people had gone missing and there was evidence of the involvement of ISIS in their disappearance. The Gilgit-Baltistan province provided the most conspicuous example of the ethnic cleansing of the Shia in Pakistan.

World Environment and Resource Council said that extremism was caused by corrupt interpretations of the Quran, which was why Islamic curricula needed to change. Well known Muslim intellectuals had appealed to all Muslim political and religious leaders to stand up and support what they termed “democratic Islam”. They called for a conference in France in early 2016 that would define the framework of a progressive interpretation of Islam firmly grounded in the twenty-first century.

World Muslim Congress noted that different regimes used administrative detention and justified it as a preventive action to ensure security. Indian authorities in occupied Kashmir used administrative detention or preventive detention to suppress the resistance of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realization of their right to self-determination as promised to them by the United Nations Security Council.

Centre for Inquiry warned that Governments were increasingly threatened by online media platforms. Some States sought to control messages shared on Twitter’s platform. In the second half of 2014 requests for control of messages on Twitter increased by more than 80 per cent, compared with the previous six months. Unfortunately, that was a new and worrying trend. Centre for Inquiry urged all States to fully protect online expression.

Agence Internationale pour le développement talked about the human rights situation in southern Morocco. Profound reforms had taken place since the coronation of King Mohammed VI. Regional human rights commissions had been tasked to oversee the human rights situation at the regional level, and to receive relevant complaints. Morocco had also adopted measures to protect and promote the rights of the child.

Society for Threatened Peoples warned of the violence and brutal suppression in China. Terrorist suspects were arrested and hundreds were killed on the pretext that they carried out terrorist activities. The clear manipulation of the threat of terrorism was in violation of the obligation of States to conduct anti-terrorist measures while ensuring respect for fundamental human rights.

Action internationale pour la paix et le développement dans la région des Grands Lacs, in a joint statement with Association Dunenyo, African Development Association, and Victorious Youths Movement drew the Council’s attention to the plight of thousands of women and girls living in the Tindouf camps in Algeria who were left to the mercy of Polisario separatist leaders supported by the Algerian authorities. The women suffered forced procreation, torture, forced labour and intolerable living conditions. The organization urgently appealed to the Council to stop the violations and allow the women to return to their families and live out a decent life in their countries.

International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations said Western Sahara remained the last colony in Africa and the denial of the right to self-determination was the root cause of the human rights violations faced by its people. The young generation of Western Saharans, many of whom grew up in refugee camps, were becoming increasingly frustrated. The Council should request the Security Council to include a human rights monitoring component in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.

American Association of Jurists said it was impossible to improve and ensure the independence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the modest budget assigned to it by the General Assembly. The aspirations and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter could not survive when one of the three pillars received only two per cent of the total budget. The Office should not be left at the mercy of a few donors.

International Service for Human Rights expressed concern about widespread threats and attacks against human rights defenders, the murder of five Peruvian defenders killed allegedly in relation to their land rights work, and the arrest, detention and ill treatment of 52 men in Egypt in relation to their peaceful demonstration against the regime. The organization denounced the lack of appropriate response by some States to communications by Special Procedures.

Victorious Youth Movement denounced the manipulation and systematic diversion of humanitarian assistance sent to the Western Sahara and the Tindouf camp. The most vulnerable groups that should benefit from this aid, namely women and children, were the hardest hit by these immoral and inhuman actions. The Movement drew particular attention to the problems caused by the diversion of food aid.

International Association for the Defence of Religious Liberty expressed concerns about violence and terrorism in the name of religion, which resulted from States’ failure to prevent terrorism and from the sponsorship of terrorism by some other States. The Association stressed the need to spare no effort to fight against terrorism and violence based on religion. It believed that everyone must speak up against any violence in the name of religion.

Organisation pour la Communication en Afrique et de Promotion de la Cooperation noted that the right to education was a universal entitlement, recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as a human right that included the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education. It urged that immediate attention be paid to the alarming situation of children in Kashmir.

Japanese Workers’ Committee for Human Rights said that the Government of Japan had failed to accept legal responsibility for the so-called comfort women issue, despite testimonies. It also opposed victims’ efforts to obtain truth, justice and reparation. In addition, the Japanese Prime Minister Sinzo Abe had claimed that there had been no evidence of forced conscription of women by the Japanese authorities.

International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies warned that the growing demand for luxury goods had overshadowed the right to food. More than 3 billion people worldwide were starving. A child died of hunger every six seconds. Hunger killed more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Hunger reduction required an integrated approach, raising of agricultural productivity, better access to land, and the engagement of both private and public sectors.

Canners International Permanent Committee spoke about the safety of children in Pakistan, which was one of the only countries in the world where boys were more vulnerable to sexual abuse than girls. The social and economic situation in the country was disastrous and forced families to make their children work. Some 11 million children worked in various industries, some 23 million children, almost 30 per cent, were deprived of a primary education, while 90 per cent of the 170,000 street children were victims of the sex trade.

Prevention Association for Social Harms spoke about children in armed conflict, and the use of children in war and suicide attacks by some terrorist organizations, including IS. The children suffered rigorous methods of violent training, such as beheading people. The use and exploitation of children in armed conflicts was a human rights violation which must be prevented. Serious action was needed.

Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation said continued pressure on the new Government in Sri Lanka was necessary to ensure true accountability, and justice for the Tamil people. The intrusion of the military into everyday aspects of civilian life in the north-east of Sri Lanka continued to foster a climate of fear and intimidation. The international community must refuse to allow the cycle of impunity to continue in Sri Lanka.

Right of Reply

Ethiopia, speaking in a right of reply, refuted the allegations made by CIVICUS, noting that it respected freedom of expression, and encouraged journalists to exercise their rights. The Ethiopian Government did not arrest any journalists. However, it noted that terrorism was a threat to the human rights of the people, and it was the State’s obligation to protect people from terrorist activity.

Thailand, speaking in a right of reply, referring to the statement made by the Colombian Commission of Jurists, noted that the promotion and protection of human rights were a priority of the Thai Government, adding that many reforms were on the way in order to build a more sustainable democracy. Only those accused of serious crimes were tried by military tribunals.

China, speaking in a right of reply, said it resolutely rejected the groundless accusation of a few non-government organizations regarding its policy towards ethnic minorities. China attached great importance to promoting the common prosperity of all ethnic groups, including Tibetans. China had taken specific measures to improve sustainable economic, social and cultural development and improve the living conditions of people in poverty in ethnic minority areas. For example, Tibet had achieved double-digit growth for 24 years consecutively, and today had the highest economic growth rate in all of China. China also spoke about its actions to combat terrorist activities, saying its anti-terror legislation was a logical prerequisite for the prevention of terrorism and in order to maintain the stability and unity of the State.

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1 Joint statement: International Catholic Migration Commission; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII; Caritas Internationalis; International Catholic Child Bureau; Dominicans for Justice and Peace - Order of Preachers; Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà Internazionale ONLUS; Franciscain international; Curia Generalizia Agostiniana; Fundacion Migrantes y Refugiados sin Fronteras; International Catholic Migration Commission; International Council of Psychologists; Labour; Health and Human Rights Development Centre; Outreach Social Care Project; Passionists International; Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants; Poverty Elimination and Community Education Foundation; Save the Climat; Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur; United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society; Congregations of St. Joseph; Stichting Justitia et Pax Nederland; and Human Rights Watch.


2 Joint statement: Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd;International Movement ATD Fourth World; International Catholic Child Bureau; Dominicans for Justice and Peace - Order of Preachers; New Humanity; Edmund Rice International; Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; and Caritas Internationalis (International Confederation of Catholic Charities).


3 Joint statement: Soka Gakkai International; International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education; Al-Hakim Foundation; Servas International; International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse; Human Rights Education Associates; Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center; Equitas centre international d'éducation aux droits humains; Institute for Planetary Synthesis; Latter-Day Saint Charities; Soroptimist international; Teresian Association; Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem; International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism; and CIVICUS – World Alliance for Citizen Participation.


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For use of the information media; not an official record