HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH CROATIA AS OFFICE IN ZAGREB CLOSES

20 December 2002



The following statement was issued today by Sergio Vieira de Mello, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights :

"At the end of this year, the Field Presence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Croatia will close. For the first time in the short history of OHCHR field offices, a presence will be shut down. This particular occasion will be marked by a special event of my office in Zagreb, tonight.

The Field Presence in Croatia was established in 1993. For nine years, OHCHR monitored the human rights situation in Croatia and carried out a variety of activities and projects. As its main legacy for the Croatian people, the office will leave behind the Human Rights Centre in Zagreb. The Centre will be an independent and autonomous institution serving as meeting place and resource facility for government officials, academia, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and others to support and enhance activities related to the protection and promotion of human rights in Croatia.

My Office will remain committed to further improving the human rights situation in Croatia and continue to assist the Government of Croatia in the implementation of its international human rights obligations."




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