Remarks from Ms Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressing the Parliament of Uruguay, on the occasion of the UN Day

24 October 2011

Your Excellency Mr Vice President and President of the General Assembly, your Excellency Mr Foreign Minister, Madam Resident Coordinator of the UN Country Team, Honourable Members of the Parliament of Uruguay, distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great honour and pleasure to be here and to join you in celebrating the 66th anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of United Nations and the birth of our global organization. Uruguay is a founding member of the UN, and has shared in and contributed to the growth of the UN system in all of its ups and downs over these years. That has to be a proud achievement, as the people of this beautiful country this year also celebrate the 200th anniversary of the start of the revolution.

For me, coming from a country that was literally saved from armed aggression by UN intervention and rose from ashes of the war’s destruction with the generous support of the UN and its member states to achieve socio-economic development and democratization, and now working in the UN office that takes the lead in promoting and protecting human rights around the world, it is truly heart-warming to be here today in Uruguay, which has travelled a course of national evolution in loyal adherence to the ideals and goals espoused by the United Nations and although there were periods of setbacks, is now earnestly working with the UN system in overcoming the past and present challenges to ensure a future of the full enjoyment of human rights of all Uruguayans, while at the same time taking in increasingly leading role in the global arena on human rights issues.

The United Nations system – the member states, the various UN entities and staff, and civil society partners -- has endeavoured over the past 66 years to achieve the aims that were so explicitly spelled out in the Charter, as already mentioned by my UNDP colleague. One of the four is is to reaffirm faith in fundamental rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.

Over the decades, the United Nations has worked to nurture the culture of human rights around the world, and also to be guided by human rights principles in all areas of its work, including in peace-keeping missions where Uruguay has been a key troop donor country. Integrating human rights as the foundation of the organization received a special boost in 1997 with the former Secretary-General’s reform efforts. Since then, important progress has been made by many UN entities and in many areas of work across the UN system. The 2005 UN reform went further still, directing attention to building national systems of the promotion and protection of human rights, and reaffirming member states’ commitment to human rights as the 3rd pillar of the organization, along with peace and security and development, and to human rights mainstreaming as a cross-cutting principle in operational activities.

These aspirations are being realized in Uruguay, where the UN Country Team, consisting of numerous UN agencies, Funds and Programmes, is showing the way forward, working as “One UN” in implementing a rights-based approach to the UN work-plan, strategies and activities.

But the UN is here to assist, not to lead. The leadership and ownership lies with the people of Uruguay. As the legislative institution representing the people, in all of their diverse aspirations and expectations, the Parliament has a crucial role in consolidating human rights as the unshakable foundation that undergirds all aspects of the everyday life of Uruguayans, today and tomorrow.

This role can be played in many ways. First and foremost is the drafting and adoption of legislations, and ensuring that the process as well as the product fully integrate human rights standards.

Second is the ratification of international human rights treaties and the bringing domestic laws in compliance with international obligations. Uruguay has ratified most of the UN adopted human rights treaties. However, these would have no meaning unless they are translated into domestic laws and implemented.

Third is the adoption of the budget and setting of priorities in the use of the state’s resources. Guaranteeing the enjoyment of human rights is not costless, and measures for human rights protection and promotion, especially for the vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population, require adequate funding.

Fourth is oversight of the executive branch. The Parliamentary commission on prisons in Uruguay is a good example of legislative monitoring of a key function of the government.

Fifth is strengthening and guaranteeing the establishment and effective functioning of independent national human rights institutions. Uruguay has adopted a law to create such an institution, but the appointment of the commissioners and the allocation of an adequate budget remain pending.

Finally, members of the Parliament can take the lead in raising public awareness of human rights and mobilizing public opinion on issues that impact on human rights. Parliamentary debates and hearings on questions related to the human right inform and are informed by public opinion. There are long pending issues which still draw heated debate on the legacy of the era of dictatorship, as well as other issues relating to discrimination, women’s rights, education, justice, security and support for the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population such as the disabled. I am encouraged to learn that the Parliament is already actively engaged in public discussions of these difficult issues that call for consensus and action.

In all of these matters, you have the support of the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, including our office (OHCHR), through our in-country work, expert advice, reports and recommendations, and support to national efforts. Our mission, in collaboration with the partners in the UNCT, is to assist the leaders and people of Uruguay to ensure that the discussions and debates lead to solutions that fully integrate international human rights standards that the state of Uruguay has already signed on to.

Uruguay is currently at the forefront of the human rights international arena, holding since last June, the Presidency of the Human Rights Council. In this, Uruguay has added a first – Uruguay’s is the first Human Rights Council presidency held by a woman. The country also has very good practices, especially in social protection policies, that can be exemplary for the rest of the world and should be shared at the international level. I am certainly learning much about them during this trip.

I am therefore deeply honoured to be here today on this UN Day, a very good time and place to reaffirm our common values and our shared duty to do our very best to promote and protect human rights for all Uruguayans.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that “Recognition of the inherent dignity … and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” That is our base line. That is our standard. We must not tolerate any exceptions. As the Secretary General recalled last year, “in a complicated and connected world, our mission is essentially simple - and simply essential”.

Thank you