Statement by Ms. Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Briefing to Member States on the Launching of OHCHR Management Plan 2012-2013

Geneva, 30 March 2012

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to present OHCHR’s biennial plan for 2012-2013. As you might have noticed, the plan is now published under a new name: “OHCHR Management Plan: Working for Results”. The title has been changed to better reflect the nature and purpose of the document, as well as to highlight my Office’s increased focus on planning, delivering, monitoring and reporting on results.

This plan is being shaped to further enhance OHCHR‘s  mission to promote and protect all human rights for all people, as well as our vision to be a strong global leader and principled advocate for the full realization of all the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

In this perspective, we strove to bolster our own efficiency and ability to work with partners in ways that maximize results. These partnerships have become even more crucial in light of recent political events in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere, as well as in the face of the current financial crisis.

The 2012-2013 OHCHR Management Plan, or OMP in its new acronym form, takes OHCHR one step forward in ensuring the best possible use of resources to implement the human rights mandate of the United Nations, and in particular the human rights section of the Secretary-General’s Strategic Framework. And it does so by bringing together the various components of OHCHR’s mandate around a common set of results, increasing synergies and avoiding unnecessary overlaps.

The OMP presents OHCHR’s expected results for the biennium in a number of thematic priorities; describes the key interventions my Office intends to undertake to achieve those results, and provides an indication of the resources we would need to implement them.

Excellencies,

The 2010-2011 biennial plan defined for the first time six thematic strategies to be pursued by all OHCHR divisions and field presences. This approach has sharpened OHCHR’s focus on critical human rights challenges and has strengthen cooperation among the Office, the wider UN human rights system and other key stakeholders around those challenges.

Furthermore, the Thematic Strategies have enhanced my Office’s capacity to report on results and draw lessons from past and ongoing work.

OHCHR is now extending its programming cycle to four years, encompassing two regular budget cycles. In this context, the OHCHR Management Plan for 2012-2013 should be read as continuation of the 2010-2011 plan.  Our thematic priorities for this biennium remain unaltered. The Thematic Strategies have been reviewed bearing in mind the lessons learned through implementation and the major changes that have occurred in the global context.

The decision to move into a planning cycle of four years is based on the acknowledgement that results in the human rights field require investments over a longer period, while human rights priorities are not likely to change drastically over a four-year period. In fact, as we launch our OHCHR Management Plan for 2012-2013, I am encouraged by the realization that priorities, such as the fight against impunity, economic and social rights, equality and development for all, have been as integral to our plans during the last biennium as they have been to the movements for change that emerged in cities and communities around the globe.

Discrimination

While many States have ratified key international and regional instruments protecting the right to equality and non-discrimination, gaps in the full and effective implementation of these obligations persist. OHCHR’s 2012-2013 revised thematic strategy on “Countering Discrimination”, in particular racial discrimination, discrimination on the grounds of sex, religion and against others who are marginalized,” includes a stronger focus on supporting and advocating affirmative action measures, as well as for the establishment of specialized equality bodies.  The strategy builds on the experience accumulated and further highlights the importance of ensuring the meaningful participation of those facing discrimination in decision-making processes.

Accountability, the Rule of Law and Democratic Society

Within the UN system, OHCHR will continue to play a leading role during the next biennium to nurture positive conditions for strengthening the rule of law and democracy, in particular through its focus on combating impunity and strengthening accountability. Key areas for strategic focus will include:  supporting transitional justice processes; enhancing the framework for accountability for human rights violations; ensuring human rights protection in the administration of justice; increasing access to justice for individuals and groups facing discrimination; and supporting the development of democratic institutions. OHCHR’s 2012-2013 revised Thematic Strategy on “combating impunity, and strengthening accountability, the rule of law and democratic society” stresses the role which national human rights institutions can play in addressing impunity. It also draws attention to the comparative advantage and advocacy resonance that OHCHR can lend to help ensure accountability of perpetrators of human rights violations, promote the independence of the judiciary, and promote the abolition of the death penalty.

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Poverty and Inequality

OHCHR continues to make progress in integrating all human rights, including the right to development, into national development and international cooperation efforts, including in the context of achieving the MDGs by 2015 and beyond.

The right to development provides essential normative guidance to address the complementary national and international dimensions of human rights and development agendas. Moreover, the High Commissioner’s international leadership role makes OHCHR a natural focal point for connecting human rights advocates, development practitioners, planners and economists in order to engage in mutually enriching multi-disciplinary dialogue. OHCHR’s revised Thematic Strategy on “pursuing economic, social and cultural rights and combatting inequalities and poverty, including in the context of the economic, food and climate crises” is designed to become increasingly operational at both international and national levels. This strategy flows from global trends and the momentum gathered during the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development in 2011. It will also empower OHCHR to act upon the post-2015 development agenda. The strategy focuses on the importance of strong and accountable partnerships and mainstreaming human rights within the UN system and   among Member States.

Migration

OHCHR recognizes the complexity of human rights issues in the context of migration. OHCHR has continued to stress that migration is fundamentally about the rights of human beings and not simply an issue of economic development, remittance transfers, border control and security. My Office is gradually building and strengthening its advocacy and technical assistance tools on migration. For 2012-2013, OHCHR’s Thematic Strategy on “protecting human rights in the context of migration” focuses on consolidating partnerships to promote change at the national, regional and international levels, particularly with regard to the economic, social and cultural rights of irregular migrants, the protection of migrants from xenophobia and discrimination, and the human rights implications of mixed migration flows at international borders.

Violence and Insecurity

Let me now discuss OHCHR’s 2012-2013 revised Thematic Strategy on “Protecting human rights in situations of conflict, violence and insecurity.”  This strategy takes into account the fact that social violence, crime, civil unrest and terrorism, as well as armed conflict, are both caused by and are at the source of human rights violations in many parts of the world.

The strategy further sharpens OHCHR’s role in humanitarian crises and in situations where criminal and social violence are prevalent. The strategy also acknowledges OHCHR’s important role and expertise in combatting gender violence, including sexual violence, and integrates important UN policy developments including those regarding the due diligence policy, and the responsibility to protect.

Human Rights Mechanisms

Finally, my Office will bring to bear its extensive knowledge and experience to the application of international human rights instruments and with the procedures of human rights mechanisms. It is also the conduit for communication between various human rights mechanisms and external partners. Accordingly, OHCHR’s 2012-2013 revised strategy on “Strengthening international human rights mechanisms and the progressive development of international human rights law” builds on the Office’s knowledge and the process of reflection on how to strengthen the treaty body system.  In parallel, OHCHR has drawn lessons from the first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review and will apply them to the UPR recommendations.  The strategy reflects OHCHR’s strong focus on encouraging States to establish and strengthen coordinated mechanisms to meet reporting obligations and comprehensively implement the recommendations of all human rights mechanisms.

Excellencies,

Total resource requirements for 2012-2013 have been set in the OMP at US$448.1 million—an increase of approximately ten percent over the 2010‑2011 budget.  The United Nations regular budget covers just over one third of our total funding needs, and therefore we continue to rely on voluntary contributions to enable OHCHR to implement our mandate and respond to the growing requests for assistance.  This represents a challenge for us all. However, it is my hope that we can count on your support.   All contributions matter. An increase in the number of Member States contributing to the Office, as well as a higher level of un-earmarked funding, will reinforce OHCHR’s independence and effectiveness of action.

The Deputy High Commissioner will make a more detailed presentation of the most important and innovative features of OHCHR’s Management Plan for 2012-2013. This document embodies our firm commitment to a plan that is focused, yet flexible enough for adaptation to changing and evolving situations and needs.  It reflects our long-standing commitment to the principles of transparency, non-selectivity and impartiality.

I look forward to our continuing cooperation.

Thank you.