Remarks by Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Statement to the 1219th Meeting of the Ministers Deputies of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 12 February 2015

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour to address this meeting. I have always greatly admired the work of the Council of Europe and its various mechanisms, which safeguard the human rights of over 800 million people in 47 countries. And I am especially glad to be speaking with you during the Belgian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE – since within the UN, Belgium spearheads efforts to enhance cooperation and dialogue between international and regional human rights bodies.

The cooperation between the Council of Europe and my Office is becoming an inspiring model for other regional human rights mechanisms worldwide. And it has deepened considerably since our Joint Declaration on the reinforcement of cooperation in September 2013. OHCHR staff at headquarters and in the field – as well as many independent experts of the Human Rights Council and numerous human rights Treaty Bodies – have developed strong working relationships with Council of Europe counterparts. We have held annual coordination meetings at working level, including most recently last December, when discussions focused on Ukraine – a situation that I will address further in a moment.

This work of cooperation between international, regional and national human rights actors is clearly necessary, so that all of us can generate more impact from our limited resources. It is also important to ensure that all of our work at country level pulls in the same direction, without overlap or cross-purposes.

But our cooperation extends well beyond smooth operational management. We can, and do, benefit greatly from each other’s standards and expertise. Regional systems need to recognize that they can draw deeply from the great declarations and agreements that sustain the international human rights system, as well as from the detailed, country-by-country recommendations of the Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review. Conversely, the international system should recognize that regional organizations can wield tremendous influence, and bring to the work of human rights protection a range of very significant value-addeds.

Focus Ukraine

OHCHR’s rapid deployment in March 2014 to Ukraine – and our close cooperation on the ground since then with the Council of Europe and the OSCE – has been a remarkable example of the way we can dovetail and amplify each other’s work. With its rapid and extensive deployment, and the painstaking monitoring manifest in its 9 public reports to date, the work of OHCHR's Ukraine Monitoring Mission has been a key point of reference in multiple contexts, including the Security Council.

In addition to monitoring and reporting, our Human Rights Mission in Ukraine will also work on capacity building and technical cooperation its second year of operation.  In addition, it will co-lead, with UNHCR, the Protection Cluster – a first of its kind in terms of effectively addressing protection concerns in the context of humanitarian emergency operations – as part of the 2015 Strategic Response Plan for Ukraine.

We will also be pushing forward with the National Human Rights Action Plan for Ukraine, which seeks to frame coherent action by the entire UN system, building on  the country recommendations made by all the UN’s human rights mechanisms. They are: the decisive expert scrutiny of the Treaty Bodies, which monitor States’ compliance with the international human rights treaties; the work of the Human Rights Council’s independent experts and Special Representatives; and the recommendations resulting from the Universal Periodic Review, an unprecedented and remarkable system in which States assess every country’s track-record on human rights.

I need hardly remind you of the immense challenges that face Ukraine. That notwithstanding, there is still an absolute necessity for redressing the human rights of its people. Because it channels the expert recommendations of several bodies into a single framework, the National Human Rights Action Plan can guide not just the assistance of the entire UN system, but also the work of regional organizations and the donor community – ensuring that all of us support Ukraine’s national human rights strategy in ways that are coherent, effective and well-planned. 

Ukraine is a strong example of the way the UN Secretary General’s new Human Rights-up Front policy has begun shifting the work of the United Nations. This initiative places human rights, and the protection of civilians, at the core of the UN's responsibilities, system-wide. Its aim is to ensure that the UN system takes early and effective action to respond to threats of massive violations of human rights, and its tools are extensive human rights analysis, early-warning alerts and rapid action in response to situations of concern.

The new Sustainable Development Goals are another topic on which my Office has had significant impact. Beginning in 2016, the SDGs will be the overarching framework for international development policy, and OHCHR’s advocacy has been strongly reflected in the final Open Working Group Outcome Document. The SDG's goals and targets reaffirm the importance of freedom from fear and freedom from want, and address respect for all human rights, including the right to development, gender equality, good governance and the right to an adequate standard of living.

Protection of civilians and prevention of crises

Excellencies,

The world faces a growing number of simultaneous crises, and many of them are taking place in States that are members of the Council of Europe; States that border on Council of Europe member states; and States that lie just across the Mediterranean.

Our first concern must be for the appalling suffering of our fellow human beings that we are seeing in today’s multiple armed conflicts. But the churning insecurity and hideous atrocities that they generate also have significant potential for regional overspill. Not least is the huge scale of displacement – including attempts to flee across the Mediterranean on a scale unparalleled in recent times.

Together with the OSCE and the Council of Europe, we need to address these situations, which are not only corrosive of international human rights and humanitarian law, but also, and above all, blight and destroy human life.

To do this, we must admit that few of these crises erupted without warning. They built up over years – and sometimes decades – of human rights grievances: deficient or corrupt governance and judicial institutions; discrimination and exclusion; drastic inequalities; exploitation and the denial of economic and social rights; and repression of civil society and public freedoms.  In recent years, the UN has become increasingly aware of the potential for serious human rights violations to precipitate conflict. We need to work together to rebuild the rule of law – not only for moral reasons; and not only because States have committed to doing so, under international law;  but also out of self-interest – because human rights, and trust in government, the judiciary and the police, are the foundations for every society that is resilient and secure.

OHCHR has considerable experience in rebuilding the rule of law in countries torn or threatened by conflict, as well as on preventing crisis and assisting reconciliation. The Council of Europe has also a wealth of expertise that is vital in this context, such as the remarkable work of the European Commission for Democracy through Law, or Venice Commission. This body has frequently identified problematic constitutional or legislative developments, and its recommendations have guided States to build solid rule of law systems, thus reducing the risk of human rights violations and conflict.

Conclusion: with achievement comes responsibility

Excellencies,

The Council of Europe can be justly proud of its achievements across an enormous range of human rights. But with pride comes responsibility. Human rights are not an add-on; they cannot be pick-and-choose. If they are to remain fully credible, Member States must ensure that their internal and external policies are coherent. National laws and practices must comply with international human rights standards, and the policies and actions of Member States should be consistent, especially when it comes to development cooperation programs – whether bilaterally, in the context of the Council of Europe or in the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

The Sustainable Development Goals will, I hope, make a real difference to lives around the world and they deserve to be a top priority. We need to continue to work towards clearly defining a post-2015 development agenda that demonstrates the international community has learned from the lessons of the past.  And then, once it has been defined, all partners need to apply it.

I look forward to hearing about your discussions regarding the Human Rights Council, and the topic of Business and human rights. We appreciate the Council of Europe’s active participation in the Human Rights Council in recent years, including the Secretary General’s participation in the High-level Segment in 2013, and a number of side-events planned for the session in March. I would also like to thank you for your invaluable support for the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. I trust we can count on your assistance with implementing them.

The great challenge and opportunity for OHCHR and the CoE is to work as effectively as possible together, based on our capacities, skills and value added, so that we can support priority human rights needs. As Secretary-General Thorbjørn Jagland said at the Human Rights Council , in 2013, we are tied together by “common history and common purpose”. I look forward to strengthening our relationship, for the benefit of the people we serve, and to further the cause of security, development and justice in the world.

Thank you.