Human Rights Council continues its high-level segment, hearing from 18 dignitaries

25 February 2020

The Human Rights Council continued its high-level segment during its midday meeting, hearing addresses by 18 dignitaries, who spoke of the current challenges to the protection and fulfilment of human rights, and outlined their countries’ steps to meet international human rights standards. They discussed the pertinent challenges to global peace and security, including country specific situations that manifested gross human rights violations.

Speaking were Nikos Christodoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus; Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia; Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia; Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia; Katrin Eggenberger, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein; Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg; Shireen M. Mazari, Minister of Human Rights of Pakistan; Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe; Don Alfonso Nsue Mokuy, Third Vice-Prime Minister of the Government in charge of Human Rights of Equatorial Guinea; Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba; Jacek Czaputowicz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland; Marcel Amon-Tanoh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire; Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela; Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland; Mustapha Al Ramid, Minister of State in charge of Human Rights and Relations with the Parliament of Morocco; Ahmed Al Jarman, Assistant Minister for Human Rights and International Law of the United Arab Emirates; Barry Faure, Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and the Blue Economy of Seychelles; and Alvin Botes, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa.

The Council will next continue its high-level segment.

High-Level Segment

NIKOS CHRISTODOULIDES, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, said that the work of the Human Rights Council was all about setting the standards and pushing the boundaries in order to bring about the best in humanity and to ensure that the future would be brighter than the past. Yet the world was facing numerous threats that challenged the collective commitment to human rights: conflicts, violence, extremism, gender-based discrimination, poverty and rising inequalities. Investing in the human rights education of young people was the best insurance to counter those challenges. The Minister underlined the importance of multilateralism in addressing global challenges. Gender inequalities presented universal challenges with dire social and economic implications. Accordingly, Cyprus was taking actions at the national and regional levels to respect women’s rights. The geographic location of Cyprus came with many blessings, but also with many challenges. The deeply concerning situation in the eastern Mediterranean and the greater Middle East, such as conflicts and terrorism continued to cause the flow of migrants and refugees, the Minister stressed. In order to successfully tackle all regional challenges, countries needed to act collectively. In light of the upcoming report on human rights violations in Cyprus, the Minister reminded that the military invasion of northern Cyprus by Turkey had left many Cypriots displaced. Almost 50 years after the invasion, the fate of many disappeared persons was yet to be resolved. People still could not return to their property, whereas the cultural heritage in the occupied part of the island was looted and destroyed.

SERGEY LAVROV, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, said with new hotbeds of tension around the world, as well as long standing conflicts, it was necessary to come up with updated approaches to ensure the stable and sustainable development of humanity. The approach by Western countries to substitute universally recognized principles of international law with their own “rules based world order” hampered the enforcement of human rights. The accusatory human rights rhetoric of the country-specific recommendations was a pretext for interfering in internal affairs of sovereign States. The Minister noted the double standards of Western partners who turned a blind eye to human rights abuses in Ukraine, and called upon the Human Rights Council to assess the suppression of minority rights there. Western democracies gave a green light to the spread of Nazi ideology under the guise of freedom of speech. Religion was being used as an instrument in geopolitical games, and the presence of the Christian faith had decreased across the Middle East. He called on the Human Rights Council to stop the rising religious extremism that was driving this. He noted the situation in Idlib and the decision to cooperate with bandits in the region of Idlib. He also noted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization aggression against Libya, although that country was trying to eliminate the problem of terrorism on its territory. The Minister called on the Human Rights Council to depoliticize the multilateral dialogue, which was necessary to address the cross-border issues faced in the world.

GORDAN GRLIĆ RADMAN, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, reminded that Croatia had just concluded its three-year membership in the Human Rights Council. Being a Council member had given it a clear picture of how central human rights were within the United Nations. There was a strong link between human rights protection and achieving peace and security, as well as with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Human rights should continue to be embedded in all major policies guiding the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The emerging issues, the use of new technologies and climate change strongly influenced human rights. The human rights aspect of digital technologies and social media was more relevant nowadays than ever. The right to a healthy environment deserved more attention when considered through the lenses of one of the world’s greatest concerns – climate change. At the core of those new issues stood a solid system of international human rights standards and the challenges to their implementation. The international community should continue to strengthen that system because the prevention of human rights violations was still a challenge. Emphasizing that the Universal Periodic Review contributed to building trust between Member States, the Minister noted that trust was the key principle for quality dialogue and multilateral action. He therefore called on everyone to work harder to deepen meaningful dialogue and cooperation between States and regional groups, as well as civil society. Today’s challenges in international relations were numerous and complex. They had to better work together and listen to each other more.

ZOHRAB MNATSAKANYAN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, welcomed the important work of the Human Rights Council, and shared the concern of the Secretary-General that human rights were under threat globally. The progress made by Armenia since the peaceful Velvet Revolution was significant and necessary, given the massive public mandate that the revolution had provided. Achieving a genuine independent and impartial judiciary was a priority, and as such the constitutional referendum to be held on 5 April 2020 was aimed at reforming the judiciary. A number of transparency and press freedom indices had shown that Armenia had made considerable progress on this front over the past year. Armenia’s succession to the Council coincided with its third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review. Whilst emphasizing the centrality of national actions in achieving progress on human rights, the Council remained a critical platform for preventing mass atrocities and genocide. Armenia was convinced that the structures in place at the United Nations could prevent the mass violence and genocide seen in previous years. He regretted the glorification of murders of Armenians, which formed an ongoing rhetoric from the Azerbaijani Government. The full enjoyment of human rights for people living in conflict areas should be an objective of the Council. He recalled the message of the Secretary-General the previous day that human rights delivered sustainable development and sustained peace, and supported this view.

KATRIN EGGENBERGER, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, recalling the thirtieth anniversary of the accession of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, noted that in those 30 years Liechtenstein had been a very active member and strong promoter of multilateralism. Respect for human rights and the rule of law was a longstanding priority for Liechtenstein. Referring to the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, the Minister noted that its mission was more important than ever. Liechtenstein thus fully supported the Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Human Rights. The Minister announced that together with Australia and the Netherlands, Liechtenstein had established a fund to fight trafficking and modern slavery. She reminded that some 40.3 million people lived in modern slavery despite a blanket ban on this practice. Liechtenstein aimed to bring that figure to zero by 2030. One of the aims of the fund was to better respond to the needs of male victims of sexual violence, which continued to be underreported due to the lack of a legal framework, cultural taboos and fear of stigmatization. Turning to the atrocities in Syria, Ms. Eggenberger noted that they had been well documented and that the armed conflict in Syria had lasted nine long years. Accountability was essential for a peaceful future for Syria, and she praised the value of the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism in several investigations of war crimes. Speaking of civil society, she stressed that it was key in ensuring that the Human Rights Council fulfilled its mandate. She warned of frequent attacks on human rights defenders who worked or sought to work with the United Nations mechanisms, and strongly condemned them.

JEAN ASSELBORN, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, referred to the worrying human rights situation in Libya, and hoped the Berlin Conference held in January 2020 would place the United Nations centrally in addressing the conflict. In Syria, he urged all parties to halt fighting immediately, and in Yemen, he urged all parties to the conflict to protect civilians according to international humanitarian law. He called on the participants in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to halt fighting, and denounced Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. He reminded that demolitions and forced displacement were all prohibited in international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Luxembourg could not accept that Palestinian lands would be annexed, which was contrary to international law. In Venezuela, the Minister called on the Government to address the rights of its citizens, and in Myanmar the Government should cooperate with the Council’s independent inquiry on the plight of the Rohingya. Luxembourg was also concerned about the security situation in the Sahel and called on countries in the region to stop the fighting there. Human rights defenders continued to face risks to their lives around the world. Space for civil society was vital to safeguard human rights. Climate change impacted the most vulnerable, and Luxembourg was committed to tackling its effects. It was in this constructive sentiment that Luxembourg was running for the Human Rights Council in 2020-2024.

SHIREEN M. MAZARI, Minister of Human Rights of Pakistan, stressed that the Human Rights Council was the custodian of human rights and a beacon of hope for millions of people all over the world. Pakistan positively contributed to all its mechanisms, despite the scourge of terrorism from which it suffered and regional security challenges. Pakistan had enacted progressive laws to protect women, children, minorities, the transgender community, differently abled persons and other marginalized segments. Christian denominations freely practiced their religion, whereas wide ranging social protection programmes aimed at alleviating the plight of marginalized groups. Ms. Mazari reminded that 8 million Kashmiris in the clutches of decades-long Indian State aggression remained caged in the largest open-air prison in the world. In contravention of all international laws, Indian security forces continued to operate with impunity, violating the human rights of the Kashmiri people. The largest mosque had remained closed since August 2019. Despite the media clamp down in occupied Kashmir, reports of harassment and beatings of journalists were rife, while repression against human rights defenders was increasing. The façade of normalcy orchestrated through Indian State media was designed to misguide the international community. But Pakistan was not alone in unmasking the true face of India and its blatant breach of human rights. International non-governmental organizations had rightly labelled India as the greatest Internet lockdown in the world. The Minister urged the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue reporting on the situation of human rights in that region.

MARIJA PEJČINOVIĆ BURIĆ, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, stated that the Council of Europe placed fundamental importance on cooperation with the United Nations. It believed fundamentally that human rights were inalienable, and that multilateralism led to progress. The high-level panel discussion on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Conference this morning reiterated the centrality of women’s rights, a belief shared by the Council of Europe, which would continue its close cooperation with UN Women. Across a range of fields, the work of the Council of Europe was closely aligned with the goals of the United Nations. Cooperation in the field of fighting corruption was also key. The work of the Council in establishing legal standards for its members helped to support the United Nations’ counter terrorism efforts. At the same time, the European Social Charter helped members meet the Sustainable Development Goals, and the work of the Organization as a whole was committed to playing its part with regard to the 2030 Agenda. This list of work was non-exhaustive. The Secretary General believed that as the two bodies addressed future challenges, they should avoid duplication, but also place no limitations on their capacity to work together in the interests they represented.

DON ALFONSO NSUE MOKUY, Third Vice-Prime Minister of the Government in charge of Human Rights of Equatorial Guinea, commended the High Commissioner for Human Rights for her statement at the opening session. The Government of Equatorial Guinea, in its report to the Universal Periodic Review, had assessed the country’s compliance with different international treaties. Efforts had been taken to improve human rights instruments and tackle existing challenges. The Government would continue to work to promote and uphold human rights. Educational development programmes were designed for teachers across all levels of education. Two Universities had been established, with an idea to turn Equatorial Guinea into a hub for academic learning. The Red Cross had visited all prisons in the country, paying particular attention to women and the elderly. A national awareness campaign had been carried out on human trafficking, to provide better understanding of the phenomenon. Human rights should guide the Sustainable Development Goals, to achieve a better world for all. The Government was working on developing a country programme on decent work, as suggested by the International Labour Organization. The law on gender violence was underway as well as the laws on trade unions and on the rights of homosexuals. Amendments of the Criminal Code to abolish the death penalty were being prepared.

BRUNO EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ PARILLA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, stated that following the defeat of fascism, the defense of international law and the United Nations Charter was fully relevant today. However, he regretted the unilateralism of the United States, which undermined the protection of human rights around the world. The United States’ unconventional wars systematically undermined the pursuit of human rights around the world. Their lack of will to tackle climate change posed an existential risk to humanity. It would harm the interests of everyone to remain passive against the United States’ threats to destabilize Venezuela or Nicaragua. The United States had increased its economic blockade of Cuba, a flagrant systematic violation of the Geneva Conventions and the human rights of the Cuban people. Public transport, education, food and other essential services had all been impacted by the embargo. Extreme limits had been placed on transport links between the two countries, which impacted Cuban families and American families. Suspending Cuba’s medical cooperation had meant that 67 million people had received less medical care than they would have otherwise. The Minister reminded the Council that 400,000 Cuban healthcare workers had worked in 164 countries over the years as part of that cooperation, including by helping to tackle the Cholera and Ebola outbreaks in Africa. Despite this blockade, Cuba was continuing to build a socialist and prosperous nation. Cuba reaffirmed its commitment to the Human Rights Council and had decided to present its candidacy to the Council for 2020-24, where it would continue to contribute cooperatively.

JACEK CZAPUTOWICZ, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, said that Poland supported the ongoing reform to ensure the efficiency of the Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies system, and appreciated the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The liquidity crisis had undermined the delivery of the United Nations mandate. Poland would continue its voluntary contributions. With the forty-third session, Poland started its membership of the Council for the third time. During its term in the Security Council 2018-2019, Poland had promoted respect for international law, including human rights law and its impact on global security. Poland hoped this experience could be beneficial for the work in Council as well. There was a clear link between human rights and sustainable development. The Council had to present an undivided stance when dealing with serious human rights violations. The humanitarian catastrophe in northwest Syria and the scale of violations in Yemen were alarming and Poland urged all parties to engage in good faith with the United Nations led processes, to reach a fair and lasting solution. Support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine remained a cornerstone of Polish foreign policy and concern was expressed over human rights violations in Crimea and the persecution of the indigenous Tatar population. In Venezuela, it was necessary to reinstate democracy and the rule of law through free and fair elections. Poland was working on promoting the rights of people with autism.

MARCEL AMON-TANOH, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Côte d’Ivoire, underscored the deep commitment of the Côte d’Ivoire to the Council and its work underpinning the defense of human rights. Côte d’Ivoire had been a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period 2018-2019 and the Minister offered his gratitude to all countries that had helped Côte d’Ivoire to share their experience of putting an end to conflict and consolidating peace. The Government had an unambiguous commitment to human rights, and in this regard had appointed a minister whose specific mandate was the establishment of human rights. Furthermore, the Government had put in place a Council for Human Rights, which worked to ensure that national legislation was in line with international standards. Stability and peace in Côte d’Ivoire were irreversible processes, and as such the elections expected in October 2020 would place these at their core. The phenomenon of human trafficking continued to be a concern for African countries. Porous borders and the failure to address criminal activity had proved to be an obstacle to addressing the problem. Working with international partners, including Germany, the Government was improving its systems for combatting human trafficking. Côte d’Ivoire looked forward to presenting its candidacy for membership of the Human Rights Council for the period 2021-2023 and asked all countries for their support, thanking the African Union for already doing so.

JORGE ARREAZA MONTSERRAT, Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, said that Venezuela had renewed its membership in the Council despite the unusual pressure, blackmail and even extortion, which were used within multilateral fora by a group of countries. Venezuela thanked all States that supported it in such difficult circumstances. Neither international bullying nor threats had been able to succeed in bringing the sovereign State of Venezuela to its knees. Within the Council, Venezuela would be promoting human rights for all individuals, without distinction. All initiatives combatting different forms of discrimination would be supported as well as all initiatives promoting universality and neutrality. The Council had to be saved from the biased goals of certain countries. Human rights violations in Palestine, Colombia and Chile were alarming, as well as the situation that African migrants were facing. Countries supporting unilateral coercive measures should not be members of the Council. The Council has repeatedly condemned economic sanctions. Despite this, the United States continued to impose their political and economic agenda in order to bring about regime change in Venezuela. Coercive measures amounted to weapons of mass destruction, and the people of Venezuela had suffered from this. Since 2014, the United States had adopted over 300 unilateral measures against Venezuela. The Council had to stand up to protect the rights of Venezuelan, Cuban, Korean and Iranian people to exercise their rights. An international criminal investigation was required to bring perpetrators to justice for causing suffering of the Venezuelan people.

GUDLAUGUR THOR THORDARSON, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, noted that as a member of the Human Rights Council, Iceland practiced what it preached. Human rights would remain a corner stone of Iceland’s foreign policy. It was imperative that the Council was representative of the United Nations as a whole, ensuring the full participation of smaller States, such as Iceland. Smaller countries could sometimes take the lead on topics of great importance. It did not help the credibility of the Council when gross human rights abusers were repeatedly elected to the Council, as was the case with Venezuela in October 2019. The Maduro regime’s clear human rights violations had resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, while allegations of extrajudicial killings were deeply disturbing. The Council was the forum for open and honest dialogue where countries could hold each other accountable and give a voice to the voiceless. With that in mind, in March 2019 Iceland had led 36 countries in a joint statement on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. It had also put forth a resolution expressing concern about the human rights situation in the Philippines. The Council was not perfect, but it could have a great impact for the benefit of peoples. The Minister noted that the Council should overcome its bias when it came to Israel – the same rules should apply to all States. At the same time, Iceland did not subscribe to the view that when a body was viewed imperfect, it should be abandoned. In conclusion, the Minister announced that Iceland would put forward a resolution on equal pay, as part of its emphasis on gender equality. Likewise, Iceland welcomed the increased support for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

MUSTAPHA AL RAMID, Minister of State in charge of Human Rights and Relations with the Parliament of Morocco, said that Morocco continued to support the work of the Council, particularly its mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review. In 2019, Morocco had submitted its report and received recommendations of the third Universal Periodic Review cycle. Morocco had hosted visits by 12 special procedures. It had also presented its reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. National legislation was being consolidated to take into account international standards and treaties and the penal system was being reformed. The institutional autonomy of the judicial system had been reformed and a human rights culture was being promoted, through awareness raising campaigns. Morocco was working on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and a committee had been put in place to develop a new approach to development, aiming to reduce gaps in society that had been slowing down progress. Morocco continued to cooperate with the United Nations and its bodies to ensure that all people could participate in the public domain. In Tindouf camps, residents continued to be deprived of their liberty. The host country refused to organize a census, despite the numerous resolutions of the United Nations. The host country was responsible for the dire humanitarian situation faced by residents of camps and the humanitarian aid was purposefully being deprived. Morocco engaged in all activities concerning migrants in Africa.

AHMED AL JARMAN, Assistant Minister of Human Rights and International Law of the United Arab Emirates, reminded that the United Arab Emirates had created a commission aimed at making progress in the area of human rights at the national and regional levels. It had also adopted a law on the foundation of a national human rights institution. The United Arab Emirates would continue adopting laws in line with international human rights standards, such as the federal law on protection from domestic violence, as well as the law on the fight against hate and discrimination, and on gender equality. More than 50 per cent of members of the Government in the United Arab Emirates were women, whereas the World Bank had noted the participation of women in the national economy. The authorities were also working to promote the values of tolerance, especially religious tolerance. During 2020, the United Arab Emirates would host an exposition on human rights, the first such event in the Middle East and Africa, which would attract millions of visitors. Its focus would be on building the future through new partnerships and solutions. Noting that the Middle East was going through a critical period, the Minister said that the United Arab Emirates was looking for viable solutions to the ongoing conflicts, such as those in Libya and Yemen. The United Arab Emirates supported the United Nations-led peace process in Libya.

BARRY FAURE, Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and the Blue Economy of Seychelles, said that Seychelles was proud to serve as an example of a multicultural thriving society as it was enshrined in their Constitution. In a global community, facing unprecedented challenges to multilateralism, Seychelles could not bear to become fragmented. Seychelles was facing consequences of a changing climate, and the smallest and vulnerable countries, such as Seychelles, were bearing the brunt. United and collective action was necessary. The Council was urged to continue to recognize the dire impact of climate change and to further strategize. As the Secretary-General noted, in pressing for steps to reduce climate change, the world was advancing human rights for the future. Seychelles had continued to make great strides in guaranteeing fundamental rights, including through national legislation. The most vulnerable were protected and victims of gender violence were supported. The Government held civil society and national human rights institutions in high value, and the new Human Rights Commission was set up last year. Seychelles was party to all nine core human rights instruments and was about to accede to their Optional Protocols. Seychelles recently joined the African peer review mechanism. Seychelles had actively participated in the Council and the Universal Periodic Review, aware that as a small island State it risked being overlooked in greater international matters.

ALVIN BOTES, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, reminded that 30 years ago Nelson Mandela had been released from prison and the ban on liberation movements had been lifted after decades of struggle against apartheid, which was a crime against humanity. Those events had ignited a journey towards a constitutional democracy infused with the characteristics acquired through decades of struggle against injustice. South Africa’s foreign policy was thus predicated on respecting, promoting, protecting and fulfilling all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without any discrimination. The Deputy Minister thus urged the Human Rights Council to refrain from the false dichotomy between human rights and development, and to treat all human rights with the same emphasis. He noted that international solidarity had been important for the attainment of a human rights-centred democracy in South Africa, which was why the country also placed strong emphasis on solidarity and cooperation among nations. South Africa agreed that climate change was the biggest threat to human survival. The continued occupation of the Palestine people and the people of Western Sahara, and the concomitant denial of their human rights remained a concern for South Africa. It therefore did not support attempts to remove agenda items 7 and 9 from the Council’s agenda.

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