Sustaining peace through human rights

"The human rights of those living in fragile, failing or armed conflict states matter now and not only when war is over."

This was the resounding reminder given by Ilwad Elman, a Somali-Canadian activist, to a gathering of high-level officials at the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this month.

Elman, who works on rehabilitation of armed groups, including children, was speaking at an event co-hosted by the Governments of Sierra Leone, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and the UN Human Rights Office in New York on Sustaining Peace through the Strengthening of Human Rights in International Law. The event placed a spotlight on the need for human rights to be at the core of any steps towards resolving conflicts, building peace and sustaining it.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, echoing Elman’s call, warned against the temptation to cast aside human rights law, particularly the need for accountability and justice, in efforts to secure peace.

"When we begin to see shameless leadership discard the crucial treaties that protect human rights, we are in considerable danger," he said.

"What human rights law is, it is a load bearing pillar of international law. And if you smash it, you smash everything. If you strengthen it, you enable hope to find expression again."

Panelists spoke about the importance of accountability and the need to scrupulously implement human rights treaties to prevent renewed outbreaks of violence and to build a sustained peace.

"It is impossible for there to be stability in a society where there are violations of human dignity, and where human beings are dehumanized," said Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría, Vice-President of Costa Rica.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone Samura M. W. Kamara, speaking on behalf of the President of the country, added that human rights formed the basis for "human existence and coexistence."

In recent years, the UN Human Rights Office has ramped up its efforts to provide early warnings of risks of severe human rights violations and to highlight the root causes of violence. The Office has supported the work of over 40 commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions in conflict and post-conflict societies.

As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said: "Perhaps the best prevention tool we have is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – and the treaties that derive from it. The rights set out in it identify many of the root causes of conflict, but equally they provide real world solutions through real change on the ground."

Charles C. Jalloh of the International Law Commission called on States to back UN’s agenda on sustaining peace through the strengthening of human rights by providing the long-term political and financial backing necessary for its implementation.

"An ounce of conflict prevention is worth more than a pound of conflict cure," he said.

"I am confident that the world working together, as the very idea of the United Nations itself proves, can accomplish these important but admittedly tall goals."

The event was a precursor to a high-level UN General Assembly meeting to be held in the Spring of 2018 on peace building and sustaining peace, where States will be able to reaffirm their commitment to human rights as an intrinsic element to sustaining peace.

6 October 2017