NINE DRAFT TEXTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES INTRODUCED IN THIRD COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/SHC/3346

NINE DRAFT TEXTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES INTRODUCED IN THIRD COMMITTEE

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon heard the introduction of nine draft resolutions relating to human rights issues.

MANIMEKALAI MURUGESAN (India) introduced the draft resolution on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (document A/C.3/50/L.37). She made oral amendments to the draft resolution and announced that France, Latvia, New Zealand, Portugal and Australia had joined in co-sponsorship of the draft text.

PATRICK RATA (New Zealand), the acting Committee Chairman, drew attention to the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan (document A/C.3/50/L.41).

DAVID MAYER SHAPIRO (United States) introduced the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) (Document A/C.3/50/L.46). He orally amended the draft resolution and announced that additional sponsors of the text were Afghanistan, Czech Republic, France, Kuwait, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Netherlands, Jordan, Tunisia, Ireland and Senegal.

ENGELBERT THERVERMANN (Austria) introduced three draft resolutions. The first concerned effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Document A/C.3/50/L.48). He made oral amendments to that text, and said that Malta, Gabon, and Ukraine had joined in sponsoring it, as did Poland, India, Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Bangladesh, Spain, Rwanda and Mongolia.

He then introduced the draft resolution on human rights in the administration of justice (Document A/C.3/50/L.49). He orally amended the draft and said that Ukraine, Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain had joined in sponsoring the draft resolution. South Africa, Burundi, Poland, Lesotho, and Moldova subsequently joined the draft's sponsors as well.

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The third draft resolution Mr.Thevermann introduced concerned the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (document A/C.3/50/L.50). He made oral amendments to the draft resolution, and said that Malta, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Gabon, Netherlands, New Zealand and Suriname had joined in sponsoring it.

ANDERS RONQUIST (Sweden) introduced a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (document A/C.3/50/L.52). He orally amended draft resolution and said that Malta and Portugal had joined in its sponsorship.

STEN A. ROSNES (Norway) introduced the draft resolution entitled International Covenants on Human Rights (document A/C.3/50/L.53). He made oral amendments to the draft resolution, and said Malta had joined in sponsoring the text. The Russian Federation subsequently joined the sponsors of the draft resolution.

WILMER MENDEZ (Venezuela) introduced the draft on Human Rights in Haiti (document A/C.3/50/L.56). He said that Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Finland had joined as sponsors. Costa Rica and Congo also subsequently joined as sponsors.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 11 December, to hear the introduction of all outstanding draft resolutions in its programme of work and to take action where possible.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to hear the introduction of nine draft resolutions relating to human rights questions. It was also scheduled to hear the introduction of a draft resolution on the advancement of women.

By a related draft resolution entitled International Covenants on Human Rights (A/C.3/50/L.53), the General Assembly would appeal strongly to all States that had not yet done so to become parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as to accede to the Optional Protocols to the Civil and Political Rights Covenant and to make the declaration provided for in the Convention's article 41 which says in part that "A State Party to the present Covenant may at any time declare under this article that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications to that effect that a State Party claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under the Covenant."

It would also have the Assembly urge States parties to fulfil in good time such reporting obligations under the International Covenants on Human Rights as may be requested and in their reports to make use of gender- disaggregated data. It would further urge them to take duly into account, in implementing the provisions of the Covenants, the observations made at the conclusion of the consideration of their reports by the Human Rights Committee and by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The draft text would further have the Assembly request the Secretary- General to consider how to assist the States parties to the Covenants in the preparation of their reports, including seminars or workshops at the national level for the purpose of training government officials engaged in the preparation of such reports, and the exploration of other possibilities available under the regular programme of advisory services in the field of human rights. It would also request the Secretary-General to ensure that the Centre for Human Rights effectively assisted the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the implementation of their respective mandates.

The draft text was sponsored by Australia, Austria, Belarus, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Venezuela.

By the terms of another draft resolution, the Secretary-General would be requested to give a high priority to requests from Member States for assistance in the establishment and strengthening of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights as part of the programme of human

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rights advisory services and technical assistance (document A/C.3/50/L.37). Also, the Assembly would encourage the establishment of such institutions by Member States to prevent and combat all violations of human rights as enumerated in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and relevant international instruments.

That text is sponsored by Austria, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Mongolia, Morocco, Tunisia and Venezuela.

Under a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) (Document A/C.3/50/L.46), the Assembly would condemn, in the strongest terms, all violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the parties to the conflict there, recognizing that the leadership in territories under the control of Serbs in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and formerly Serb-held areas of the Republic of Croatia, the commanders of Serb paramilitary forces and political and military leaders in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) bore primary responsibility for most of those violations, and that persons who committed such acts would be held personally responsible and accountable.

It would also have the Assembly condemn the attacks on the safe areas of Srebrenica and Zepa by Bosnian Serb forces, which led to gross abuses of human rights and grave breaches of international humanitarian law and the disappearance of thousands of persons, as detailed in the reports of the new and the former Special Rapporteurs. It would also condemn the indiscriminate shelling of civilians in the safe areas of Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bihac and Gorazde and the use of cluster bombs on civilian targets by Bosnian Serb and Croatian Serb forces.

It would have the Assembly request States, as a matter of urgency, to continue to make available to the International Tribunal expert personnel, adequate resources and services to aid in the investigation and prosecution of persons accused of having committed serious violations of international humanitarian law. It would also demand that all parties refrain from any action intended to destroy, alter, conceal or damage any evidence of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and that they preserve such evidence.

The draft resolution was sponsored by Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.

A draft resolution entitled effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and

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Linguistic Minorities (Document A/C.3/50/L.48) would have the Assembly call upon the Secretary-General to make available, at the request of governments concerned, expertise on minority issues. It would also request the Secretary- General, in the implementation of the draft resolution, to provide human and financial resources for such advisory services and technical assistance of the Centre for Human Rights, within existing resources.

The draft text would also have the Assembly call upon the High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote the implementation of the Declaration and to continue to engage in a dialogue with governments concerned, for that purpose. He would also be requested to consult with regional organizations on minority issues.

The draft text was sponsored by Afghanistan, Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kazakstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States.

By the terms of a draft resolution on human rights in the administration of justice (Document A/C.3/50/L.49) the General Assembly, would urge the Secretary-General to consider favourably requests by States for assistance in the administration of the field of justice and to strengthen system-wide coordination in that field, in particular between the United Nations programme of human rights advisory services and technical assistance and the technical cooperation and advisory services of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme.

The draft resolution was sponsored by Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa and Sweden.

A draft resolution submitted by the Chairman on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan (document A/C.3/50/L.41) would have the General Assembly urge all Afghan parties to work with the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan with a view to achieving a comprehensive political solution leading to the cessation of armed confrontation and the eventual establishment of a democratic government. The parties would be urged to respect accepted humanitarian rules, human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of women and children. The Assembly would also urge Afghan authorities to provide sufficient and effective remedies to the victims of grave

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violations of human rights and bring perpetrators to trial in accordance with internationally accepted standards.

The Assembly would call upon the Afghan authorities to ensure the participation of women in the social, political and cultural life of the country and throughout the country; investigate the fate of persons who have disappeared in the conflict; apply the Amnesty Decree issued in 1992 by the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan; reduce the period during which prisoners await trail and treat detained persons according to relevant international instruments.

The General Assembly would appeal to the international community to continue to provide adequate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and to the Afghan refugees in the neighbouring countries pending their voluntary repatriation, in particular through mine clearance and repatriation projects undertaken by the UNHCR, the Coordinator for Humanitarian and Economic Assistance programmes relating to Afghanistan and other United Nations agencies or non-governmental humanitarian organizations.

A draft resolution on the Situation of human rights in Myanmar (Document A/C.3/50/L.52) would have the General Assembly welcome the release without conditions of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other prominent political leaders and strongly urge the Government of Myanmar to release immediately other detained political prisoners.

The General Assembly would urge the Government of Myanmar to engage in political dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders, including representatives of ethnic groups, as the best means of promoting national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy. The Assembly would welcome discussions between the Government of Myanmar and the Secretary- General.

By the draft, the Assembly would urge the Myanmar Government to take all necessary steps towards restoring democracy in accordance with the will of the people as expressed in the democratic elections held in 1990 and to ensure that political parties can function freely. It would express concern that most representatives duly elected in 1990 are still excluded from participating in the meetings of the National Convention. It would also note with concern that the working procedures of the National Convention do not permit the elected representatives of the people to freely express their views.

The General Assembly would strongly urge the Myanmar Government to allow its citizens to participate freely in the political process in accordance with the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; to transfer power to democratically elected representatives; to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; to ensure the rights of ethnic and religious

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minorities; and to end violations of the right to life and the practices of torture, abuse of women, forced labour and forced relocations.

The draft is sponsored by Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

By the terms of a draft resolution on human rights in Haiti (Document A/C.3/50/L.56), the General Assembly would express its concern about the recent incidents of violence, in particular the assassination of a member of the Haitian Parliament, and hope that such acts and other incidents of violence would not impede continued progress in human rights and the consolidation of constitutional democracy. It would also express its support for the work currently undertaken under the National Commission of Truth and Justice, with the cooperation of the International Civilian Mission in Haiti (ICMIH), in its investigation of past human rights abuses, and look forward to its report at the end of 1995.

The draft text would also have the Assembly request the Secretary- General, through the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to take steps to ensure financial and technical resources for the implementation of the technical assistance programme prepared by the Human Rights Centre.

The draft resolution was sponsored by Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, United States and Venezuela.

A draft resolution on the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (document A/C.3/50/L.50) would have the General Assembly endorse the reaffirmation in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of the importance of the promotion of universal respect for, and observance and protection of, human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Charter. The Assembly would recognize that the international community should remove obstacles to achieving the full realization of all human rights and prevent human rights violations throughout the world.

The Assembly would call upon States to take further action with a view to the full realization of human rights in the light of the Conference's recommendations. It would also urge States to publicize the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and would request the High Commissioner

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for Human Rights, the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and other organs and bodies of the United Nations system to take further action with a view to the full implementation of all the Conference recommendations.

The draft is sponsored by Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Venezuela and Zambia.

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