DRAFTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN MYANMAR, CUBA, CAMBODIA AMONG TEXTS INTRODUCED IN THIRD COMMITTEE
Press Release
GA/SHC/3404
DRAFTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN MYANMAR, CUBA, CAMBODIA AMONG TEXTS INTRODUCED IN THIRD COMMITTEE
19961126 Myanmar Draft Would Urge End to Rights Violations, Release of Political Prisoners, Free Participation in Political ProcessDraft resolutions on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Cuba, Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) were among the texts introduced to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this morning.
The draft resolution on Myanmar asks the Government to permit unrestricted access to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and engage her, other political leaders and representatives of ethnic groups in a substantive dialogue to promote national reconciliation and restore democracy.
The text, which was introduced by Sweden, strongly urges the Government to immediately and unconditionally release political prisoners, and allow citizens to participate freely in the political process. It also strongly urges the Government to put an end to violations of the right to life, torture, abuse of women, forced labour and relocations, enforced disappearances and summary executions.
The representative of Australia introduced a draft resolution calling on the Cambodian Government to investigate violence and intimidation directed at minor political parties and their supporters, as well as at the media, and to ensure fair access to government television and radio, especially in the lead- up to national elections. The text also urges the Government to combat child prostitution and trafficking, and work with the Centre for Human Rights and non-governmental organizations to develop a national action plan. Other draft resolutions introduced this morning deal with the culture of peace, unilateral coercive measures, regional arrangements to promote and protect human rights, rape and abuse of women in the Former Yugoslavia, implementation and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and strengthening United Nations action in the human rights field.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to take action on a number of draft resolutions on human rights.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to hear the introduction of the remaining draft resolutions on human rights issues.
Introduction of Draft Resolutions
The representative of Australia introduced a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Cambodia (document A/C/.3/51/L.56) by which the Assembly would call on the Cambodian Government to investigate cases of violence and intimidation directed at minor political parties and their supporters, as well as media personnel and offices, and bring those guilty to justice; to ensure fair access to government television and radio regardless of political affiliation and ensure the people of Cambodia have access to a variety of information especially in the lead-up to the elections.
Expressing grave concern about serious human rights violations detailed in the report of the Special Representative for human rights in Cambodia, the Assembly would also call on the Government to ensure full observance of human rights for all persons within its jurisdiction in accordance with international covenants. It would urge the Government to give priority attention to combating child prostitution and trafficking and to work with the Centre for Human Rights and non-governmental organizations to develop a national action plan.
By the terms of a draft resolution on the culture of peace (document A/C.3/51/L.60), introduced by El Salvador, the Assembly would call for the promotion of a culture of peace based on the principles established in the Charter of the United Nations, respect for human rights, democracy, tolerance, dialogue, cultural diversity and reconciliation, and efforts to promote development, education for peace, the free flow of information and the wider participation of women, as an integral approach to prevent violence and conflicts and to contribute to the creation of conditions for peace. It would also request the Secretary-General, in coordination with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to report to the Assembly at its fifty-second session on the progress of educational activities of the transdisciplinary project entitled "Towards a culture of peace", including the preparation of elements for a draft provisional declaration and programme of action on a culture of peace.
The representative of Belgium introduced a draft resolution on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights (document A/C.3/51/L.62), which would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General to continue to strengthen exchanges between the United Nations and regional intergovernmental organizations dealing with human rights. It would also invite States in areas where regional arrangements in the field of human rights do not yet exist to consider concluding agreements to establish within their respective regions suitable regional machinery for the promotion and protection of human rights.
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He noted the following correction to the text:
-- In operative paragraphs 2, 3 and 6, the phrase "High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Centre for Human Rights" should read "High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human Rights".
The representative of Iran introduced a draft resolution on human rights and unilateral coercive measures (document A/C.3/51/L.65) by which the Assembly would call on Member States that have initiated unilateral measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, particularly those of a coercive nature which create obstacles to trade relations among States, to commit themselves to their obligations and responsibilities arising from the international human rights instruments to which they are party and revoke such measures at the earliest possible time. It would also request States to notify the Secretary-General about the implications and negative effects of such measures on their populations.
The representative of Cuba introduced a draft resolution on strengthening of United Nations action in the human rights field through the promotion of international cooperation and the importance of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity (document A/C.3/51/L.71) which would have the Assembly call on Member States to base their promotion and protection of human rights, including the development of further cooperation in the field, on the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international instruments and to refrain from activities which are inconsistent with that international framework.
The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to consult Member States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations on how to improve international cooperation to ensure the principles of non- selectivity, impartiality and objectivity, and to present a comprehensive report on the issue to the Assembly's fifty-third session.
The representative of the United States introduced a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Cuba (document A/C.3/51/L.63) which would have the Assembly especially call on the Cuban Government to release the numerous persons detained for political activities, including those specifically mentioned in the Special Rapporteur's report, who suffer from inadequate medical care while imprisoned, or whose rights as journalists or jurists are impeded or denied. It would also call on the Cuban Government to carry out the recommendations contained in the Special Rapporteur's interim report to bring its observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms into conformity with international standards and applicable international human rights instruments, to end all violations of human rights including the detention and imprisonment of human rights defenders and others who are engaged in the peaceful exercise of their rights, and to grant access to its
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prisons to non-governmental humanitarian organizations and international humanitarian agencies.
The Assembly would also call on the Government to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur by permitting him full and free access to establish contact with the Government and the citizens of Cuba so that he may fulfil the mandate entrusted to him.
The representative of Pakistan introduced a draft resolution on the rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia (document A/C.3/51/L.66) by which the Assembly would express outrage that the deliberate and systematic practice of rape has been used as a weapon of war and an instrument of ethnic cleansing against women and children in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It would call on States to put experts, as well as adequate resources and services at the disposal of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
The Assembly would demand that the parties cooperate fully with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and monitoring and other missions of the European Union and the Organization of the Security and Cooperation in Europe by providing full access.
He than listed the following corrections to the draft text:
-- In the sixth preambular paragraph, line 1, a comma should be inserted after the word "rape" and the words "which has been used" should be deleted.
-- In operative paragraph 10, the last line, the semi-colon should be replaced by a comma and the words "including by providing full access" should be added.
The representative of the United States introduced a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (document A/C.3/51/L.68), by which the Assembly would urgently call on all States and parties to the Peace Agreement to cooperate fully with the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia, particularly by helping to ensure that persons indicted by the Tribunal stand trial before it. It would call for the full and consistent implementation of the Peace Agreement and the Basic Agreement by all the parties to them. The parties to the Peace Agreement would be called upon to take immediate steps to determine the fate of missing persons, particularly near Srebrenica, Zepa, Prijedor, Sanski Most and Vukovar. The Assembly would also call on the Peace Implementation Meeting, to be held in London on 6 December 1996, to ensure
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that the promotion of human rights will be a central element in the new civilian structure implementing the Peace Agreement.
The Assembly would also call on the Government of Croatia to fully respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of persons belonging to any national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minority; to allow the expeditious return of all refugees and displaced persons; to use all available means to secure their safety and human rights; and, to investigate and arrest those responsible for acts of violence and intimidation aimed at driving people away.
It would call on the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) to act immediately to allow full participation by all residents in Kosovo in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the region; to guarantee all Kosovo residents equal treatment and protection regardless of ethnic affiliation; to undertake substantially greater efforts to institute democratic norms; to revoke all discriminatory legislation; to apply all other legislation without discrimination; and to prevent the arbitrary evictions and dismissals and discrimination against any ethnic or national, religious and linguistic group.
The representative of Sweden introduced a draft resolution on the human rights situation in Myanmar (document A/C.3/51/L.69), by which the Assembly would deplore the continued violations of human rights there and ask the Government to permit unrestricted communication with and physical access to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders by members and supporters of the National League for Democracy and to protect their physical well-being; it would strongly urge the Government to release, immediately and unconditionally, detained political prisoners; and urge it to engage, at the earliest possible date, a substantive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders, including representatives of ethnic groups, as the best way to promote national reconciliation and full restoration of democracy.
The Assembly would strongly urge the Government to allow citizens to participate freely in the political process and accelerate the transition to democracy, particularly through the transfer of power to democratically- elected representatives. The Government would also be strongly urged to put an end to violations of the right to life, integrity of the human being, torture, abuse of women, forced labour, forced relocations and enforced disappearances and summary executions.
The Assembly would call on the Government and other parties to hostilities in the country to respect international humanitarian law, to halt the use of weapons against the civilian population and protect all civilians, including women, children and persons belonging to ethnic or religious
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minorities, from violations of humanitarian law, and to avail itself of the services offered by impartial humanitarian bodies. It would ask the Secretary-General to continue his discussions with the Government of Myanmar in order to help implement the current resolution.
The Secretary of the Committee read out the following changes to operative paragraph 17, the line "its efforts for national reconciliation and in the implementation of the present resolution" should be replaced with "in the implementation of the present resolution and in its efforts for national reconciliation".
By the terms of a draft resolution on the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (document A/C.3/51/L.67), introduced by Austria, the Assembly would call on all States to take further action to fully realize all human rights in light of the recommendations of the World Conference on Human Rights. It would also request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to coordinate human rights promotion and protection activities throughout the United Nations system and to report on the measures taken and progress achieved in the comprehensive implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, particularly concerning the preparation of the 1998 five-year review. The High Commissioner, and other United Nations organs and bodies would also be requested to take further action to fully implement all the recommendations of the Conference.
He read out the following amendment to the draft resolution:
-- Operative paragraph 7 should be deleted.
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