'ARROGANT, BIASED' APPROACH TO HUMAN RIGHTS CAN ONLY BE HARMFUL, DELEGATE OF CHINA TELLS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

21 July 1998

Press Release
ECOSOC/5786

'ARROGANT, BIASED' APPROACH TO HUMAN RIGHTS CAN ONLY BE HARMFUL, DELEGATE OF CHINA TELLS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

19980721 Warns against 'Teaching Others a Lesson', As Debate Continues on Follow-up Action to 1993 World Conference

The 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action encompassed the international community's common understanding and shared views on human rights, the representative of China told the Economic and Social Council this afternoon, as it continued consideration of follow-up to the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.

Equally, he continued, the Declaration and action plan had reflected the different emphases placed on human rights by different countries. History had shown that due to different social systems, ideologies, cultural traditions and levels of development, countries naturally differed in their emphasis in the promotion and protection of human rights. Only harm could be caused by the adoption of a presumptuous, arrogant and biased human rights approach, with the object of teaching others a lesson. Such an approach politicized human rights and did not promote or protect them.

The representative of Viet Nam said the international community should not impose unbalanced approaches and unequal treatment to human rights protection. Enjoyment of human rights did not develop in a vacuum, but was created in association with historical and cultural backgrounds of countries and regions. Failure to realize and take into account the specificity of human rights and the different value systems of different countries would impede coordination of international actions.

In 1993, the international community had recognized the need to enhance international cooperation in the field of human rights, the representative of Iran said. That cooperation was to be based on dialogue, transparency, universality and indivisibility. Due regard was to be given to national particularities and various historical. However, an objective assessment of the efforts to that end undertaken during the past five years left much to be desired.

During this afternoon's discussion, several delegate highlighted the creation of the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights as a major achievement of the Conference on Human Rights. Praising the work being done

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by the High Commissioner, Mary Robinson, many delegations said financial resources available to the Office of the High Commissioner were insufficient, given the breadth of its mandate and the importance of its work. Representatives called on the United Nations to provide additional financial resources from the Organization's regular budget to close that gap.

Statements were also made by Lesotho, Pakistan, Democratic People's Republic of Congo, South Africa, Poland and Colombia.

The Observer for Switzerland also spoke.

Representatives of the World Bank and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) addressed the Council.

Statements were also made by representatives of the International Movement ATD Fourth World and the International League of Human Rights.

The representative of Syria spoke in exercise of his right of reply.

The Council will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 July, to continue the general debate of its coordination segment.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to continue the general debate of its coordination segment focusing on "coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action" on human rights. (For background information, see Press Release ECOSOC/5781 of 17 July.)

Statements

SHEN GUOFANG (China) said the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action encompassed the international community's common understanding and shared views on human rights. Yet, it also reflected the different emphases placed on human rights by different countries. The five-year review of the implementation of the Vienna documents should have a balanced perspective and not overlook certain views while highlighting others. Dialogue and cooperation should be strengthened to remove the major obstacles to the implementation of follow-up actions. History had shown that due to different social systems, ideologies, cultural traditions and levels of development, countries naturally differed in their emphasis in the promotion and protection of human rights. Only harm could be caused by the adoption of a presumptuous, arrogant and biased human rights approach, with the object of teaching others a lesson. Such an approach politicized human rights and did not promote or protect them.

A vast majority of the world's population lived in developing countries, he said. To them, political and civil rights were important, but the social, economic and cultural rights, as well as the right to development, were just as important. The United Nations did not give due attention to economic, social and civil rights, and the right to development was still far from being realized. The international community should promote those rights, and the right to development, by revising the agenda of the Human Rights Commission and expanding activities in the relevant United Nations bodies. That would ensure that the various human rights cited in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action would be treated equally and receive the same emphasis.

LIPUO MOTEETEE (Lesotho) said her Government greatly appreciated the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, her availability to delegations and her participation in the work of United Nations bodies. The United Nations must supply financial support and other resources to the Office of the High Commissioner to ensure its effective functioning.

Attention must be paid to rights that were currently in weaker positions, including economic, social and cultural rights. Lesotho, as a least developed country, had played a high price for the right to development, she said. The recognition of the interdependence of democracy, development and respect for human rights was vital. The right to development could not be used as an excuse for the suppression of fundamental freedoms and human rights.

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LE LUONG MINH (Viet Nam) said human rights in developing countries could not advance without the fulfilment of the right to development. The international community should not impose unbalanced approaches and unequal treatment of different human rights. Enjoyment of human rights did not develop in a vacuum; it was associated with historical and cultural backgrounds of countries and regions. Failure to realize and take into account the specificity of human rights and the different value systems of different countries would impede coordination of international actions. The indivisibility of the rights of the individual, the rights of the community, as well as the rights of society at large, must be acknowledged.

The principles of objectivity and non-selectivity in the treatment of human rights issues had not been well respected at the United Nations and in other international forums, he continued. Selectivity and the targetting of certain countries for criticism still remained the usual practice of human rights bodies, especially the Commission on Human Rights. When discussed in a sincere way, the cause of human rights promotion and protection was advanced.

ALFREDO SFEIR-YOUNIS, Special Representative of the World Bank, said that in order to attain the objectives and goals of the right to development in the long term, it was important to address certain key issues linked to existing production and distribution processes. Indicators had major importance in assessing the human rights situation in a given country. Yet, it was also important to focus on the source of those outcomes and how to change them, if needed. Policy-makers needed to address the root causes of distortion in equity processes, which came from key determinants of production and distribution. In some cases, the poor did not have an equal playing field to get out of poverty, as the structure of capital accumulation and wealth was biased against the forms of capital which the poor could accumulate faster.

If production processes themselves perpetuated poverty, he said it would be practically impossible to find either a sustainable or cost-effective way to implement the right to development. It might become necessary to assess existing styles of development. That would make it possible to evaluate the extent to which some of those have built-in biases or embodied disproportionate costs, in the eradication of poverty and the enhancement of wealth distribution in the society. Issues of rights were particularly important in poverty eradication programmes, where the allocation of natural resources was key to getting the poor out of poverty. Rights were also central to defining access and the use and management of national, regional and global public goods.

MUNAWAR SAEED BHATTI (Pakistan) said there had been many instances in which the United Nations had been unable to prevent violations of human rights. Past events in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and more recent activities in Kashmir and Kosovo, had exposed the weakness in the United Nations system for human rights protection. An early warning system within the United Nations would help to save lives and avoid future tragedy.

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National structures were important for the protection of human rights, he said. The expanded cooperation between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights and nations was welcome. Efforts towards development must be increased. Governments held the primary responsibility for protecting and promoting human rights. The High Commissioner should support efforts of governments through increased technical assistance. Poverty denied opportunity and human dignity, and prevented the enjoyment of human rights. The international community, in particular developing countries, must help the world's poorest break out of the cycle of poverty.

WAWA BAMIALY (Democratic People's Republic of Congo) said his Government was speaking in response to the statement made last week by the representative of Norway. He had mentioned difficulties encountered by the United Nations committee of inquiry in the Democratic People's Republic of Congo. It was important to note that considerable progress had been made since President Laurent-Desire Kabila had assumed power on 17 May. The Security Council already had expressed its views on the subject, so it was unfortunate that the issue was being raised again.

His Government was determined to make progress in human rights affairs, he said. A recent technical readjustment in the Government had resulted in the establishment of a new ministry on human rights. It had cooperated with the Government, and an inter-ministerial seminar in March had addressed the role of human rights in the process of national reconstruction. There was a national will to ensure the enjoyment of human rights. His Government planned to disseminate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in all four of the country's languages.

MATHE DISEKO (South Africa) said the capacity of the United Nations human rights programmes to give early warning of abuses and to make decisive interventions, as opposed to reacting to such violations, was crucial. The establishment of national human rights committees would entrench a culture of respect for human rights. The international community must provide assistance to countries still in the process of developing such institutions. He welcomed the deployment of the first human rights officer to South Africa. It was hoped that development would deepen the scope and breadth of United Nations human rights technical cooperation projects and support the attainment of better results. The effectiveness of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights must be ensured, he continued. Development of regional offices and field presences of the Office would enhance coordination at the grass-roots level. Resources to the Office should be increased.

While people in South Africa enjoyed social and political rights, he said, the nation had inherited the legacy of grinding poverty which plagued, most notably, the rural areas. To address the root causes of poverty, the Government had adopted a reconstruction and development programme. He urged

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the international community to support South Africa's efforts to build and strengthen its capacity to fully exercise its right to development.

JENÖ C.A. STAEHELIN, Permanent Observer for Switzerland, said that since the Vienna Conference the artificial split between civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights had become obsolete. While the process of ratification had moved forward, implementation of the commitments made in Vienna left a great deal to be desired, and many contradictory reservations had been put forward. In addition, serious violations of human rights continued to occur throughout the world.

The shortfall in resources for development was another matter of concern. At the very heart of the implementation process was the concept of mainstreaming. That implied the inclusion of human rights protection in the various entities of the United Nations system. To that end, Switzerland agreed with the Secretary- General's proposal to establish focal points in the bodies of the Organization.

Women's rights must be given special consideration in the mainstreaming process, he said. Respect for those rights ensured the improvement of the economic and social development of the countries involved. Greater access of women to education and their increased participation in decision-making was crucial to accelerating development and making it sustainable. Democracy, development and the respect for human rights were interdependent and must be enforced simultaneously. The Bretton Woods institutions, and international financial institutions, must be reinforced to achieve that result. Increased coordination in the United Nations system also was necessary, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights must play a central role in that process.

ROMAN WIERUSZEWSKI (Poland) said the ability of the United Nations to assist societies in the protection of human rights had been enhanced. The High Commissioner for Human Rights must be properly equipped to fulfil her mandate. The share of the United Nations regular budget provided to the Office of the High Commissioner must be equal to the priority given to its work. The international community was not yet able to fully utilize the potential created at the Vienna human rights conference. The United Nations system must become able to provide multi-dimensional responses to the complex human rights situations quickly and effectively.

Human rights field operations must be viewed as an essential part of peacekeeping, peacemaking and peace-building, he said. Human rights field operations should be undertaken in close cooperation with United Nations agencies and other bodies in the field. Strengthening national institutions for the protection of human rights should be viewed as a priority. Institution- building was a long process which required long-term commitments. At the national level, Poland faced problems facing other central and eastern European countries. To address lingering difficulties, the country's new Constitution provided better human rights protection to the people of Poland.

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SOMAR WIJAYADASA, representative of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said the protection of human rights reduced the vulnerability to infection by HIV and the impact of HIV/AIDS on those already affected. Yet, those affected also faced discrimination, stigma and human rights abuses. The success of various HIV/AIDS interventions had been shown to be directly proportional to the degree to which human rights were promoted and protected in the context of those actions. A key programme component of the work of UNAIDS was the promotion of human rights as a tool for the protection of human dignity, the reduction of vulnerability to infection and of the financial, social and personal impact of HIV/AIDS. That included the disabling stigma associated with the status.

The UNAIDS addressed the issue of the human rights of women from a gender perspective, he said. Physical, social, cultural and economic factors contributed to a situation in which men and women differed in terms of risk and vulnerability to HIV infection. Those factors also lead to a differential impact of the epidemic on them. There were also differing kinds of access to and use of care, support and impact alleviation programmes and services. In that context, a holistic response to HIV/AIDS was possible only if it addressed the root factors that created gender equalities, as well as those that enhanced vulnerability to HIV transmission and AIDS, and their impact.

FABIO OCAZIONEZ (Colombia) said the Council should ensure that its recommendations for the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action led to a balanced approach to human rights in the United Nations system. It should also have a link to democracy and the right to development in the countries involved. The integrated human rights approach should be balanced in terms of protection of civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. The Council's recommendations also should take into account the needs and protection of those belonging to vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons, and renew efforts to give needed resources to international cooperation.

Colombia believed that the international community was its main ally in promoting human rights in the country, he said. His Government had extended its relationship with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It also was pleased that preparations had continued in the guidelines on internal displaced persons, which included norms and humanitarian law for protection of those persons. The existence of many conflicts throughout the world, resulting in violations of human rights and basic freedoms, would continue to require an active United Nations presence in the field to protect those rights, give assistance to victims, and prevent further damage. It was extremely important that the United Nations incorporate the guidelines for coordination and policies and practices of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action in the human rights field.

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ESMAEIL AFSHARI (Iran) said economic, social and cultural rights should be addressed on the same footing with civil and political rights. The emphasis of the High Commissioner in that regard was reassuring. Underlining the importance of the realization of the right to development, he called on the High Commissioner to ensure enhancement of efforts of the United Nations to give high priority to the right to development.

In 1993, the international community had recognized the need to enhance international cooperation in the field of human rights, he said. That cooperation was to be based on dialogue, transparency, universality and indivisibility. Due regard was to be given to national particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds, along with the interdependency of democracy, development and respect for human rights. However, an objective assessment of the efforts to that end undertaken during the past five years left much to be desired.

DIANA SKELTON, representative of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, speaking on behalf of the members of the NGO Committee on Social Development, said the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action emphasized that extreme poverty was a violation of human rights. Since 1993, the United Nations had taken significant steps towards honouring the commitments made in Vienna to integrate human rights into the struggle against poverty.

The World Summit on Social Development sought strategies for poverty eradication, stressed the participation of the poorest and the importance of seeking fuller knowledge of poverty. The Commission on Human Rights was the first body to learn from knowledge of extreme poverty and its causes, gathered by the very poor themselves. Other bodies in the United Nations system were also stressing the link between human rights and extreme poverty.

Since the Vienna Declaration, more and more countries had included a human rights perspective in their programmes or legislation on poverty and social exclusion, she said. The following countries had gone so far as to consult the knowledge of the very poor: France, Belgium, Mauritius and South Africa. Developing a human rights-based strategy for the eradication of poverty meant ensuring that the poor were not just the objects of assistance by others, but were in full possession of their rights. It also involved continually seeking to reach the very poorest, because the human rights of every single human being must be defended.

CATHERINE FITZPATRICK, International League for Human Rights, said the Organization's emphasis on human rights must serve the overall purposes of the United Nations Charter. It specifically identified promoting and encouraging respect for human rights as one of its four purposes, and identified universal respect for and observance of human rights as essential to create the conditions of stability and well-being necessary for international peace. All agencies must be poised to assist preventive diplomacy efforts by recognizing

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that human rights grievances were one of the earliest signs of instability that might lead to armed conflict. Unfortunately, in the past, human rights work was deliberately isolated and marginalized from the mainstream of United Nations activity.

The coordination that must be identified and recommended at the Council's session must be aimed at stopping human rights violations, she said. The United Nations must take up the challenge of addressing the violations identified by its own expert mechanisms. Why had there been silence about Algeria, Belarus, China, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Syria and Turkey, when there was so many suffering? The staffing of United Nations operational activities in the field should be increased. The recently established "bottom-up" approach focused on individuals and making a difference community by community. It also empowered individuals in those communities with the ability to make choice and participate in the decision-making process. Such an approach was in keeping with the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Right of Reply

AHMAD AL-HARIRI (Syria), speaking in exercise of right of reply, said the Council was supposed to be addressing the issue of coordination within the United Nations system, focusing on the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Yet, the representative of one NGO had named countries and had brought politics into the debate. It was the responsibility of such organizations to observe the nature and purposes of the meetings and conferences; otherwise, it might lead to the review of their consultative status by the Council.

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