HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE OPENS EIGHTY-FIRST SESSION

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE OPENS EIGHTY-FIRST SESSION

Hears Address by New High Commissioner for Human Rights

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 12 July -- The Human Rights Committee, which reviews the implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by its 152 States parties, this morning heard an address by the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, who said she intended to continue with the “passionate” tasks undertaken by her predecessor, the late Sergio Vieira de Mello. 

In her first address as High Commissioner to a human rights treaty body in Geneva, Ms. Arbour said she considered the treaty body system as a central pillar to the United Nations human rights edifice, adding that the lack of compliance with treaty obligations was an indignity upon those whose rights had been violated:  “the indignity of a broken promise, a betrayal of trust”.  Afghanistan, Darfur and Iraq, Ms. Arbour pronounced, were examples that demonstrated that the prevention of, and solution to, conflicts depended on the implementation of fundamental human rights standards.

The High Commissioner said the Committee’s work in the area of counter-terrorism legislation provided a crucial supplement to the work of the Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee.  Among other things, Ms. Arbour said she saw a need to make jurisprudence of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies more accessible and more visible and called for that situation to change in order to foster a consistent evolution and application of human rights standards worldwide.

In introductory remarks, the President of the Committee, Abdelfattah Amor, said this was a difficult period for human rights because never had the perspective of human rights been as challenged as it was now.  It was deplorable that the legitimacy of human rights was sometimes challenged and attempts had been made to discredit human rights.  The President added that at the same time never had human rights legislation been so developed and never had there been so many mechanisms in practice that aimed to promote and defend human rights.  It was important that there was a strengthening of the Human Rights Committee so its members could carry out their work even more effectively.  Mr. Amor said it was with optimism that the Committee welcomed Ms. Arbour as High Commissioner.

Several members of the Committee expressed their support for Ms. Arbour in her new role as High Commissioner for Human Rights.  One member of the Committee emphasized the importance of having the jurisprudence of the United Nations more visible.  He added that there had been many positive developments in the area of human rights at the United Nations, especially in terms of better processing of communications and additional resources.  Another expert echoed the importance of making the United Nations’ work in the field of human rights more known and suggested that while on official visits United Nations human rights officials, including the High Commissioner, should hold more meetings with judges and lawyers as an especially useful measure to communicate the work of the Committee.

Another expert pronounced the valuable contribution of Ms. Arbour’s predecessor, the late Sergio Vieira de Mello, who had left a clear message.  Several members said they were pleased to know that the new High Commissioner would continue with the work begun by Mr. Vieira de Mello and that she would add important initiatives to that work to increase the value of the United Nations’ work in the field of human rights.

During its session, the Committee will consider reports submitted by the Governments of Belgium, Namibia, Liechtenstein and Serbia and Montenegro.  The situation in the Central African Republic will be examined in the absence of a report.

When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m. today, it will begin its consideration of the fourth periodic report of Belgium (CCPR/C/BEL/2003/4). 

Statement by High Commissioner for Human Rights

LOUISE ARBOUR, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her opening statement to the Human Rights Committee, said she considered the treaty body system as a central pillar to the United Nations human rights edifice.  The successful implementation of the principle human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, was not an abstract value, but rather it was a crucial to the realization of peoples’ universal aspirations for peace, justice, development, equality and social progress.  A lack of compliance with treaty obligations was an indignity upon those whose rights had been violated:  “the indignity of a broken promise, a betrayal of trust”.

Afghanistan, Darfur and Iraq, Ms. Arbour pronounced, were examples that demonstrated that the prevention of, and solution to, conflicts depended on the implementation of fundamental human rights standards.  The respect for human rights and human security were inextricably linked, she added. 

The Committee’s pronouncements on the applicability of the Covenant to national contingents of international peacekeeping operations, as well as to multinational forces, and on the interdependence between principles of humanitarian law and human rights law were important and timely and deserved wider dissemination, the High Commissioner said. 

Concerning international terrorism, Ms. Arbour said General Comment Number 31 on the nature and legal obligations imposed by States parties to the Covenant, adopted three months ago, could be linked to the equally important General Comment Number 29 on states of emergencies, which had become a reference point in the discussion on the need to struggle against terrorism with respect for fundamental human rights standards.  “There can be no genuine personal security if rights are in peril, any more than legal guarantees can exist in an environment of fear and anarchy”, she added. 

The High Commissioner expressed her satisfaction over the Committee’s work in engaging States parties on whether their counter-terrorism legislation or the measures they had taken to combat terrorism were compatible with the Covenant.  Moreover, she said the Committee’s work in this area, and that of the other treaty bodies, provided a crucial supplement to the work of the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee.

Ms. Arbour said she viewed as a very positive development the Committee’s willingness to be mindful of the jurisprudence of regional human rights bodies and to study the implications of evolving national jurisprudence when faced with delicate issues of interpretation of Covenant provisions in pending cases. 

In conclusion, the High Commissioner said she saw a need to make jurisprudence of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies more accessible and more visible.  It was regrettable that many of the Committee’s decisions remained unknown to the vast majority of members of the legal profession, including many human rights lawyers.  Ms. Arbour called for that situation to change in order to foster a consistent evolution and application of human rights standards worldwide.

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