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Human Rights

As history, the UN Declaration on Human Rights has fifty years. Good things mark this anniversary. Kofi Annan has appointed Mary Robinson as High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mary Robinson was into human rights law long before becoming President of Ireland; and, at the General Assembly, has shown vision, flair and diplomatic sensibility. Consonant with this excellent appointment is the Secretary-General's recognition that human rights cut across and into all UN concerns. The Human Rights Commissioner therefore will participate in all four of the functional groups, executive committees, at UN Headquarters. Mary Robinson's hand is strengthened by the integration of the Human Rights Centre (hitherto under separate direction-- it predates the Commissioner) into her office. As her Deputy, the Secretary-General has appointed Enrique ter Horst, a Venezuelan of ambassadorial rank who has served the UN as the Secretary-General's representative in El Salvador and Haiti. The High Commissioner is based in Geneva; her New York office will need to be strengthened. The UN regular budget makes skimpy provision for human rights; it is supplemented by voluntary contributions. Mary Robinson wants governments of all persuasions to give to this voluntary fund, universal support.

Custom has it that outcomes of major UN Conferences shall be reviewed after five years. It is five years since the Vienna Human Rights Conference. Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary, this review will take place in ECOSOC next summer.

It speaks well for Mary Robinson that her appointment has been well received by "South" as well as "North". She has made it plain that she takes a panoramic view of rights, comprising and integrating the right to development, social and economic rights and political/civil rights. She is taking what she calls a "balanced" approach: rights have their roots in national cultures, in evolving societies. Basic rights are universal: their manifestation and nurturing are particular. Promotion, prevention through national institutions, national commissions, education, come first. When there are flagrant violations, however, she says she will not hesitate to speak out. Clearly she wants to deflect the North-South contention, where rights get obfuscated by political animus. She has already been consulting all regional blocs at the UN: and she is well aware of the unique role of NGO's.

I let Ms. Robinson speak for herself: see Annex 2, her message on 10 December 1997, Human Rights Day.

Let us now have a look at what the G.A. said and did. It once again condemned racism and decided to hold a conference on racism not later than 2001. It expressed concern about discrimination or abuse of minorities (religious, ethnic, linguistic); and migrant workers. It asked the Human Rights Commissioner to coordinate UN activities in this Decade for Indigenous Peoples. Reviewing many reports, it expressed concern over rights in Cambodia, Kosovo, Sudan, Iraq, Cuba, Nigeria, Myanmar (Burma) and Afghanistan. On Cambodia, the G.A. urged "the Government" to hold free democratic elections (sic!). Similar stand on Nigeria.

Concerning the advancement of women, the G.A. decided that the 5-year review of the Beijing Plan of Action (adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women) should be held in a plenary session of the Assembly in the year 2000. Also the G.A. adopted model guidelines for practical government action to eliminate violence against women; and urged governments to penalize all trafficking in women and girls. The G.A. commended UNIFEM (the UN Development Fund for Women) for its promotion of women's participation in mainstream social and economic activities. The Secretary-General was again exhorted to give women a fair, dignified and equal place in the Secretariat.

Here I interrupt my account of G.A. deliberations to tell you that Mary Robinson showed her serious concern for women's rights in addressing the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on 4 February 1998. She noted that world-wide most of the poor and illiterate are women, working longer hours than men and with limited participation in economic and political decisions. She would make the struggle against this pervasive discrimination one of her top priorities.

Returning to the G.A., important things were said about children. The G.A. asked all States to criminalize sexual exploitation of children including sex tourism and international child sex networks. It asked the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Olara Otunnu, to report next year on what is being done to implement the Machel report on children and war, submitted to the Assembly in 1996. Special attention should be paid to social integration of child soldiers. Extreme forms of child labour (forced labour, slavery) must be eliminated; and the growing number of street children world-wide need special protection and ways to get off the street.

The Secretary-General was asked to report next year on the rights of the child; and the G.A. agreed to strengthen the Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, increasing its membership from 10 to 18 experts.

I conclude this account by quoting the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn: "Our highest priority for investment is to see a smile on a child's face."