View from Geneva

(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement after learning that UNESCO’s Executive Board will soon consider granting full membership in UNESCO to the Palestinian mission to the UN:

“It is deeply disappointing to see UNESCO, which has reformed itself in recent years, poised to support this dangerous Palestinian scheme. The U.S. must strongly oppose this move and make clear that any decision to upgrade the Palestinian mission’s status by UNESCO or any other UN entity will lead to a cutoff of U.S. funds to that entity.

“Feeling that their efforts at the UN Security Council will fail, the Palestinian leadership is shopping around the UN system for recognition. This attempt to rig the process needs to be stopped dead in its tracks. Our contributions are our strongest leverage at the UN, and should be used to stand up for our interests and allies and stop this dangerous Palestinian scheme.”

• Vivid hi-res photos from today’s We Have A Dream: Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution.
• Compelling videos are here.
• Blog summary is here.
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NEW YORK, September 17, 2011 – A coalition of human rights NGOs will hold a major summit in New York on September 21-22, 2011 to impress upon world leaders gathering for the UN General Assembly that “human rights are universal.”

We Have A Dream: The Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution will be held next to UN Headquarters in New York at the same time as the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly and the 10th anniversary commemoration of the UN’s Durban conference on racism, discrimination and xenophobia. Continue reading ‘Global rights summit to unite activists in demand for UN action this week against worst abusers’

Speaking yesterday at a Geneva press  conference, UN General Assembly president Joseph Deiss said that it would be  “impossible” for the Palestinians to “circumvent the Security Council and go directly to the GA” to become a UN member state. “I don’t want to create false hopes on this,” he added. Continue reading ‘UN: “Impossible” for Palestinians to circumvent Security Council on statehood resolution’

GENEVA — “UN Watch applauds the reelection of Ban Ki-moon, a principled leader who has advanced the cause of human rights in some of the world’s most troubled areas,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based watchdog organization, in a statement issued today in advance of the UN General Assembly decision expected for this afternoon.

“He appointed the expert panel that exposed Sri Lanka’s 2009 mass killings of Tamils, in the face of vehement opposition from that country and its allies,” said Neuer. “He stood behind protesters in Egypt and Tunisia, condemned Syria’s President Assad for violent repression and torture of children, and denounced U.N. expert Richard Falk for suggesting the U.S. government orchestrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks.”

“Mr. Ban has proven that the U.N. Secretary General can make a difference in raising awareness of human rights abuses and focusing the world’s attention on action needed in promoting universal human rights consistent with the U.N.’s charter and founding purpose. In his second term we call upon the Secretary General to confront powerful U.N. players like China and Russia for continuing gross human rights abuses and to demand the release of political prisoners like China’s Liu Xiaobo.”

UN Watch is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in Geneva in 1993. The independent human rights group is governed by an international board chaired by Ambassador Alfred H. Moses, a prominent attorney who formerly served as U.S. Special Presidential Emissary for the Cyprus Conflict and as Ambassador to Romania. The organization’s mission is to monitor UN compliance with the principles of its Charter. It is accredited as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and as an Associate NGO to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).

Today the Human Rights Council adopted its first ever resolution on gay rights with a vote of 23 to 19. Below are some excerpts from the speeches delivered during the adoption process. 

“We commend the US for its strong leadership in the adoption of a landmark UN resolution for gay victims of persecution,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights monitor.

“Yet when it came to addressing the world’s most urgent situations, hypocrisy at the UN Human Rights Council reached new heights today when the 47-nation body condemned Israel for the fourth time, in a resolution sponsored by the Arab and Islamic states, about last year’s flotilla incident, while refusing to condemn Syria’s massacre of many hundreds in recent days. Yemen, Bahrain, and Iran also enjoyed impunity in today’s voting.”

South Africa: “When we were put in prison and repressed (during apartheid), we received help from all over the world, we never said we would not receive support because of sexual identity. And when we seek jobs, we do not seek them based on sexual identity.”

Brazil: “We are here today to live up to the commitment made in 1948 that all human beings are born equal and free.” And then “we hope that winds of change will inspire us for new perspectives.”

Pakistan said that introducing new rights “may misinterpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights…these attempts jeopardize the entire human rights framework,” and that “while considering the issue of human rights many things must be kept in mind… these things [gay rights] have nothing to do with fundamental human rights.”

Nigeria said: “We are aware that 90% of South Africans do not support this resolution,” which prompted some noise in the room. He went on: “Such attemps constitute contempt to human rights… we are dealing with a matter with falls outside of human rights… and we want to make it very clear: no country should be restrained on having laws on sexual orientation.”

Saudi Arabia: As stated in the Vienna Declaration, cultural and religious considerations must be taken into acount on human rights. It is not acceptable and reasonable to impose views on other countries and that this is not only contrary to Sharia but also to all other monotheistic religions.

Mexico, supporting the draft, said: “We are human beings, and discrimination on sexual orientation is the same as others.”

Mauritania: “I wonder: Don’t you think this subject, in addition to being highly controversial on a cultural, religious and moral/ethical level, is it at the level of other subjects we are considering here like rights of women, poverty… ?”

UN rights chief Navi Pillay is at it again. The first thing she did when she began her job in September 2008 was attack Western countries and Jewish groups for daring to question the UN’s Durban II racism conference organized by regimes like Libya and Iran, and championed by her office. Now she’s calling Australia “racist,” and condemning Israel for defending itself from Assad-organized “demonstrators” seeking to storm the hostile Syria-Israel border. Click here for study showing how Pillay has a long record of turning a blind eye to the world’s worst abusers. Her moral compass is broken. See video and UN press release below. 

UN press release:
Pillay condemns killing of protestors in occupied Golan Heights and urges investigations

GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Tuesday she was deeply troubled by reports of use of live fire by Israeli security forces against civilians protesting along the ceasefire line between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria on 5 June.

“Between 30 and 40 protestors have reportedly been killed by Israeli security forces in the past three weeks,” she said. “The Government of Israel has a duty to ensure that its security personnel avoid the use of excessive force.”

“However difficult the circumstances, the use of live ammunition against allegedly unarmed protestors, resulting in large numbers of deaths and injuries, inevitably raises the question of unnecessary and excessive use of force.”

The 5 June incident occurred as protestors called for an end to the occupation of the Golan, as they marked the anniversary of the 1967 War during which Israel occupied the area. Reports have suggested that more than 20 civilians were killed and hundreds injured as a result of Israeli gunfire. Other reports suggest some of the casualties may have been caused by the detonation of landmines buried on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line.

The High Commissioner urged Israel to comply with its obligations under international human rights and international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians.

Pillay also expressed concern over allegations that civilians were encouraged by the Syrian authorities to protest in areas where landmines are located. “Syrian authorities have an obligation to ensure that civilians are prevented from entering areas where landmines are planted,” she said.

Especially given conflicting allegations on the use of molotov cocktails by protestors and on whether or not all necessary precautions were taken before the use of live ammunition by security forces, Pillay called on both sides to carry out independent, impartial, transparent and thorough investigations into the events of 5 June. She also reminded Israel of its obligation to carry out investigations into the events surrounding the protests of 15 May in the occupied Palestinian territory, the occupied Golan Heights and on the Lebanese border, which resulted in the loss of 15 civilian lives.

“Where there is evidence that crimes were committed, prosecution and appropriate punishment must follow,” Pillay added.

The High Commissioner echoed the UN Secretary-General’s call for maximum restraint on all sides.

ENDS

OHCHR Country Page – Israel http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/ILIndex.aspx

OHCHR Country Page – Syrian Arab Republic http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/SYIndex.aspx

For more information or interviews, please contact spokesperson Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 or rcolville@ohchr.org ) or press officers: Ravina Shamdasani (+ 41 22 917 9310 or rshamdasani@ohchr.org ) or Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9383 or xcelaya@ohchr.org )

NEW YORK, May 18 – Three days before the UN chooses 15 new member states to its Human Rights Council, human rights groups today said Congo, Kuwait and Nicaragua failed to meet the membership criteria, while the qualifications of India, Indonesia, Philippines and Burkina Faso were “questionable.” Click here for full report PDF – and here for Executive Summary.

The voting recommendations were submitted yesterday to the New York missions of UN member states by the Geneva-based UN Watch, the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, Directorio, and Initiatives for China, which is headed by former Chinese prisoner of conscience Yang Jianli. The rights groups will be appearing at a UN briefing on Thursday, together with dissidents, to lobby for an improved council membership. Current members of concern include China, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Russia, Bahrain and Pakistan. 

“Congo, Kuwait and Nicaragua have poor records in respecting the basic human rights of their own citizens,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, “and have consistently voted the wrong way on UN initiatives to promote and protect the human rights of others.”

“As an observer state in recent UN human rights council sessions, Nicaragua strongly praised the governments of Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi and Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, attempting to shield them from scrutiny. It will be an insult to their victims — and a defeat for the global cause of human rights — if the UN now elects Nicaragua as one of the council’s 47 voting members.”

The report also called on India, Indonesia, Philippines and Burkina Faso to pledge improvements prior to the Friday vote. The report documents how India last year refused to support UN resolutions for human rights victims in Iran, Burma, and North Korea, and failed to join other democracies and human rights groups in opposing a UN resolution prohibiting criticism of Islam, which experts said restricted freedom of speech.

The report found that 10 of the 17 candidates are qualified: Austria, Benin, Botswana, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, Peru, and Romania.