Showing posts with label UN Human Rights Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN Human Rights Council. Show all posts

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Clinton warns of civil war as Libya is suspended from the UN Human Rights Council

Clinton warns of Libya civil war



U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is warning that Libya could descend into civil war if Muammar Gaddafi refuses to quit. Jon Decker reports.

© 2011 Reuters


3 Mar 2011 13:15 Africa/Lagos

Libya suspended from the UN Human Rights Council

OSLO, March 3, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The UN General Assembly has suspended Libya from the UN Human Rights Council in response to the Libyan authorities' gross and systematic human rights violations against the country's own population.

This is the first time a member of the Human Rights Council has been suspended since the Council was established in 2006. Suspension requires a two-thirds majority among the member countries. The decision taken in New York was unanimous.

Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented: “This decision by the General Assembly is important most of all for the credibility of the UN. It underscores that member states were serious when in 2006 they said that members of the Human Rights Council would be suspended if they committed gross and systematic violations of human rights.”




Norway co-sponsored the resolution, which was put forward by the Arab countries Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar together with the African countries Botswana, Gabon and Nigeria. The fact that the resolution was supported by the two regional groups Libya belongs to underscores the broad consensus on the suspension of Libya.

In the course of five days, the UN has unanimously condemned the situation in Libya in clear terms by means of separate decisions by the Human Rights Council (on Friday), by the Security Council (on Saturday) and by the General Assembly (on Tuesday). These decisions have also imposed measures that put further pressure on the Libyan authorities and serve to hold them accountable.

“This latest decision demonstrates once again that the UN member countries stand united in their condemnation of the regime in Tripoli. The Libyan authorities have a responsibility to protect the country's own population. The abuses must come to an end immediately, and those responsible be held accountable,” said Foreign Minister Støre.

Source: Norway - Ministry of Foreign Affairs




































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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Call for Action to Thwart Bid by Libya, and other notorious human rights abusers, to join UN Human Rights Council

5 May 2010 13:15 Africa/Lagos


Call for Action to Thwart Bid by Libya, and other notorious human rights abusers, to join UN Human Rights Council


WASHINGTON, May 5, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Two UN watchdog organizations today urged the United Nations General Assembly to reject five candidates for the United Nations Human Rights Council- Libya, as well as Angola, Malaysia, Mauritania, and Qatar.


In a May 13 election among the UN General Assembly membership, 14 of the 47 seats on the Council will be filled as part of the annual rotation of membership. Member States must receive at least 97 affirmative votes in order to be elected. Each regional group is allotted a number of spaces, and individual countries in those groups can declare themselves to be candidates for those seats.


In a report issued today at the United Nations in New York, UN Watch and Freedom House express particular concern for the lack of qualified candidates from the Africa regional group. "At a time when the ranks of African democracies are growing, it sends a terrible message to the world that a notorious human rights abuser such as Libya appears uncontested on the ballot." said Thomas O. Melia, deputy executive director of Freedom House. "Africa's positive political trajectory over the past decade can be better represented than by the current list of candidates, which includes such distinctly non-democratic states such as Angola and Mauritania."


Candidates considered "not qualified" have sub-par human rights records at home and also have consistently voted against or abstained from resolutions condemning serious human rights violations, including those of North Korea, Sudan and Iran. Two other candidate states deemed "not qualified," both in the Asian region, are Malaysia and Qatar.


"Freedom House and UN Watch urge all UN General Assembly members not to write in the name of Libya or other unqualified states when filling out the slots on their secret ballot," said Hillel Neuer, executive director, UN Watch. "They should instead write in the names of countries with far greater qualifications."


Countries in the Africa regional group deemed "qualified" by the two organizations and could be written in include Cape Verde, Botswana, Mali and Tanzania. Countries in the Asia regional group deemed "qualified" include Papua New Guinea and Micronesia.


"It is our hope that better qualified countries in the Africa and Asia groups would formally declare their candidacies before May 13 - and be encouraged to do so by the United States, the European Union, and the rest of the global community that respects human rights," said Melia, of Freedom House. "Member states should write in any of these better alternatives instead of the notorious regime of Colonel Qaddafi."


According to the report, of the 14 candidates announced to date, only 5 are considered to be "qualified" to serve on the Council, including Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Guatemala and Maldives. Additionally, 4 candidates are identified as having "questionable" records, including Moldova, Ecuador, Uganda and Thailand.


Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.


Source: Freedom House


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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

African NGOs call for Competitive Elections for the UN Human Rights Council

30 Mar 2010 14:20 Africa/Lagos



African NGOs call for Competitive Elections for the UN Human Rights Council

KAMPALA, March 30, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- A group of African NGOs from throughout the continent today urged African governments to support competition among African states for seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Elections to the council will be held in the UN General Assembly on May 13, 2010.


The African NGOs expressed concern that a closed meeting of a small committee of the African Union officially endorsed two states – Libya and Mauritania – and that Africa may have only four candidates running for the four African seats to be filled this year. The politicized nature of the process was illustrated by the fact that in recent years countries with admirable human rights records have been discouraged from running for the Council.


The NGOs urged that at least five African states come forward to run for the four available seats, and that the candidates be evaluated and elected based on their commitments to promoting human rights, rather than power politics, reciprocal agreements, and vote-trading.


UN General Assembly resolution 60/251, which established the Human Rights Council, envisioned elections in which states would compete for membership based on their commitments to promoting human rights, and that elected members would “uphold the highest standards of human rights.” The NGOs applauded Africa for having an open slate last year with six states competing for five seats, and urged that similar competition be encouraged this year.


“Rather than deciding who will sit on the Human Rights Council behind closed doors, African states should support a transparent and competitive process,” said Hassan Shire Sheikh, Executive Director of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project. “Africa is best served by having the most qualified and committed states fill its slots on the council.”


In the letter, the African NGOs urged their leaders to:

Call for greater transparency and representation within the selection process of candidates in the AU Ministerial Committee on African Candidatures within the International System;

Encourage the African group to ensure competitive elections by putting forward at least five candidates for the forthcoming May 2010 elections;

Closely monitor the human rights records of states nominated to run; and

Ensure that states are elected based on an objective assessment of the state's commitment to and promotion of human rights rather than the result of power politics, reciprocal agreements, and vote trading.


A copy of the letter is attached.



March 26, 2010

To: African Heads of State

Re: May 2010 UN Human Rights Council elections

Your Excellency,

As a diverse group of African human rights organizations engaged with the UN Human Rights Council (Council) in Geneva we urge you to seize the opportunity of the forthcoming May 2010 Council elections to ensure that the African group encourages the states from our continent with a human rights record of the ‘highest standard' to run for election, in line with the spirit of UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251 creating the Council.

We would like to start off by applauding the competitive elections among the African candidates during last year's Council election and would like to encourage the African group to support competition for the elections this year.

We are however writing to express our concern about several recent and established procedures within the selection process that risk to undermine the level of competition and transparency of elections within the African group.

First of all, we are concerned that the nomination of candidates within the African Union (AU) Ministerial Committee on African Candidatures within the International System, a body in which a limited number of states are represented, prevents certain states from having their voices heard and heightens the risk of power politics, reciprocal agreements, and vote trading. In fact, in past years, countries from our continent whose human rights records should be applauded and whose membership would be a valuable addition to the Council have been discouraged from seeking a seat as a result of considerations unrelated to their commitment to human rights promotion.

We would also like to express our concern by the recent decision of the AU Executive Council to only officially endorse two candidates, notably Libya and Mauritania, for this year's election: four African seats are up for re-election in May and the elections are now just over a month away. One of the key aims of the Council was to improve the membership of the main UN human rights mechanisms, notably by ensuring that Member States are able to elect members based on the “contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights”; ensuring a competitive slate is therefore crucial.

We therefore urge you:

To call for greater transparency and representation within the selection process of candidates in the AU Ministerial Committee on African Candidatures within the International System;

To encourage the African group to ensure competitive elections by selecting in a fair and transparent manner at least five candidates for the forthcoming May 2010 elections;

To closely monitor the human rights records of states nominated to run; and

To ensure that states are elected based on an objective assessment of the state's commitment to and promotion of human rights rather than the result of power politics, reciprocal agreements, and vote trading.


Commitment by the African group to the Council election process can not only help to enhance the effectiveness and credibility of the Council, but it can also shape the future of human rights in Africa by drawing international attention to Africa's specific concerns and by giving countries within the region who serve as proponents of human rights both the standing and space they deserve.

Many thanks for giving importance to this selection.

Sincerely,

Hassan Shire Sheikh

Executive Director

East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP), Uganda


Roshnee Narrandes

Chairperson

Southern African Human Rights Defenders Trust (SAHRDT)


Pacifique Nininahazwe

President

Forum for the Re-enforcement of Civil Society (FORSC)


Moataz El Fegiery

Executive Director



Source: Human Right Watch (HRW)