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Summary: Daily updates from the 61st Session of the UN
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva
Child rights at the 61st Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights
3 – Friday 1 April 05
LATEST NEWS – High Commissioner welcomes Security Council’s Decision
on Darfur
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour welcomed the
adoption of Security Council (SC) resolution 1593 (2005) referring the
situation in Darfur to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
(ICC). The SC decided to refer the situation in Sudan’s Dafur region in the
period since 1 July 2002 to the ICC by a vote of 11 in favour, with Algeria,
Brazil, China and the United States abstaining.
In January an international commission reported that the Government of
Sudan was responsible for crimes under international law and strongly
recommended that the case be referred to the ICC. Addressing the SC
soon after the inquiry commission submitted its report, the High
Commissioner endorsed the panel's conclusions that the ICC could be
activated immediately and that the court was the best suited institution for
ensuring speedy investigations leading to arrests and demonstrably fair
trials.
Arbour told the council that murder, torture, enforced disappearances,
destruction of villages, rape and forced displacement continue to be
committed against the people of the western Sudanese region. "These
crimes have been and, it appears, continue to be perpetrated, on a
widespread and systematic basis, by Government officials and Janjaweed
leaders or those under their command", she said, adding that members of
rebel groups were also responsible for war crimes.
CHILDREN'S HUMAN RIGHTS CAUCUS – session cancelled
PLENARY SESSION – Thursday 31 March / Friday, 1 April
On Thursday, the Commission continued its general debate on civil and
political rights, hearing presentations from the Special Rapporteur on the
right to freedom of opinion and expression, and from the Chairperson of
the Working Group on a draft legally binding normative instrument for the
protection of all persons from enforced disappearances.
One of the issues that was brought up by a number of speakers was
torture. Even though its prohibition is widespread, and it is often seen as
an overriding rule of international law, the use of torture and other cruel,
inhuman and degrading treatment remains widespread, if not to say
common, in many countries. Another issue raised by national
representatives was terrorism, which, speakers agreed, could not be
justified or tolerated under any circumstances whatsoever, however, at
the same time, every step should be taken not to sacrifice fundamental
human rights in the fight against terrorism, speakers maintained.
On Friday, speaking in relation to freedom of expression and the right to
information, Ingeborg Breines (UNESCO), warned against countries driven
by political or security considerations that attempt to limit freedom of
information by restricting access to the internet. She also said that in
instances of fight against paedophilia and racist or hate propaganda, very
often the crime weapon, rather than the criminals was condemned. Finally,
she said the securing a public domain where people could freely exchange
ideas and participate in political debate was essential for respecting
democratic principles.
A speaker representing several Cuban organisations denounced the US’s
policies in Guantanamo Bay, saying that the US had turned it into a
concentration camp. Furthermore, he found it deplorable to have to call for
the release of children and youth being held there, in violation of their
most basic human rights.
NGO SIDE EVENTS – Thursday 31 March
World Programme for Human Rights Education (HRE), organised by OHCHR
The meeting opened with a presentation from OHCHR on the World
Programme and its revised draft Plan of Action for the first phase of the
programme [A/59/525/Rev.1]. Mr Villalobos, Special Rapporteur on the
Right to Education also took part in the meeting and explained the close
link between the Right to Education and Human Rights Education. He also
mentioned the importance of the right to education in emergency
situations such as natural disasters, armed conflicts and occupations.
Mrs Ingeborg Breines, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Geneva,
described UNESCO’s role in the first phase of the world programme which
is partly to implement HRE in primary and secondary school systems. HRE
is not just for children, but it also refers to the learning and training of
teachers and all related personnel within the education sector. HRE, she
further explains, is not just about knowledge but also about creating
attitudes and behaviour to participate in society in a respectful and
meaningful way.
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For detailed reports, visit : http://www.crin.org/chr/reports.htm
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This update has been produced by the Child Rights Information Network,
in collaboration with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of
the Child, Subgroup for the Commission on Human Rights. These updates
are also available at the following link: www.crin.org/chr/news. You can
sign up to receive these by email. Send an email to: childrightscaucus_chr-
subscribe@domeus.co.uk . Further information about the 61st Session is
available on the CRIN website at: www.crin.org/chr. To submit information,
contact Veronica Yates on vyates@crin.org. CRIN, c/o Save the Children, 1,
St John’s Lane, London EC1M 4AR, UK.
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