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- 2006-06-20 13:17:11
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Statement
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
at
the 1st Session of the Human Rights
Council
Mr.
President, Madam High Commissioner, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
It
gives me great honor and pleasure to join you in this historic gathering. I would like to begin by offering you, Mr.
President, my sincerest congratulations on your election as President of this,
the first Session of the Human Rights Council.
I wish you and the members of the Bureau every success as you steer the
Council in the founding year.
Mr.
President,
With
the launching of the Human Rights Council today, human rights has found its
proper place as one of the three pillars of the UN’s work. The enhanced prominence is the result of the
universal acknowledgement that peace and development cannot be fully enjoyed or
realized without respect for human rights.
The
experience of the
We
have every expectation that this new body will prove to be stronger, more
effective and efficient than its predecessor.
In many ways, the work we do this year will be pivotal to the evolution
of the Council, and more importantly to the protection of human rights for many
generations to come. The significance of
our work cannot be understated.
Mr.
President,
The
Commission on Human Rights left behind a rich legacy that we must build
upon. Notwithstanding the criticism that
had been levied at the Commission in recent years, its commendable record
warrants our deep respect.
For
sixty years, the Commission has served to advance human rights around the world
by establishing global norms, setting the agenda, identifying challenges, promoting
dialogue, assisting in capacity-building, and protecting vulnerable groups
against serious human rights violations.
Indeed,
for decades since giving humanity the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of
1948, the Commission was the home of human rights, and the beacon of hope
around the world for greater human dignity and freedom. Undoubtedly, it became fatigued and unable to
deliver towards its final years. But we
must honor its overall history, learn from its accomplishments as well as its
mistakes, as we now move on to a new chapter in the history of human
rights.
Mr.
President,
A
new start is always pregnant with promises.
But the promises will not materialize without the will and cooperation
of all concerned. With the launching of
the Human Rights Council, we stand at a new start for human rights. What is
required now is the full commitment and conjoined efforts of all who aspire to
make human rights a bond that binds humanity rather than a barrier that divides
us.
In
this regard, the inaugural members of the Council have a heavy
responsibility. Working with all members
of the United Nations, we must generate an earnest spirit of cooperation and
common purpose in laying the foundations for the Council’s work in the years
and decades ahead. Dialogue, cooperation
and engagement must be our dictate.
There
are, I believe, a few principles that should guide us as we begin this
important endeavor.
First,
we must be unswerving in our commitment, as reaffirmed by our leaders at the
World Summit last year, to making human rights the third and equal pillar of
the United Nations, along with peace and security and development. The Council must see to it that promoting and
protecting human rights is integrated into the whole spectrum of UN activities.
Second, we
must renew our efforts for a full and more effective implementation of the existing human rights
norms. Resolutions and treaties are
meaningless unless implemented on the ground with tangible results.
In this context,
the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will be a vital tool for the Council. The UPR must do more than to simply review
and criticize. It must also help to
build capacity in each member state. It
must identify areas where there is need of international assistance in
fulfilling their human rights obligations.
Given the
importance of the UPR, I hope that we will be able to reach an early decision
on its modalities. On this point, I
would emphasize that the UPR should be objective and transparent with consistent
follow-up. It should be complementary,
not overlapping, with the existing human rights mechanisms, such as the special
procedures and treaty bodies.
Third, the Council,
which will meet throughout the year, should promptly and effectively respond to
urgent human rights situations. It must
not repeat the inertia of the Commission in its final years. Indeed, in large measure, the credibility of
the Council will depend on its ability to rally global action against gross
violations of human rights. Making the
most of the services of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
the Council must assure the world that it stands alert against the outbreak of
forces that would negate sixty years of painstaking progress in human
rights.
Fourth, the Council
should build upon the practice of the Commission in incorporating the active
participation of all major stakeholders in its work, including civil society,
national human rights commissions, and other UN bodies. Inclusiveness is central to the idea of human
rights. It must also continue to be the
hallmark of the Council’s work on behalf of human rights for all.
Fifth, in carrying out
the work of the Council, there needs to be more frequent interaction and
dialogue with the High Commissioner. Her
annual reports and briefing can provide balanced and objective input in
furthering the cause of human rights. I
commend the High Commissioner for the great dedication and vigor she has
brought to the work, and look forward to a more active leadership on her
part.
Mr.
President,
The Council
is also expected to sustain the international community’s critical attention on
the human rights track records in certain parts of the world. In this regard, I note the concerns over the
human rights situation in the DPRK. The
Government of the
We call upon
the DPRK to engage in human rights dialogue with the international community that
would lead to technical and institutional cooperation. Such dialogue, cooperation and engagement, I
believe, are the steps toward tangible improvements in the DPRK and elsewhere
where human rights are an on-going concern of the global community.
Mr.
President,
Making the
Human Rights Council a fair and effective body is a shared and inescapable
responsibility that rests on all our shoulders.
We must embrace national and regional particularities as well as
historical and cultural diversities as we pull together to make the new Council
work. But the most vital element, I
believe, is a renewed conviction that human rights and fundamental freedoms are
universal values, the pursuit of which unites us all.
The