GENEVE, 19 May 2009: Launching her Office’s latest yearly report on its human rights work around the world, the 2008 Report on Activities and Results, High Commissioner Navi Pillay called 2008 a “landmark year for the human rights community,” pointing to a number of significant institutional reforms, new international legal instruments and a series of historic milestones, among them the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Pillay pointed out, however, that all of this work comes at a cost. The Office has continued to expand its activities as required by the Council and in response to emergencies in many different parts of the world. Funding for this work comes mostly from Member States who are struggling to maintain budgets because of unprecedented financial uncertainty.
Last year was a record for donations to the work of the office but acknowledging serious fund-raising challenges, Pillay has appealed to the international community to continue giving priority to human rights: – There cannot be a worse time for the United Nations to scale back its human rights activities as the economic crisis is endangering the livelihoods and rights of millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, she said.
– I appeal to all Member States to ensure that sufficient resources are made available to allow my Office to continue its work at a level commensurate with the challenges that lie before us.
More than half of OHCHR’s staff are now employed in the field. In addition, OHCHR supports the work of human rights components in peace missions. By December last year OHCHR had 52 field presences – 20 field offices, 15 human rights advisers deployed in UN country teams and 17 human rights teams working within UN peace missions.
The work of OHCHR human rights officers in the field contributes to many human rights advances. These are some of those achieved last year;
16 countries introduced or approved new human rights-related laws or legislative amendments, following advice and technical assistance from OHCHR.
Human rights guarantees were written into the draft constitution of Bolivia and in the new constitution adopted in the Maldives.
Conditions in prisons were improved in Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti and southern Sudan following OHCHR intervention.
Advocacy secured the release of several illegally detained persons and appeals were lodged against a number of death sentences.
In Afghanistan, a strengthened Special Investigations Team was created within the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to examine cases of civilian casualties.
In Indonesia, a provisional joint programme of support for Indonesia’s three national human rights institutions was developed.
In Georgia, the Public Defender adopted a strategy for planning and managing human rights awareness-raising campaigns, with the assistance of OHCHR.
In Montenegro, the Government’s decision to accept responsibility and settle claims from families of 83 Bosnian nationals who disappeared in 1992 settled one of the major outstanding humanitarian law violations stemming from the wars of the 1990’s.
Around eleven thousand police and other law enforcement personnel were trained in human rights principles and standards by OHCHR in 2008. Training was also given to the staff of human rights institutions, judges, parliamentarians, civil servants, civil society activists and others.
In her foreword to the Report, Pillay referring to the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: “This vision contemplates a world where civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are realized without distinction. This is a world in which every man, woman and child lives in dignity, free from hunger, protected from violence and discrimination, and enjoys the benefits of housing, health care, education and opportunity. This vision, in my view, represents the global culture of human rights that we strive for, and it should be a unifying rather than a divisive force, within and among all cultures”.
Læs hele artiklen: www.ohchr.org
