ICC25: Opening ceremony
Palais des Nations, Geneva
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Mihi / Greetings
Piki mai, kake mai, haere mai
Haere mai ki Geneva,
Haere mai ki tenei hui
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha
Haere mai
Nga mihi tino mahana, kia koutou
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
I have welcomed you in Maori, the first language of my country.
Haere mai. Welcome. Soyez les bienvenues. Benvenidos a todos y todas. Marhaban wa salam aleikum
Welcome to the honoured guests & speakers
Madame High Commissioner Navi Pillay, Madame Human Rights Council President Laura Dupuy Lassere, Madame UNDP Director of Democratic Governance Group/Bureau of Development Policy, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, I welcome you, our honoured speakers, at this opening of the 25th General Meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (ICC).
Welcome also to distinguished representatives from the Permanent Missions to the United Nations, from United Nations intergovernmental organisations and to our friends and colleagues from non-governmental organisations.
Welcome to representatives of NHRIs
And a warm welcome to the many members of National Human Rights Institutions who have travelled, as I said in my opening greeting, from the four winds, from the east and the west, from north and south to come together to share our experiences and expertise, our successes and the often daunting challenges we face in making human rights a reality for every man, woman and child in the countries we come from.
An especial welcome to those of you who are joining us for the first time, including Dr Mousa Burayzat, Commissioner-General of the Jordan National Human Rights Centre and Asia-Pacific nominee to be elected ICC Chairperson for the next year and the new Defensor del Pueblo of the Ecuador, Dr. Ramiro Rivadeneira Silva, the Chairperson of the Americas Network.
Special acknowledgement of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Madame High Commissioner,
As this may be the last time you address the ICC as High Commissioner, although I most sincerely hope not, I want to begin by acknowledging your warm, consistent and constructive support for the work of national human rights institutions and for the global network that is the ICC. Your courage and commitment in advocating for the human rights of every person has been outstanding. You have not hesitated, even when that advocacy might be opposed by some, as is still, regrettably, too often the case for people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. Your insistence that the UN Security Council take account of the human rights situations in its deliberations has been heartening.
The cloak I wear today was given to me as a symbol of the cloak of human rights. I wear it, Madame Pillay, to honour you who is doing so much to weave the cloak of human rights for all humanity, and indeed to honour Commissioners, Ombudsmen, Provedoria, Defensors del Pueblo and their staffs who are contributing to the making of the cloak of human rights protections.
Current context
This session is taking place at a time when people across the Arab world have shown that the desire for democracy, human rights and honest government is indeed universal. Their determination and courage has been inspiring, just as the violent response in too many places has been devastating. Over this same period people around the world have faced, and are facing, economic conditions whose impact is almost as destructive as that of rulers who will not relinquish power peacefully.
As we said in the ICC statement to the general segment debate in the first week of the current Human Rights Council session, both circumstances raise fundamental human rights issues. In both situations economic, social and cultural rights are as crucial as civil and political rights. Indeed the denial of economic and social rights and the ensuing poverty and massive inequalities, has been a consequence of the exclusion of the mass of people from political participation and power.
Democracy in itself is no guarantee of the protection of human rights, of equality and of security. We are witnessing in even long established democracies that the most vulnerable sections of those communities are suffering disproportionately the impact of recession and the attempts to shore up collapsing economies.
Today more than ever and in every part of the world the challenge is urgent to build societies where human rights underpin behaviour, policy development and decision-making in our homes, in our schools, in workplaces and throughout our communities.
In that process national human rights institutions have a central role and critical responsibilities. In many places, including at times of conflict and facing real danger, members and staff have demonstrated the contribution they can make, in monitoring developments, challenging authority to respect human rights at all times, providing protection for individuals, offering constructive advice and guidance to those who hold power.
Highlighting NHRIs contributions in conflict, in crisis and on behalf of the most marginalised of people
I will illustrate with just a few outstanding examples:
· starting with work of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, which during a period of desperate economic and social collapse, has advocated for respect for human rights during implementation of the fiscal and exit strategy from the debt crisis. In his introduction to the Annual Report President Kostantinos Papaioannou powerfully sums up the challenge:
‘The scope and intensity of the social pressures bewilder the human rights defenders as to defining the appropriate response. In the western democracies, the conventional focus of the human rights protection bodies on defending the civil and political rights seem both inadequate and out of context, if it is not combined with addressing the threat on social and economic rights, which is particularly acute. In addition, the extent and severity of the forms of protest reflecting the profound social discontent, combined with the unprecedented delegitimisation of the institutions of political representation, create a context particularly explosive and, therefore, dangerous to the democratic stability and the rule of law.’
· the impact of the Peruvian NHRI in successfully advocating for legislation that enshrines the participation rights of Indigenous Peoples
· the strength of the Ugandan Human Rights Commission in speaking for the rights of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity not to be discriminated against and challenging the constitutionality of the law that would criminalise them
· the experiences of the Serbian Ombudsman in his determination to build a truly independent NHRI, which inspired the development of the Belgrade Principles on the Relationship between Parliamenets and National Human Rights Institutions
· the independence of the Maldives Human Rights Commission in its responses to political breakdown at the start of this year and the sometimes violent protests that followed
· courage of the Chair of the Togo Conseil in reporting truthfully on his findings of torture and its members in confirming the support for the report inspite of threats and intimidation
· and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Palestinian Independent Human Rights Commissions, both of which have shown outstanding leadership and been beacons of hope, symbols of integrity throughout long years of unremitting conflict
ICC25 programme
The ICC25 programme over the next two days will provide many more examples of how NHRIs are promoting and protecting human rights as well as honestly identifying the areas where we must do better, the many challenges we face.
It is encouraging, therefore, that an increasing number of States have committed to establishing Paris Principles compliant national human rights institutions, and that the international community supports them in their development. This support can be seen in the most recent developments at the Human Rights Council, including the outcomes for national human rights institutions of the Human Rights Council review process, the first NHRI resolution at the Human Rights Council in June 2011 and the UN General Assembly resolution in November. The effectiveness of ICC advocacy has been evident in the support from member States from every region of the world and equally from Non-Governmental Organisations, whose engagement with us at national, regional and international level is crucial to our effectiveness.
Developments at Human Rights Council
Madame President of the Human Rights Council, on behalf of our members I want to thank you personally for your support, since the very beginning of your term, for NHRI engagement at the Human Rights Council. Most recently it was your determination that ensured the national human rights institutions of Timor-Leste, South Africa and Georgia were able to make their statements on Special Procedures country mission reports by video-recording.
UN New York recognition
The status accorded at the Human Rights Council to NHRIs in compliance with the Paris Principles is yet to be matched by other relevant United Nations bodies, particularly those in New York, although there have been a few positive developments in the past two years. Building the profile and awareness of the role of national human rights institutions at the United Nations in New York is included as a priority in the ICC Operational Plan for the year ahead.
Importance of ongoing support for NHRIs
An ongoing effort is required however, to provide the practical support that is necessary to ensure the rigour, the quality, the objectivity, the independence that are essential to the effectiveness of national human rights institutions - and ultimately to the strengthening of human rights for people everywhere.
Partnership with UNDP- OHCHR –ICC
Since the inception of the ICC 25 years ago, the Office of the High Commissioner has been our primary partner. More recently the major contribution made by the UNDP at the country level has developed into a global relationship of great potential. And it is a great pleasure to have you Madame Geraldine Fraser -Moleketi with us today and to have this opportunity to acknowledge you and your team as well as those in the UNDP at regional and country level who are working with NHRIs to strengthen their capacity and at the same time recognising and drawing on their national human rights knowledge and experience
Role of ICC + regional networks + ICC members.
Madamee Pillay, distinguished guests, ICC25 participants
The ICC is a global network of national human rights institutions, with four regions. We have only one employee – our wonderful Geneva Representantive, Katharina Rose.
The achievements of the ICC are above all the result of the active participation and leadership of individual national human rights institutions and of our regional networks and coordinators.
So I want to conclude by highlighting the contributions of the ICC Secretary Florence Simbiri-Jaoko, the regional chairpeople and other members of the Bureau; and the regional coordinators; Koffi Kounte, the Chair and members of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation; Dr. Raul Plascencia Villanueva, the Chair and members of the Finance Committee; David Langtry, the Chair and members of the ICC Working Group on business and human rights.
My deepest gratitude is due to the Asia-Pacific Forum and its Secretariat for invaluable support and guidance during my two years as ICC Chairperson. And to the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, Commissioners, Executive Director, my two Executive Assistants and other staff who have carried a significant additional workload of responsibility for the ICC management, administration and finances.
To conclude
National human rights institutions have a crucial contribution to make if we are to bequeath a truly peaceful and sustainable future to our children and grandchildren.
By openly and honestly sharing our experiences and expertise, by participating in the discussions and debates, by listening to and learning from each other over the next two days here at ICC25 we will be contributing to the development of genuinely independent and effective national human rights institutions, coming closer to ensuring that the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are upheld and sustained.
Whakatauki
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
This proverb speaks of the impact of cooperating, of sharing resources: literally translated:
With your basket and my basket, the people will live.
Kia ora koutou. Thank you.
Rosslyn Noonan
ICC Chairperson
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