Launch Event - Human Rights at International Borders: A Trainer’s Guide
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) launched a new publication, entitled Human Rights at International Borders: A Trainer’s Guide during a virtual event on Monday, 25 October. This new capacity-building resource seeks to support the work of Member States and frontline border officials to adopt a human rights-based and gender-sensitive approach to border governance. Developed collaboratively by OHCHR and UNOCT, it draws on, and complements, the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders. It is accompanied by slide presentations and course materials.
Ms. Christine Loew, Deputy Head of the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland (co-sponsor) provided the opening remarks.
In her introductory remarks, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said “With this capacity building tool launched today, we hope to better assist States and provide them with guidance on how human rights obligations apply at international borders, including in the context of counter-terrorism.”
Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the Office of Counter-Terrorism, UNOCT stated that multiple Security Council and General Assembly resolutions affirm that any counter-terrorism measures must comply with international law, in particular human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law. He added that Member States have agreed that effective counterterrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting goals, but rather complementary and mutually reinforcing. “The Trainer’s Guide on Human Rights at International Borders is reflective of the UN General Assembly’s call for greater consideration of human rights while countering terrorism,” he concluded.
Other panelists included Patrik Engstrom, former head of the Swedish National Border Policing Section and former Swedish representative to the Frontex Management Board; Ms. Maria Gavouneli, President of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights and Chair of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions’ Working Group on Asylum and Migrations; and Camila Barretto Maia, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (Centre for Legal and Social Studies).
H.E. Dr. Omar Zniber, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations, provided the closing remarks.
The event was organized by UNOCT and OHCHR in partnership with Switzerland. Co-sponsors included Argentina, Denmark, Mexico, and the Kingdom of Morocco. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provided support in producing the publication.
