Promotion and protection of all human rights – HRC general debate – Press release (excerpts)

COUNCIL CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE ON PROTECTING ALL HUMAN RIGHTS: CIVIL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS AND RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT

12 March 2010

The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its general debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.

In the debate, speakers said the international community should, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, and through dialogue and cooperation, deepen understanding so as to make exchanges and cooperation in the human rights field a positive factor making for safeguarding human rights and promoting the development of relations between States. Human rights must be ensured for peace to be achieved, and peace could even be considered a human right in itself. The effective exercise of the right to self-determination was one of the pre requirements to the rights that had been recognized in international law, including economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.

The promotion and protection of human rights could not be fulfilled when countries were under occupation, speakers said. The foreign occupation of Iraq and Palestine were causing violations of human rights, and these alarming situations would not be resolved until the international community put an end to all foreign occupation. The lack of agreement of a definition on terrorism was also of concern – the Council must also resuscitate the right to self-determination. However, self-determination could not be given without the people’s recognition.

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General Debate on Promoting and Protecting All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Right to Development

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ENTESAR MOHAMMED, of General Arab Women Federation, in a joint statement with several NGOs¹, said the promotion and protection of human rights could not be fulfilled when countries were under occupation. The foreign occupation of Iraq and Palestine were causing violations of human rights. In recent years the Arab Christian population had greatly decreased in the region in general and in those countries in particular. Some one million of them had fled Palestine by 2007. The alarming situation would not be resolved until the international community put an end to all foreign occupation.

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¹Joint statement on behalf of: General Arab Women Federation; North-South XXI; – Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l'Amitié entre les Peuples (MRAP); and General Federation of Iraqi Women.


For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC10/028E