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UNOG THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA |
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONTINUES HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT,
HEARING STATEMENTS FROM 12 COUNTRIES
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Human Rights Council The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued the second day of its annual high-level segment, hearing from Ministers from Australia, Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hungary, Tunisia and Romania, as well as from other high-level dignitaries from Palestine, Republic of Korea, Cyprus, Montenegro, Zambia and Mozambique, on how their countries implemented and viewed human rights provisions and were seeking to promote a culture of universal respect and promotion of human rights. /…
/… NEZAR SADEQ AL BAHARNA, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, … /… Bahrain believed that the implementation of human rights was an indivisible process, including enhancing human rights, promoting the universality of human rights and disseminating human rights. Bahrain welcomed the Durban Review Conference, which would take place in Geneva and encouraged the international community to participate in that conference. Bahrain reiterated that human rights were a major pillar for all countries without exception. The international community was required to assist the Palestinian people to realize their right to self-determination. The latest Israeli aggression, which had led to many innocent victims, had to be condemned. /… BECHIR TEKARI, Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Tunisia, expressed Tunisia's appreciation at the fact that the international community attached great importance to the Human Rights Council and to the strengthening of human rights. In the past three years, the Council had made great strides forward in promoting and protecting human rights. Tunisia, which was a founding member of the Council, had striven to participate effectively in all of its activities. Tunisia hailed the speed in which the Council convened Special Sessions, for example in order to deliberate on serious human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Tunisia supported sending a fact-finding mission to Gaza and studying the effect of the global economic and financial crises on human rights. /… AHMAD SOBOH, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine, said that Palestine supported the important work of the Council in protecting and promoting human rights. There was an effort being made by the international community to face up to current challenges facing it. Despite challenges facing the Council, it had been successful in strengthening the human rights architecture. Palestine was satisfied with the constructive role the Council played with regard to the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. The Palestinian delegation had done everything in its power to contribute to the work of the Council. Palestinians had a right to self-determination, for the end of the occupation and the right to a Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital. With the recent invasion of Gaza, private and public property was destroyed, leaving thousands homeless, without basic essentials such as access to water, food and electricity. The thousands of Palestinians left homeless, the policy of extrajudicial executions, the road blocks, and checkpoints, which made everyday life difficult and sometimes impossible for Palestinians, were all blatant violations of human rights and of humanitarian international law, and a violation of the Geneva Convention. The recent Gaza Reconstruction Conference held in Egypt saw extensive participation by the international community, and resulted in substantial financial support pledged. However, despite this the occupying power continued to impose restrictions on everyday life for Palestinians. This needed to be urgently stopped. The refusal of the occupying power to accept international decisions, in particular, those of the Human Rights Council, with regard to visits of Special Rapporteurs, was unacceptable and undermined the work of the Council and that of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The occupying power was impeding the Council's efforts to do its work and to have its work respected. Despite all the difficulties facing the region, Palestine reiterated its support to bringing about peace and security in the region. The establishment of a Palestinian State based on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, and resolving the question of refugees in accordance with resolution 184 of the General Assembly, was the only way peace could be possible. /…
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Document Type: Press Release
Document Sources: Human Rights Council
Subject: Gaza Strip, Human rights and international humanitarian law
Publication Date: 03/03/2009