Raising the status of human rights within the system
Within the framework of the reform of the United Nations, France and its European Union partners have adopted the assertion of the Secretary-General (in his report In Larger Freedom) that “there cannot be security without development, and there cannot be development without security, and we will have neither unless we respect human rights”.
The central place of human rights in the system, on a par with development and security, can be broken down into several aspects.
The responsibility to protect
Constant involvement of the Security Council
The need to strengthen the Of.ce of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
The need to transform the Commission on Human Rights
The responsibility to protect
The emergence of the concept of the “responsibility to protect” means that if national authorities are unwilling or unable to protect their citizens under threat or victims of war crimes, acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and other mass violations of human rights, that responsibility then shifts to the international community, embodied by the Security Council.
Constant involvement of the Security Council
The constant involvement of the Security Council in the protection of human rights, the prevention of violations and combating impunity are re.ected in the inclusion of human rights concerns in its missions; in sanctions against the perpetrators of crimes; and in the referral of cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The need to strengthen the Of.ce of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
The authority and resources of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, must be strengthened. The commissioner’s missions of prevention and early warning, observation, support for the drafting of standards, support for special inquiry mechanisms, committees charged with monitoring international conventions and technical assistance to countries are essential. The European Union and France support in particular a doubling of the resources of the Office of the High Commissioner.
The need to transform the Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights must be reformed and transformed into a Human Rights Council with permanent headquarters in Geneva, and reporting directly to the General Assembly, with the full participation of NGOs and national human rights organisations. The protection of human rights, which are universal, requires the involvement of all countries and civil society, in line with the recommendations of the Cardoso Report.
The Council’s action must be based on five core tasks that mutually reinforce each other:
- drafting of human rights standards;
- warning and response to serious situations;
- appointment, monitoring and support for special rapporteurs,independent experts and working groups;
- support for the action of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;
- and peer reviews of the human rights situation in all member states of the United Nations.
France and the European Union fully support these changes to the UN system for the protection and promotion of human rights.
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Millenium Development Goals and Targets