Resolution on UN Human Rights Council

Manila 2011

Emphasizing that the Middle East and Nord African region unfortunately is, with few exceptions, dominated by dictatorship and a lack of freedom. The nature of repression is varying, both monarchies and republics, religious and more secular states, rich and poor states with varying degrees of natural resources are present in the region. Overall, however, a lack of freedom is dominating the region.

Recalling that in March 2006, the UN Commission on Human Rights was succeeded by the UN Human Rights Council, changing the structure of the General Assembly with the aim to attribute membership only to countries acting in line with human rights

Noting that China, Russia, Cuba, Saudi-Arabia and Pakistan nevertheless were among the first 47 member countries of the newly consolidated UNHRC in 2006

Recalling that Libya, suspended from the UNHRC in March 2011, has been accepted as a member barely one year earlier, whereas the government was long since acting in a repressive way towards its citizens

Stressing the astonishing situation in the UNHRC Meeting in Geneva on 16 September 2010, whereby Libya, with the support of Iran, China and Cuba, tried to silence the testimony of a Bulgarian citizen, tortured and hold in captivity in Libya for eight years on false grounds

Noting that those countries, considered by the Freedom House as “unfree countries”, while having a seat in the UNHRC, seem to use this membership to clean up their image and hide their human right violations instead of persistently tackling these abuses

Stating that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, as well as various political leaders, questioned the disproportionate focus on Israel, until today the topic of about half of the Council’s country-specific resolutions, distracting the attention of systematic violations of human rights in other countries

Noting the fact that human rights abuses in Darfur, Zimbabwe and North Korea are mainly neglected by the UNHRC

Noting that the US joined the UNHRC in 2009, creating an important opportunity to upgrade the effectiveness of this Council

Firmly believes that human right violations are totally unacceptable and should be rigorously addressed by a highly effective organ

• Urges governments to act in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Urges governments to raise the profile and effectiveness of the UNHRC by sending more senior officials with stronger mandates to negotiate.
• Calls upon its member parties to follow up and evaluate the role of the UNHRC
• Calls upon its member parties to render specific attention to the developments in the human rights domain and specifically in countries committing tremendous and systematic abuses
• Calls upon the member states of the UN not to accept countries which violate human rights, in particular “unfree” countries, into the UNHRC.