op-ed
UN Commission on Human Rights - By Chargé d'Affaires Michael Owen
April 5, 2005
"No people on Earth yearn to be oppressed, or aspire to servitude, or eagerly await the midnight knock of the secret police."
As President Bush reminds us, human rights are not the privileged patrimony of selected nations. They are universal, and The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (CHR), which is in the midst of its annual six-week session in Geneva, has a mandate to ensure that these rights are respected around the world. The 52 nations elected to serve on this body each year have a direct responsibility for the work of the CHR, but every country that values human rights and democracy has an obligation to help Commission fulfill its mandate.
A key element of the Commission's mandate is promoting compliance with internationally recognized human rights standards. To accomplish this objective, the CHR must examine the human rights records of specific nations, highlighting cases of gross violations. It must speak out about the most repressive governments in the world. Failure to perform this role would be an abdication of an essential CHR responsibility.
The international community must not evade this responsibility just because some governments feel uncomfortable taking a moral stand critical of another country. Cordial diplomatic relations are important, but they must not come at the price of ignoring injustice.
Neither should the CHR shirk its responsibility in response to allegations that developing countries are being singled out unfairly. Any country may seek membership in the CHR, and any member may introduce a resolution examining the human rights situation in any other country.
It is a myth, for example, that the CHR focuses principally on African countries.
In recent years, resolutions have addressed the situation of human rights in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Belarus, Chechnya, Turkmenistan, and China.
Resolutions on Zimbabwe and Sudan have also been introduced - and for good reason. Indeed, to ignore the situations in Zimbabwe and Sudan would have suggested that the universal norms of human rights do not apply in these countries.
We regret South Africa's opposition to all country-specific resolutions. Its strong commitment to democracy and human rights at home make it a natural leader in this area; we believe it could play a stronger role in promoting these principles on behalf of the citizens of other countries. Some of the earliest and most prominent country-specific resolutions at CHR focused on apartheid in South Africa and made a difference.
As a CHR member, the USG supports resolutions focused on countries where international attention may have the most impact. This year, the U.S. will support resolutions on the human rights situation in Cuba, Belarus, Burma, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Resolutions like these encourage people struggling under repressive regimes and, at times, spur governments to make modest improvements.
The CHR not only should press countries to improve their human rights performance but also should recognize genuine democratic reforms made by courageous governments. The United States also will back resolutions that achieve this objective.
The CHR must improve the quality of its membership in order to regain credibility as a protector and promoter of human rights. We recognize that no country has a perfect human rights record, including the United States. But countries responsible for gross human rights violations should not represent their regions in this forum. They hinder the CHR's ability to carry out its responsibilities, and they represent their regions poorly.
The United States encourages democratic countries that respect human rights to seek membership on the CHR and to elect only countries that share those basic values. The world needs an effective forum for promoting compliance with internationally accepted human rights standards. The CHR can perform this role if governments have the courage to take principled stands on these vital issues.
Michael Owen is Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America in Tanzania.