The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will present the 2012 annual report of her office on May 24, 2013 in Geneva. The report provides an assessment of the current state of human rights with respect to six thematic priorities and reviews efforts by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the last year to promote human rights in those areas.

The thematic priorities covered are: discrimination; impunity and the rule of law; poverty and social, economic, and cultural rights; migration; violence and insecurity; and human rights mechanisms. Beyond providing information on these human rights issues, the report can also help civil society actors increase their awareness of the OHCHR’s programmatic activities.

Discrimination

The High Commissioner and her office continue to work with governments to enact laws and policies that combat discrimination against women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, sexual orientation and other marginalized groups. As part of these efforts OHCHR supported the organization of conferences to draft new laws and published reports drawing attention to need for improvement in specific countries.  OHCHR also focused on increasing participation between marginalized groups and their counties’ governments, serving as a liaison, funding legal clinics, and helping to run educational workshops. Additionally within the UN, OHCHR has sought to mainstream anti-discrimination efforts  to ensure that all UN agencies and partners find new ways to include minority groups often left out of decision-making process.

Impunity and the Rule of Law

The report highlights that OHCHR works closely with domestic government and non-government actors to promote the rule of law and reduce impunity within UN Member States. Among its activities in 2012, OHCHR promoted legislation to reduce the application of the death penalty for criminal convictions; ensure that national definitions of torture are consistent with those under international law; and guarantee that all residents have access to the justice system.

As one example, in Sierra Leone OHCHR supported the new Legal Aid Law which created “an independent legal aid body to provide free legal advice and representation to the underprivileged.” The High Commissioner’s office also worked closely with advocates, victims and witnesses to document human rights violations in Mexico and then engaged with national law enforcement to decrease impunity. Moreover, OHCHR provided education and training for newly formed national human rights institutions to help them better monitor elections and stand against government impunity.

Poverty and Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

With respect to reducing poverty and promoting economic, social, and cultural rights, OHCHR worked with with Member States on national laws and policies that will address economic disparities and other social and cultural concerns that entrench poverty. The report emphasizes that civil society organizations are key OHCHR partners for identify where government programs fall short and how residents can become upwardly mobile with better support.

Migration

As with other thematic priorities, the report examines how OHCHR worked alongside government actors, including border patrol agents and national legislatures, to uphold essential human rights in the context of migration.  Equally so, OHCHR also drew on the knowledge of domestic human rights organizations to inform its own efforts to protect and promote migrants’ rights. The High Commissioner regularly worked with civil society groups to advocate for legislation that enshrines the rights of migrant workers, and these non-state actors are also recognized as essential for amplifying migrants’ voices and encouraging their governments to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, which is the least ratified of the international human rights agreements.

Violence and Insecurity

Recognizing the tremendous challenge of curbing violence, the report by the High Commissioner gives special attention to the safety of human rights defenders, including journalists, who expose human rights violations. While working primarily with governments to put in place security and monitoring mechanisms, OHCHR also supported the inclusion of civil society actors through dialogues with government actors about what policies or programs are needed and how to carry them out. In particular, the report calls attention to OHCHR having helped survivors of sexual violence access national courts and other support resources in multiple countries. Non-governmental organizations are also recognized by OHCHR as vital for overcoming insecurity, both in identifying patterns of violence and helping victims express their needs.

Human Rights Mechanisms

Supporting the UN human rights mechanisms, such as the Human Rights Council and special procedures mandate holders, is a core responsibility for the High Commissioner and a central objective in 2012 remained encouraging Members States to ratify and implement the human rights instruments.  Civil society actors can be a useful partner to this end, using their local experience and knowledge to effectively advocate for the implementation of human rights instruments and compliance with human rights mechanisms.  Likewise, local human rights defenders can draw on reports from special procedures mandate holders and the Universal Periodic Review when advocating domestically for human rights.

The report notes that civil society groups have several opportunities to become involved directly with the review of human rights compliance by the Human Rights Council through video messages, participation in side events, and written submissions.  OHCHR also continued to provide trainings on making submissions to treaty bodies that can help civil society organizations around the world more effectively communicate their findings and concerns at the international level.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a video entitled “The Riddle” (below) which highlights the persistent criminalization of being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, as is the case in 76 countries.  The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, emphasized three areas of particular concern for the protection of LGBTI persons’ rights: 1) hate crimes, 2) criminalization of homosexuality, and 3) pervasive discriminatory practices. [OHCHR]  More information on these problems, the relevant international legal protections, and the OHCHR’s work to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is available on its website.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon marked International Day Against Homophobia by urging all the world’s governments to eliminate laws that discriminate against or criminalize LGBT individuals, and characterized “the fight against homophobia” as “a core part of the broader battle for human rights for all.”  [UN News Centre]  The Secretary General was speaking at the International Forum on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, held in The Hague.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged Organization of American States countries “to adopt measures to ensure that its public officials respect the rights of persons with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions in societies across the Americas.”  It called attention to “a rise in negative discourse by public officials in different OAS Member States against lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual and intersex persons, and against those who defend their rights” and urged governments to “contribute decisively to the building of a climate of tolerance and respect.”  The Inter-American Commission gives special attention to the rights of lesbian, gay, sexual, trans and intersex persons through its Unit on the Rights of LGBTI Persons.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) launched a report on the results of its extensive survey, European Union Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Survey, documenting the experiences of LGBT individuals in European Union Member States.  The report indicates pervasive discrimination in most areas of life, alarming levels of physical violence, and widespread fear among LGBT persons. [FRA]

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe places priority attention on the human rights of LGBT persons, among other thematic areas of focus, and has produced a report entitled, Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Europe.  For its part, the European Court of Human Rights, which adjudicates human rights complaints against Council of Europe Member States maintains three fact sheets on its jurisprudence related to the rights of LGBTI persons, on: Homosexuality: Criminal Aspects, Gender Identity Issues, and Sexual Orientation Issues.

As described by advocacy group GLAAD, the international day “was originally created to commemorate the 1990 removal of ‘homosexuality’ from the World Health Organization’s list of mental disorders. Since then, the day has become a time for reflection on the state of equality and a time to take action towards furthering the well-being and legal protection of LGBT people around the world.”

Civil society groups around the world have planned events to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  New resources released this year include the International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) report, State-Sponsored Homophobia: A World Survey of Laws: Criminalisation, Protection and Recognition of Same-Sex Love.

]]> http://www.ijrcenter.org/2013/05/17/human-rights-bodies-call-for-end-to-discrimination-intolerance-on-international-day-against-homophobia-and-transphobia/feed/ 0 http://www.ijrcenter.org/2013/05/14/nominations-for-2013-un-human-rights-prize-due-by-july-5/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nominations-for-2013-un-human-rights-prize-due-by-july-5 http://www.ijrcenter.org/2013/05/14/nominations-for-2013-un-human-rights-prize-due-by-july-5/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 15:05:01 +0000 robin http://www.ijrcenter.org/?p=2493 The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) has opened nominations for the 2013 United Nations Prize for those who have made “outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights.” The award has been presented every five years since 1968, pursuant to General Assembly Resolution that also established the international year for human rights.

Typically, six individuals or organizations are awarded each cycle and past recipients include Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Amnesty International, and the International Committee for the Red Cross. Assisted by the OHCHR, a high-level five-member committee makes the final decision on award recipients.  The  selection committee members are the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Human Rights Council, the Chair of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, the President of the Economic and Social Council, and the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women. The ceremony celebrating the 2013 winners will take place on December 10, 2013 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Nominations may come from “Member States, specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations in consultative status and … other appropriate sources.”  To make a nomination, fill out and submit the simple Nomination Form with basic identifying information about the nominee and the reasons supporting their nomination.  Nominations can be sent by email to humanrightsprize@ohchr.org or by post to the mailing address provided in the nomination form.

Nominations must be received by July 5, 2013.

The U.S. Department of State recently released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012.  The annual reports cover nearly every country besides the United States and address various human rights topics, such as freedom of speech and press, arbitrary arrest or detention, and workers’ rights. Drawing on a variety of resources, including U.S. consular staff and civil society reports, the country reports provide a wealth of information both in terms of details on selected victims and human rights violations, as well as an overview of each country.

The publication of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices is mandated by the U.S. Congress through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.  However, beyond the original goal to inform U.S. policy makers, the reports have also come to serve other purposes over the years.  For example, Immigration Judges in the U.S. consider the reports authoritative in establishing the relevant conditions in an asylum seeker’s country of origin and they have therefore become a critical reference for asylum attorneys. And, because the reports draw on firsthand accounts and independent sources, human rights advocates also rely on the reports for an accurate account of a country’s human rights practices.

Adding to the reports’ accessibility and utility, the Build a Report function for the online 2011 and 2012 reports allows all users to select the topics and countries in which they are most interested, then immediately generate a custom human rights report based on their selections.  This function greatly facilitates cross-country comparisons on a particular aspect of human rights, such as discrimination against women, or a comparison for a particular country from one year to the next.

The U.S. State Department also releases several related reports each year that can assist advocates in researching specific areas of human rights.  These additional annual reports include the International Religious Freedom Report, Trafficking in Persons Report, and the Advancing Freedom and Democracy Report.  Throughout the year, the U.S. State Department also publishes its human rights related actions online at humanrights.gov.

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