Human rights should be on UN’s agenda
At the opening of the 2018 United Nations General Assembly’s 73rd session last month, the UN and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continued to prioritise prevention. Secretary-General Guterres has made conflict prevention his main focus, and for good reason. Violent conflicts have nearly tripled in recent years while becoming increasingly protracted. The UN has found itself unable to respond quickly and effectively to these crises. At the same time, the complex nature of growing conflict threatens to deter progress on the 2030 Agenda. Instead of merely reacting to outbreaks of violence, the secretary-general has made a strong case for investing in prevention.
To his credit, the secretary-general has been remarkably field-focused and has exhibited a clear aversion for UN bureaucracy.
While the secretary-general’s three reform streams include changes to two pillars of the UN system —development and peace and security —the third pillar of the UN system has been conspicuously ignored: human rights. This is not a great surprise. Human rights are a hot button issue that for some countries evokes the fear of intervention. Many developing states for example, argue that Western countries will use human rights mechanisms as a pretext to violate their sovereignty. Three permanent members of the UN Security Council — Russia, China, and the US — have also signaled their growing distrust and frustration with UN human rights mechanisms. Guterres has been treading carefully and has been reluctant to speak publicly on human rights issues.
However, at a time of increasing conflict, growing disregard for international humanitarian law, and a rise in nationalism and xenophobia, the secretary-general can no longer afford to stay silent on human rights.
China and Russia have launched a campaign to weaken the UN human rights system.
They have used their power within the UN’s budget committee to limit the number of human rights posts in the UN system. In
March, both China and Russia voted to dismantle a key post within the secretary-general’s office dedicated to overseeing the UN’s work on Human Rights up Front (HRuF) — an initiative started by former Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to bolster the UN’s action on human rights. China and Russia have also zealously sought to limit the discussion of human rights issues in the UN Security Council.
The failure of the UN country team in Myanmar to confront the government about the situation in Rakhine state serves as the most glaring recent example of lackluster implementation. An internal UN report found that the “situation in Rakhine state was forcing international institutions into complicity with systematic abuses” against the Rohingya, partly due to “excessive selfcensorship” on rights. Similarly, the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar concluded that genocide unfolded in Myanmar while the UN was supposed to be implementing its HRuF action plan.
Revitaliding the human rights pillar will further bolster the secretary-general’s conflict prevention agenda. While some governments wish for the UN to act merely as an aid or humanitarian organisation, the UN must remain steadfast in upholding its duty to protect and promote human rights.
The Human Rights Council is vital to the UN’s efforts to prevent human rights violations and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable. For example, it has conducted thorough and impartial fact-finding missions into atrocities committed in Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen. Nevertheless, the Human Rights Council has been widely criticised for its membership and election procedures.
Ultimately, Secretary-General Guterres’ conflict prevention efforts would benefit from a greater focus on using human rights mechanisms to improve early warning and early action by the entire UN system. The credibility and legitimacy of the UN depends on its ability to stand up for victims of human rights abuses and serve as a moral voice in the world. As the former High Commissioner for Human Right said, “When the fundamental principles of human rights are not protected, the centre of our institution no longer holds.” —IPI Global Observatory Jennifer Norris is a lawyer who has worked as a Human Rights Officer with the UN Mission in Congo and in Geneva. She is currently working on the UN reform process
The credibility and legitimacy of the UN depends on its ability to stand up for victims of human rights abuses and serve as a moral voice in the world.