Mr. Chairman,

Madam High Commissioner,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

 

At the outset, allow me to congratulate you once again, Mr. Chairman, as well as to the other members of the Expanded Bureau, on your election.

 

Today, I would like to present a brief overview of the Sixty-first Session of the Commission and to offer some humble reflections on our future work.  

 

The session of the Commission last year attracted some 4,000 participants and saw over 930 public and private parallel events, including meetings by NGOs, governments, and national human rights institutions on many important themes and situations.  Participation by NGOs in the work of the Commission was high, with some 2,000 representatives. 

 

I am especially content and heartened that, in light of the seemingly unflattering characterization of the Commission, the Sixty-first Session has seen a co-operative spirit in finding common ground permeating the forum. In general, the participants displayed a very positive goodwill.  This has contributed to constructive and fruitful deliberations, as well as to the adoption of 85 resolutions, mostly by consensus, 18 decisions and 4 Chairperson?s statements. Such a spirit also contributed to the establishment of several new special procedures? mandates. 

 

In all, the Expanded Bureau held 10 meetings altogether.  Moreover, we have successfully built on the close friendship and personal rapport among all members of the Expanded Bureau to manage and address difficult issues that inevitably came before us. The total number of points of order was substantially reduced and interventions by delegations were undoubtedly more substantive, even on controversial issues.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

I have been honoured to represent the Commission on several occasions, notably in addressing the Third Committee of the General Assembly last year, and the 49th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in February 2005.  On my behalf, a Commission Vice-Chairperson, Ambassador Mohamed Lemine, participated in the meeting of the functional commissions of ECOSOC in New York.  In December 2005, I was invited to address an International Conference on the Right to Basic Education in Jakarta, jointly organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and UNESCO. The event was clearly inspired by the resolution on the right to education endorsed by this Commission. 

 

While difficult issues and resolutions were addressed, participants to the 61st Commission also deliberated the issue of United Nations reform, especially on the human rights mechanisms.  Hence, the 61st Session is unique in that it held two informal consultative sessions on this issue, in April and June of last year.  A summary of those consultations was submitted to the President of the General Assembly.  Following consultations between the latter and myself in New York in October 2005, another informal meeting was organized in November to exchange views on the modalities for the establishment of a Human Rights Council.  

 

This series of consultations not only provided an opportunity for us to clarify many issues, it also helped the President of the General Assembly and the Co-Chairs to become familiar with the views and insights of the Geneva human rights community.   I believe we in the Commission have made a constructive and meaningful contribution to the discussions on the reform of the international human rights forum.  I do not think it can be denied that through these informal consultations we have played a contributing role in the historic establishment of the Human Rights Council.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

In concluding the work of this Commission and in welcoming the Human Rights Council, I hope that we can build on the positive achievements of the Commission on Human Rights while not repeating what may have been regarded as the pitfalls.  The strengths of the Commission, which in my views stem in large part from its promotional mandate, include the existing human rights international legal standards and the increasingly influential international system for the promotion and protection of human rights. Such strengths further include the system of independent special procedures, technical and advisory expertise, and the constructive engagement of human rights NGOs.

 

Nevertheless, as has been pointed out so many times by many people, the Commission also suffers from a tendency to over-politicize, become selective, and engage in double standards. I think most of you would concur with me that there is great promise in the Human Rights Council if, in its work, it reaffirms the principles of universality, impartiality and non-selectivity and embraces international cooperation and dialogue while performing universal periodic reviews of the human rights records of all States.  On the other hand, as an elevated body, the Council might also take politicization, selectivity and double standards to new heights.  We rejoice in having successfully established this new body. However, we must always bear in mind the legitimate concerns of all nations and peoples in our newly-found power to construct and fashion the Council according to our vision. 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

As the Human Rights Council embarks on its maiden journey, we are more challenged than ever to ensure that our deliberations in the new body make a tangible impact for enhancing respect for human rights at the global, regional and national levels. Having observed that, in many cases, human rights problems stem from a lack of capacity or inadequate awareness of their obligations by the relevant duty holders and stakeholders, the Human Rights Council should therefore make capacity-building a priority.

 

Such deficiencies are found not only in the critical areas, such as the administration of justice and the wider national human rights protection systems, but also in the more basic areas such as human rights education.  The Commission and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have done some substantial work on this area.  States should be assisted in enhancing national capacity through a constructive process that entails proper arrangement considerations. The clear emphasis on the modalities in enhancing national capacity building is a real promise to this effect.

 

Those key elements that promise the strength of the Council are the result of our collective vision, the vision of all nations reflecting a new beginning for human rights cause. It is now our duty to maintain and strengthen this momentum. We realize that our duty to ensure that the Human Rights Council delivers on its promises will not be easy. However, with the spirit of inclusiveness, cooperation, and dialogue, the Human Rights Council can, and will, make a real difference. What is truly important here is that the Human Rights Council should be able to guarantee that its decisions are implemented on the ground. Equally important is that the Human Rights Council should ensure the promotion and protection of all human rights to which human beings are entitled, whatever those rights, and wherever or whenever they may be exercised.

 

Mr. Chairman,

Distinguished delegates,

 

It has been a great honour and privilege for me to serve as Chairperson of the Commission. Allow me to conclude by again expressing my gratitude to you for all of your support throughout my term in office and to extend to you, Mr. Chairman, my very best wishes for the success of your mandate.