Increasing the effectiveness of the UN Special Procedures - Oral statement at the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council
Item 5: Oral statement by 20 NGOs expressingsupport for the Coordination Committee’s process to strengthen the work of theSpecial Procedures
HumanRights Council 42nd session - 19 September 2019
Mr President,
We deliver this statementon behalf of 20 NGOs.
Wenote the concerns in the Declaration[1] ofthe Special Procedures’ mandate holders at the Annual Meeting 2019 and sharetheir concern about the global retrenchment against the values and obligationsembedded in international human rights law and the challenges they spell outwith regard to non-cooperation.
Wealso express appreciation[2]for the process set in place by the Special Procedures Coordination Committee todiscuss ways in which the work can be strengthened including by seeking inputfrom a wide range of stakeholders. This process presents the most appropriateway to ensure the effectiveness of the Special Procedures in protecting andpromoting human rights, and to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation andaddress situations where there may be concerns regarding the actions of individualmandate holders.
Wehope that this process will also provide an opportunity to discuss issues ofchronic underfunding, non-cooperation of States with the Special Procedures,acts of reprisal and intimidation against human rights defenders and ad hominem attacks against mandateholders and how to make non-cooperation including selective cooperation bystates more costly.
AmnestyInternational
AsianForum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Associationfor Women’s Rights in Development
CairoInstitute for Human Rights Studies
Centerfor Reproductive Rights
ChildRights Connect
CIVICUS:World Alliance for Citizen Participation
ColombianCommission of Jurists
Defence for Children International
Genevafor Human Rights
ILGA World
International Bar Association’sHuman Rights Institute
InternationalCommission of Jurists
InternationalMovement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)
InternationalService of Human Rights
Peace BrigadesInternational
Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI)
SwedishAssociation for Sexuality Education
Women’s InternationalLeague for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
[1]https://ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/SP/AMeetings/26thMeeting/26thSP_AnnualMeeting_Statement_SP_June2019.docx
[2]Civil society statement on efforts to strengthen and increase effectiveness ofthe United Nations Special Procedures , https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/IOR4009672019ENGLISH.pdf @font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math";}@font-face { font-family: "Amnesty Trade Gothic Light";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; }p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; }p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }span.HeaderChar { }span.FooterChar { }span.FootnoteTextChar { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; }.MsoPapDefault { line-height: 115%; }div.WordSection1 { }