OMCT Seminar - Addressing the economic, social and cultural root causes of violence through the UN Special Procedures System

That was the question representatives of national human rights NGOs from some 14 countries addressed last week during an international seminar organised by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) at the Graduate Institute of Development Studies (Institut Universitaire d’Etudes du Développement) in Geneva.

Ms. Soussan Raadi-Azarakhchi, Chief, Special Procedures Branch, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) addressed the opening ceremony and expressed OHCHR support for efforts to use the special procedures system to address the root causes of violence.

The overall substantive framework for the seminar was provided in opening statements made by Mr. Yves Berthelot, former Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and Mr. Eric Sottas, Director of OMCT. The seminar took place at the same time as the 14th annual session of United Nations special procedures mandate holders. The UN special procedures system provides mechanisms for evaluation of and action on a wide range of human rights issues and on the human rights situation in countries. In urgent matters special procedures mandate holders can approach governments asking for protective measures [1].

The European Union through the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights provided substantial support for this seminar

NGO representatives from Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, Colombia, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, India, Liberia, Nepal, South Africa and Zambia held in depth discussions with leading special procedures mandate holders responsible for issues relating to torture, indigenous peoples, the right to health, arbitrary detention, protection of human rights defenders and violations of human rights by private security forces. The participants explored how those mandates and the others in the special procedures system could help them attack the root causes of torture and violence in their countries and what national NGOs needed to do to help make the special procedures effective.

The issue of the macro-economic and political policies that need to be addressed to reduce inequality and the resulting violence was addressed by Mr. François Beaujolin, President of the Geneva based Foundation for Human Rights at Work (Fondation des droits de l’homme au travail). Ms. Sandra Ratjen of the organisation FIAN (FoodFirst Information and Action Network) examined ways that national NGOs, with international collaboration, can effectively act against government policies that risk increasing poverty.

Participants also attended two public meetings of the 14th annual session of United Nations special procedures mandate holders and held discussions with staff of the OHCHR.

During the seminar, participants presented and discussed papers examining the economic, social and cultural root causes of violence in their countries, identifying the types of action taken to address those root causes and evaluating their effectiveness. Videos were presented illustrating some of these issues. Participants considered carefully the potential of the special procedures mandates to assist them and discussed how they could best interface with those mandates and how OMCT, as a network of national NGOs, could be of assistance.

They concluded that in order to fight violence it is crucial for NGOs to identify and address its economic, social and cultural root causes, that NGO action can be effective, that the United Nations procedures can be of significant assistance if NGOs provide reliable and targeted information and that it is important for OMCT to continue to develop its capacity to support national NGOs in this area.

This seminar was part of a larger OMCT project aimed at addressing the economic, social and cultural root causes of torture and other forms of violence which has received substantial support from the European Union.

For more information contact Tom McCarthy (tmc@omct.org) or Michael Miller (mm@omct.org) OMCT Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Programme, Geneva.

[1] For more information see the OHCHR webpage http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/index.htm