civicus at the un

• 17th session of the Human Rights Council Item 4: Report of the High Commissioner under Human Rights Council resolution S-15/1

  Interactive Dialogue

  9 June 2011 

  Delivered by Renate Bloem

   

  Thank you Mr. President,

  Mme High Commissioner, CIVICUS welcomes your detailed update as requested by the resolution of the Special Session on Libya of 25 February, as complimentary information to the report of the Commission on Inquiry (COI). We laud you own continued calls for impartial investigations, protection of journalists and restraint in military interventions during this time. It is surely worthwhile to also recall the legal framework and applicable law both for State and non-State actors.

  In this regard CIVICUS wants nevertheless to put the spotlight on the peculiar governance structure of the jamahiriyan system instituted by the Qadhafi regime since its revolution in 1969.  A one man rule using fear, intimidation and incentives based on loyalty without any independent legislative or judiciary institution, nor any independent media. Instead a number of paramilitary and security apparatuses to consolidate a climate of fear, mistrust and submission.

• 18th Session of the Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue on Cambodia

  28 September 2011, Delivered by Renate Bloem

   

  Thank you, Mme President,

  This is a joint statement by our partner the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, which represents over 130 members as well as the more than 400 endorsees of the Joint Statement on the Law on Association and NGOs.

  We thank Professor Subedi for his report and want to underline that we appreciate that state-civil society cooperation has been a key factor in the development of Cambodia from a war-torn country to a peaceful, vibrant developing country. While government and civil society organizations have often held different opinions, these bodies have met in constructive discussions and cooperated.

  The proposed Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO) indicates a departure from this successful path. Civil society organizations are very concerned that the third draft of the law grants far-reaching power to government authorities to control the rights of citizens to organize and express themselves. These rights are set out in the Cambodian Constitution and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Cambodia has signed and ratified, as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• Addressing human rights violations in Eritrea and the UN Commission of Inquiry’s findings

  To Permanent Representatives of
  Members and Observer States of the
  UN Human Rights Council

  Your Excellency,

  We, the undersigned civil society organisations (CSOs), write to express our grave concern about the Eritrean Government’s continued and egregious violations of human rights. We urge your delegation to co-sponsor a resolution renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea and supporting the establishment of robust accountability mechanisms to facilitate access to justice to the victims of human rights violations and crimes against humanity in Eritrea during the 32nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC).

• Addressing the human rights situation in Uzbekistan at the UN Human Rights Council

  

  10 years removed from the massacre in Anadijan, Uzbekistan, which left hundreds of civilians killed by security forces, the country remains one of the most persistent human rights violators in the world. To mark the anniversary, CIVICUS and nine other organisations have written a letter to representatives of the UN Human Rights Council urging them to take action.

• Adoption of the UPR Report of Sudan

  16th session of the Human Rights Council

  23 September 2011

  Delivered by Mme Heimat KUKU

   

  Thank you Mme. President

  This is a joint statement by CIVICUS, the Arab NGO Network for Development and the Sudanese National Civic Forum, the Human Rights and Legal Aids Network in Sudan, the Sudanese Gender Research Centre, the Child’s Center in Sudan, and the Sudanese Development Initiative.

  We welcome the sincere desire stated by the Delegation to cooperate with Human Rights Council and the UPR mechanism and we are pleased with the acceptance of some of the recommendations received during the Working Group session, including those related to economic and social rights. We ask to immediately act to translate them into comprehensive, concrete and effective action.

• Advocacy priorities at the 49th Session of UN Human Rights Council

  The 49^th Session of the Human Rights Council will run from 28 February to 1 April 2022. For the first time since 2020, the session will be held in hybrid mode: civil society will be able to engage in certain debates in person as well as via video, while still being limited to video statements during General Debates. CIVICUS encourages States to continue to highlight the importance of civil society participation, which makes the Human Rights Council stronger, more informed and more effective.

• Annual High-Level Panel on the 2030 Agenda, human rights and the Right to Development

  31st session of the Human Rights Council
  Delivered by Renate Bloem

  CIVICUS welcomes this timely high-level debate when we move from adoption to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• Annual Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

  Delivered by Renate Bloem

  "Thank you Mr. President,

  Madame High Commissioner, 

  CIVICUS welcomes your last annual report and wishes to pay tribute to your tenure, to your and your Office’ overall success and leadership in mainstreaming human rights throughout the UN system and beyond, so exemplarily underscored by the SG’s most recent initiative and plan of action “Rights Up Front”. You combated courageously human rights violations wherever they occurred, becoming the voice of victims and a beam of hope. We laud your smiling diplomacy which so effectively withstood every attempt to undermine or control your independence. "

  Read the full statement 

   

• Appeal to swiss government to make human rights the focal point of Bahrain state visit

  

  Attention MFA Didier Burkhalter

  Excellency,

  We, the undersigned, write to you concerning Switzerland’s hosting of the King of Bahrain and his state delegation on Thursday 12 May. Bahrain continues to severely restrict the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly; torture remains systematic; use of the death penalty has increase; and the state is arbitrarily rendering activists and juveniles stateless.

• Bahrain: NGOs call for an end to reprisals against human rights defenders as Nabeel Rajab arrested and Bahraini rights defenders banned from travel to Geneva

  As the 32nd Session of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) opened in Geneva on 13 June, Nabeel Rajab, Bahrain's most high profile human rights defender, was arrested after dozens of police officers raided his home at around 5am and confiscated his electronic devices. The day before, Bahraini human rights defenders and victims of violations were prevented from flying to Geneva.

• Belarus: Summary of Second Universal Periodic Review

  Following the second UPR of Belarus, CIVICUS has produced a summary of the country's current human rights situation, associated recommendations from member states, and recent civil society advocacy activities that have taken place at the UN in Geneva.

• Call for United Nations Human Rights Council Special Session on the Human Rights Situation in the Syrian Arab Republic

  April 6, 2011

  To: All Member States of the UN Human Rights Council
  

  Call for United Nations Human Rights Council Special Session on the Human Rights Situation in the Syrian Arab Republic

  Excellency,
  As Human Rights non‐governmental organizations from all regions of the world, we express our serious concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Syria since the country’s security forces started using live ammunition against protesters on 18 March 2011. We call on the UN Human Rights Council to pursue its mandate by responding to the grave on‐going crisis by convening a special session as soon as possible.

  Since 18 March 2011, Syrian security forces have used live ammunition to silence growing protests, almost entirely peaceful, calling for greater freedoms in the country. Scores of protesters – at least 100 ‐ have been killed, apparently by live ammunition fired by the security forces, in Dera’a, al‐Sanamayn, Latakia, Duma and elsewhere. Under international law and applicable standards, lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life. The violent crackdown over Syria should be stopped immediately.

• Call on the UN Human Rights Council to Address the Deteriorating Human Rights Situation in Cambodia: Joint NGO Letter

  

  Geneva, 20 August 2015,

  Re: Addressing the deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia and ensuring that the United Nations retains its protection role and monitoring capacity in the country 

  Your Excellency, 

  We urge your delegation to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia by supporting a resolution, at the 30th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (14 September-2 October 2015), that highlights patterns of serious violations and calls on the Cambodian Government to put an end to such violations and to abide by its domestic and international legal obligations. The resolution should also extend the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia.

• CIVICUS activities at the Human Rights Council to help protect human rights defenders

  During the second week of the council, on the 6th of March, we organised a joint side event with the HRHF on the “Criminalisation of Human Rights Defenders in the Russian Federation “. This followed on the heels of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Margaret Sekaggya’s report to the council and gave ample illustration to her previous report to the UNGA on the theme of “criminalisation”. It was also meant to prepare for the upcoming Universal Periodic Review on Russia in April. Read the full report here.

  This was followed by another CIVICUS event on March 13th 2013 titled “Eurasia: The silencing of Human Rights Defenders in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan” which was also in preparation for the UPR Reviews of these three countries next month. The event had received considerable attention already. At the last minute one of our speakers from Uzbekistan was not allowed to leave the country and the other, well known exiled Uzbek activist Mutabar Tadzhibaeva, who had caused media attention after speaking out at the previous Human Rights Film Festival and afterwards trying to visit the Uzbek Ambassador’s residence of Gulnara Karimov (daughter of Uzbek President). She found herself facing an official complaint from the Uzbek authorities and she was sought after by the Geneva Police. Fortunately, we could settle the dispute in time. The report of the side event can be found here.

• CIVICUS alliance assesses human rights progress in Moldova, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

  20 March 2012

  The UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland from 27 February to 23 March 2012, sees a number of countries come under the spotlight as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, in which States report on their human rights records. CIVICUS alliance members are active in monitoring countries' progress on human right, and have recently made inputs to the UPR processes on Moldova, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela and Zimbabwe, available here.

• CIVICUS alliance examines the human right situations in Cote d’Ivoire, the DR Congo, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Qatar

  CIVICUS makes interventions for the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which scrutinizes each country's human rights record every four years. In advance of the 19th session of the UPR, CIVICUS has made five joint submissions on threats to the freedoms of expression, association and assembly in Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Qatar. The submissions further highlight the need for an enabling operating environment for civil society and the need to protect human rights defenders.

  

  In Cote d’Ivoire, CIVICUS, the West African Human Rights Defenders Network and the Ivorian Coalition of Human Rights Defenders examine the persistent harassment, intimidation and attacks against journalists and human rights defenders by the country’s military forces and armed militia groups.

  In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, CIVICUS’ joint submission with the League for Human Rights in the Great Lakes Region gravely notes the lack of any discernible improvement in the treatment and safety of protestors, members of the media, and civil society activists since 2009.

  In Ethiopia, CIVICUS, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project and the Human Rights Council analyse the continued invocation of broad and imprecise legislation, including the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation and the 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, to silence all forms of independent dissent.

  In Nicaragua, CIVICUS and the Nicaraguan Network for Democracy and Local Development warn about the growing use of judicial, financial and administrative channels, by the Nicaraguan authorities, to restrict freedom of expression, independence of the media and access to information.

  In Qatar, CIVICUS’ joint submission with the Gulf Center for Human Rights examines the criminalization of the creation of an independent civil society sector, severe limitations on freedom of association and to collective bargaining for unions, and strict controls domestic media outlets.

• CIVICUS and the Arab NGO Network for Development deliver statement on Syria at the UN Human Rights Council

   

  CIVICUS and the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) declared their full support for the peaceful protests and the legitimate demands of the Syrian people during the Special Session on Syria at the UN Human Rights Council today. In a statement delivered by Renate Bloem, CIVICUS' representative to the UN in Geneva, CIVICUS and ANND condemned the criminal practices of the Syrian regime and called for the immediate end of the cycle of violence.

  Here is the full statement.

• CIVICUS and the Expert Working Group joint statement to the 24th HRC on Uzbekistan

  CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the Expert Working Group, a human rights policy organization based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan released a joint statement to the 24th Session of the HRC on the human rights session in Uzbekistan.

  The Human Rights Council's review of Uzbekistan occurs at a time when the government continues to imprison activists and human rights defenders at an alarming rate for undertaking their legitimate and peaceful work.

  Despite the government's acceptance of a number of recommendations committing to advancing judicial reform in accordance with international law and ensuring that human rights defenders and CSOs can freely operate in accordance with international standards, at least 15 civil society activists remain imprisoned on politically motivated charges. A number of those imprisoned were not provided guarantees under fair trial and due process standards and were sentenced to lengthy prison terms ranging from 10-15 years. Several of the detained activists, including Azam Turgunov and Dilmurod Saidov, have experienced an acute deterioration of their health, while at least seven others have reported being subject to ill treatment or torture while in custody.

  Read the full statement

• CIVICUS at the HRC: Civil Society Joint Statement on Bahrain

  As the government of Bahrain continues to curtail the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, a group of NGOs has written to the delegations of 18 member states at the UN Human Rights Council urging them to formally condone the human rights violations in Bahrain. In particular the NGOs are urgin g member states to endorse the position of Switzerland who has written a letter to Bahrain calling for reform.

• CIVICUS at the HRC: Comments on the Universal Periodic Review of Belarus

  At the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, CIVICUS expressed its concern with the government of Belarus, which failed to adopt the recommendations made at its last Universal Periodic Review in 2011. Since then, the human rights conditions have deteriorated and the government deploys repressive practices such as arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, abductions and continued harassment of human rights defenders.