Human Rights Organizations Urge UN Human Rights Council Member States to Reject Amendments to the Draft Resolution Renewing the Mandate of The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
In the context of the renewal of the mandate of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), during the 36th regular session of the Human Rights Council, through draft resolution A/HRC/36/L.10, the undersigned human rights organizations emphasize the essential role of the Working Group and call for the renewal of its mandate so that it can continue its important mission of prevention and protection against enforced disappearances.
For us, the WGEID is a vital mechanism for the protection of people on the ground, providing victims with an efficient mechanism to speedily deal with cases of enforced disappearances, in addition to the cooperation with the homologous Committee and the wide visibility which the Working Group gives to cases of enforced disappearances, reinforcing the international commitment to prevent such atrocities.
At the present session, two amendments to the draft resolution renewing the mandate of the Working Group were submitted (A/HRC/36/L.631 and A/HRC/36/L.642). These amendments compromise the autonomy and independence by which the Working Group discharges its duties. In addition, they interfere with the fine balance between national sovereignty and the competence of international mechanisms, already achieved during the adoption of resolution 5/1 (the “Institutional Building Package”) and Resolution 5/2 (the Code of Conduct). Transposing selectively fragments from that prior global commitment represents a serious distortion on the role and institutional functions of the WGEID. In addition, the amendments set a dangerous precedent, posing a systemic risk for all other special procedures.
Accordingly, the signatory organizations urge the members of the Human Rights Council to approve the renewal of the mandate of the WGEID, at the same time as rejecting the proposed amendments.
1. Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo
2. Acceso a la Justicia
3. Acción Solidaria
4. Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights 5. Adivasi Koordination, Germany
6. African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
7. Alkarama Foundation
8. Amnesty International
9. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
10. Asian Legal Resource Centre
11. Burundi Association for Integration and Sustainable Development (AIDB)
12. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
13. Center for Reproductive Rights
14. Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Metropolitana.
15. Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez
16. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
17. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
18. CIVILIS Derechos Humanos
19. Comision Colombiana de Juristas
20. Comision paraa los Drechos Humanos y la CiudadaniaCODEHCIU
21. Conectas Human Rights
22. Consejeria CAMEX Oxlajuj Ix
23. Convite AC
24. Corporación Humanas – Chile
25. DefendDefenders (the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) 26. Federation for Women and Family Planning
27. FIAN Belgium
28. FIAN International
29. FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights)
30. Forum Menschenrechte (Germany)
31. Franciscans International
32. Geneva for Human Rights
33. Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF)
34. Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF)
35. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
36. INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka
37. Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
38. Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Direitos Humanos - IDDH
39. int. association against torture (AICT)
40. International Commission of Jurists
41. International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)
42. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) 43. Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada
44. Minority Rights Group International (MRG) 45. MNDH Brasil
46. Monitor Social AC
47. Organizacion StopVIH
48. Penal Reform International
49. Plataforma Internacional Contra la Impunidad
50. Proiuris (Venezuela)
51. Réseau International des Droits Humains RIDH
52. Sexual Rights Initiative
53. Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network
54. Tamazight Women Movement
55. The ICCA Consortium
56. Una Ventana a la Libertad
57. Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos - Guatemala (UDEFEGUA)
58. West African Human Rights Defenders' Network/Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits
Humains
59. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
60. Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
61. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights