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The 18th Session of the Human Rights Council
12 September 2011The food crisis, the threat of a second global recession, the protest movements in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere, the Human Rights Council’s investigations of allegations of gross human rights violations in Libya, Syria and Côte d’Ivoire and a renewed call for States to respect human rights in counter terrorism strategies are highlighted in High Commissioner Pillay’s opening address to the 18th session of the Human Rights Council.
The lives of as many as 750,000 people are at risk because of the food crisis in the Horn of Africa, according to Pillay, who told the Council that the emergency is the result of not just environmental factors but also “the failure of governments – individually and collectively – to meet their preventive and remedial human rights obligations”.A combination of good governance, human rights and the rule of law as well as international cooperation must “be at the heart of any sustainable solution”, Pillay said.
The High Commissioner emphasized the role the Human Rights Council has played in seeking accountability for gross violations of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law through the dispatch of international commissions of enquiry to Lybia, Syria and Côte d’Ivoire. The work of the Council’s independent experts in “helping to foster and build this historic human rights momentum” was also commended by the Commissioner. Full Story>>>
