SA Government Response to UN Watch Report on Human Rights

In response to media queries regarding the UN Watch Report on Human Rights, the South African Government wishes to put the following on records:

• The promotion and protection of human rights remains one of the pillars of South Africa´s foreign policy.
• This is an approach derived from our constitution and the bill of rights.
• We express this practically in both our bilateral and multilateral engagements.
• Bilaterally we engage directly with countries and express our concerns where we feel that human rights are being violated.
• In the multilateral arena South Africa has always been among the leading countries behind the reform and strengthening of the UN´s human rights machinery.
• As a manifestation of this South Africa chaired the negotiations that led to the creation of the new UN Human Rights Council.
• We supported the creation of the Human Rights Council because we saw it as a body with the potential to re-energize the UN´s human rights machinery and improve its credibility.
• The UN´s human rights machinery over the years lost its credibility due to the problems of double standards, selectivity and politicization.
• By double standards we mean that it only addressed itself with human rights problems in some and not in other countries. Historically the UN resolutions on human rights have always targeted mainly the developing countries. No resolutions are ever brought and passed to address human rights situations in developed countries or global human rights problems created by developed countries. This is a fact that organizations such as UN Watch, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International know too well.
• Because of this a mockery is made of human rights with the impression created that certain human rights violations are tolerable because they are committed in some countries.
• By politicization we mean that a number of the resolutions are presented at the United Nations to address bilateral political problems. Indeed when these bilateral political problems are resolved such resolutions are no longer presented. This is a fact which organizations such as UN Watch, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International know too well.
• The whole membership of the United Nations therefore recognized these problems and supported the creation of the Human Rights Council and South Africa is pleased to have played a role in its creation.
• There are two broad categories of human rights recognized at the international level: civil and political rights; and social and economic rights.
• While many western countries and western NGOs are only concerned about civil and political rights, South Africa on the other hand and many other countries are concerned about all human rights - civil and political; and social and economic.
• The ranking by UN Watch is therefore blatantly lopsided because it creates the impression that the international community is only concerned about civil and political rights, and therefore the country situations.
• We wish to put it on record that the country situations mentioned by UN Watch are only one agenda item under ten agenda items addressed by the Human Rights Council under the two broad categories mentioned above.
• Had the UN Watch rankings been based on a holistic and comprehensive assessment of country positions, based on all the agenda items of the Human Rights Council, surely South Africa does way better than many other countries.
• We also hope that the Sunday Times would look critically at some of these organizations before giving them undue credence. It should be recalled that UN Watch is one organization that is actively campaigning to undermine a key South African initiative at the global level, the World Conference Against Racism. While the world is grappling with and trying to find solutions to the problems of racial hatred and intolerance UN Watch posts articles on its website describing the conference as a “global festival of hatred”. It is therefore important that while quoting these organizations the Sunday Times should also inform its readers about the extent of their agenda.
• Sunday Times might therefore also wish to qualify its description of these organizations as the “world´s biggest human rights organizations”.
• South Africa shall never apologise for insisting on the careful division of labour between the organs of the United Nations. As we entrench good governance at home we insist on the same principles in the multilateral system.
• The fact that Professor Gambari is able to register some progress in his interventions on Myanmar is testimony to the need for the international community to avoid political expediency and utilize the correct tools to address global problems.
• The UN should also not be just about condemning human rights violations but should also seek to do something concrete about it. This was the spirit in which the human rights council was borne – that instead of the old system it would also focus on helping countries concretely to address their problems. It is a fact, however, that for some countries and non-governmental organizations, it is still business as usual.
  

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

18 November 2007