Reflections on the 33rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
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Friday October 14, 2016 - 16:57:08 in English News by
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The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)'s 33rd session was heavily focused on Africa, with Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic on the agenda. Much of our efforts this session went towards addressing human rights violations in Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan At the same time, on-going protests in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Amhara
regions and the authorities’ use of the use of excessive and lethal
force to disperse them present a crucial test for the country’s
stability, and DefendDefenders welcomed the concerns voiced by the
European Union and the Canadian delegations. DefendDefenders highlighted the urgency of the situation, and emphasised the need for an
independent, impartial, and international investigation into the alleged
abuses in its Item 4 statement.
On 20 September, the UN Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) published its final report, which concludes that there is abundant evidence of gross human rights violations and abuses perpetrated by the government, which may amount to crimes against humanity
.In February 2015, DefendDefenders published a report documenting early warning signs of the impending crisis that now engulfs Burundi. We have continued to engage in strong advocacy as the human rights situation continued to deteriorate, and supported Burundian human rights defenders to attend every session of the UNHRC since to draw attention to the gravity of the situation
Pablo de Greiff (UN Independent Human Rights Observer Burundi and co-author of the report on the human rights situation in Burundi) addresses a full room during the-side event "Preventing an entrenched crisis in Burundi"
The decision of the UNHRC to establish a Commission of Inquiry to conduct an investigation into human rights violations with a view to ensuring full accountability reflects the dire situation in Burundi. In its ten-year history, the UNHRC has only established mandates for four such Commissions – two of which cover countries in the East and Horn of Africa.
In the days after the UNHRC concluded its deliberations, the Burundian government responded by declaring the three experts of the UNIIB persona non grata, suspending its collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR), and signalling its intention to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.
However, as High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein stated in his opening remarks to the Council, the refusal to cooperate with OHCHR will not blind the world to human rights abuses, or deter efforts to ensure accountability for these violations.
Panellists and audience, including Ambassador Benedict Lukwiya (Deputy Permanent Representative of the Ugandan delegation) at the side-event "UPR in Uganda: Opportunities and pitfalls".
Meanwhile, the surge of violence that swept through Juba in July 2016, just as the UNHRC concluded its 32nd session, is a continued source of concern. In the wake of the violence, civil society faces alarming levels threats, and in its Item 4 statement DefendDefenders drew attention to the worsening pattern security, humanitarian and human rights crises currently underway in Africa’s newest nation.
DefendDefenders’ delegation, comprised of human rights defenders from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda, was also able to engage in constructive discussions on the right to political participation and Uganda’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review
On 20 September, the UN Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) published its final report, which concludes that there is abundant evidence of gross human rights violations and abuses perpetrated by the government, which may amount to crimes against humanity
.In February 2015, DefendDefenders published a report documenting early warning signs of the impending crisis that now engulfs Burundi. We have continued to engage in strong advocacy as the human rights situation continued to deteriorate, and supported Burundian human rights defenders to attend every session of the UNHRC since to draw attention to the gravity of the situation
Pablo de Greiff (UN Independent Human Rights Observer Burundi and co-author of the report on the human rights situation in Burundi) addresses a full room during the-side event "Preventing an entrenched crisis in Burundi"
The decision of the UNHRC to establish a Commission of Inquiry to conduct an investigation into human rights violations with a view to ensuring full accountability reflects the dire situation in Burundi. In its ten-year history, the UNHRC has only established mandates for four such Commissions – two of which cover countries in the East and Horn of Africa.
In the days after the UNHRC concluded its deliberations, the Burundian government responded by declaring the three experts of the UNIIB persona non grata, suspending its collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR), and signalling its intention to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.
However, as High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein stated in his opening remarks to the Council, the refusal to cooperate with OHCHR will not blind the world to human rights abuses, or deter efforts to ensure accountability for these violations.
Panellists and audience, including Ambassador Benedict Lukwiya (Deputy Permanent Representative of the Ugandan delegation) at the side-event "UPR in Uganda: Opportunities and pitfalls".
Meanwhile, the surge of violence that swept through Juba in July 2016, just as the UNHRC concluded its 32nd session, is a continued source of concern. In the wake of the violence, civil society faces alarming levels threats, and in its Item 4 statement DefendDefenders drew attention to the worsening pattern security, humanitarian and human rights crises currently underway in Africa’s newest nation.
DefendDefenders’ delegation, comprised of human rights defenders from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda, was also able to engage in constructive discussions on the right to political participation and Uganda’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review
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Reflections on the 33rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)'s 33rd session was heavily focused on Africa, with Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic on the agenda. Much of our efforts this session went towa