10. The Human Rights Diplomacy Of The UN Secretary-General

1950 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 614-630

The fifth regular session of the General Assembly, meeting at Lake Success on September 19, 1950, had before it an agenda of 70 items. The Assembly was expected to discuss, in particular, questions concerning Palestine, the former Italian colonies, the Balkans, threats to the political integrity of China, the problem of the independence of Korea, observance of human rights, international control of atomic energy, technical assistance for under-developed areas, freedom of information, refugees and stateless persons, matters concerning trusteeship and non-self-governing territories, administrative and budgetary matters, reports of the specialized agencies, and reports of the Secretary-General on activities of the organization during the year.


Author(s):  
Esra Demir-Gürsel

Abstract This article investigates the influence of the former Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), Thorbjørn Jagland, on the responses of other CoE bodies to the systemic breaches of the core principles of other CoE bodies to the systemic breaches of the core principles of the CoE in the context of two critical events: Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and Turkey’s state of emergency that followed the attempted coup in 2016. Specifically, it examines the influence of the Secretary General’s policy preferences on the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE and the European Court of Human Rights. The article argues that Jagland’s policy preferences in the context of these two events prioritised political expediency to the detriment of the CoE’s normative mission. The article finds that the Secretary General played a crucial role in facilitating the reversal of the sanctions imposed by the Assembly against Russia and the postponement of the processing of Turkey’s post-coup cases by the Court.


Author(s):  
Richard Falk

This chapter reflects on the role as special rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), which investigated the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The chapter first provides an overview of the role and office of special rapporteur, noting that UN concerns about Israel and responses to Palestinian grievances are highly politicized within the organization, before discussing some of the characteristics that distinguish the mandate established by the HRC and made applicable to Occupied Palestine. It also explains what was accomplished in six years as special rapporteur of the HRC and details the controversies and pressures attached to that job. It shows that the “UN” comprises different layers, agendas, and interests. The chapter claims that while the United Nations secretary-general in New York permitted personal attacks against the special rapporteur, the leadership and professionals of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva strongly supported his efforts in what the chapter calls the “legitimacy war”.


Author(s):  
Gisela Hirschmann

This chapter contains two case studies analyzing the evolution of pluralist accountability in response to the violation of the rights of detainees held in Kosovo by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and the NATO-led military operation KFOR. The analysis reveals that while pluralist accountability evolved in the case of detentions by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), it failed with regard to KFOR detentions. The competitive environment stimulated regional organizations to sharpen their profiles as external accountability holders, in both cases by establishing an Ombudsperson Institution and a Human Rights Advisory Panel. However, the difference in UNMIK’s and KFOR’s vulnerability with regard to human rights demands explains why pluralist accountability evolved only in the case of UNMIK.


European View ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-114
Author(s):  
Günter Nooke

According to former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, world peace is based on the pillars of security, development and human rights. The defence of human rights is a particular foreign policy strength of both the EU and Germany. Despite advances, human rights are currently under threat from two angles. The first is a tendency to demand so much in the realm of human rights that, in the end, very little is achieved. The second is a growing movement that prioritises the rights of the collective over individual rights. However, it is individual human rights that are paramount and it is possible to extend individual rights without trampling cultural diversity. Given Europe's history of freeing itself from the shackles of dictatorship, its role in the defence of human rights is invaluable.


Author(s):  
Roberta Cohen ◽  
Francis M. Deng

The concept of ‘sovereignty as responsibility’ is without question one of the foundations for the concept of the responsibility to protect (R2P). As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed in 2008, R2P is built on the ‘positive and affirmative concept of sovereignty as responsibility—a concept developed by . . . Francis Deng, and his colleagues at the Brookings Institution more than a decade ago’. This chapter discusses how the concept of sovereignty as responsibility developed from discussions about governance in Africa and from the application of human rights standards to the protection of internally displaced persons. It also identifies the differences in emphasis, scope, and usage between the concept and R2P.


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