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GENEVA / ZEID
STORY: GENEVA / ZEID
TRT: 02:18
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 JUNE 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot exterior, Palais des Nations
13 JUNE 2016, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, Human Rights room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The countries of Europe must find a way to address the current migration crisis consistently and in a manner that respects the rights of the people concerned – including in the context of the EU-turkey agreement. It is entirely possible to create well-functioning migration governance systems, even for large numbers of people, with fair and effective determination of individual protection needs.”
4. Close up, Camera viewer
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“Torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, forced evictions and the destruction of schools and entire neighbourhoods continue unabated. Hospitals are attacked, apparently deliberately: last week, in Aleppo, three medical centres hit in a single day – one, a paediatric centre, for the second time. Women and girls in particular, and minorities, are abused by twisted fanatics with a dehumanising sadism that is part of no religion.”
6. Close up, screen in Human Rights Room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“More than 21 million Yemenis – 80 percent of the population – need basic assistance, 2,8 million have been forced to leave their homes. Humanitarian aid is frequently obstructed by the parties to the conflict and limited by funding difficulties.”
8. Wide shot, Human Rights Room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General:
“Deep social and economic crises and injustices, as well as the devastating effects of climate change, have contributed to leaving the human rights promise of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights unfulfilled for far too many people around the world. We must reverse these negative trends – and use every tool at our disposal. In particular, let us make good on our intentions to prevent, rather than simply react, to human rights violations.”
10. Wide shot, Human Rights Room
In a wide-ranging opening speech to mark the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein shed a light on "preventable calamities" and worrying trends in human rights around the world, including detailed concerns about the situation in more than 50 countries.
Zeid deplored "worrying rise" in detention of migrants in so-called "hotspots" in Greece and Italy and urged authorities to find alternatives to confining children while their asylum requests are processed.
He said that “the countries of Europe must find a way to address the current migration crisis consistently and in a manner that respects the rights of the people concerned – including in the context of the EU-turkey agreement. It is entirely possible to create well-functioning migration governance systems, even for large numbers of people, with fair and effective determination of individual protection needs”.
Furthermore, Zeid told the UN Human Rights Council that he deplored "the widespread anti-migrant rhetoric that we have heard, spanning the length and breadth of the European continent". Referring figures published last month, Zeid said that “fewer than 1,600 – less than 1 percent - have actually been relocated.”
The High Commissioner mentioned also “the disaster of Syria” which continues to deepen. He said that “torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, forced evictions and the destruction of schools and entire neighbourhoods continue unabated. Hospitals are attacked, apparently deliberately: last week, in Aleppo, three medical centres hit in a single day – one, a paediatric centre, for the second time. Women and girls in particular, and minorities, are abused by twisted fanatics with a dehumanising sadism that is part of no religion.”
As one of the more than 50 countries in which the High Commissioner detailed alleged rights violations, he mentioned Yemen. The armed conflict that began more than a year ago has taken a terrible toll on civilians. Zeid said that “more than 21 million Yemenis – 80 percent of the population – need basic assistance, 2,8 million have been forced to leave their homes. Humanitarian aid is frequently obstructed by the parties to the conflict and limited by funding difficulties.”
UN’s Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Jan Eliasson honoured in his statement on the 10th anniversary of the Human Rights Council, the Council’s imposing challenges it took on during the past 10 years. He mentioned particularly the Council’s Universal Periodic Review which is giving a picture of the global state of human rights and the Council’s Special Procedures mandate holders which have played a pivotal role in highlighting specific human rights issues around the globe. According to the DSG also the role of the Human Rights Council in sounding alarm bells ahead of impending crisis is another crucial achievement.
However, many challenges are lying ahead. Eliasson said the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is an important tool to fight levels of inequalities within and between nations. He said that “deep social and economic crises and injustices, as well as the devastating effects of climate change, have contributed to leaving the human rights promise of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights unfulfilled for far too many people around the world. We must reverse these negative trends – and use every tool at our disposal. In particular, let us make good on our intentions to prevent, rather than simply react, to human rights violations.”
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