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GENEVA / ZEID HUMAN RIGHTS
STORY: GENEVA / ZEID HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 3:19
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 30 NOVEMBER 2016 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Pan from ceiling of Human Rights Room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“As you know, three States that have ratified the Rome Statute have announced plans to withdraw, while a fourth which has not ratified the Statute plans to renege on its initial signature. These withdrawals, in my view, are a betrayal of the rights of victims of the most grave human rights violations. I urged the States Parties to stand by the Court – as many have declared they will.”
4. Wide shot, Human Rights Room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
”In Burundi, a worst-case scenario looms before us, with growing fear among the population, a swelling exodus of refugees, and sharply curtailed engagement by the Government with the international community. Since the September release of the independent experts’ report, measures have been taken to further restrict democratic space, including bans and suspensions of NGOs.”
6. Close up, Burundi delegate
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“There is opportunity for all parties, all communities indeed, all Iraqis to begin to plan for the day after ISIL. And in this spirit we wish to underscore the importance of a negotiated, inclusive settlement for all peoples of Iraq to break the cycles of violence and to build the basis of a truly inclusive democratic state with full respect for human rights and the rule of law. A state, in which all citizens can participate fully and equally in the political, economic and social life of the country including minority ethnic and religious groups, including women, including young people and other disempowered and marginalised groups.”
8. Wide shot, Human Rights Room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Head of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York, United Nations:
“The use of excessive force by security and defence forces. I told the authorities that the High Commissioner had been encouraged to be told during his own visit that the Congolese armed forces will not in future use lethal force against demonstrators which was why we were gravely disappointed to see that just two months later, nearly 50 demonstrators were shot and killed with live ammunition, often in the heads or chests, which hardly indicate that those assurances were given in the good faith we hoped”.
10. Wide shot, Human Rights Room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Head of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York, United Nations:
“At the beginning of October, the Secretary-General announced here in Geneva that, after consultations with the High Commissioner, he had asked me to lead the efforts within the UN system to put a stop to intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating with the UN on human rights. The growing number of reprisals against people cooperating with us is indeed a deep concern and the UN owes them its best possible support. My designation was a response to this compelling need, and demonstrates that reprisals are a UN wide concern not just only OHCHR.”
12. Close up, delegate
13. Med shot, delegates
In his end-of-year review to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, today (30 Nov) expressed concern about states withdrawing from the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
He said “as you know, three States that have ratified the Rome Statute have announced plans to withdraw, while a fourth which has not ratified the Statute plans to renege on its initial signature. These withdrawals, in my view, are a betrayal of the rights of victims of the most grave human rights violations. I urged the States Parties to stand by the Court – as many have declared they will.”
The High Commissioner renewed his request to the government of President Bashar Al Assad to get access to the country.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein also spoke to the Council members about Burundi where the government has announced plans to launch a review of the “ethnic balance“ in all public and semi-public institutions.
He said “in Burundi, a worst-case scenario looms before us, with growing fear among the population, a swelling exodus of refugees, and sharply curtailed engagement by the Government with the international community. Since the September release of the independent experts’ report, measures have been taken to further restrict democratic space, including bans and suspensions of NGOs.”
While referring to “the horrors that the communities of Iraq have experienced as a result of ISIL’s serious breaches of international human rights and international humanitarian law”, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore said “there is opportunity for all parties, all communities indeed, all Iraqis to begin to plan for the day after ISIL. And in this spirit we wish to underscore the importance of a negotiated, inclusive settlement for all peoples of Iraq to break the cycles of violence and to build the basis of a truly inclusive democratic state with full respect for human rights and the rule of law.”
Gilmore added that this new state should be “a state in which all citizens can participate fully and equally in the political, economic and social life of the country including minority ethnic and religious groups, including women, including young people and other disempowered and marginalised groups.”
Newly appointed Head of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York, Andrew Gilmour, encouraged members of the Human Rights Council to remain seized of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) “to prevent a further escalation of violence and human rights violations.”
Gilmour, who came back last week from a trip to the DRC said “I told the authorities that the High Commissioner had been encouraged to be told during his own visit that the Congolese armed forces will not in future use lethal force against demonstrators which was why we were gravely disappointed to see that just two months later, nearly 50 demonstrators were shot and killed with live ammunition, often in the heads or chests, which hardly indicate that those assurances were given in the good faith we hoped.”
Gilmour also addressed concern about the growing number of reprisals against people cooperating with the UN.
He said “at the beginning of October, the Secretary-General announced here in Geneva that, after consultations with the High Commissioner, he had asked me to lead the efforts within the UN system to put a stop to intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating with the UN on human rights.”
Andrew Gilmour also said “the UN owes them its best possible support. My designation was a response to this compelling need, and demonstrates that reprisals are a UN wide concern not just only OHCHR.”
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