Global Courant
GENEVA
The UN human rights chief urged states on Monday to cooperate more with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to advance human rights.
“Currently, 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 30 years after the Vienna Declaration, we are at a crucial juncture amid escalating conflicts, the Agenda for Sustainable Development dangerously deviating from its path and the threat of environmental damage. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said, “It is humanity.
Speaking at the opening session of the 53rd Human Rights Council, Türk said, “International cooperation is vital for us to advance human rights.”
He warned: “Weak cooperation leaves states adrift. Selective cooperation weakens the strength of the lifeline.”
Türk underlined that cooperation with the UN on human rights is a lifeline consisting of many ropes tied together like a “sailor rope”.
Engaging with OHCHR field assets is “a distinctive feature” of states that cooperate constructively to advance human rights.
Regarding reporting requirements, the UN rights chief said that currently only 37 state or regional organizations meet all reporting requirements to treaty bodies, while a total of 601 reports by states are overdue.
He also expressed his desire to increase engagements with Brazil, Central Asia, Ecuador, Kenya, Mozambique, the USA and the Caribbean region.
“I believe it is important for us to have our first presence in China and India, which together make up more than a third of the world’s population,” he said.
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