UN Human Rights Council Membership Must be Earned by Upholding Highest
Standards: Clean Slates Permitted Empty Pledges by Asian States

(Geneva/Bangkok, 13 November 2012) – Yesterday’s elections of members
to the Human Rights Council by the United Nations General Assembly in
New York has demonstrated the unfortunate continuation of reproachful
practices in electing Asian member States to the UN’s principal body
which is responsible for promoting universal respect for the
protection of human rights, as only 5 candidates were put forward to
fill the 5 vacant seats for the Asia group. “The clean-slate practice
has become the rule rather than the exception. We reiterate time and
again that it is contrary to the spirit of competitive elections and
undermines any genuine opportunity for the UN General Assembly to
select Council members based on their demonstrated commitment to
uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human
rights”, stated Yap Swee Seng, executive director of Asian Forum for
Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights
organization representing 49 non-governmental organizations across
Asia.

Japan, Pakistan and South Korea have garnered membership at the
Council for 2013-2015, which has followed from their most recent
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group sessions of 22 October-5
November 2012. “Civil society expects governments to engage in open
and inclusive consultative processes with stakeholders, not just
during the UPR, but also in the process of drafting their voluntary
pledges when seeking Council membership. Furthermore, pledges and
commitments made to the Council on international contributions to
human rights should be based on structured and principled positions
which are inclusive of the views and expectations of civil society”,
stressed Kazuko Ito, secretary-general of Human Rights Now (HRN),
Japan.

Civil society in South Korea also expressed their deep disappointment
with their government’s responses during the recent UPR, in which the
government presented a skewed view of the implementation of its human
rights obligations[1]. “The voluntary pledges made by the government
for the Council membership are as hollow as those presented during the
UPR. The government must take further efforts to ensure realistic,
measureable and time-bound concrete action points which streamline
recommendations from various UN human rights mechanisms”, urged Taeho
Lee, secretary-general of People’s Solidarity for Participatory
Democracy (PSPD), South Korea.

Pakistan outlined in its voluntary pledges as well as during its UPR,
the influential role it has played at the Council, particularly as the
coordinator of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“Pakistan’s redirection at the Council towards forging consensus on
contentious issues such as the incitement to hatred and the right to
freedom of expression must be strengthened further through principled
approaches that do not undermine existing universal human right norms
and standards. Such developments at the Council should also be applied
at the national level, particularly as the government is increasingly
adopting a strategy of digital censorship and surveillance in the name
of safeguarding national security, religious values and morality[2]”,
expressed Shahzad Ahmad, country director of Bytes for All, Pakistan.

Meanwhile, highlighting the joint letter of 35 human rights
organizations dated 9 November 2012,[3] which was addressed to all
candidates of the 12 November elections to the Council membership,
FORUM-ASIA once more urged that member States of the Council fully
cooperate with the UN human rights mechanisms, particularly Special
Procedures, and ensure free and safe engagement of all human rights
defenders and NGOs with these mechanisms without the fear of
reprisals. [END]

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