OHCHR PRESS BRIEFING NOTES - (1) Manus Island

3 November 2017

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:  Rupert Colville

Location:      Geneva

Subject:        (1) Manus Island

               

(1) Manus Island

We are concerned by events in the past week at Australia’s offshore Regional Processing Centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea where refugees and asylum seekers are holding out after the Australian Government’s decision to close the facility and pull out its support staff. We share the concerns of other UN agencies, including UNHCR, about what is an unfolding humanitarian emergency. We have serious concerns about the welfare, safety and well-being of the roughly 600 men who remain in the accommodation compound, who are too frightened to leave.

We call on the Australian Government, as the Party who interned the men in the first place, to immediately provide protection, food, water and other basic services which have been cut off since authorities shuttered the facility on 31 October. Australian contractors/service providers have now left the island.

We remind the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea of their responsibilities under international human rights law and the 1951 Refugee Convention, to protect the men from harm; to ensure their right to seek and enjoy asylum; to guarantee access to fundamental economic, social and cultural rights, including adequate housing, water, food, sanitation, and health care; as well as to fulfil other humanitarian obligations. Moreover, the men have said they fear they will be subjected to violence at the hands of locals if they leave the compound – and, given there have been violent incidents in the past, we believe these fears should be respected and satisfactorily addressed.

All migrants, including refugees and asylum-seekers, are human beings. Like all of us, they have a right to a safe and secure environment, a right to an adequate standard of living and to participate in the decision-making process that is affecting their future. Human dignity should be ensured throughout the entire processing of their asylum claims. We urge the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea to fully respect their human rights, including their specific rights under international refugee law, and to enter into a dialogue with the men to ensure these rights are duly respected, protected and fulfilled.

We repeat our overall concerns about Australia’s offshore processing centres, which are unsustainable, inhumane and contrary to its human rights obligations. We urge the Australia Government to transfer the men to mainland Australia where their claims can be processed.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org) or Liz Throssell  ( +41 22 917 9466/ ethrossell@ohchr.org ) or Jeremy Laurence: + 41 22 917 9383  / jlaurence@ohchr.org

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Sale and exploitation of children: UN rights expert launches visit to Lao PDR

Laotian version attached

Sale and exploitation of children: UN rights expert launches visit to Lao PDR

GENEVA (3 November 2017) – A United Nations human rights expert will carry out an official visit to Lao PDR from 8 to 16 November to assess the extent of child exploitation in the country and reach out to young victims.

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, said: “I appreciate the invitation of the Government of Lao PDR to help them promote and protect the rights of children. During my visit, I will evaluate the risks and forms of exploitation of children in the country, as well as the measures already adopted to fight the problem, and the challenges that remain.”

“I will reach out to child victims of abuse, violence and exploitation, and to children in vulnerable situations, such as migrant children, those from minorities, and children placed in institutions, to take their opinions into account in my recommendations to the Government and other concerned parties,” said Ms de Boer-Buquicchio.

The Special Rapporteur, whose mission is at the invitation of the Government, will visit a number of childcare and rehabilitation centres, and shelters for victims.

During her nine-day visit, Ms de Boer-Buquicchio will travel to the capital, Vientiane, and the provinces of Oudomxay, Champasak and Salavan. She will meet representatives of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, provincial and local authorities, representatives of non-profit associations and international NGOs, the private sector and members of the international community.

At the end of her visit, on Thursday 16 November 2017, Ms de Boer-Buquicchio will share her preliminary observations with the media at a press conference at the UN House, Lane Xang Avenue, Vientiane, at 14:00 local time. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report on her visit to the UN Human Rights Council.

  

ENDS

Ms Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (Netherlands) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2014 and her mandate was renewed in March 2017. She served as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe between 2002 and 2012. Ms de Boer-Buquicchio spearheaded the adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. She is the President of the European Federation for Missing and Exploited Children.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, Country Page - Lao

For additional information before and during the visit please contact: Nekane Lavín (+41 22 917 9402 / nlavin@ohchr.org) or write to srsaleofchildren@ohchr.org

For inquiries regarding the press conference please contact: Ildiko Hamos-Sohlo –

UN in Lao PDR (+856 20 7717 7913 /ildiko.hamos@one.un.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact:

Bryan Wilson – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9826 / mediaconsultant2@ohchr.org)  

Concerned about the world we live in? Then STAND UP for someone’s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the web page at http://www.standup4humanrights.org

Human rights must be centre-stage as Paris climate change deal takes effect, UN experts say

Human rights must be centre-stage as Paris climate change deal takes effect, UN experts say

GENEVA (3 November 2017) – Human rights must be central to the way the Paris climate change agreement is put into practice, a group of UN specialists has urged ahead of a major global conference.

The implementation guidelines for the COP 21 deal should also focus heavily on sustainable development, said the experts*, as UN agencies, governments and civil society groups prepare to meet in Bonn from 6-17 November for the COP 23 climate change conference, which will work on guidelines for how the deal will be implemented.

“The Paris Agreement marked an important global recognition of the devastating human rights impacts of climate change and the key importance of human rights in addressing this global challenge,” said the experts.

“It is crucial that this recognition is carried forward as the world works together to implement the plan and to create a sustainable shared future.”

They added: “All of us – from Governments and groups to communities and individuals – should come together in a spirit of cooperation, solidarity, creativity and determination to build on the Paris agreement, to shape a safe, healthy and sustainable world where all human rights and fundamental freedoms are realized.”

The COP 23 conference will discuss financing climate action, enabling countries to cooperate, adapt and build resilience, reporting progress, and creating an enabling environment for sustainable development.

“Each of these issues has a human rights dimension that must not be ignored,” the experts stressed. “The world must move forward to address climate change using the long-established principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

“The needs of the most vulnerable must always be at the forefront as climate finance and adaptation, prevention and resilience measures are decided. The world must also meet its obligations to cooperate across borders and to mobilize all available resources to progressively realize economic, social and cultural rights, and to advance civil and political rights and the right to development.”

The experts also emphasized the relationship between climate change and other major human rights challenges.

“We have already seen the very real effects that climate change has on people’s homes and livelihoods, on their rights to health, housing, food, water and sanitation, development and many others,” they said.

“The international community needs to respond in a way that safeguards the human rights of individuals and communities, especially migrants and refugees, indigenous peoples, children and people with disabilities.

“We must work for a global commitment to sustainability and shared prosperity, cooperating across borders to enable States to grow in new ways that respect human rights and meet people’s needs while guaranteeing a safe and healthy future for our environment and for present and future generations.”

The implementation guidelines discussed in Bonn should respect key human rights principles such as transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, meaningful and informed public participation, access to justice, and equality and non-discrimination, the experts said.

Particular attention should be paid to the gender dimensions of climate change and to inter-generational equity, they added, and implementation should complement other important global processes such as the Global Compact for Migration, the Global Compact for Refugees, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The experts said they embraced the Fijian Presidency’s vision of infusing the COP 23 with the Fijian “Bula Spirit” of inclusiveness, friendliness and solidarity.

 

ENDS

*The UN experts:  Mr John Knox, Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment ; Ms Leilani Farha, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; Mr Obiora C. Okafor, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity; Mr Felipe Gonzalez Morales, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants; and Mr Saad Alfarargi, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development .

The Independent Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

For inquiries and media requests, please contact: Monica Iyer (+41 22 917 9668 / spbconsultant7@ohchr.org)

 

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact:

Bryan Wilson – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9826 / mediaconsultant2@ohchr.org)  

Concerned about the world we live in? Then STAND UP for someone’s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the web page at http://www.standup4humanrights.org

MEDIA STATEMENT - ENGLISH -- International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists – Thursday 2 November / Political leaders must end demonization of journalists to stop increased attacks – UN experts

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists – Thursday 2 November

Political leaders must end demonization of journalists to stop increased attacks – UN experts

Geneva (1 November 2017) – The world is witnessing a “downward spiral of attacks” on journalists, spurred on by hate speech even from senior politicians, two UN experts have warned. Speaking ahead of 2 November, which has been designated International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Special Rapporteurs on arbitrary, summary and extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, and on freedom of expression, David Kaye, called on States to act:

“So far this year, the world has lost more than 30 journalists to targeted attacks. In addition to taking individual lives and depriving family members of their loved ones, these attacks aim to destroy the public watchdog role of journalism that is essential to democratic society.

The attacks on journalism are widespread and deplorable. Assaults on investigative reporters, including independent journalists, freelancers and bloggers, undermine official accountability and help entrench corruption and other abuses of power.

When authorities fail to follow up such attacks with independent and impartial investigations that can bring perpetrators to justice, the killers and their allies achieve their objectives.

The attacks need to stop. So too does the public demonization of reporting and specific media outlets and reporters by political leaders at the highest levels.

Whipping up anger and distrust, or redefining journalism as a crime akin to terrorism, are steps on the path to physical attack. The end of impunity begins with a commitment at the most senior levels to stop the hateful rhetoric, end detentions and prosecutions of journalists, and take steps to bring all attackers to justice.

Our societies cannot afford to continue this downward spiral of attacks against journalists. We urge all States - in word and action – to devote resources to reverse this trend.”

ENDS

Ms Agnes Callamard is Special Rapporteur onextrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and Mr. David Kaye is SpecialRapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinionand expression.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

For more information and media requests please contact:

Ms Azin Tadjdini (atadjdini@ohchr.orgatadjdini@ohchr.org/ +41 22 917 9400 or write to freedex@ohchr.org).

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact:

Bryan Wilson – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9826 / mediaconsultant2@ohchr.org)  

Concerned about the world we live in? Then STAND UP for someone’s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the web page at http://www.standup4humanrights.org