From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: AI "deeply disappointed" over UN HR conference
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 00:33:25 GMT

/** headlines: 313.0 **/
** Topic: UN HR CONF: lack of progress **
** Written 11:28 am  Sep 28, 1992 by ggundrey in cdp:headlines **
From: George Gundrey <ggundrey>
Subject: UN HR CONF: lack of progress

/* Written  6:44 pm  Sep 27, 1992 by aiusala in cdp:ai.general */
/* ---------- "UN HR CONF: lack of progress" ---------- */
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London WC1X 8DJ
United Kingdom

DATE: 25 SEPTEMBER 1992

WEEKLY UPDATE SERVICE 38/92

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED AT LACK OF PROGRESS OF THE UN
WORLD CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

       Amnesty International is deeply disappointed at the failure of the third
preparatory meeting of the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights
to come to any agreement on the agenda for what should be a historic land-
mark event in the field of huma n rights.

"This failure to move forward in the preparatory process can only be a
bleak reflection of the lack of political will of a number of member
governments of the UN to take human rights seriously," said Amnesty
International, "and to ensure that the Wo rld Conference achieves real
results in the promotion and protection of human rights."

The decision to hold a World Conference on Human Rights was taken two years
ago by the UN General Assembly and formal preparations began a year ago.
However, most of the three sessions of the Preparatory Committee have been
characterized by deep div isions between different countries and regional
groups and by fruitless and lengthy negotiations - often behind closed
doors - which have so far shown few concrete results.  The Conference is
still without any clear direction or focus.

The Conference, which is to take place in Vienna in June 1993, is the first
UN World Conference on Human Rights for 25 years - the last one was held in
Teheran in 1968.  Its main objectives, according to the General Assembly,
include:

 to review progress in the field of human rights since the adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

 to examine ways to improve the implementation of human rights
instruments and the effectiveness of the UN mechanisms established in
this field,

 to make concrete recommendations for future action,

 to examine the relation between development and the enjoyment of
economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political
rights.

However, far from getting down to business, the last three meetings of the
Preparatory Committee have been taken up principally with procedural
issues.

Amnesty International is seriously concerned by the latest failure of the
Preparatory Committee even to agree on an agenda for the Conference.  With
only ten months left before the Conference itself and only one further
preparatory meeting scheduled next March, this represents a serious set-
back and calls into question the commitment of some governments to the
holding of this event.

Of the three regional preparatory meetings scheduled to take place, the one
in Asia has already been postponed until next year.  The first regional
meeting is expected to be the one in Tunis at the beginning of November
followed by a second one in Costa Rica a month later.  If these go ahead
they will be at a serious disadvantage - it is hard to see how regional
meetings can really make an effective and useful contribution to a
Conference which does not even have an agenda.

It also makes it extremely difficult for non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) to prepare their own participation in the World Conference.  It was
only last week that the Preparatory Committee took a final decision on
which NGOs would be entitled to attend the regional meetings and the
Conference itself.  While Amnesty International welcomes the fact that this
issue has finally been clarified, it is regrettable that the decision
imposes a number of conditions on NGO participation which have worrying i
mplications.

NGOs in consultative status with the UN should, as a matter of principle,
have unimpeded access to such UN meetings - instead, the Preparatory
Committee decided to limit the participation in regional meetings to NGOs
in consultative status which are active in the field of human rights or
development and which are active in the region concerned.

As regards NGOs not in consultative status, their participation in regional
meetings is to be restricted to those active in the field of human rights
or development which have their headquarters in the region concerned and
only then after prior cons ultation with the countries of the region.  It
is particularly worrying that only those countries attending each regional
meeting will have a formal role in deciding the participation of non-
consultative status NGOs in their regional meeting - and hence at the
World Conference itself.

Amnesty International, and many other NGOs attending the Preparatory
Committee sessions, had repeatedly called for the broadest possible
participation of NGOs, particularly given the key role of the NGO community
in many countries - often at great personal risk to their staff and
supporters - in the promotion and protection of human rights.

"It is high time that the governments of the UN showed that they are
serious about the World Conference," said Amnesty International.  "This
important event is a unique opportunity to advance the protection of human
rights and governments should be working together constructively and
creatively, with real commitment.

"Precious little time now remains to make this Conference a success and it
is certainly not acceptable, as some governments have suggested, to wait
until the last session of the Preparatory Committee, just three months
before the Conference itself, to decide on the agenda.

"The General Assembly, which will have to consider the outcome of this
Preparatory Committee meeting, has a heavy responsibility to act to ensure
that this Conference does not represent a major failure in the history of
human rights."
** End of text from cdp:headlines **

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