Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-06-Speech-3-135"
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"en.20020206.7.3-135"2
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". – Mr President, this debate provides the opportunity for an exchange of views prior to the deliberations of the 58th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.
Second, in Iran, some progress in reform is offset by continuing serious human rights concerns. The UN Special Representative on Iran highlighted this at the Third Committee last year, referring in particular to the sharp increase in public hangings and floggings. The EU is engaging with Iran in an effort to secure improvement. The positive outcome for the EU resolution at the Third Committee shows that the international community shares our concerns. The acceptance of a visit by the Special Representative would be a further step in the right direction. The mandate for an EC trade and cooperation agreement is currently under discussion in the Council.
I can assure honourable Members that human rights considerations will play an important part in any future negotiations.
Parliament’s resolutions and debates are a crucial stimulus to the process of preparing for the Commission on Human Rights. I hope that, if possible, representatives from Parliament will, as in previous years, visit the UNCHR in session and that they will contribute to the wider debate.
The Human Rights Contact Group has already brought together representatives of non-governmental organisations, Members of Parliament, civil servants from the EU institutions and others to discuss key concerns for Geneva. The broader the input, the more confident the EU can be in the approach which it adopts at the UN Commission.
As ever, when you invite the Commission to these annual debates, it comes at a time when the EU has not definitively decided upon the initiatives which it will take at the UNCHR and their final form will only be determined after negotiations on the ground in Geneva. Regrettably, there is all too much choice when looking around the world for examples of human rights violations. That is why the EU must adopt a coherent approach when determining the best way to promote respect for human rights.
Our communication on human rights of last May, and the subsequent conclusions by the General Affairs Council, set out a strategy for such an approach by an EU that would actively engage with the world in the promotion of human rights through, for example, the human rights clause which forms a regular feature of Community agreements and which finds its most advanced expression in the Cotonou Agreement; through the dialogue which we have undertaken to conduct in contacts with all third countries, as reinforced in the guidelines on human rights dialogues which were adopted by the Council last December; through our engagement with NGOs, including the extensive funding for human rights projects channelled through the European initiative for democratisation and human rights and mainstream programmes and through our cooperation with the UN and other organisations.
These factors should be taken into account by those who point to the inevitable element of selectivity in the countries and themes which are the subject of EU initiatives at the UNCHR. They are not the sum total of the EU’s human rights policy necessarily, just an element of it.
There are several issues which will feature throughout this year’s UN Commission. First, the highly regrettable failure by the US to secure re-election to the Commission and the participation of several states whose human rights records are – to put it very politely – less than acceptable. This means that the EU will have to work extra hard to ensure that core human rights values are reflected in the decisions taken.
Second, the fight against terrorism, which has rightly permeated every corner of the political debate since 11 September. Human rights considerations are involved here at several levels. We must guard against any muddling of concepts. The EU maintains the important distinction that states are the perpetrators of human rights violations, whilst terrorists are particularly abhorrent criminals. And it is right that actions by states – whether at a legislative, judicial or penal level – are subject to international law and proper scrutiny. In fighting terrorism, we and our allies must uphold the values of respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. The international community must also be alert to opportunistic attempts by states to justify domestic repression and crackdowns by claiming that they are "fighting terrorism". Zimbabwe is the most clear example of this.
The fight against racism will also be given due prominence at the 58th session of the UN Commission, and the EU may present a statement on the issue as in previous years. After a rather bumpy journey from Durban, we now have a solid declaration and programme of action – a welcome development which we must now put to good use. Combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination against minorities is one of the four priorities under the European initiative for democracy and human rights for the period 2002 to 2004. EUR 17 million per year have been set aside in order to support NGOs and other organisations in the promotion of rights and awareness-raising as a concrete follow-up to the World Conference.
Finally, a word on two countries of particular interest, both to me and to this Parliament. First, China. This is the only country with which the EU has a dedicated human rights dialogue. The human rights situation in China rightly gives rise to a great deal of concern – from the extensive application of the death penalty to the suppression of religious and cultural rights in Tibet, Xinjiang and elsewhere and restrictions on the freedom of expression as evidenced in the recent measures on the use of the Internet. In this difficult context, the EU dialogue and seminars – the last of which, in December 2001 brought together European and Chinese experts to discuss the prevention of torture and the right to education – are one conduit for encouragement, cooperation and criticism. As the General Affairs Council has underscored, progress on the ground is a necessary corollary of the dialogue and that is why we evaluate the dialogue annually."@en1
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