…LDCs/SIDS must be engaged and given a seat at the table

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in acknowledging the contributions being made by developed states in enabling the presence of least developed countries and small-island developing states at the decision-making table, said such collaborative approach should eventually become the only acceptable standard of engagement.

At the time, the Prime Minister was delivering an address during the opening ceremony of the United Nations Human Rights Council Workshop for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States (LDCs/SIDs) at the Pegasus Hotel on Monday. President of the United Nations Human Rights Council Vojislav Šuc; CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Directorate for Foreign and Community Relations, Colin Granderson; and Head of the Human Rights Council Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Eric Tistounet were among the dignitaries present.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said it is commendable that the Human Rights Council has made it possible, through its Trust Fund Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean, for participation by LDCs/SIDS in the work of the Human Rights Commission. He noted that for the first time, one of the regional states – the Commonwealth of The Bahamas – has been elected to the Human Rights Council. This prime minister said is a step in the right direction as he took stock of the contributions made by developed nations.

“It is important to note and acknowledge the contribution of the many big and more prosperous states to enable the presence of least developed countries and small-island developing states at the common table to review the changing landscape of human rights issues and to hammer out solutions to specific as well as global challenges.

“This is a collaborative approach. It should eventually result as the only acceptable standard of engagement among, and participation by, all UN member states at the level of the Human Rights Council,” he told the officials present.

He explained that during the two-day workshop, the mandate of the Trust Fund will be to build capacity with regard to international human rights laws and systems; conduct training on the overall functioning of the Human Rights Council; promote human rights e-learning tool; and provide a platform for LDCs and SIDS to discuss challenges, achievements and lessons.

The prime minister said the 70th year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being observed at time when troubling developments are unfolding across the world where human rights are challenged.

For this reason, he said, countries should not only share opinions on these developments but should reaffirm commitment to fundamental human rights, which include respect for the sanctity of human life, the protection of journalists, free speech and plural, even critical, media.

“While the declaration affirmed that the inherent dignity of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, after 70 years, we continue to battle with problems over respect for basic human rights. In several parts of the world these rights are compromised on untenable grounds of race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender and sexual orientation, immigrant or refugee status, and colour and nationality,” he stated.

It was pointed out that most Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries such as those in Caribbean have diverse, multi-ethnic populations, and have tried to promote integrated human rights – political as well as socio-economic and cultural rights; in addition, fundamental civil rights such as free speech, free movement and association.

In the case of Guyana, the prime minister said the country has an enviable record for full protection of all fundamental human rights. “The Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana guarantees freedom of the individual, equality of women, (and here, in local parlance, we say “women run things”) the right to education, etc. Citizens are protected from discrimination on the basis of their race, ethnicity, sex and gender. This is true in other Caribbean states as well. But, for us, human rights go beyond periodic elections and the election and/or removal of governments,” he explained.

Guyana, he boasted, is developing a system of open, participatory democracy, which protects the fundamental rights of citizens to choose their leaders directly, at the level of what is called “the grassroots.” But he acknowledged that human rights in the region have assumed a broader dimension such as treatment of economic refugees.

“Faced with a feared economic melt-down next-door, Venezuelans have crossed the border into Guyana as refugees. We provide food, medicine and shelter on a humanitarian basis, and grant temporary stay to those who enter our country with valid travel documents. We believe that refugees also have human rights,” he pointed out.

President of the Human Rights Council, in delivering the keynote address, said the workshop is the first of a series for LDCs and SIDS mandated by the Human Rights Council in 2017.

“Today, in this interconnected globalised world, the challenges we face are not challenges of just one State or one region but of the entire world. Dialogue and cooperation on all levels, and especially between the Human Rights Council and regional mechanisms are essential in order to effectively confront these challenges and ensure the enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all,” he explained.

Šuc reported that as of January 2019, 114 out of 193 UN member states will have served as members of the Human Rights Council, as he welcomed the Bahamas as the first CARICOM state to the Human Rights Council membership in the period of 2019-2021.
According to him, Bahamas’ presence at the decision making table will enrich debates in the council.

“In 2019 Fiji, a fellow member from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) will also begin its three-year membership of the Human Rights Council. This will make the next year composition of the Council particularly important for the Small Island Developing States,” he further reported.

He hopes that this will serve to encourage other members of CARICOM and SIDS to consider putting forward their candidacy for membership in the council.

That aside, he said the continuous and increasing support of states, the Trust Fund to Support the Participation of LDCs and SIDS in the work of the council enabled the participation of 25 delegates in its regular sessions this year. Among these government officials, 10 were from Africa, five were from the Caribbean and Latin America, and 10 were from Asia and the Pacific, he reported.

The workshop marks the first official visit by a President of the Human Rights Council to the Region. It was organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Government of Guyana, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. Today, the officials from 14 member States of CARICOM will continue to interact, exchange information, experiences and ideas on how to better engage with the Geneva-based Council.