UN Human Rights Council fails to address the situation in Darfur effectively
Press release 496/2006
28 November, 2006
The UN Human Rights Council on 28 November in Geneva addressed the critical situation of Darfur by adopting a resolution on its human rights situation which, however, did not meet the concerns of the European Union.
To the EU's disappointment, the final text failed to address certain essential elements.
First, the primary obligation of the Government of Sudan to protect all individuals against violations should have been emphasised.
Second, the issue of impunity should have been underscored in order to ensure redress to victims and allow for a lasting peace process. The Government of Sudan has the responsibility to guarantee an independent and impartial judicial process to the victims of human rights violations. Moreover, all parties to the conflict are obliged to cooperate fully in the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May 2006 and all relevant UN resolutions.
Third, the EU has consistently maintained that concrete action to increased human rights monitoring is needed. Since its inception in June 2006, countries have repeatedly stressed that the new Human Rights Council should first and foremost be concerned with the actual implementation of measures designed to improve the human rights situation on the ground. For this reason, the EU emphasised that the resolution should include strong operational follow-up.
While welcoming the expression of concern that was illustrated by the Human Rights Council dealing with the situation, the EU could not support the final text that was presented by the African group and voted against it.
The situation in Darfur is of grave concern to the international community, and according to recent reports, continues to show signs of further deterioration. The European Union has called for an immediate end to the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
In the Human Rights Council, the EU has over the last two weeks engaged in intensive negotiations with other members of the Council in the hope of finding agreement on a resolution, which would accurately address the crisis situation.
Further information: Johanna Suurpää, Director, Unit for Human Rights Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, tel. +358 40 724 0287; and Katri Silfverberg, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in Geneva, tel. +41 79 644 3708