WASHINGTON: President Clinton’s new initiative on Human Ron promises 4 more aggressive approach to International human rights issues, than. that adopted by former administrations. The administration is pressing for the appointment of a High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. A Special envoy is also being proposed to investigate abuse against women,
J.Kenneth Blackwell presented a nine page proposal to a Human Rights Conference at Geneva last week which spells out the Clinton action plan. “It builds on what the new administrator perceives as American traditions, values and Standards in regards to human rights and it also offers new ideas and a new assertiveness in other areas,” he said while presenting the plan.
Showdown: The meeting in Geneva was held to plan out a major United Nations Conference on Human Rights scheduled for June in the City. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Conference will result in a showdown between the developing countries like China, India, Pakistan and Tran who oppose any move for monitoring of human rights and the western nations seeking tougher human rights standards.
The earlier administrations of President Reagan and George Bush had not accepted the idea of a United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, considering such a proposal would only add to the United Nations bureaucracy.
The High Commissioner proposed by the United Nation will oversee implementation of decisions of all United Nations human rights bodies, assume responsibility for human rights issues in areas of peace keeping and relief aid and have the authority to send special envoys to investigate al legations of human rights violations.
The commissioner would have the power to bring to the attention of Security Council allegations of gross violations of human rights. The proposal calls up on the United Nations to spend more money on human rights activities.
The United States document places strong emphasis on the rights of women and seeks the appointment of a special envoy to investigate violence against women including battering in the family, rape, female infanticide, honor killings and dowry murder.
There is a visible change in the Human Rights policy of the Clinton Administration which can be seen by the recent decisions in March to support a resolution ex pressing ‘deep concern’ over human rights abuses in East Timor, the former Portuguese colony invaded by Indonesian annexed. The previous administration had blocked similar resolutions earlier. Officials of the human rights groups say, they find the administration much more responsive than their predecessors. “There is clearly a signal that has been given at the highest levels of the Administration to get the word out that the nongovernmental human rights organizations are welcome back,” said James O’ Dea director of the Washington office of Amnesty International.”
However, there is a general impression that the new Government is likely to adopt a centious approach on Human Right to avoid the contradictions which befell the Carter administration, Vice President and director of foreign policy and defense studies at Heritage Foundation Kim Holmes, recently told New York Times, “I don’t see Clinton being quite as zealous about human rights as Jimmy. Carter was. But we do have some Jimmy Carter’s people back in office and we hear faint echoes of that.”
Article extracted from this publication >> May 14, 1993
