VIENNA: A new global human rights agenda will be forged in Vienna when some 180 countries meet at the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights. The conference the first global human rights conference in 25 years is expected to adopt an agenda for action which could dramatically increase the effectiveness of human rights work in the coming years and into the next century.
On Dec.18, 1990, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to convene a World Conference on Human Rights, Governments, United Nations specialized agencies and bodies.
A Preparatory Committee was established and opened to all United Nations Member States and members of the United Nations specialized agencies. The Committee was charged with making proposals to the Assembly on the Conference’s agenda, participation and documentation and on preparatory meetings and activities at the international, regional and national levels; NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council were also allowed to participate in the preparatory meetings as observers.
As part of the preparatory preprocess, United Nations Member States were asked by the General Assembly to hold regional meetings to exchange views and highlight their concerns. The representatives of Asian States adopted the “Bangkok Declaration” at a regional meeting in Bangkok held from March 29April 2.1993.
NGO Participation
NGOs with expertise in human rights and/or development have played an influential role in the negotiations thus far, both in the regional meetings and in the preparatory meetings. Their participation has been welcomed by the Secretariat, which has sought to forge genuine partnership with NGOs in the Conference process.
The WSO reached a milestone when two of its representatives Karnail Singh Gill, (Secretary Int.) and Sajjan Singh Bhangoo (Governing Council) attended the UN conference in Vienna Austria as official delegates. Other Sikh organizations that were able to participate included the International Human Rights Org, (Ludhiana), and movement against State Repression (India) Sikh Human Rights Intermit. (UK) and Sikh Human Rights Group (UK), Other Sikh organizations that were able to participate included the International Human Rights Org, (Ludhiana), and movement against Stale Repression (India) Sikh Human Rights Internal. (UK) and Sikh Human Rights Group (UK).
Many papers were presented at the NGO forum with the WSO’s brief on Khalistan prominent among them, it is the first time that the need for Khalistan has been presented before the world body and Khalistan was placed in the group of non-represented Nations and Organizations (NGO’s) alongside Kurdish Sikhs, Kashmiris and Palestinians.
“Even though some disagreements Still exist, the importance of this meeting in Geneva is that from the many documents submitted at its outset, one unique human rights draft document has emerged,” said Ibrahima Fall, Assistant Secretary-general of the World Conference. “We have had a positive consensus on key issues such as protection from torture and the protection of women, the disabled, Minorities and the world’s indigenous peoples. That is one of the successes of this meeting.”
The World Conference, to be attended by some 5.000 delegates from Member States, representatives from numerous intergovernmental bodies and hundreds of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), comes amid an alarming increase in human rights: violations worldwide. This year, the United Nations Center for Human Rights has already received more than 125.000 complaints about violations, nearly triple the complaints received for all of 1992, Similarly, the peace of reported “disappearances” is running well shead of 1991 and 1992, The dramatically increasing caseload has taxed the resources of the Center, whose annual budget represents about 1% of the total United Nations budget.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 18, 1993
