French human rights advocate receives UNESCO prize for lifetime’s work

One of the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 60 years ago will receive a prestigious prize in recognition of his life-long advocacy for a culture of rights around the world, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today.

Stéphane Hessel of France has been awarded the UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights after he was selected by an international jury that considered 36 separate nominations.

The jury cited “the life-long commitment and extraordinary contribution of Stéphane Hessel to the promotion of a culture of human rights, justice and dignity,” according to a press release issued today in Paris by UNESCO.

Born in 1917, Mr. Hessel served with the French Resistance during World War II before he was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to concentration camps. He escaped while he was being transferred to another camp.

After the war ended, Mr. Hessel helped draft the UDHR in 1948 and also held a number of important French diplomatic posts, including at UN Headquarters in New York.

Later he created the Association for Training of African and Malagasy Workers (AFTAM) in France, served on the French Higher Council for Integration and held posts with the French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights and the French Higher Council for International Cooperation.

His work continued beyond the regular retirement age. In 1996, at almost 80 years of age, he acted as a mediator during the occupation of a Parisian church by illegal immigrants.

Mr. Hessel will receive $25,000 and a certificate when the award is presented to him at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters on 10 December, the anniversary of the adoption of the UDHR.

The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize is given out every two years and is funded by a donation from the city of Bilbao (part of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain). It succeeds the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education that was set up 30 years ago.

This year the jury gave an honourable mention to the international movement known as ATD Fourth World. Founded in 1957 by Father Joseph Wresinki, it has branches in 30 countries around the globe and works to support the most disadvantaged and socially excluded members of society. Its work includes assisting the poorest of the poor with administrative paperwork and developing pilot projects to give everyone access to basic rights.

UN reports highlight Israeli infringement of Palestinians’ rights

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spotlighted in two new reports to the General Assembly how Israeli practices impinge upon the rights of Palestinians through the continued building of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and other means.

In one publication, Mr. Ban stressed that United Nations resolutions and a 2004 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) both reflect how Israel’s construction of settlements – “in effect, the transfer by an occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies” – breach the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Other activities, such as land requisition and the destruction of houses and orchards, are also “illegal,” he writes.

Between 1967 and the end of last year, Israel set up 120 settlements in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, and as of this August, over 1,000 new buildings were being erected in the settlements, the report says.

“The existence of settlements restricts the freedom of movement of Palestinians resident in the West Bank in several ways,” the Secretary-General notes, with Palestinians barred from entering settlement areas without a special permit.

“Despite the claim of the Government of Israel that the internal closure system within the West Bank is imposed on Palestinian residents there for security purposes, most of those internal restrictions on movement are largely premised on the protection of Israeli settlers and settlements and are designed to provide settlers with unobstructed travel capacity between settlements and to Israel itself.”

Further, the report, covering the period between January and August of this year, says that one-third of settlements and land incorporated into these areas is private Palestinian-owned land, much of which was expropriated by Israel on the grounds of military necessity.

Mr. Ban calls on the Israeli Government to abide by its commitments to dismantle outposts built after March 2001 and freeze settlement activity called for in the so-called Road Map, which foresees a two-State solution with Israel and the Palestinians living side by side in peace, as well as the Annapolis Joint Statement of 27 November 2007, which was intended to reinvigorate the peace process.

He also urges Israel to take steps to curb attacks by Israeli settlers against civilians in the occupied territory and guarantee that violent incidents are properly investigated.

The second report made public today covers the same time period as the other, and says that the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is “worsening.”

Regarding closures, the Secretary-General says that Israel’s closures have had serious consequences, including economic ones, on Palestinians. “The restrictions continue to undermine the enjoyment of other rights guaranteed under international human rights law by effectively impeding access to health care, education and employment.”

In the West Bank, restrictions have blocked access to such services as health and education, while “approximately 1.4 million Palestinians are forcibly confined in the Gaza Strip, where social and economic conditions are deteriorating rapidly,” he writes.

The wall erected in June 2002 by Israel to separate it from the West Bank further impedes access for Palestinians, the report says. “In addition to its immediate impact on freedom of movement, the wall and the associated restrictions of movement significantly undermine the enjoyment of a host of other fundamental human rights.”

It calls on the Assembly and the international community to take measures to further the implementation of the decisions, resolutions and recommendations of the Security Council, ICJ and UN human rights mechanisms.

The Secretary-General also says the Assembly should ask for the Council’s help in putting into practice the ICJ’s 2004 advisory opinion that said that the building of a barrier in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal, called for an end to construction and said Israel should make reparations for any damage caused. 

UN rights chief calls on Haiti to strengthen fight against impunity

The top United Nations human rights official has called for strengthening Haiti’s police and judicial systems, as well as for greater assistance for the victims of the series of hurricanes that ravaged the tiny Caribbean nation in recent months.

Wrapping up a three-day visit to the country today, Navi Pillay noted that the Government and people of Haiti are facing a “multitude” of human rights issues, including lack of access to food and water, prolonged detention without trial, and poor prison conditions.

In her meeting with President René Préval, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced concern about the vulnerability of the population to natural disasters and discussed the development of policies to human rights to adequate food, health, housing and water.

Haiti remains in desperate need of support after four hurricanes and tropical storms – Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike – lashed the country between mid-August and mid-September, killing nearly 800 people and affecting an estimated 1 million people.

While noting the significant progress made in the area of security, she reminded the President that security and maintenance of public order could not be achieved at the expense of respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Ms. Pillay, who took up her post in September, also visited Cité Soleil, a poverty-stricken neighbourhood in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where she visited Kay Jistis (“House of Justice”) – a community-focused project supported in part by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The project aims at improving access to justice, and offers legal assistance to victims of detention-related violations. It also addresses the issue of prolonged pre-trial detention, which continues to contribute enormously to the crisis of overcrowding in the prisons.

During the trip, she also met with senior ministers, police and judicial authorities, the Ombudsman and members of civil society, including human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs), all of whom highlighted the situation in the prisons, where some 8,000 detainees live in unacceptable conditions and face long pre-trial detention.

The High Commissioner also met with Hédi Annabi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of MINUSTAH, which is assisting Haitian authorities in building strong national institutions. She noted in particular the need to strengthen the ability of the authorities to detain, prosecute and punish perpetrators of serious crimes, as well as to restore the rights of victims.

Ukraine: UN experts call for progress on arbitrary detention issues

A group of independent United Nations human rights experts has urged Ukraine to address issues such as access to justice by detainees and the right to a fair trial, while noting the progress made by the country in dealing with arbitrary detention.

Members of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which wrapped up a two-week visit to the country today, welcomed new legislative efforts to better protect the rights of persons regarding detention, saying they will help meet some of their concerns.

“Each little step forward will help protect the rights of detainees despite continued challenges faced for persons deprived of their liberty,” expert Malick Sow of Senegal said in a news release. “Arbitrary detention has no place in a democratic structure and must be addressed effectively.”

The Group applauded what it called a “new opening on the part of the State to different methods of dealing with alleged crimes, including potential alternatives to detention.”

It also lauded the cooperation and access they received during their visit, including “unfettered access to all places where people are deprived of their liberty.” The mission held meetings and visits to places of detention in Kyiv, Donetsk, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Lviv, Chop, Mukhachevo and Uzhhorod.

Members also met with the First Lady of Ukraine, the Ombudsperson, Justices of the Supreme Court, Appellate Courts and the Constitutional Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, lawyers, relatives of detainees, representatives of civil society, and international organizations.

The Group was particularly pleased that it could conduct interviews with nearly 140 detainees, including those convicted of offences. “This is an example that other countries should follow. Only people who have courage and confidence will lay themselves open to public scrutiny,” expert Shaheen Ali stated.

The Ukrainian authorities were encouraged to be equally open to other monitoring elements, including those of civil society.

Despite the positive steps taken by authorities, the Working Group voiced concern about issues such as access to justice by detainees, the right to a fair trial, and repeated reports of abuse and torture, particularly during arrest and detention.

“The Working Group recognizes the economic challenges which the State may face but calls on it to respect its international human rights obligations,” the release added.