PCHR Calls for Resignation of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
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PCHR Calls for Resignation of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Date: 5 September 2001
Ref: 51/2001
PCHR condemns yesterday’s decision by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson to reject a Declaration adopted by over 3,500 civil society groups from around the world at an NGO forum parallel to the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa. As the facilitator of the conference, Mrs. Robinson undermined the impartial character of her office by rejecting the Declaration. PCHR thus calls for her resignation.
During a public speech, Mrs. Robinson refused to accept the NGO Declaration or to present it to the governments at the conference. She failed to detail objections to any specific portions of the document, citing only its “harsh” language. In a private meeting beforehand with several NGOs, including PCHR, Mrs. Robinson objected to the Declaration’s assertion that Israel had engaged in “acts of genocide,” saying that it was “hurtful” and imputed genocidal motives to the entire Israeli Jewish population. She also accused Palestinian NGOs of having “hijacked” the conference.
The NGO Declaration covers a wide range of issues related to racism and discrimination and was adopted by over 3,500 civil society groups from around the world, with the greatest consensus having been on the issue of Palestine. Mrs. Robinson’s decision to reject the document in toto is a slap in the face not only to the Palestinian people, but to groups working on other issues, and to global civil society as a whole.
To claim that the conference has been “hijacked” by Palestinian NGOs is preposterous. Far from pursuing a narrow agenda, the caucus of Arab NGOs, including those from Palestine, have been actively involved in other issues, including discrimination against Dalits in India, and the question of reparations for the transatlantic slave trade. Rather, Israel alone is to blame for the media interest and international outrage that its policies towards the Palestinians have generated.
Furthermore, the international community long ago recognised that Israel has committed acts of genocide against the Palestinian people. In 1985, the UN Commission on Human Rights condemned “Israel’s responsibility for the large-scale massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, which constituted an act of genocide” (E/CN.4/RES/1985/4). The UN General Assembly also declared that the massacre was an “act of genocide” (A/RES/37/123).
PCHR is deeply dismayed by needless attempts to politicise WCAR by those seeking to equate any criticism of Israel with anti-semitism. This tactic is intended to erase the suffering of the Palestinian people and replace it with a myth of exclusive Israeli victimhood. It is deeply disappointing that Mrs. Robinson has succumbed to these pressures and thus impugned the integrity of her office.