www.EYEontheUN.org ALERT EXPOSÉ ON THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND SUDAN |
Rebecca Tobin reporting from Geneva |
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 |
Original EU text | Final Text after compromising with the African Group including Sudan |
"The Human Rights Council, Recalling that the General Assembly by its resolution 60/351 of 15 March 2006, decided that the Council should address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon," | deleted |
"expresses grave concern regarding the seriousness of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur and calls for an immediate end to the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law..." | became: "expresses its concern on the seriousness of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur" |
"...for all parties to ensure that there is no impunity" | deleted |
"Decides to dispatch an urgent assessment mission to Darfur headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan..." | became: "Decides to dispatch a High-Level Mission to assess the human rights situation in Darfur and the needs of Sudan in this regard, comprising five highly qualified persons, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council following consultation with the members of the Council; as well as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan" |
1. | Sudan was a negotiating party to the text through the African Group, who advocated for Sudan enthusiastically, thus weakening the decision. (Israel was never consulted on any of the three special session texts condemning it for violations.) Sudan spoke up at both open informal consultations and held its own informal meeting to present its own distorted "facts" on the situation. The Sudanese representative was also offered no time limit in speaking during the actual special session where he argued that 80% of Darfur was stable and "the incidents of violence against women have been exaggerated." Sudanese insistence that only 9,000 people have died in Darfur created the idea, echoed by many in the Council, that to even suggest that there is a human tragedy numbering hundreds of thousands dead is biased. |
2. | Sudan was repeatedly thanked for cooperating with UN human rights mechanisms during the debate on the situation in Darfur. The text adopted also states that the Human Rights Council "welcomes the cooperation established by the Government of Sudan with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan..." |
3. | States speaking at the Human Rights Council advocated giving Sudan financial and technical assistance to help it promote and protect human rights, as if a lack of money were the problem. |
Original EU text | Final Text after compromising with the African Group including Sudan | Similar language in Resolution from First Special Session on Israel S-1/1 | Similar language in Resolution from Second Special Session on Israel S-2/1 | Similar language in Resolution from Third Special Session on Israel S-3/1 |
"The Human Rights Council, Recalling that the General Assembly by its resolution 60/351 of 15 March 2006, decided that the Council should address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon," | Deleted | Recalling General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 in which the Assembly decided that the Human Rights Council: (a) Should address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon; and (b) Shall respond promptly to human rights emergencies | ||
"expresses grave concern regarding the seriousness of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur and calls for an immediate end to the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law..." | "expresses its concern on the seriousness of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur" | Expressing deep concern at the breaches by Israel, the occupying Power, of international humanitarian law and human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory..." "Expresses grave concern at the violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people caused by the Israeli occupation..." "Expresses grave concern at the detrimental impact of the current Israeli military operation..." "Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, end its military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, abide scrupulously by the provisions of international humanitarian law and human rights law..." | "Condemning Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which constitute gross and systematic human rights violations of the Lebanese people" "Appalled at the massive violations of the human rights of the people of Lebanon by Israel resulting in the massacre of thousands of civilians..." "Strongly condemning the indiscriminate and massive Israeli air strikes..." "Strongly condemns the grave Israeli violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law in Lebanon" "Condemns the massive bombardment of Lebanese civilian populations..." "Also condemns the Israeli bombardment of vital civilian infrastructure..." | "Gravely concerned at the continued violation by the occupying Power, Israel, of the human rights of the Palestinian people..." "Expresses its shock at the horror of Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians ..." "Condemns the Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians, ..." "Denounces the Israeli massive destruction of Palestinian homes, property and infrastructure in Beit Hanoun" "Expresses its alarm at the gross and systematic violations of human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory by the occupying Power, Israel, ..." |
"...for all parties to ensure that there is no impunity" | Deleted | |||
"decides to dispatch an urgent assessment mission to Darfur headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan..." | "Decides to dispatch a High-Level Mission to assess the human rights situation in Darfur and the needs of Sudan in this regard, comprising five highly qualified persons, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council following consultation with the members of the Council; as well as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan" | "Decides to dispatch an urgent fact-finding mission headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967" | "Decides to establish urgently and immediately dispatch a high-level commission of inquiry comprising eminent experts on human rights law and international humanitarian law, and including the possibility of inviting the relevant United Nations special procedures to be nominated to the Commission..." | "Decides to dispatch urgently a high-level fact-finding mission, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, to travel to Beit Hanoun to, inter alia: (a) assess the situation of victims; (b) address the needs of survivors; and (c) make recommendations on ways and means to protect Palestinian civilians against any further Israeli assaults;" |