WCC Advises New U.N. Human Rights Concil To Build On Strengths, Avoid Shortcomings Of Its Predecessor

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee on May 19y said that the new UN Human Rights Council needs to avoid "policies and practices of double standards, en-bloc voting and politicization of the human rights agenda that were so prevalent at the UN Commission on Human Rights" that they "virtually paralyzed" it before its "ignominious end".

The statement affirms, however, the need to maintain and strengthen the special human rights mechanisms of the UNCHR. "The system of Special Procedures developed by the UNCHR, of Human Rights Treaty Bodies as well as of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and her office, should be actively supported," respected and enhanced, it specifies.

The WCC executive committee's statement encourages UN member states "to recognize and accept the importance of the universality of human rights and to work for it in a spirit of cooperation across regional lines".

The new UN body should recognize the contribution of churches and civil society organizations to the promotion and defense of human rights, and guarantee them "unhindered access" to its sessions, the WCC emphasizes.

At the same time, it calls on WCC member churches to "continue to work closely with the Human Rights Council," among others by "monitoring compliance with internationally accepted human rights, norms and standards".

The WCC statement also encourages UN member states to "recognize the increasing interaction between religion and politics in order to address tensions between the right to religious freedom and other fundamental rights."

In this regard it calls on WCC member churches and ecumenical partners to "deepen their dialogue with people of other faiths", seeking common approaches and developing shared codes of conduct to protect human rights.

The 60-year-old UN Commission on Human Rights held its final session on 27 March, and its successor, a new UN Human Rights Council, is to be formally inaugurated on 19 June 2006.

The WCC executive committee is meeting at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute outside Geneva from 16-19 May 2006 at its first session since its election at the Council's 9th Assembly in Brazil earlier this year.

More on WCC work on human rights:
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/humrts.html

The full text of the 19 May 2006 WCC executive committee "Statement on Human Rights Council" is available here::