Fraternity-Testvériség, 1982 (60. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1982-10-01 / 4. szám
A Report from Geneva on Human Rights Every year the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, plays host to the annual meeting of the Commission on Human Rights. The Office, in fact, consists of a number of interconnected buildings, including the old “Palace of the Nations,” once the Headquarters of the League of Nations. The Human Rights Commission meets in the newest and most modem of these buildings. This year's session was already the 38th in number. It was a formidable gathering. In addition to the delegations of the 43 nations that comprise the Commission, observers were present from 57 other member nations of the U.N., from two non-member states (the Holy See and Switzerland), from seven specialized agencies and regional intergovernmental organizations, and from four national liberation movements. Furthermore, 82 non-governmental organizations were also represented, including the YWCA, World Student Christian Federation, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, and other religious and humanitarian organizations. The meetings were covered by over one hundred accredited correspondents of the press, including the correspondent of Fraternityi Testvériség. The agenda of the six-week session consisted of 26 items, dealing with a wide range of topics and geographic areas. One of these topics, “The Rights of persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities,” is of special interest to Americans of Hungarian descent, because it touches on the oppression of Hungarian minorities in Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union. The Human Rights Commission's messages of concern or condemnation were directed at the governments of countries whose human rights situations were reviewed during the session. Among them were the “racist regime” of South Africa for it apartheid policies and practices in South Africa and Namibia, and for its military actions against neighboring states; the “Zionist authorities of Israel” for Israel’s expansionist policies in occupied Arab territories; and the governments of Chile, Poland, Iran, El Salvador, Guatemala and Boiavia. In some 44 resolutions and 15 decisions and recommendations, the Commission agreed on measures to facilitate impartial investigation of specific cases, submission of reports and recommendations for action. Human rights situations arising from the occupation by foreign troops of Afghanistan and Kampuchea (Cambodia) were deplored and the parties urged to co-operate in achieving a negotiated settlement. A negotiated settlement was also called for in the former Spanish Sahara. Uganda and Equatorial Guinea were selected for special U. N. assistance to improve their human rights situations. Agreement was also reached on measures to continue efforts to eliminate such human rights violations as enforced disappearances, exploitation of child labor, female prostitution, torture and other inhuman treatment of detainees and prisoners, mass exoduses and summary and arbitrary executions. It was decided to continue the setting of standards, including preparatory work on declarations, conventions and similar instruments. Finally, a step was taken toward the eventual appointment of a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. With the exception of debates on certain highly politicized issues (such as the: question of human rights violations in Poland), the general atmosphere of the session was both businesslike and relaxed. Delegates were readily available to members of the press for interviews. This correspondent talked to several delegates who were involved in the drafting of a declaration concerning the rights of national, ethnic, and linguistic minorities. The draft declaration has been under consideration since 1978, and it may take a few more years before a text will be agreed on by all interested parties. This may sound discouraging to minorities which are persecuted, but the fact that the United Nations is seriously concerned with the issue is a good sign in itself. From the year 1945 (the founding of the United Nations Organization) up until 1978 the problem of the national minorities was almost totally neglected. How effective is the Commission on Human Rights? If one evaluates the 38th session, it is evident that much time is lost by intricate parliamentary maneuverings on certain items; time that could be devoted to more substantial issues. As a result, the agenda of the last week was overcrowded, and the morning and afternoon meetings had to be supplemented by night sessions running until midnight. Otherwise, it can be reported with satisfaction that the delegation of the United States was skillful and restrained. The Third World delegates did not vote as one bloc all the time; on many occasions they split up. More than half of them supported the West on resolutions dealing with human rights violations in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Poland. On the other hand, the obstructionism of the Soviet Union was clumsy enough at times to evoke general laughter. — continued on page 11 — 8
