LONDON, July 22 (IPS) – Writer is Editor-in-Chief at CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance. He is one of the lead authors of CIVICUS Lens and the Civil Society Report 2022 It’s a vital role for victims of abuses and many civil society activists who look after rely on the United Nations system to set and apply human rights standards, monitor the human rights performance of nations, and hold violators accountable.
And there is a vacancy. In June, the incumbent High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, announced she would not seek a second term when her term ends in August.
Her announcement is not surprising: no one held this role for two full terms. The High Commissioner may find himself trying to strike impossible compromises between upholding rights, keeping powerful nations on the side, and respecting the UN’s culture of caution.
They may not please anyone: too timid and wary of civil society, too critical of states expecting to get away with rights violations.
Bachelet is no stranger to accusations of downplaying criticism of human rights. Most recently, her visit to China attracted great controversy. Bachelet has long sought to visit China, but when the trip took place in May, it was carefully managed by the Chinese state, device it for PR purposes and misinformation.
Key qualities for the job
Looking ahead, it’s time to think about who should do the next job. The United Nations system did not have long to identify and appoint Bachelet’s successor, and the candidates made their own decisions.
But the process must be included. There is clearly a danger of the selection process leading to the hasty appointment of a candidate accepted by the states because they will not challenge them.
To avoid this, civil society needs to be fully engaged. Candidates should face the question of civil society. The criteria by which the appointment is made should be shared and open to criticism.
This means that they need to have a strong foundation in international human rights law, which is important at a time when some countries are reasserting narrow notions of national sovereignty as an alternative to international standards. longstanding international ink. The UN system needs to better protect international law against this growing erosion.
The successful candidate must also have a proven background in human rights advocacy and working with victims of human rights abuses. The candidate must be fully committed to social justice, protecting and promoting the rights of the excluded groups most under attack – including women, LGBTQI+ people, blacks, Indigenous peoples , migrants and refugees, and environmental rights defenders.
They must always be on the side of the abused, acting as a kind of representative of the global victims.
The style that they should adopt in the office should be openness and honesty. They should be willing to work with civil society and listen to criticism.
They should work to incorporate human rights into all UN activities, including work on peace and security, sustainable development and climate change. They should develop the office’s underutilized mandate to act on early warning signs of human rights emergencies and bring to the attention of other UN departments to help prevent crises, especially since the UN Security Council so often does. deadlock.
They should support the various human rights holders and special UN experts, and push them to be able to make truly unhindered visits to countries where they can. scrutinize the rights under attack.
While diplomatic skills are important, the approach to defensive and trade-off negotiations, the kind Bachelet has been accused of, should be avoided. This is not a technocratic role. It is about demonstrating ethical leadership and staying grounded. The next High Commissioner should not try to negotiate with countries like China. They should take the lead in condemning them.
An important moment
This is a potentially pivotal moment. The demand has never been greater. Human rights are being attacked on a scale unprecedented in the existence of the UN. When it comes to vital civil rights – the right to association, assembly and peaceful expression – the global situation worsens every year.
Around the world, 117 out of 197 countries monitored by CIVICUS Monitor has now seriously violated these rights.
If the appeals of civil society are not heeded, the danger seems clear: the position may become inadequate, hopelessly compromised and detached from the call. Ethics should be at the heart of it.
The time has come for the UN to take human rights seriously and ensure that rights are at the core of what it does and does. It also means it has to rethink its funding situation: the UN human rights system may have well-developed mechanisms, but they are frequently underfunded.
Human rights just ended four percent the UN’s regular budget even though it is one of the three pillars of the UN, alongside development and peace and security, makes work highly dependent on voluntary contributions, which are never enough.
The next High Commissioner must accelerate the funding and implementation of the Call to Action on Human Rights. To help ensure this, the United Nations’ commitment to human rights must first be signaled by the appointment of a fearless human rights activist to its ultimate human rights role.
IPS UN Office
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