Introductory remarks by Permanent Representative of Belarus L.Belskaya at the side-event «Universality and indivisibility of human rights for all: States practices»

56^th session of UN Human Rights Council

Geneva

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to begin with welcoming you at this important event.

Today we present the first Joint Report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

I believe that this report will be of particular interest to those seeking comprehensive information on human rights in the world, to those who are not indifferent to the fate of international cooperation in the field of human rights.

We all know that the group of target countries for the list of so called violators of human rights in the Human Rights Council (agenda item 4) is composed exclusively of developing States and States,  that are in the focus of priority attention in terms of geopolitical interests of the West.

This list is formed by a group of countries positioned themselves as leaders of democracy and human rights champions.

Human rights violations in such countries, regardless of their seriousness and scale, are presented as isolated cases that are dealt within their legal system.

Is that the case? Obviously, the answer will be negative.

The report to be  presented today examines situations in countries that too often remain outside the scrutiny of human rights bodies.

The report contains many examples, how the Western countries disregard and violate economic and social rights, rights for freedoms of opinion and expression, assembly and association, conscience and religion and many others.

For exemplar, instead of preventing inter-ethnic and religious conflicts, some Western elites are engaged in re-writing history, keeping silence on the tragedies of entire peoples and erasing them from the memory of modern generations.

In many cases we could see that the value of human life and the scope of individual rights are determined by nationality, skin colour or religious beliefs.

International law and international human rights obligations are not respected in these countries. They live by the rules they change to their own advantage.

The report reveals problems that should shock and elicit immediate response of international experts and the OHCHR.  Unfortunately,  this is not the case yet.

It is critically important to ensure that the international human rights system respect the principles of impartiality and universality in assessing and addressing human rights situations worldwide, including in the countries of the collective West.

The report will be a useful tool for the system and for those who support universality and indivisibility of human rights.

By common efforts we must balance the work of human rights mechanisms and strengthen international cooperation in the field of human rights to move towards universal respect for human rights.

Thank you.

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