BOLIVIA HOSTS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE

UNCLAS LA PAZ 003147 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON PHUM BL SUBJECT: BOLIVIA HOSTS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) From October 24-26, Bolivia's eastern city of Santa Cruz hosted a conference of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from over eighty countries. The theme of the conference was "respecting the human rights of migrants." The Santa Cruz Declaration, the conference's main product, focused primarily on next steps. However, it also took a jab at current United States immigration policy, specifically the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Evo Morales opened the conference with a speech that argued for the liberalization of migration around the world. He also used the occasion to criticize U.S. policies on a number of fronts including immigration, the war in Iraq, and our "harboring" of former President Sanchez de Lozada. The conference, at least temporarily, raised Bolivia's profile in international human rights circles. The conference also gave President Morales a venue to expound on immigration liberalization; an issue which resonates with the estimated three million Bolivians who live outside of Bolivia as well as with the thousands who leave the country on a monthly basis. An underlying conference objective was to persuade developed countries to further open their borders to both legal and illegal migrants. End Comment. -------------- Description of The Conference -------------- ¶2. (SBU) From October 24-26, Bolivia's eastern city of Santa Cruz hosted a conference of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from over eighty countries. The conference, titled the "Eighth International Conference of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights," was a gathering of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from around the world. ¶3. (SBU) The theme of the conference was "respecting the human rights of migrants." The conference attendees focused much attention on strategies for getting countries to ratify and implement the "International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of their Families." -------------- The Santa Cruz Declaration -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Santa Cruz Declaration, the conference's main product, focused primarily on next steps. However, it also took a jab at current United States immigration policy, specifically the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The declaration consists of forty-four points which can be condensed into the following main ideas; - NHRIs should promote a human rights approach to migration; - NHRIs are critical to the monitoring and protection of migrants' rights; - NHRIs should promote the ratification of the "Inter- national Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families;" and, - NHRIs should cooperate with organizations at all levels (local, national, regional and international). Item 11 of the declaration contained a clear statement against U.S. immigration policy regarding construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The item reads, "experience demonstrates that physical barriers, including walls, endanger fundamental rights such as the right to life." -------------- -------------- President Morales Opines on Migration and U.S. Policies -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) President Evo Morales opened the conference with a speech that argued for the liberalization of migration around the world. He used the occasion to criticize U.S. policies on a number of fronts including, immigration, the war in Iraq, and our "harboring" of former President Sanchez de Lozada. Morales argued that people, regardless of their nationality, should be allowed to move freely around the globe to seek economic opportunities. He stated that people should be "globalized" before the globalization of products and services. He added that there is "no marginalization, no exclusion for migrants (moving from the developed North to the less-developed South) they are actually welcomed," while in the other direction, he explained "migration is demonized and criminalized". In an attempt to further his point he gave the following example, "the U.S. Embassy in La Paz only authorized a visa for the days of my meetings (UNGA). If I hadn't been president they would not have let me in the United States." Morales later called on members of the conference to push for the extradition from the United States of former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. He also urged participants to put pressure on the United States "to pull its troops out of Iraq." -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The conference, at least temporarily, raised Bolivia's profile in international human rights circles. Bolivia's Defensor del Pueblo, Waldo Albarracin, was singled-out in the Santa Cruz Declaration for his contributions. (Note: The Defensor is an independent agency that handles human rights cases submitted by citizens against the GOB). Poloff spoke to the Defensor after the conference and he stated that the conference was a "big success" and that it garnered a lot of goodwill for his office and Bolivia in general. ¶7. (SBU) The conference also gave President Morales a venue to expound on immigration liberalization; an issue which resonates with the estimated three million Bolivians resident outside of Bolivia as well as with the thousands who leave the country on a monthly basis. An underlying conference objective was to persuade developed countries to further open their borders to both legal and illegal migrants. A press release issued after the conference highlighted this goal, "Participants also recalled that very few countries have ratified the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of their Families, and that so far, no country among the developed nations has ratified the Convention." End comment. GOLDBERG