Guidance Request for Draft Declaration on Human Rights

UNCLAS GENEVA 000110 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL SUBJECT: Guidance Request for Draft Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training ¶1. This is an action request. See para 4. ¶2. The 13th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC),beginning March 1st, will hold a High Level (Ministerial) discussion on the Right to Human Rights Education and Training and subsequently almost certainly pass a resolution establishing a mechanism to draft a declaration. The sponsors of this effort (Morocco, Costa Rica, Slovenia, The Philippines, Italy, and Switzerland - referred to as "the Platform") aim to begin negotiations on the draft declaration as soon as possible, perhaps as early as April, and hope to conclude negotiations in time for consideration by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) during the 66th session in 2011. As a point of departure, the Platform will use a draft declaration approved by the Advisory Committee in January, whose drafting committee worked for two years developing the draft (see attachment). Previous resolutions addressing the need for a declaration and discussions during HRC and Advisory Committee sessions indicate that a draft declaration will receive broad support and that the HRC will likely pass a resolution for the UNGA's consideration within or near to the 2011 time frame. ¶3. Discussions so far indicate that many countries believe the declaration should assert a "fundamental right" to human rights education and that the declaration should define it as broadly as possible to include every manner of formal and informal education. [Note: Pakistan, the Philippines and some others have questioned if human rights education constitutes a "human right." End note.] Regarding implementation, the Advisory Committee proposes the establishment of "specialized administrative bodies" at the national level and an international center to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of the declaration internationally. The draft declaration also includes language aimed to protect human rights educators, and thus could serve to advance human rights more broadly in countries with abusive regimes and offer human rights advocates additional protections. ¶4. ACTION REQUEST: The United States has participated in these discussions and joined consensus on resolutions, but has not otherwise taken a significant role in the debate. Mission Geneva seeks Department guidance on the current draft declaration and on our overall policy and approach to the drafting of such a declaration. Mission Geneva will need language for an intervention for the discussion taking place during the 13th HRC session beginning March 1st, as well as voting instructions on the resolution. Platform members have told MissionOffs that the resolution will only aim to establish a negotiating mechanism and not address the substance of the draft declaration. Shortly thereafter, however, with the beginning of negotiations on the text of the declaration, the Mission will need detailed guidance on the draft text on a continuing basis as the negotiations proceed. GRIFFITHS