Delegates met to review the Council’s efforts towards confidence building leading to sustainable peace, in light of current and emerging threats.
“Full compliance with human rights is the best antidote to those inequalities, unaddressed grievances and discrimination which is always at the root of instability and conflict,” Mr. Türk said, speaking via videolink from Nairobi.
“An unchanging human rights lens and strong human rights action – based on tried and tested principles – lead us away from chaos and conflict; growth development; and build trust,” he added.
Critical at all levels
Human rights are important at every stage of “peace progress” in prevention, conflict and resolution, he said, citing examples such as the current conflicts in Haiti and Sudan.
At the same time, trust – which supports both human relations and social contract between people and Government institutions – is the foundation of conflict prevention and lasting peace.
“It is, indeed, a comprehensive improvement of all human rights that is credible,” he told the Commission.
“I have experienced time and time again when talking to victims, including human rights defenders and refugees. Their voices in human rights are sought to be amplified and brought to the table. ”
Haiti ‘human rights emergency’
Mr. Türk described how the human rights perspective applies at all stages of peace progress, starting with early warning and preventive action to detect and address the drivers of conflict.
“In Haiti, early warning signals point to the devastating impact of inequalities, corruption and exclusion on both trust and stability,” he said.
Last year, the Council set out to impose disarmament and target sanctions in response to armed gang violence sweeping the country, but the human rights chief insisted more action was urgently needed now.
“I visited the country in February. It is hanging over the abyss,” he said.
“The state lack of capacity to handle the human system has completely destroyed people’s confidence. The social contract has collapsed. The current lawlessness is a human rights emergency that calls for a strong response.”
Trust house in Sudan
Meanwhile, when conflict erupts, human rights monitoring focuses on the impact on people, while also working to counter misinformation that can feed hatred and fear.
Mr. Türk spoke about the conflict in Sudan, where rival militias have been fighting for about three weeks, endangering prospects for civilian rule.
“We know that Sudan’s future depends on building trust between the Sudanese people and the institutions that should serve them,” he said.
“Human rights, an end to impunity, and participation by the population – especially women and young people – must be the forces that come out of the current crisis, so that Sudan can finally stand.”
Participation and freedom of press
Furthermore, the full extent of human rights standards is also important in ending conflict and establishing sustainable peace, Mr. Türk said, pointing out principles of accountability, non-discrimination, and participationespecially by women and girls, minority groups and youth.
He noted how important participation has been to building trust in Colombia, following the signing of the 2016 peace agreement that ended five decades of conflict between the authorities and the armed group FARC-EP.
The agreement also addresses deep structural issues around land reform, discrimination, and inequality.
“In Colombia, as elsewhere, human rights and justice will be the best guides on the long road towards reconciliation and sustainable peace,” he said.
As the meeting took place on World Press Freedom Day, held annually on June 3, the UN rights chief also emphasized the importance of freedom of press and the protection of journalists.
