Swiss win push for new rights rapporteur
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a Swiss-supported resolution for a Special Rapporteur to help states deal with rights and humanitarian law abuses.
The foreign ministry said on Thursday that adoption of the resolution was a “major achievement” for Switzerland which has been active on the issue for several years.
“Switzerland believes that this new special procedure will contribute to the fight against impunity, that it will enable the states to fulfil their obligations better and, above all, that it will be a channel allowing the voice of the victims to be heard and guaranteeing that their rights be respected,” said the ministry in a statement.
It explained that the resolution for a Special Rapporteur for the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-occurrence was presented by Switzerland, Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday and was sponsored by nearly 80 states. It was adopted by consensus.
It added that Switzerland had proposed that the rapporteur would become the focal point on this issue within the UN system.
The rapporteur would be “tasked with supporting states to deal adequately with situations in which serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have taken place, by providing them with recommendations, advice, and technical assistance”.
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