Lankan Ranger
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2009
- Messages
- 12,550
- Reaction score
- 0
Sri Lanka, Cuba & Pakistan in seeking transparency at UNHRC
Sri Lanka, Cuba and Pakistan, will co-sponsor a resolution seeking transparency in funding and staffing of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, diplomatic sources said.
According to diplomatic sources, 80 per cent of the UNHRC funding requirements are supplied by the United States and its allies while key positions in the UNHRC are mostly held by those who have served in the foreign services of those countries.
Diplomatic sources said this had raised serious concerns about the partiality of the UNHRC activities when dealing with the developing world.
The resolution by the co-sponsoring countries is backed by China & Russia.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Tamara Kunanayakam made a statement, in which she stressed the need for equitable geographic representation in staffing, the equitable appropriation of funds to the UN Human Rights Commissioner and the accountability in such appropriation.
“Any procedure that falls short of these ideals is wholly inappropriate.
It is only timely that we urge this Council to take serious note of whatever shortcomings that detracts from achieving these ideals and put in motion a process that will address these issues in a meaningful and responsible manner so as to achieve the ideals of equitable and efficient distribution of funds and symmetrical mobilization of human resources.
This process can only begin if the Office of the High Commissioner permits access to information in a spirit of candour. It is sincerely hoped that this resolution too should not be regarded by some as procedural trivia. May we respectfully observe, that this kind of critique, is symptomatic of the reemergence of the ghost of the trend that might is right, a trend that must be discouraged at all costs,” she said in her statement.
Daily Mirror E-Paper
Sri Lanka, Cuba and Pakistan, will co-sponsor a resolution seeking transparency in funding and staffing of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, diplomatic sources said.
According to diplomatic sources, 80 per cent of the UNHRC funding requirements are supplied by the United States and its allies while key positions in the UNHRC are mostly held by those who have served in the foreign services of those countries.
Diplomatic sources said this had raised serious concerns about the partiality of the UNHRC activities when dealing with the developing world.
The resolution by the co-sponsoring countries is backed by China & Russia.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Tamara Kunanayakam made a statement, in which she stressed the need for equitable geographic representation in staffing, the equitable appropriation of funds to the UN Human Rights Commissioner and the accountability in such appropriation.
“Any procedure that falls short of these ideals is wholly inappropriate.
It is only timely that we urge this Council to take serious note of whatever shortcomings that detracts from achieving these ideals and put in motion a process that will address these issues in a meaningful and responsible manner so as to achieve the ideals of equitable and efficient distribution of funds and symmetrical mobilization of human resources.
This process can only begin if the Office of the High Commissioner permits access to information in a spirit of candour. It is sincerely hoped that this resolution too should not be regarded by some as procedural trivia. May we respectfully observe, that this kind of critique, is symptomatic of the reemergence of the ghost of the trend that might is right, a trend that must be discouraged at all costs,” she said in her statement.
Daily Mirror E-Paper
