Meeting of the Inter-Agency Council on Human Rights

Remarks by the UN Resident Coordinator/ UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Council on Human Rights

April 24, 2019

Photo source: Administration of the Government of Georgia

Remarks by the UN Resident Coordinator/
UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton

at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Council on Human Rights

Government Administration

23 April 2019

Dear Mr. Prime Minister

Ministers and Deputy Ministers

Dear Madame Public Defender

Members of Parliament

Ambassador Hartzell

Colleagues from the UN system and other international partners

Civil society representatives

This meeting represents an important milestone, and I am both pleased and honored to represent the UN family here today as we mark the reconvening of the Human Rights Council of Georgia after a pause of some four years.

Let me start by thanking the Prime Minister for his decision to convene this meeting, and for extending an invitation to so many organizations and entities for which human rights serve as both an inspiration and an aspiration.

My UN colleagues and I are especially glad to be here today since human rights are the touchstone for everything the UN system does, in Georgia and everywhere else in the world.

The sentiment expressed in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” – is the bedrock upon which all of our activities are grounded.

Here we see a continuum of values leading naturally to the idea of “leaving no one behind” that is the core idea behind the Sustainable Development Goals.

So we have a strong interest in seeing the Human Rights Council back in business.

Of course, the lack of formal meetings did not mean that the Council’s work was halted. For that we are grateful to the Human Rights Secretariat and its Head, Natalia Jaliashvili, for maintaining momentum on human rights.

At UNDP, with EU support, we were happy to have provided the expert advice that has helped to revive and perhaps even reconfigure the Council.

Through our experts, we have suggested some new, more active and more affirmative directions the Council could take in the future, including by transforming itself into a National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up.

This would be a good way to translate the state’s commitment to human rights from enthusiastic affirmation into equally enthusiastic implementation.

We see such a transformation as both timely and necessary.

Since independence, Georgia has set its sights very high. It has sought to make its mark globally as a vocal advocate for human rights and democratic values.

The UN family has been honoured to serve as an ally in this effort, working for the past several years in close partnership with the European Union.

We are keen to continue to provide support as the country works to close some lingering gaps between human rights in theory and human rights in practice.

We will hear more on this subject from the other speakers today, but – in the assessment of the UN family – the areas where fresh energy is needed include:

  • the protection of minority rights and the elimination of all forms of discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;
  • the rights of persons with disabilities, where both physical and mental barriers pose obstacles to the life in the community mandated by the UN Convention;
  • the rights of children to grow up without violence, including corporal punishment;
  • the rights of women and girls to an equal voice in political and economic life; to equal pay for equal work; and to lives led free of violence – and should they experience it, to receive needed services without bureaucratic hurdles; and
  • reproductive rights in general, since family planning services remain limited.    

These outstanding issues by no means diminish Georgia’s admirable achievements on human rights. Many countries face similar challenges, and Georgia can both learn from the lessons of others and serve as a good example.

On the issues that concern us most, we see the Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights and Gender Equality as an important driver of progress. We trust that a suitable replacement will soon be found to ensure that the work of the Inter-agency Commission on Gender Equality, Violence against Women and Domestic Violence continues, with renewed focus and redoubled energy.

We appreciate that the Council continues to be transparent and that civil society organizations, as well as international actors, are taking part in its work.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, dear colleagues,

Convening the Human Rights Council today sends a very positive signal.

But this should be the start rather than the end of the process.

We are confident that today’s discussion will build new momentum behind the quest for human rights, since a lot of important work lies ahead, including the preparation of a new human rights strategy to be ready after 2020.

Please be sure that you can count on the ongoing support of the entire UN family as we weigh the challenges and opportunities ahead and agree on a role for the Human Rights Council that matches this country’s great potential.

Thank you for the kind invitation, and thank you for your attention.