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LoginHuman rights ‘fundamental’ in member countries and worldwide, says UN chief
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at today's press conference in Auckland. Photo: Henry Yamo / PMC
Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Henry Yamo
“Human rights are an inviolable and fundamental principle of the United Nations charter and the United Nations is always very strong in committing to ensure that the human rights of everybody in member countries and elsewhere are fully protected.”
So said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a joint press conference with the NZ Prime Minister John Key in Auckland today.
Ban’s statement came after he was questioned by journalists who asked what measures were being taken by the UN to address the reports of human rights abuses in Fiji and West Papua.
The secretary-general said the issue of human rights was something that should be discussed with the Decolonisation Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, adding that it could deal with any country regardless of whether it was an independent state or self-governing territory.
Ban Ki-moon: “And when [the issue] comes again, whether you are an independent state or a non-self-governing territory or whatever, the human rights is inalienable and a fundamental principle of the United Nations.
“We will do all to ensure that people in West Papua, their human rights will be respected.”
Reporter: “Will a human rights fact-finding mission be dispatched to West Papua at some time?”
BKM: “That is the same answer [to a previous question on Fiji] that should be discussed at the Human Rights Council among the member states.
Normally the Secretary General acts on the basis of a mandate given by inter-governmental bodies.”
Throughout the conference, human right groups from West Papua and Fiji were protesting outside the Forum venue at Sky City, calling for the United Nations to give recognition to the issues of human rights in their respective countries.
Groups protesting in Auckland to attract attention from the United Nations included the Free and Democratic Movement of Fiji, based in New Zealand as well as members of the West Papua National Coalition for liberation (WPNCL) and the Auckland-based Indonesia Human Rights Committee.
Representatives of the two groups said they would take their call further to the United Nations General Assembly that would be held later this month.
Henry Yamo is a Masters in Communication Studies student from Papua New Guinea on the Asia-Pacific Journalism course at AUT University.
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Let us Freedom..! Viva West Papua…
Liar, the United Nations and Ban Ki-moon have lined their pockets with money from the colonial mining of West Papua. The UN betrayed human rights in 1962 when it signed an illegal contract trading the sovereignty of West Papua between foreign colonial powers including itself.
UN General Assembly 1752 (XVII) was in violation of resolutions 1514 & 1541 (XV) and in violation of the UN charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN members had NO right to say the UN could trade the sovereignty of a nation between other powers.
Dear Mr Ban Ki-moon,
You could advance human rights IF you were to ask the ICJ to give it’s independent legal opinion on the legality of UN General Assembly resolution 1752 (XVII) or/or the “New York Agreement” which 1752 was related to.
In light of the UN charter and UN General Assembly resolutions 1514 & 1541 (XV) , was 1752 lawful?
BKM; ENOUGH OF TALKING, WE WANT ACTION! WE WANT THE ISSUE OF WEST PAPUA TO BE TABLED IN UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RIGHT AWAY. IS SUCH IS NOT FORTCOMING, PLEASE DON’T TALK ABOUT WHAT UN WILL DO TO RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS IN WEST PAPUA – THE BLOOD OF MANY WEST PAPUANS ARE IN YOUR UN HANDS. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, WE WANT FREEDOM FROM COLONIALISM. WE WANT TO GOVERN OURSELVES AND TO REALISE OUR FULL POTENTIAL OF BEING NATION
[...] General Ban Ki-Moon inadvertently created the biggest story around the Forum by declaring that the UN remained concerned about human rights abuse in West Papua and was open to putting the province back on the UN decolonisation [...]
[...] General Ban Ki-Moon inadvertently created the biggest story around the Forum by declaring that the UN remained concerned about human rights abuse in West Papua and was open to putting the province back on the UN decolonisation [...]
[...] General Ban Ki-Moon inadvertently created the biggest story around the Forum by declaring that the UN remained concerned about human rights abuses there and was open to putting West Papua back on the UN de-colonisation [...]