HUMAN RIGHTS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR TELLS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF GROWTH OF EXTREME POVERTY

The problem of extreme poverty was getting worse and more and more people in both industrialized and developing countries were falling behind daily at "terrifying speed", a human rights expert told the Commission on Human Rights this afternoon.

According to Leandro Despouy, Special Rapporteur of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, the fight to eradicate poverty requires not only detailed knowledge of the causes and factors which give rise to it, but also of its impact on human rights and fundamental freedom as a whole. In a report he presented to the Commission this afternoon, he recommends, among other things, that consideration of this phenomenon should be a principal axis of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, to last from 1997 to 2006.

Mr. Despouy spoke as the Commission continued to examine the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development. During this debate, the following countries took the floor: Algeria, Russian Federation, United States, Cuba and Angola. Also, the following non-governmental organizations: World Organisation Against Torture, International Movement ATD Fourth world, African Association of Education for Development, International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, Pax Christi International, Women's International Democratic Federation, Indian Council of Education, Christian Democrat International, Liberation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the World Muslim Congress.

When it meets again tomorrow, 21 March, at 10 a.m., the Commission is expected to conclude its general debate on economic, social and cultural rights. It is also scheduled to hear from its Special Rapporteur on religious intolerance and the Minister for Human Rights of Burundi.

Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Extreme Poverty

The Commission this afternoon took up the report on the enjoyment of human rights of people living in extreme poverty submitted by the Special Rapporteur of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities Leandro Despouy (document E/CN.4/Sub.2/1996/13). The document recalls that although Father Joseph Wresinski, the founder of the ATD Fourth World Movement, had called on the Commission on Human Rights in 1987 to consider the question of extreme poverty as a violation of human rights, it was only at the beginning of this decade that the question had acquired momentum within the United Nations system, and in particular in the human rights bodies. In this age, Mr. Despouy writes, while "there are people lapping up the wonders of technological progress, culture, information revolution, the thrilling promises of the space age", there are vast numbers of others leading lives of indigence, adversity and neglect. Every day more and more people, in both industrialized and developing countries, fell behind, and with terrifying speed.

The Special Rapporteur concludes that the fight to eradicate poverty requires not only detailed knowledge of the causes and factors which give rise to it, but also of its impact on human rights and fundamental freedom as a whole. He recommends, among other things, that consideration of this phenomenon should be a principal axis of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, to last from 1997 to 2006. The topic should also be put on the agendas of the General Assembly, the Commission and the Subcommission as a high-priority item. As for the machinery of implementation of his recommendations, he writes that the Commission could appoint a special rapporteur or give the task to a working group. Another possibility, and probably the most appropriate, he adds, is that the task be entrusted to the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Introducing the report, Special Rapporteur LEANDRO DESPOUY said the problem of poverty was getting worse around the world. There are currently some 2 billion people living in poverty, and not only in the developing world. Extreme poverty was insidious because it affected people's dignity. But although the problem had become more serious in Latin America and Africa, it had lessened in Asia. The problem was worst in Africa.

Statements in Debate

EDWARD DOMMEN of the World Organization Against Torture, said States were abandoning their traditional responsibilities. They were leaving large murky areas where it was not easy to say with certainty whether or not a State's responsibilities were engaged. Governments all over the world were reducing spending, including security budgets, and allowing private companies to commission private security forces. This raised the question as to who was responsible for human rights violations: the companies involved or the States in which these companies were operating in? Likewise, the retreat of the State with relation to many of its traditional social functions meant that it left many people with no option but to resort to stealing in order to survive. The insistence by the international community in reducing the role of the State was placing strains on the seamlessness of human rights, on their indivisibility and interdependence.

ALWINE DE VOS VAN STEENWIJK, of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, said the report on extreme poverty of the Special Rapporteur of the Subcommission was a credit to the United Nations and everyone who had participated in drafting it. History would say the Special Rapporteur had achieved a first which would gradually put an end to an era the world wanted to leave behind; an era during the United Nations had been obliged to refer to academic experts instead of letting the extremely poor speak for themselves. This report showed that the extremely poor were not the ones who threatened peace in the world. On the contrary, it showed that they wanted peace and justice. The report should serve as a guideline to every United Nations body.

GHENNET GIRMA, of the African Association of Education for Development, said that in crisis zones, notably in the Balkans and in certain regions of Africa, there observed flagrant breaches of economic, social and cultural rights. In Africa, equality of opportunity was hampered by the ethnic factor, and those who belonged to dominant ethnic groups enjoyed greater privileges. It was not uncommon to see foreign companies active in a particular regions or NGOs implementing development programmes keep such situations under wraps so as not to upset local authorities. In this manner, long-term projects were, from the very start, compromised by short-term considerations.

ANDREA BONARDI, of the International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, said the Helms-Burton Act represented the last and most unfair in a series of American measures aimed at sapping Cuba's full economic sovereignty. This law might lead to unforeseeable consequences, as the central pillar in international relations -- sovereignty -- would be jeopardized, paving the way for new forms of colonialism and preventing the Cuban people from fully enjoying a wide range of fundamental rights.

RENEE BRIDEL, of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, said the embargo against Iraq was an act of genocide and in total contradiction with the Geneva Conventions and international law. The Iraqi population was suffering; children were dying in the hundreds. The "oil-for-food" programme had not been implemented and the civilian population had not received the foodstuffs and medicines it needed to survive.

JACQUES VITTORI, of Pax Christi, said studies, surveys and statistics all pointed to a range of problems crying out for solutions, including hunger, malnutrition, poor health, substandard housing, and a degraded environment. And this against a background of unemployment and under- employment. As pointed out by Special Rapporteur Leandro Despouy, the global reality was implacable: the phenomenon of extreme poverty was growing apace, and if present economic and demographic tendencies persisted the number of poor people would quadruple in the space of a lifetime. As the problem got worse, the economic, social and political systems that generated and sustained it would be increasingly called into question.

AIDA AVELLA, of the Women's International Democratic Federation, said the first world followed policies of protectionism while the third world had been forced to accept market policies by the World Bank and other institutions. The third world provided energy and materials and often, with the complicity of local governments, received toxic wastes in return. Examples of this were France in relation with Chad and the United States in relation with Colombia. Multinational corporations could destroy peoples and livelihoods anywhere because capital did not need a visa. However, the first world was building walls of hatred and xenophobia against migrants offering manpower. An example of this was the wall that the United States had erected against the poor of Latin America. The Commission should call for greater control of the actions of transnational corporations in developing countries, especially in countries where serious human rights violations took place.

A. S. NARANG, of the Indian Council of Education, said fighting poverty was a global task. There was today growing awareness that unless the path of development for different nations was properly defined the world would enter the twenty first century amid tensions that had the potential to destabilize the entire international community. Despite its late entry into the modern technological age, India had embarked on a process of economic reforms encompassing not only schemes to safeguard the welfare of the poor but also to permit the diversion of resources into areas which would generate employment. But the reform programme required extensive resources and foreign investment and technology. Unfortunately, those who could assist in this process were more preoccupied with political and strategic issues than with improving the living standards of people around the world. The stagnation in foreign aid flows, along with the imposition of conditions to such flows, constituted major deterrents to the initiatives developing countries needed to take.

CECILE SLESZYNSKA, of Christian Democrat International, said that for over 30 years, Cuba had suffered from the unilateral trade embargo decreed by the United States in violation of the fundamental rights of Cubans. The Helms-Burton Act had hardened this policy and provided for sanctions against countries with trade relations with Cuba. The embargo affected the people of Cuba, not the Government, which was why many independent groups of civil society had agreed to request that the United States lift the embargo. The Christian Democrat International reiterated its desire to undertake contacts to change this unjust situation for the good of Cubans and to ensure that international standards prevailed. Isolation and economic strangulation were the worst enemies of democratization.

MUNAWAR A. HALEPOTA, of Liberation said socio-economic deprivation always led to civil and political unrest. He had been rather surprised to learn that the International Monetary Fund did not concern itself with the internal policies of the countries it gave loans to. These loans served mostly to buy guns and equipment used to subjugate people, as was the case in Burma, China, Nigeria, Serbia and Pakistan. In the Sindh province of Pakistan, there were widespread violations of economic, social and cultural rights. In view of continuing abuses, an impartial United Nations fact- finding mission was essential.

ANNA YRGARD, of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, said poverty had increased dramatically all over the world from 1980 to 1990, continuing to increase since then. Poverty had increased in industrialized countries, particularly in those which have succeeded in lowering their unemployment figures through the elimination of legislation that protected the rights and standards of the labour force. Poverty affected women in particular: the number of women who lived in misery in rural areas was increasing more rapidly than that of men, while the percentage of women among the poor had increased in all countries. Furthermore, structural adjustment policies were particularly affected by structural adjustment policies, which generally entailed significant social costs. One of the major tasks of the working group on the right to development was to produce proposals for a strategy and "concrete and practical measures" to implement and promote this right. It also needed to reverse the trend towards increasing poverty and extreme poverty.

MIR TAHIR MASUD, of the World Muslim Congress, said the right to development had eluded a vast majority of the peoples who had attained freedom from colonialism. The Commission should consider the question of the right to development for peoples under foreign occupation and alien domination. This was the case of the people of Indian-held Kashmir. India had ensured that Kashmir is remained a backward people, plundering their wealth. The inter-governmental experts on the right to development of the Commission should make concrete recommendations in their next report on the question of the right to development of peoples still under foreign occupation and alien domination. The Commission should also urge India to grant Kashmir is their right to development and not to impede it in any way through the denial of economic, social and cultural rights.

ADRIANO PARREIRA (Angola) said Angola had made every effort to ensure that peace and national reconciliation became a reality for every Angolan; and to bring tolerance and dialogue where previously distrust and tyranny had prevailed. Angola was devoted to the promotion and respect for human rights, yet was aware that much remained to be done. Angola had suggested to the Organization of African Unity that a conference on human rights in the continent be held. He was pleased to announce that such a conference would be convened in 1998. This showed the extent to which Africa was committed to human rights. Angola appealed to all States and to the Commission to give political and moral support to the forthcoming conference.

MOHAMED-SALAH DEMBRI (Algeria) said the international economic situation was riddled with fracture lines that rendered the future evolution of the economic and social situation in the world uncertain. Development, and particularly the themes of poverty, employment and social integration, represented a fundamental pillar of the relationship between developing and developed countries. Crowning this relationship was the international economic order. A global response to development lay perhaps in restructuring the international economic order, which required that a consensual approach be adopted -- the capacity of developing countries to reach, on their own, viable solutions to the problems they faced had been diminished. Despite the boost it had received between 1974 and 1979, the North-South dialogue had not been sustained. There were even signs that the North no longer wished to continue this dialogue and that it was laying the basis of a new international order determined on the basis of security preoccupations. But there could be no real peace, or prosperity, in the North if the South could not increase its growth.

MAKSIM GORKUN-VOEVODA (Russian Federation) said insufficient economic growth and debt burdens hindered the universal implementation of social and economic rights. This situation called for a search for new approaches at the national and international levels. It was hoped such an approach would be adequately reflected in a programme of action for ensuring the realization of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. International trade promoted the implementation of social and economic rights by providing extra jobs, stimulating budget allocations and generally raising the well-being of society. The end of the cold war presented could demonstrate this, as it would bring increased opportunities for economic cooperation and for strengthening the social and economic bases of the young democracies in Europe.

JOHN ARBOGAST (United States) said there was a very high correlation between a nation's level of development and the degree to which its civil and political institutions were free to flourish. The most prosperous nations were the free market democracies -- the Vienna Declaration of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights stated as much. Nations that chose to limit the rights and freedoms of their peoples limited themselves, thereby slowing, if not stunting, their development. The United States felt that only a fully integrated approach could lead to sustainable development. Its development programmes were multi-faceted, addressing a wide range of issues like economic reform and broad-based growth human health and family planning environmental protection democracy-building, and others. American programmes in developing countries were designed to produce an integrated whole, since sustainable democracy and sustainable development went hand in hand. These programmes used a comprehensive empowerment approach, understanding the vital role women played in economic, social and cultural development. Furthermore, because of tight budgets and growing needs, the American approach to development focused on results. The United States supported the working group on the right to development's call for concrete and practical measures in the context of an integrated and multi-dimensional concept of development. A sound, realistic and results-oriented approach was the right one to take.

JULIO CESAR GONZALEZ MARCHANTE (Cuba) said that despite a general acceptance that all human rights, including the right to development, were indivisible, Cuba noted with concern that certain countries were still obsessed with giving greater weight to civil and political rights. The improvement of certain macroeconomic indicators as a result of neoliberal economic prescriptions had created false optimism in the developing world. But today even the World Bank acknowledged the effect of the application of neoliberal policies. The high social cost to humans was ignored, with the growth of poverty being the clearest result. The policies imposed on developing countries through adjustment programmes drawn up by international financial institutions had become a lever for the benefit of a few, while aggravating inequalities in the distribution of income causing alarming levels of unemployment and marginalization. There was a consensus on the urgent need to deal with this situation, but there was still a very large gap between words and actions. The external debt issue continued to be a serious problem which undermined developing economies. The High Commissioner for Human Rights should play an active role in seeking an international dialogue to eradicate the negative impact of adjustment policies on all human beings.

Right of Reply

ARTURO HERNANDEZ BASAVE (Mexico), in response to a statement made by an NGO yesterday regarding the economic, social and cultural rights situation in Mexico, said the country had made great efforts in recent years to overcome the financial and economic emergency it had faced in 1994. At the beginning of this year, Mexico had made a final payment of $3.5 billion to the United States and had also reimbursed the International Monetary Fund. A number of Mexican economic and financial indices had improved in recent years; GDP had increased by 5.1 per cent in 1996, and there had been record production levels of basic grains and sugar. Furthermore, in 1996, expenditure for social development had reached $26.5 billion, which represented 54 per cent of the Federal Budget. Mexico fully respected human rights, which had been enshrined in the Constitution.

TOFIK MOUSSAEV (Azerbaijan), replying to a statement made by Armenia this morning, said the Commission had witnessed an attempt by Armenia to justify by means of propaganda its aggression against Azerbaijan and its crimes against humanity. The so-called obstacles to its economic, social and cultural rights had not hindered Armenia in its occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan considered the aggressive policies of Armenia the main obstacle to development of Azerbaijan and the whole region. Armenia must withdraw from Azerbaijan's territories.

MONINA CALLANGAN (Philippines) said she took exception to parts of the report by the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (document E/CN.4/1997/19). With regard to scrap batteries, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines had begun regulating the import of these items in July 1994, in anticipation of a total ban at the end of 1997 in conformity with the Basel Convention. The alleged mass poisoning of 4,000 people in 24 villages, and reported toxicological risks to more than 10,000 people of Marinduque, were not backed up with any evidence. There was also no evidence of trace metal contamination or accumulation beyond internationally acceptable limits that might pose toxicological risks to either aquatic biota or human health. The Philippine delegation pointed out that Special Rapporteurs needed to take the trouble to verify facts and situations in a particular country before making unsubstantiated allegations.

KAREN NAZARIAN (Armenia) said Armenia regretted that the issue of Nagorno Karabakh was again being brought up at the Commission, which was not the right place to discuss a political settlement. Armenia believed the security of Nagorno Karabakh had to be guaranteed so that the physical existence of the people and their control over their territory was not threatened. No one doubted that if Azerbaijan had the chance, it would force a military solution on Nagorno Karabakh. The biggest guarantee of security was normal and good neighbourly relations. But unless there was a peaceful solution for Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia did not see how this could be accomplished.

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