News April 2005

Adventists Address the UN Human Rights Commission

Dr. Jonathan Gallagher at the NGO Speaker's desk

Geneva, Switzerland… Attending the 61st Human Rights Commission of the United Nations this month (April), Seventh-day Adventist church representative Dr. Jonathan Gallagher and other Adventists addressed the body on matters of great concern such as religious persecution, freedom of conscience, and women's rights; and to plead for a ban on the imposition of the death penalty for changing religion.

"The Commission remains a vital forum for presenting human rights issues," says Gallagher. "Despite the negative attitude to the Commission on the part of some, sometimes with good reason, we believe it is essential to be here and make sure we are able to voice our concerns."

Gallagher states that he presented five statements on behalf of the Adventist church, while Adventist representatives Gianfranco Rossi spoke for the International Religious Liberty Association and Denis Rosat for the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty.

The key issues, according to Gallagher, were violations of human rights, religious intolerance and persecution by states and majority religions, women's and children's rights, and the problems faced by religious majorities. "We also joined with the IRLA in condemning the use of the death penalty against those who change their religion. Those who make the choice to change their beliefs are simply expressing their guaranteed human right to do so, and they should not have to pay with their lives," he adds.

Another key aspect of the Commission is the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Ambassadors and country representatives, Gallagher observes. "While much of what we discuss cannot be reported, it is perhaps here that the access to diplomats is most useful. Many issues and problems can be solved through such 'quiet diplomacy,'" he notes, "and at the same time the Adventist church is becoming much better known for its values and principles. We simply cannot afford to stay away."

Assisting Gallagher in his work this year were intern Nuno Macedo from Portugal, and observer Lisa Jean Verona from Italy/USA. The Commission runs from March 14 to April 22. The Church statements made to the Commission are available at http://un.adventist.org. [PARL News]

UN's Kofi Annan Calls for Better Treatment of Human Rights

SG Kofi Annan at the Commission

Geneva, Switzerland… United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called for major changes to the way human rights are investigated and applied, saying that the current UN Commission on Human Rights has been "undermined by the politicization of its sessions," and its "declining credibility has cast a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole."

Speaking to the current session of the Commission on Human Rights on April 7, Annan proposed new methods of better implementing the existing rules, ensuring that states really did observe human rights. To accomplish this he recommended a new Human Rights Council at the highest UN level, "which must be a society of the committed. It must be more accountable and more representative." Its elected members "should have a solid record of commitment to the highest human rights standards"

The alternative is to continue a system that is generally recognized as having a massive "credibility gap," with nations well known as human rights violators sitting on the Commission as judges of others.
"The gap between what we seem to promise, and what we actually deliver, has grown," Annan concluded. "The answer is not to draw back from an ambitious human rights agenda, but to make the improvements that will enable our machinery to live up to the world's expectations. Our constituents will not understand or accept any excuse if we fail to act."

Attending the current Commission meetings is Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to the UN, who was present when Annan made his remarks.

"Clearly something must be done to give the Commission greater strength and credibility," Gallagher states. "It becomes a mockery when some states with poor records of human rights are allowed on such an important review Commission. We are deeply committed to fundamental human rights, especially freedom of conscience and religion, and support efforts to call nations to account when they violate these vital liberties."

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has special consultative status with the UN, which permits the Church to make statements to the Commission, attend UN conferences and meetings, and speak out on issues of importance such as religious freedom, health principles, and family rights. [PARL News]

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For more information of the church’s involvement at the U.N., visit http://un.adventist.org.

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