Co-operation with United Nations human rights mechanisms – a challenge for the Council of Europe and its member States

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 14275 | 21 March 2017

Signatories:

Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Ms Luise AMTSBERG, Germany, SOC ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Danielle AUROI, France, SOC ; Mr Sérgio AZEVEDO, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Doris BARNETT, Germany, SOC ; Ms Regina BASTOS, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Eka BESELIA, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Jacques BIGOT, France, SOC ; Ms Sílvia Eloïsa BONET, Andorra, SOC ; Ms Tamar CHUGOSHVILI, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Raphaël COMTE, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Telmo CORREIA, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Pascale CROZON, France, SOC ; Mr Geraint DAVIES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Elvira DROBINSKI-WEISS, Germany, SOC ; Ms Josette DURRIEU, France, SOC ; Ms Nino GOGUADZE, Georgia, EC ; Ms Annette GROTH, Germany, UEL ; Ms Gabriela HEINRICH, Germany, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Carles JORDANA, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Jan E. JØRGENSEN, Denmark, ALDE ; Ms Sofio KATSARAVA, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Zviad KVATCHANTIRADZE, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Luís LEITE RAMOS, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr François LONCLE, France, SOC ; Mr Dirk Van der MAELEN, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Philippe MAHOUX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Duarte MARQUES, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Judith PALLARÉS, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Harald PETZOLD, Germany, UEL ; Mr John PRESCOTT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Mechthild RAWERT, Germany, SOC ; Ms Patrícia RIBERAYGUA, Andorra, ALDE ; Ms Helena ROSETA, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Adão SILVA, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Dimitri TSKITISHVILI, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Tobias ZECH, Germany, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

In a speech before the Human Rights Council on 13 September 2016, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein noted with grave concern that several member States of the Council of Europe refuse to grant UN human rights mechanisms access to their countries or to specific areas. These include south-east Turkey, Crimea, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

The Council of Europe’s own monitoring bodies have also had difficulties in accessing certain member States or areas, in particular the Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Council of Europe’s member States should set a positive example in co-operating with all human rights monitoring bodies they are participating in. They should also enable the Council of Europe’s relevant bodies to fully co-operate with their UN counterparts in order to achieve the best possible synergies and avoid any double work.

The Parliamentary Assembly considers that neutral human rights monitoring without any double standards is crucial for establishing a clear picture of the human rights situation so that appropriate measures can be taken to protect rights more effectively.

The Assembly therefore resolves to examine ways and means to improve co-operation between the human rights monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe and of the UN and, in particular, to ensure their full and unimpeded access to all areas of our continent.