King's Research Report Launched
King’s Research Report Launched at UN Human Rights Council as a Resolution on Parliaments and Human Rights is Passed
27 June 2014 was a landmark day in Geneva for the role of national parliaments in protecting and promoting human rights.
The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on “The Contribution of parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic review”, which acknowledged “the crucial role that parliaments play in, inter alia, translating international commitments into national policies and laws, and hence in contributing to the fulfilment by each State Member of the United Nations of its human rights obligations and commitment sand to the strengthening of the rule of law”.
On the same day, Dr Philippa Webb and Ms Kirsten Roberts of The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, launched their Outcome Document on Effective Oversight of Human Rights, at an event at the UN Human Rights Council co-hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and attended by over 50 representatives of Permanent Missions, civil society and UN officials. The event was chaired by H.E. Ambassador Laura Dupuy Lasserre of Uruguay, Former President of the UN Human Rights Council, and featured presentations by Mr. Anders B. Johnsson (Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union), Dr Philippa Webb, Ms Kirsten Roberts, and Mr.Gianni Magazzeni (UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights).
The Outcome Document generated lively discussion among the audience and panellists. Dr Webb observed, “Parliaments can play a vital role in protecting human rights, but their potential is not being realised. Parliaments are ideally positioned to be leaders in ensuring that the State is not perpetrating human rights violations, that domestic law is not incompatible with human rights standards, and in ensuring that human rights protections are in place. In order to do this, they must have a designated human rights mechanism.”
Ms Roberts continued, “In democracies, parliaments are crucial in balancing the use of power by the executive and overseeing the functioning of the State. In many countries this balance is off – with the executive and civil service often unwilling to cede any real control to oversight or accountability mechanisms. Parliaments must take up this role,particularly in relation to human rights.”
Ms Roberts and Dr Webb called for the elaboration of a set of UN Principles on mechanisms for parliamentary oversight of human rights.
The Project on Effective Parliamentary Oversight of Human Rights is funded by the King’s Policy Institute. Visit the project web pages here.
Image: Mr Gianni Magazzeni, Ambassador Dupuy Lasserre, IPU Secretary-General Johnsson, Dr Philippa Webb and Ms Kirsten Roberts in Geneva last week.