General Debate under Item 3

Item:3 - Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

14 September 2018

Joint Statement by: International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD) and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

Thank you Mr. President,

For the full promotion and protection of human rights amidst conflict situations it is without a doubt that root causes must be sufficiently addressed and tackled.

In the 2018 annual report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to development, A/HRC/39/51, under ‘Identifying those left behind’ the SR correctly notes that a crucial inquiry is to identify, acknowledge, and address the root causes of inequality and discrimination. However, this has not been the case in numerous serious human rights crisis situations where root causes, including that of inequalities and various discrimination, have not been adequately addressed. The crisis in Yemen is an example of this occurrence.

While we commend the efforts of the UN and the international community for supporting peace efforts in Yemen they have, unfortunately only resulted in short-term solutions. The issue of power transfer since 2011 and control of northern Yemen by the Houthis deserves more attention and investigation in relation to the current conflict.

The danger of not addressing root causes is the inevitable possibility of repeated, similar, and/or related crimes; furthermore, perpetrators are further given the chance to escape justice and enjoy opportunity and worse yet many more innocent civilians will suffer atrocities that could have been avoided.

EAFORD and Geneva International Centre for Justice recommend and strongly urge this Human Rights Council to call on its relevant special procedures and stakeholders, and the Security Council to push for dialogue that identifies, acknowledges, and addresses the root causes of the Yemeni conflict.

Thank you.