2023-10-04 17:02:07
Turk is committed to greater political cooperation against migration and rejects hate speech and incitement
MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, recalled this Wednesday the existence of the right to self-determination when addressing the Sahrawi question and has advocated putting Human Rights at the center of the process to achieve ” reconciliation”.
“There is a right to self-determination that is part of the Human Rights framework,” Turk said in an interview with Europa Press during his visit to Madrid to participate in an event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Thus, he stressed that “there are Human Rights standards that must be applied to people who live in the territory (of Western Sahara), but also outside, those who are in (the refugee camps of) Tindouf.
Turk has stressed that “Human Rights will guide a solution regarding reconciliation and building trust and justice”, although he has stressed that “it must be resolved with a political process.” “I hope there is a solution for the Sahrawi people,” she stressed.
“With regard to Western Sahara, there are very clear resolutions from the Security Council and the UN General Assembly,” he stated, before indicating that “for the situation to be resolved, a political process is necessary that brings everyone together. (negotiating) table.”
“That is the most important thing, but it is certainly not the task of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,” he stated, before showing his satisfaction with the recent visit to the region by Staffan de Mistura, special envoy for Western Sahara of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres.
The former Spanish colony of Western Sahara was occupied by Morocco in 1975 despite the resistance of the Polisario Front, with whom it remained at war until 1991, when both parties signed a ceasefire with a view to holding a self-determination referendum.
The Polisario Front suffered a setback in 2022 when the Spanish Government changed its position and announced its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan, a change of position on the matter and which was described as treason by the Polisario Front itself and which also unleashed criticism from Algeria, where the Tindouf camps are located.
PUTTING HR AT THE CENTER OF THE DEBATE ON MIGRATION
On the other hand, regarding the response of the governments of Spain and other countries to migratory flows, Turk has defended the need to “unite” the political and Human Rights responses, before highlighting that “we are not seeing a political discussion on migration that is fact-based and informed by human rights and international refugee law.”
“It’s being used by some on the political spectrum as an issue to divide, to stoke fear, to belittle other people, migrants or refugees. We have all these discussions, and in the end we see that more than 2,000 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea this year,” he said. “It’s a horrible figure,” she lamented.
In this sense, he has pointed to the “aging population in Europe” and has insisted that “the very survival” of European countries “depends on migration”, while highlighting that “sometimes history is forgotten and that there were 60 million people displaced at the end of World War II.”
“It’s not that you can say that we can’t manage it. Europe was poorer, there were no resources and yet we were still able to somehow cope with 60 million (displaced people and refugees). The majority were European, but there were still 60 million people who did not live in those places where they were from,” he explained.
For this reason, he has insisted that “it is a complex issue” and has noted that the Human Rights situation “is at the center.” “If there are violations of Human Rights, that is the first reason why people flee,” said Turk, who added that it is important that “this is not an issue that divides, but rather unites the countries collaborate with each other.”
“We must not fall into identity politics or populism,” he pointed out, before highlighting that in the electoral campaigns in Europe since 2015 it has been seen that this issue “is an issue for elections, used by those who are not interested in finding a solution but in using it to stir up emotions and fear among the population.
“FEAR IS NOT A GOOD GUIDE”
In this way, he explained that “fear is never a good guide for anything” and has advocated for “more solidarity” and “a joint path” to confront migration in a “law-respecting” way. “Security and International Law are not opposites. Security policies can only be carried out if they are anchored in Human Rights. There is no artificial difference, as some want us to believe,” she argued.
Turk has therefore defended the importance of remembering that “we are talking about human beings, so it is important not to despise them.” “It is important, 75 years after the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that we remember where we come from and that it is something that affects all human beings,” she stressed.
“I hope that everyone who has political responsibility in the world sees their role in advancing Human Rights and does not incite fear, does not divide and does not despise others. We must return to History and the basic pillars, which They are human rights,” said Turk, who asked “to remove the emotional component from the discussion.”
For this reason, he has opted to “seriously analyze what can be done in the countries of origin, transit and destination” and “find ways to work together.” “A country is not going to be able to solve it on its own. It is an illusion to think that a country is going to be able to prevent people from moving,” she stressed.
“It is the politics of the ostrich,” criticized Turk, who recalled that “it is the responsibility of these countries to find a solution and it is something more complex than that” and has asked “all politicians” to read the Universal Declaration of Rights. Humans to structure their policies in this field.
#Human #Rights #chief #recalls #selfdetermination #conflict #Western #Sahara