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Participants at Vienna+20 Conference (c) Vienna+20 Media Team |
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Second World Conference on Human Rights, which produced the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, a wide range of civil society organizations gathered in Vienna this week. They adopted the Vienna+20 CSO Declaration, which emphasizes the primacy of human rights and calls for rights to be made operational.
JUNE 28, 2013 | FIAN International
Civil Society Reclaims Primacy of Human Rights
Yesterday, the participants of the Vienna+20 civil society conference adopted a new declaration which calls upon States to make the primacy of human rights operational.
More than 140 persons from various CSOs around the world gathered at Vienna on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Second World Conference on Human Rights and its Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action issued on June 25, 1993.
The Vienna+20 CSO Declaration stresses the primacy of human rights. Respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights are the first responsibilities of states. Despite progress made in human rights protection, vested interests, in particular corporate interests, tend to prevail, even in multilateral fora and agreements. Especially economic, social and cultural rights still lack adequate forms of legal sanctions as compared to other legal regimes such as international commercial law.
Rolf Künnemann, human rights director at FIAN International and panelist at the CSO conference, explains: "We are witnessing the erosion of the many human rights policy achievements that have been made over the past 20 years. This conference evaluated and addressed the many gaps in human rights protection that have become more severe in the context of globalization. The acceptance and implementation of States' extraterritorial obligations will play a key role in regulating globalization".
The CSO Conference expressed deep concern over the increasing criminalization of, and assaults upon human rights defenders - including refugees and migrants - and the increasing exploitation of women in the context of global capitalism. The realization of women's rights and gender equality, along with the right to live free from discrimination, lay a key foundation for the whole of human rights.
The Vienna+20 CSO Declaration demands accountability and binding regulation of transnational corporations and intergovernmental organizations and reminds States of their human rights obligations in the context of international cooperation and assistance. It also calls for the establishment of a World Court of Human Rights, which, acting in complementarity with existing universal and regional mechanisms, will allow for rights holders to have access to an independent international judicial body to seek remedies and reparations for violations of human rights guaranteed in the principal universal human rights treaties.
The demands made in the Vienna+20 CSO Declaration will be followed up by the various CSOs involved in the Conference. The results of monitoring the implementation of the recommendations and requests made in this Declaration will serve as an input to the Third World Conference envisaged in five years from now.
More Information
Read the full Vienna+20 CSO Declaration.
Read more about the Vienna+20 CSO Conference.
Civil Society Reclaims Primacy of Human Rights (FIAN)
20 years after historic human rights breakthrough, much work remains (OHCHR)
