Human rights vision is now under threat, warns UN agency chief

THE UN's human rights chief has warned that the vision and promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are under considerable strain.

Speaking ahead of International Human Rights Day, Louise Arbour said a balance had to be struck between the desire for security and the need for liberty.

Her comments came as the UN considers reform of the Human Rights Commission.

It is thought by many to be over-politicised and too protective of the national interests of member states.

In the Sudanese province of Darfur and in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, human rights violations have been especially visible in 2004.

Acknowledging this, UN Human Rights Commissioner Ms Arbour identified two major threats to human rights. The first is the response to terrorism, which she described as confused and in danger of jeopardising civil liberties.

The second was the constant threat to human rights in areas where there is armed conflict.

But Ms Arbour also admitted that the Human Rights Commission itself, charged with upholding human rights and condemning violations, has problems.

The commission has suffered from a perception that it's not serving the human rights promotion and protection agenda with the kind of energy that it should

Its failure to even discuss the crisis in Darfur led many human rights groups to dismiss it as an over-politicised body lacking in credibility.

"I think the commission itself has suffered from a perception in the last few years that it's not serving the human-rights promotion and protection agenda with the kind of energy that it should," she said.

Instead it has been "engaged in a lot of posturing and politicking that seems to be designed to preserve national interests".

The recently proposed reforms of the UN include a radical suggestion for the Human Rights Commission. Instead of electing members following nominations from regional blocs, all the 191 member states of the UN should automatically get a seat on the commission.

Human rights groups have already condemned the idea, saying it will provide a haven of respectability for the world's most abusive governments. Instead, they say, the commission should be smaller and set strict human rights standards for its members.

Meanwhile, the Asian Human Rights Commission said human rights abuses are growing in Asia.

The commission said it had documented rights violations in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with most victims coming from poorer communities.

"Asia's human rights situation remains very bleak with most countries facing the breakdown of the rule of law that makes their people live in instability and constant fear," it said.

"The absence of the rule of law permits the exercise of absolute power." More Asians were ready to defend and assert their rights, but many who dared to make complaints and seek justice often met harsher and more violent state reactions, it said.

"This popular upsurge in almost all countries is greater than at any time in the past," the group said.