UN budget cuts endanger human rights monitoring - deadline to join NGO letter is TOMORROW 26 MAY

TheGlobePost.com reported last week that six human rights treaty oversight bodies at the United Nations face serious, unanticipated budget cuts that are endangering further monitoring and research into how countries fulfill their international obligations when it comes to eliminating racial discrimination, torture, and other serious forms of human rights violations. Further review of countries' human rights performance was meant to happen this autumn, but could be significantly delayed.

The news is a disturbing signal with regard to the human rights reviews that have already been planned to be held next year. “It is unprecedented that a legally binding system like the treaty bodies, based on conventions, signed and ratified by member states, are unable to do their work in protecting human rights and monitoring state parties to the conventions,” said Jens Modwig, who chairs the UN Committee against Torture.

The financing crisis is caused by a combination of UN member states delaying paying their dues and budget cuts for the working visits of UN human rights experts to various countries. Modvig warned that delays or outright cessation of the monitoring and research in the area of how human rights are upheld in various countries would “be undermining to the trust in independent expert-based systems” as a whole.

Non-governmental organizations worldwide have published a joint letter expressing their concern about this situation and calling on all  UN member states to take all necessary steps to remedy the current threats to the further mandate and work of the UN mechanisms and treaty bodies in the area of human rights. The open letter is available for download on the web page of the NGO International Service for Human Rights HERE and more NGOs can sign it until TOMORROW, Sunday 26 May, through the online form HERE.