PHA-Exchange> Food for the cynics’ thought

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

Human Rights Reader 161

HUMAN RIGHTS OBLIGATIONS RICH COUNTRIES ARE NOT HONORING.

With few exceptions, rich countries:

1. Are not taking into account their international human rights (HR) duties
•	when engaging in international assistance and cooperation programs, 
•	when they do not follow the solemn commitments they entered-into in
        recent world conferences, and even 
•	when helping in the implementation of the MDGs.

2. They are not taking the necessary measures to ensure the coherent and 
consistent application of these obligations across their international policy-
making process. (For example, according to international HR law, rich 
countries’ duties in international cooperation should be understood and 
respected equally by those in their bureaucracies responsible
•	for foreign affairs, 
•	for finance and trade, 
•	for representing them in international negotiations on trade and debt
        issues, and 
•	for setting policies and backing projects of the IFIs (where these
        rich countries have a commanding vote).

3. They are not living up to the UN target of a development assistance of no 
less than 0.7% of GDP. They are also 
•	not carefully examining the ‘HR quality’ of their development
        assistance, 
•	not supporting HR-related development projects, 
•	not helping poor countries fulfill their core HR obligations to reach
        international minimum thresholds.

4. They are not ensuring that the international commercial activities for 
which they have direct responsibility (such as those of their agencies that 
give financial guarantees to their own companies operating abroad) conform to 
international HR standards.

Rich countries are also:

5. Not helping to regulate their own private sector foreign investment, 
including that of TNCs, with a view to ensuring the same conforms with the 
State’s international HR obligations, especially those impacting upon poverty 
reduction elsewhere.

6. Not taking reasonable measures to ensure that the overseas operations of 
corporations headquartered in their jurisdiction are respectful of the 
international HR obligations of both the home and the host poor country.

7. They are not providing needed assistance to poor countries to more 
effectively and fairly negotiate international trade and intellectual property 
rights agreements, as well as other multilateral and bilateral agreements that 
directly impact upon the needs and interests of poor people (and that bear 
upon the incidence and prevalence of poverty) in those countries. (This also 
extends to the capacity of poor countries to better negotiate on an equitable 
basis with TNCs --the resources of which far exceed the resources available to 
poor countries’ governments).

8. They are not making their international technical assistance available to 
help poor countries establish appropriate regulatory frameworks for their 
private sector, including those for dealing with TNCs and with human rights in 
general.

Claudio Schuftan, Ho Chi Minh City (temporarily in Haiti)
claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn 
______________________________
Adapted from Human Rights and Poverty Reduction, A Conceptual Framework, 
OHCHR, UN, New York and Geneva, 2004.


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