PHM-Exch> New Human Rights Principles launched at UN, Geneva

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Flavio Valente <Valente at fian.org>



Spanish and French will follow soon – pls disseminate!

*
http://fian.org/news/press-releases/new-human-rights-principles-launched-at-un-geneva
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*Heidelberg, 13 March 2012* - A ground-breaking new human rights
instrument, the "Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of
States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights," has been
launched at the UN in Geneva.****

In order to address the challenges of globalization, States'
extraterritorial human rights obligations (ETOs) - that is, the obligations
towards persons outside their territories - are crucial. Nevertheless,
these obligations had been marginalized until recently.****

ETOs have often gone unrecognized in law, policy and practice of many
States. States have tended to limit obligations to their own territory,
which does justice neither to the regulatory needs of the international
community nor to upholding the principle of the universality of human
rights.****

"The gaps in human rights protection have become more severe in the context
of globalization during the past 20 years," said Rolf Künnemann, Human
Rights Director at FIAN International, one of the co-sponsoring
organizations of this event, along with the International Federation of
Human Rights, ESCR-Net, CELS and Amnesty International.****

"The recent food crises have resulted largely from the policies of
international actors. Areas of concern include the human rights regulation
of transnational corporations, the accountability of intergovernmental
organizations, rights-based development and the implementation of human
rights law in the face of investment and trade law, constructed over the
past 20 years."****

This reductionism to territorial obligations has led to a vacuum of human
rights protection in a number of international political processes and a
lack of regulations based on human rights in order to promote their
protection. The situation is particularly challenging in the field of
economic, social and cultural rights.****

"The Maastricht ETO Principles are an important step towards closing these
gaps," added Künnemann. "They provide a much needed instrument for human
rights organisations, like FIAN International, and for social movements
that have to face extraterritorial violations of human rights."****

Two cases to illustrate the use of these Principles were presented in
Geneva. Dr. Christopher Mbazira of Makarere University in Uganda presented
on the Mubende case in Uganda, where peasant communities were brutally and
illegally displaced to make way for a coffee plantation of a German
transnational coffee grower. After 10 years, the communities are still
without land and compensation.****

The Aguas Argentinas case was analyzed by Gabriella Kletzel of CELS from
Argentina. She showed how a bilateral investment treaty was used by a
consortium of European corporations in an attempt to get Argentina
sanctioned for trying to meet its obligations under the human right to
water.****

"In both cases the Maastricht Principles guide the way for States to
prevent such situations in the future," said Künnemann. "FIAN and other
civil society organisations welcome the Principles, because they provide
necessary building blocks for a future based on human rights."****

The Maastricht Principles had been elaborated by 44 international legal
experts at a conference hosted by Maastricht University and the Commission
of Jurists in September 2011, after years of extensive study.****

Other panelists at the presentation included Olivier de Schutter, the UN
Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Margot E. Salomon of the London
School of Economics and Fons Coomans of Maastricht University. Ian
Seiderman of the International Commission of Jurists chaired the event.****

###****

*Contact:**
*Rolf Künnemann, Human Rights Director, FIAN International

Künnemann[at]fian.org****


FIAN is an international human rights organization that has been advocating
the realization of the right to food for more than 20 years. FIAN consists
of national sections and individual members in over 50 countries around the
world. www.fian.org****

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