March 3, 2014 - Geneva, Switzerland
Check Against Delivery
Canada seeks a world where all individuals can live in dignity and free from violence, where their rights are respected, where they have equality of opportunity and where democracy and the rule of law flourish. We seek a world where people are free to follow their conscience and to worship according to their beliefs, where women and girls are safe and play an active role in their communities, and where citizens do not live in fear of their own governments.
Regrettably, freedom of religion continues to be restricted around the world. A Pew Forum study shows that 74 percent of the world’s population live in states where there are high levels of social hostilities toward people of faith or high government restrictions on religious practices, or both. Surprisingly, this figure is significantly higher than it was just a half decade ago, when 45 percent of the global population lived in such countries.
Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom works to fight persecution, such as violence, against all religious communities, and our record shows Canada has spoken up regarding threats against many different communities around the world. In the wake of the Arab uprising and the push for greater democratic freedom, there is a worrying inverse trend of persecution and human rights abuses against religious communities, notably the region’s Christians. In other parts of the world, the terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria continues to attack churches, the Muslim community and all others who do not subscribe to the group’s extremist views. In Pakistan, Ahmadiyya Muslims continue to face severe difficulties and blasphemy laws unduly targeting religious communities. Apostasy laws restrict freedom of expression in Iran, and policies restricting religious practices in Tibetan areas of China continue.
Canada will continue to oppose religious hatred and advance universal values and principles: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We will work in partnership with countries in every region of the world to help make this vision a reality, and will draw on all means to do so.
Numerous urgent human rights challenges face the international community; these deserve our collective attention, energy and effort.
The magnitude of the death and destruction that the people of Syria continue to endure, largely at the hands of the Assad regime, continues to shock our collective conscience and has led to a human catastrophe. The abduction of nuns and religious leaders, reports of forced conversions by extremists and attacks against monasteries are also disturbing. As efforts continue to bring an end to the violence through a political agreement, we must all do our utmost to ensure a focus on the victims, to urge respect for human rights and international law and to work for the resumption of the rule of law. I urge members to speak with one voice to ensure that those responsible for this crisis are held accountable.
And while global attention has been focused on urgent crises in Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights—violations without comparison in the modern era—have continued unabated in North Korea. The rogue North Korean regime’s vicious disregard for the welfare of its people, its rejection of freedom of expression, its use of gulags, arbitrary detentions, intergenerational punishment, forced abortions and indefinite holding of political prisoners verge on the unspeakable and demand universal condemnation and continued emphasis by this council. Reports that even possessing a Bible or watching foreign television programs can land someone in prison are extremely troubling. The International Commission of Inquiry on North Korea has done important work. When the day comes that the veils of darkness are lifted in Pyongyang [North Korea], I hope it will be known that this council was on the right side of history in holding this dictatorship to account. We must not, as was the case with the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya, leave the Commission of Inquiry’s clarion call unanswered. As the 19th century abolitionist William Wilberforce stated, “you may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” I urge members of this council to bear this responsibility in mind.
In Iran, people continue to live in fear of enforced disappearance, arbitrary imprisonment and torture by the regime. Despite a change in presidency, hundreds of political prisoners languish, including members of the Bahá’í community and others who simply wish to worship in peace. Canada continues to support the work of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations, and encourages the Iranian authorities to cooperate with the international community.
In Sri Lanka, we regret the unwillingness of the [Sri Lankan] government to engage constructively on the substance of various reports or to take genuine steps for reconciliation and accountability. Previous internal mechanisms have, regrettably, remained secret, partial or unfulfilled, and the continued inability to acknowledge what has occurred, combined with increasing rights violations and abuses, will not only continue to damage the rule of law and democracy in this vibrant country but will risk undermining economic gains and a return to instability. In the absence of credible actions by the Government of Sri Lanka, Canada supports the call for an international inquiry mechanism.
Finally, in recent days we have seen a military intervention by Russia on the territory of an independent and sovereign country, Ukraine. Canada condemns these actions in the strongest terms.
This military intervention is a clear violation of international law. It also threatens the human rights of Ukraine’s citizens.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called on President [Vladimir] Putin to immediately withdraw his forces to their bases and to refrain from further provocative and dangerous actions. Canada also supports the immediate deployment to Ukraine of international monitors from the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Mr. President,
For years, Canada has championed the empowerment of women and girls, in particular the cause of ending violence against women and girls.
Canada is proud to be recognized as a world leader in protecting the health of vulnerable women and children around the world. Our G-8 Muskoka Initiative [on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health] will save the lives of 1.3 million children and newborns—as well as more than 60,000 young mothers.
But much remains to be done.
Canada will continue to put the poorest and most vulnerable, including women and children, at the core of the post-2015 development agenda. And we will remain a champion of equality between men and women, women’s economic empowerment and greater investment in girls.
A country’s development is inextricably tied to the fate and role of women. The [UN] Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women lays out a number of key actions to be undertaken by states and the UN to prevent violence and to ensure that women have the space to become full and active participants in all decision-making processes. Promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls, and working together for their political and economic empowerment, is vital. Women must participate fully in all parts of our society, including all decision-making processes, to build a stronger, more secure, more prosperous and more peaceful world. The future success and stability of a given country will be a direct result of, not despite, the empowerment of women. We call on countries that have a large sex ratio imbalance to implement measures to address such imbalance in its population, given the harm that occurs when many girls are missing, and ensure that policies related to the family are consent based.
We can look to the courageous and inspiring example set by the young Pakistani Malala Yousafzai who, in risking her life to promote education for young women, speaks boldly for those who have otherwise been silenced. For all of us, Malala represents a safer, healthier and more prosperous future.
Although we recognize that tremendous strides have been taken in Afghanistan, particularly with respect to human rights for women and girls, we must remain vigilant concerning the challenges that lie ahead. Canada has played an active part in these efforts—investing significantly to enhance access for women and girls to education, health, and economic independence—and will continue to do so. These hard-fought gains will be decisive in the long term, helping Afghanistan to thrive and become stable and prosperous. But these precious gains are still vulnerable and must be protected by Afghanistan’s national human rights institution and its Parliament and government—with the support of the international community. Afghanistan must be called on to maintain its commitment to human rights, especially the rights of women and girls, the most vulnerable members of its population. Afghan women and girls must be able to rely on their government’s institutions, laws and practices to ensure their protections, rights and safety. False perceptions of security cannot be a compromise for the rights of women and girls because security cannot exist for only half a population.
Traditions and customs are too often used to excuse other practices that deny people their rights. One such example of particular concern is the harmful practice of child, early and forced marriage. This practice not only denies girls’ rights, disrupts their access to education and severely jeopardizes their health, but limits the development of communities as a whole. These girls are children who become parents before they are physically and mentally ready for this role. Child, early and forced marriage can also prevent girls from getting an education. Lack of education undermines their access to opportunities, reduces prosperity and limits the development of the community as a whole. We have publicly stated that we are taking steps to ensure that the practice of early and forced marriage does not occur on our soil. We have also made ending child, early and forced marriage a foreign policy priority. We are committed to breaking new ground, to working with partners around the world to combat and end this practice, and have been actively involved with cross-regional efforts to adopt resolutions on this issue, both in Geneva and in New York City.
We also call on states to decriminalize homosexuality and to confront crimes and violence targeting people based on their sexual orientation.
Mr. President, in closing, only together can we best advance human rights and fundamental freedoms globally to realize the full and far-reaching potential of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to ensure that these rights are upheld for all, including the most vulnerable.
For even the most powerful dictatorships cannot withstand faith; they cannot withstand truth; and they cannot withstand their people’s desire for freedom.
Thank you.
