Deputy Minister Luwellyn Landers: High-level Segment 37th Session of Un Human Rights Council

Statement by H.E.

Deputy Minister L Landers High-Level Segment 37th Session of the United Nations Human Rights CouncilI congratulate you, Mr President, and the Bureau of this Council on your appointment. On behalf of the South African Government, I would like to wish you every success during your tenure and assure you of our support.

I also express my country's appreciation to the High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for the manner in which he has discharged his responsibilities as High Commissioner for Human Rights. As his tenure draws to a close, we salute him for his leadership and fortitude.

We know that the High Commissioner confronted a number of challenges but he did his all to rise to the occasion.This Human Rights Council meets at a time of major global human rights commemorative events.

This includes the 70th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 25th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (V) and the Centenary of the late icon, former President Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela embodied the UDHR and the V including the 9 core human rights treaties.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation has chosen the theme "Be the Legacy" to mark the Centenary. This is also apt for the Council, if we are to honour Nelson Mandela, as he was our greatest human rights champion of our time.

How then does the Council become The Legacy?For the Council to be true to its historic mission, it must take a balanced approach to human rights. It needs to act in a manner that reflects the Vienna spirit of the indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights.

We need to prevent the misuse of human rights as an instrument for advancing political agendas of individual countries.70 years since the adoption of the UDHR and a century since Nelson Mandela was born, there are still areas that constitute unfinished business for the international community.

These include the legacy of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance as well as poverty and inequality. We can only eliminate them through collective effort and cooperation.

The Human Rights Council must redouble its efforts to tackle this unfinished business. Speaking for the first time as a Head of State of Democratic South Africa at the 49th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 03 October 1994, Madiba said:"The very fact that racism degrades both the perpetrator and the victim, commands that, if we are true to...