Press Release

On International Human Rights Day, December 10, nations that claim to support freedom worldwide should pledge to strengthen international institutions dedicated to human rights, many of which are weak or currently under attack, Freedom House said today.

"On this day, Freedom House honors the brave men and women around the world who are working to expand freedom in their countries," said Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Freedom House. "However, international institutions, which have a critical role to play in amplifying their voices and protecting their work, are under threat and must be defended."

In the past year, many multilateral human rights institutions have been under attack by nations that seek to weaken oversight of human rights abuses. In that time, the argument that it is inappropriate for any government or group of governments to comment on human rights situations within specific countries has gained dismaying traction.

Most recently, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been subject to efforts by nondemocratic countries to dismantle it. Kazakhstan, a country rated Not Free by Freedom House, waged a successful campaign to chair the organization in 2010, despite repeatedly failing to meet the OSCE's own election standards and openly supporting proposals to weaken the organization. Additionally, the Russian government has launched a concerted attack against the organization by sponsoring proposals that would limit its capacity to observe elections in member states.

Similarly, the UN Human Rights Council, the only global human rights institution and one that many had hoped would be an improvement over the discredited Commission on Human Rights, has failed to address many of the world's most pressing human rights situations. Groups of nations seeking to avoid criticism of their own human rights situations have undermined the Council's machinery, and have succeeded in derailing mechanisms that target specific countries.

"Despite the fact that democracies make up large majorities in both the OSCE and the UN Human Rights Council, they have proved largely ineffective at collaborating to combat the efforts of repressive countries," said Paula Schriefer, director of advocacy at Freedom House. "The fact that some countries work so hard to derail international human rights mechanisms demonstrates that these mechanisms are important, and should encourage human rights supporters worldwide to redouble our efforts to support and strengthen these institutions."

Other multilateral institutions, while not under direct attack, have failed to enact or implement provisions that would enhance their capacity to promote freedom. The Organization of American States (OAS), for example, has a system of human rights institutions accessible to individuals seeking justice. However, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, passed by all member states in 2001, has not been implemented by the body. The Charter calls for members to act when a democratically elected government faces an unconstitutional disruption of democracy, but member states are currently reluctant to invoke the charter.

In Asia, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proposed adding a human rights mechanism to the body this year. However, ASEAN members chose to maintain the organization's policy of non-interference and to exclude the option of punitive measures towards those member states committing human rights violations, thus greatly weakening the proposed body's ability to enforce human rights policies.

Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization supporting the expansion of freedom throughout the world, has been monitoring the state of political rights and civil liberties around the globe since 1972.

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