AU and NAM Member States Must Reject the COI's Report and Recommendations about Eritrea

H.E. Ambassador Girma Asmerom

New York, 23 June 2016

AU AND NAM MEMBER STATES MUST REJECT THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY’S REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT ERITREA

By Eritrea Mission to the UN 

The 32nd Session of the Human Right Council is discussing a draft resolution against Eritrea on the bases of the unsubstantiated allegations presented to it on 21 June 2016 by the Commission of Inquiry (COI). The draft resolution is tabled by Djibouti and Somalia, in violation of African Union and Non-Aligned Movement Summit decisions. As the result the draft resolution is not cosponsored by the African Group and the NAM members in Geneva. Every NAM and AU member state is obliged to respect NAM’s and AU’s Summit decisions as well as the basic tenets of the UN Charter that clearly “affirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of all nations”.

AU’s Summit decisions of 2009-2016 clearly states that targeting African state by ICC is unacceptable and no referral to ICC must be made without the approval of the Assembly of the African Union.

NAM’s 16th Summit decisions are also clear:

• Para. 96: “…that universality, transparency, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity should be the guiding principles for the work of the Council and its method of work.”


• Para. 102: “…the need to defend the principles of non-selectivity, nonpoliticization, objectivity and impartiality in the consideration of human rights situations, as well as to ensure that human rights are note used for political purposes and adopting politically motivated decisions and to avoid the problems which plagued the former Human Rights Commission. In this regards, they expressed their concern over the Address: 800 Second Avenue, 18th Floor; New York, NY 10017; Phone (212) 687-3390; Fax: (212) 687- 3138; e-mail: general@eritrea-unmission.org proliferation of politicization and double standards, as well as country specific resolutions at the Human Rights Council.”


• Para. 104: “…that Universal Periodic Review is the main intergovernmental mechanism to review human rights issues at the national level in all countries without distinction.”


• Para. 107 (j): “…that the Human Rights Council should not be used as a tool to coerce States and subject them to politically motivated countryspecific resolutions.”

Moreover, the COI report fails to meet the principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity as laid-out in the General Assembly Resolution 60/251.

Dialogue and engagement as well as utilization of Universal Periodic Review are the appropriate mechanisms and the way forward. Naming and shaming does not serve the promotion and protection of human rights, peace, security and development. Politicization of the Human rights Council is unacceptable. That is why the Human Rights Commission was dissolved and replaced by the Human Rights Council. Therefore, Eritrea calls on all members of the UN, in particular AU and NAM member states to reject the draft resolution that is tabled by Djibouti and Somalia.

Concerning the report compiled by three individuals who has never visited Eritrea but selectively interviewed asylum seekers, the Eritrean government has given a detailed written response on 08 June 2016. [See: PreliminaryResponse of the Government of Eritrea to the Report of the Commission ofInquiry] 

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