HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The following three issues will be discussed in the conference:
HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination
At the end of 2008, 33.4 million people were living with HIV. That same year, some 2.7 million people became newly infected, and 2.0 million died of AIDS. The UN, that is to say the World Health Organisation, works to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to provide the best possible care for people living with it, as well as to increase the possibility of curing HIV/AIDS. One of the major problems in the fight against HIV/AIDS is the HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination of individuals, sometimes even by their own family and community. People either living with, or associated with HIV/AIDS, are devaluated and this can undermine their political, economical, social, physiological or institutional status. Stigma originates most of the time from existing prejudices and can strengthen existing gender, sexual and race inequalities. This conflicts with basic human rights, including the equal treatment of women and marginalised groups such as sex workers, drug abusers and homosexuals. What measures can be taken by the UN to alter this HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination?
Human rights in the fight against terrorism: blacklisting and freezing
The Security Council in 1999 began the ´Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee´ and thereby a blacklist, known as the Consolidated List. The list applies to designated individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located. The programme requires all Member States to freeze the assets of, prevent the entry into or transit through their territories, and prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms and military equipment to any individual or entity on the list.
Governments and individuals in favour of this list, for example the U.S., say these sanctions are an important weapon in the fight against international terrorism; cutting suspects off from the money they need to communicate and operate. In contrast, opponents say the programme has lost its original purpose and is used by governments to evade due processes in pursuit of alleged terrorists and their accomplices. There is an opportunity for governments to abuse the system by framing dissidents and others who draw official disfavour. It simply violates a basic human right; punishment without so much as a hearing, let alone trial or appeal. The Human Rights Council has to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights, but what if this goes against the Security
Council, the most powerful body within the UN?
Global water crisis
Although the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold in the twentieth century, over a billion people on earth still do not have access to clean drinking water. The growing world population, combined with industrialisation and urbanisation, will result in an increasing demand for water.
This increasing demand causes shortages in both the agricultural and the industrial sector. In addition, it will cause an environmental crisis, as it has a profound effect on aquatic ecosystems and their dependent species. Environmental balances will be disturbed and can no longer play their regulating role. With the scarceness of such a basic need like water, regional, national and international tensions intensify. For example, over 260 river basins are shared by two or more countries. In the absence of strong institutions and agreements, it can lead to political, social en economic instability. The world is on track to meet Millennium Development Goal 7c, which is to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Still, a lot can be done. What measures can the UN take to actually achieve or even exceed this goal, and eventually to resolve this fundamental problem?
