By Ban Ki-Moon –
Ban Ki-Moon
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This Council is mandated to advance human rights every day and everywhere.
Through its increased dynamism, more frequent meetings and agile and innovative use of its unique special procedures, the Human Rights Council is helping the world become more vigilant in tracking the earliest signs of crisis.
Through the Universal Periodic Review – which is now well into its second cycle – the Council is fostering an ever-growing richness in the dialogue with states about their human rights commitments.
This Council is uniquely aware of the heavy toll of human rights abuses and atrocities. You read the Rapporteurs’ reports. You hear the testimony of victims and witnesses. You help translate those appeals into concrete action.
As we survey crises and challenges around the world, your work for accountability and an end to impunity is critical.
Conflicts from Syria to South Sudan and the Central African Republic are sad testaments to what can happen when perpetrators feel free to abuse without consequences.
I welcome the High Commissioner’s report on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.
The Commission on Inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea gives voice to the suffering of the many victims of grave human rights violations and provides a roadmap for the country to adhere with universal human rights standards.
I once again urge the DPRK authorities to work with the international community to improve human rights and the living conditions of its people – and I reaffirm my commitment as Secretary-General of the United Nations to help the DPRK toward that end.
In Syria, all parties have committed violations of human rights of unimaginable scope and character.
Those States that are members of both the Human Rights Council and the Security Council have a special duty to end this bloody war and ensure robust accountability.
The besieging of communities, death by starvation and indiscriminate use of barrel bombs and other weapons of terror are unacceptable.
Those committing such acts are on notice: This Council and the world are watching.
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
This will be the final time I have the honour to address the Human Rights Council in the presence of High Commissioner for Human Rights, Madame Navi Pillay.
High Commissioner Pillay has been a fearless defender of the most vulnerable.
She has been on the frontlines of crises.
She has been an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights and an eloquent voice against racism, xenophobia and intolerance.
She has been creative, persistent and patient in our vital efforts to strengthen the treaty body system.
This is not a time for farewells – she will continue to lead the OHCHR for a number of months to come.
But I know you join me in this early tribute to express our appreciation, respect and deep gratitude to High Commissioner Pillay.
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
As we build on our progress, I cannot help but reflect on the many places and people I have encountered in recent years.
I have walked with the survivors of the death camps of Auschwitz and visited the killing fields of Cambodia.
I have wept with the survivors of the Rwanda genocide, widows in Srebrenica and the mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
I have spoken with the children in refugee camps that continue to swell with Syrians fleeing the nightmare in their country.
I am pained by their plight but also inspired by their resilience.
I know that their grief and their grievances – their appeals and their aspirations – can find expression and purpose in your work here.
Together, let us work together to secure all human rights for all people.
Together, let us build a life of dignity for all.
I count on your commitment and leadership.
Thank you.
*Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s speech at the opening of the twenty-fifth regular session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva:
Kutti Machan / March 4, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen
Please bear with us while we stage this drama of reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka starring Navi Pillay. As you all are aware we have to keep our western imperialist benefactors happy if we want the show to go on.
So please pretend to believe whatever you’re going to hear – though you and I know in our hearts …. not one word is true. I know this human rights work sucks. So just sit back and pretend to enjoy the show. Banga Banga!
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Spring Koha / March 4, 2014
If only we had a world without Human Rights; we would have a Sri Lanka 100% Arya-Sinhala and no minority to blot the golden landscape. Roll on nirvana!
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Katmai / March 4, 2014
As usual supporters of the regime are jumping around not realizing the grave situation the country is facing. They think this is some trivial matter that is giving their master a temporary heart burn and nothing more.
But make no mistake, the events of the next few weeks and months will alter what it means to be “Sri Lankan”, forever. Forget the temporary sanctions (which is doubtful anyway). But an investigation is going to bring out the gory details of the barbaric atrocities committed by “our heroes” and your denials will not mean a thing anymore. Sri Lankans will not be able to identify themselves as coming from a small, peaceful, beautiful, tropical island inhabited by a people following a gentle religion called Buddhism.
No Sir, you will be from a barbaric culture that likes tortures, rapes women and children and kidnaps anyone who doesn’t agree with you in white vans to kill them like dogs. After the details are out in a UN sanctioned report it becomes fact and no one will give too hoots about your denials. Look at what happened when the 40,000 casualty figure came out in a UN report. Nobody believes in that zero casualty myth and MR stopped using it and even his revised 5000 figure is no longer used. I know some of you will hate me for saying this, but I’m sorry, but that is the reality and hating me will not change do a damn thing.
So how did it get to this? Did anybody really think that going to New York and accusing the US and the West in a podium thumping speech was going to win you any friends? You wouldn’t send your neighborhood Three Wheel Association to handle your foreign policy matters, would you? Well, you haven’t done much better than and now you are ready to reap the results of that poor decision.
I know that some MR supporters would grudgingly admit that, even though MR was the right man to win the armed battle, he is completely the wrong man to send in for the diplomatic battle. At least he had Sarath Fonseka to do his armed battle, who does he have on the diplomatic front? I know many of you realized that thug behavior, childish delay tactics and primitive attempts at deception wasn’t going to work. But unable to admit you were wrong in 2010 you kept supporting this nonsense and wasn’t ready to help any opposition raise real concerns. The time to suffer the consequences is at hand.
Anyone who is pissed off at Rajan Hoole for still bringing up 1983 better remember that the brutality of Sri Lankans brought to light by this investigation will stay with you for generations to come. Better get used to being labeled with some nasty names where ever you go in the world. Then on you will carry a stigma what causes other people to not want to work with you or live along side of you or associate with you. The Rajapaksa diaspora too will no doubt get to taste this stigma. Will they, then, honestly question whether it was worth it or will they use some silly justification even their cat wouldn’t buy?
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Backlash / March 4, 2014
The pseudo-nationalists in the country – frontline of which sees such characters as Nalin de S, Gunadasa A, Weerawansa, BBS, Ranawake from Patalipura and the entire team – must take into consideration two hard facts in the current context :-
1) The World and the UN will not bow to the Rajapakse clique neither will the UN be taken for a ride by the mendacious catalogues filed. It has to be the other way around. Who is going to answer for the many millions of dollars wasted on non-performing Lobbyists in London, New York and Washington
2) Despite all the racial and other regime-inspired personal attacks on the UNHRC Madam Navi Pillay in attempts to intimidate her to give into Sri Lanka, S-G BKM, speaking for the entire UN mechanism, praises her work to the hilt. This is clearly a demonstration of the failure of our diplomacy where we have failed to use the adequate convergence of diplomatic talent and experience available in the country in proven gentlemen like Jayantha Dhanapala, Nihal Rodrigo, Pallihakkara and many more. As the old saying goes it requires thoroughbreds to win the Derby. Donkeys simply will not do.
Backlash
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eusense / March 4, 2014
Tamil diaspora take this talk seriously while the west laugh behind their backs on the way to the bank!
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Katmai / March 4, 2014
What bank? Care to elaborate how this speech is connected the “west” going to the bank? Did Rajapaksa start talking about finding oil again?
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lanka lover / March 4, 2014
and gas in a plastic bottle.
that too in front of daladawa the gonpaksa lied.
since bathalavathi they fool their masses with this
miracle oil and those slfp paupers also believe the
story with much anticipation.
well its time for him come to public and hit his chest with both hands like a gorilla.
rajapaksas time is running out.
look at rajapaksa latest pics he look like a ghost.
anyway the folks are ugly.
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Ravi / March 4, 2014
They say frogs (in the well) cannot think of anything beyond the surrounding walls of a well, similarly the Sinhala Modayas cannot think of anything beyond a KAVUM and with the green eyed monster (jealousy) within them in addition to their foolishness they say thing that are worse than the worst fools could ever say.
These damn fools do not know and cannot even realize that the World Tamils have an agenda. When the JEWS were thrown out from their homeland and humiliated and killed in tens of thousands, they migrated to the West as refugees leaving only a very few (less than 10% of the population back). Today they are not only one of the richest nations all over the world but they are also manipulating and controlling the Western economy and politics and the World politics. The World Tamil Diaspora (created by the Tamil think tank Dr. Anton Balasingham taking the Jews as the best example) is following exactly what the JEWS did. Within the next few decades, the World Tamils will take over from the Jews in manipulating and controlling not only the Western leaders/politics but also the Indian and Sri Lankan politics and of course the World politics.
If the Sinhalayas think that the Tamil freedom struggle ended with the demise of the LTTE, as I said above, they are worse than the worst fools in this world. Just like the Palestine-Jew conflict continues with the Western World supporting the Jews, the Sinhala-Tamil conflict will also continue with the World supporting the Tamils (they already started) until they achieve freedom. To do so, the World Tamils are also well organized and established and progressing well to take the struggle to the next level by lobbying/influencing the political leaders of the Western world. In order to do so, the Tamil Diaspora will do anything and everything in the West to earn money and establish themselves and right now they are doing it bloody well.
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K.A Sumanasekera / March 4, 2014
So Mr Bunky Moon wept with the Ruwandans…That is a noble gesture.
Did he weep with the poor Syrians, Palestinians,Iraqis, Libyans and Sinhala Buddhists and Srilankan Muslims who lost hundreds of their loved ones from brutal and senseless killings?.
Wouldn’t it be another noble gesture if he at least mentioned the callus killings which the Srilankan inhabitants were subjected to for three full decades, specially when the financiers and even ex officiandos of the LTTE are in the audience anxiously waiting to listen to this welcome speech?.
Will Mr Moon welcome his chief HR protector Ms Pillai’s reports on above countries too besides Srilanka?.
Will the HR Commissioner be demanding an international investigation into the deaths of poor Iraq and Libyan people who perished and are still perishing?.
Or are they all Guantanamo Bay category which does not come under Mr Bunky Moon’s jurisdiction?..
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Katmai / March 4, 2014
How dare K.A Sumanasekera ask Ban Ki Moon to weep for Syrians, Palestinians,Iraqis etc. and not include the victims of the two world wars and every other war fought in this world?
The logic is either mention them all or none at all, right?
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Bruz / March 4, 2014
Ban-Ki-Bafoon and his ‘bull’. An utterly useless UN Sickcretary General…
The curse of the man kind…The ‘karma’ of the pathetic world of today.
When is he retiring,, for god’s sake ?
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lal / March 4, 2014
Mr Moon, the UN under your leadership is the defender of the most criminal states on the planet. When will you take to court Blair and Bush for the massacre of millions of innocents in Afghanistan and Iraq? You can hand over the task to Nazi Pullai and see how she will get to give justice to the most vulnerable in those countries.
You and N.P. sat back and watched millions affected in Egypt, Syria, Libya when Neo Cons and their agents of death and destruction had their adventures, and allowing millions of most vulnerable people to suffer.
You are hardly qualified to talk about justice and reconciliation but only a puppet of Neo Cons. Get a life!
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Burning_Issue / March 4, 2014
lal,
“You and N.P. sat back and watched millions affected in Egypt, Syria, Libya when Neo Cons and their agents of death and destruction had their adventures, and allowing millions of most vulnerable people to suffer.”
So, where would you class the Tamils in Sri Lanka? Would you consider them as vulnerable as those in “Egypt, Syria, Libya”?
I do not follow your logic; on one hand you manifest anguish that the UN did not prevent those vulnerable people perishing and at the same time you are critical about the UN when she tries to do some thing about the killings in Sri Lanka! You seem deluded; are you feeling alright?
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Sadith / March 4, 2014
Mr. Ban Ki Moon you mentioned many countries but you forgot to mention Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, why is that, did USA and UK threatened you that, if you mention those countries you will be fired!!!!!
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manisekaran / March 4, 2014
Yes. Mr. Moon, this UN is a puppet body and does its action on the merit of what it serves to UK, US and recently to appease India.
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mj / March 4, 2014
Cannot trust this Ban ki moon, he will say some thing here and next, something different another places. Navi pillay has been an headache to this man and Mahinda rajapaksha.
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Dawn Dale / March 4, 2014
typical diplomatic talk – see how carefully he phrases everything- on sri lanka “welcome the report promoting accountability and reconciliation” – walking on egg shells
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Stewart Sloan / March 5, 2014
…..This Council is uniquely aware of the heavy toll of human rights abuses and atrocities. You read the Rapporteurs’ reports. You hear the testimony of victims and witnesses. You help translate those appeals into concrete action……
Huh! When was the last time Ban took concrete action on anything?
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Ram / March 5, 2014
The water carreer to the US, with the title UNSG, gives his 2 cents worth.
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