I and members of the opposition support all five recommendations in that report, as these recommendations serve to strengthen and improve the current nature and manner of our dialogue’s operations. In particular, recommendations 1 and 2, which call to encouraging dialogue partners to include parliamentary representatives in dialogue, are positive initiatives as all members of the committee believe that making parliamentary participation inclusive will enhance the effectiveness and status of these dialogues.
Our human rights diplomacy is intended to make practical improvements to human rights situations by pursuing a non-confrontational, cooperative dialogue. Currently, as the member for Cook has said, we are engaged in a dedicated human rights dialogue with China, Vietnam and Iran, and through these dialogues we can raise, and we seek to raise, with each other issues and concerns in a frank and open manner.
I want to speak in particular about our dialogue with Iran, as Australia is one of the few countries to have a dedicated bilateral dialogue on human rights with Iran, which was instigated by former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer in 1999. The first and, to date, only talks were held in Tehran in December 2002. Since then Australia has funded a visit to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission by a delegation from the Islamic Human Rights Commission of Iran, and AusAID has funded human rights assistance to Iran via the Human Rights Small Grants Scheme, including over $48,000 for projects to assist women and children, which is particularly important given that 70 per cent of Iran’s population is under the age of 25. I am particularly keen to support and encourage our future dialogue efforts with Iran by developing a reciprocal visit to the 2002 dialogue, especially given the international community’s increasing need to monitor the activities of states who are developing nuclear energy programs—as Iran is in this case—and also because of the role that we have taken in Iraq, the overall international war on terror and the importance of stability and democracy in the Middle East.
Turning to the report Reform of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, I would like to say that in this the 60th year of the UN there has been a series of reform proposals around a number of aspects of UN activity, and in particular a new focus is sought with new structures to make the commission more efficient and accountable and to have greater support from the more powerful members of the world community. Despite its inadequacies, the UNCHR is a vital international body and I and many others could not imagine a situation where the world community would abandon it. This report looks at reform options for the UNCHR by exploring some of its shortcomings, such as the issue of block voting, the obstruction by the more powerful countries in preventing discussion of serious human rights violations, the inability to implement findings from investigations of human rights abuses around the world, as well as insufficient personnel and financial support for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Having secured the presidency of the Commission for Human Rights in 2004, Australia was able to make some observations about the workings of the commission, so our committee’s decision to conduct an inquiry into reform of the commission was timely given this week’s Summit of Heads of State and Government taking place at the United Nations in New York . Our report concluded, as the member for Cook rightfully said, after the roundtable meeting on 12 August that we should adopt a wait-and-see approach and seek a briefing on the outcomes of the UN September summit before forming a view on the proposal by the Secretary-General of the UN to replace the commission with a Council of Human Rights.
I can report that the opposition shadow minister for foreign affairs will be arguing the case for the establishment of a council during this week’s summit deliberations in New York. We are moving into a global situation where we should be less tolerant of countries who do not implement their human rights obligations and who ignore UN resolutions on human rights abuses, and I agree that we need to find an alternative and more effective structure and forum for addressing this vital function of UN activity. I recommend the report to the House and I certainly recommend that all colleagues and members who are interested in human rights in the commission and the work of the UN avail themselves of the report and its recommendations.
