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instance, sayingthathis orher rights: political, economic, the place where cultural mat- of this problem today when
rights have been iged in social and last but by no ters should be dealt with and we still have many atmed
this or that way. These com- means least culturalrights. All this the territory of {JNESCO. conflicts taking place all over
plaints are first screened by a human rights should be We, on our side, tried to the world. It was not just an
group of experts that used to treated equally, as they are convince our interlocutors attempt to repeat the previous

be called the Working Group interdependent and indivisi- that the emphasis of this texts. We wanted to submit
on Cornrnunications. When it ble. So, there should be no initiative is not on cultiu'e as some fresh ideas and to
is judged that the complaint hierarchy between those such, but about cultural rights strengthen the operative part
meets certain criteria of eligi- rights. being an integral part of all of the draft and make it more
bility Member States may in hutnan rights. We succeeded result oriented: hence, our
fact consider them, first We looked at issues of viola- in doing so, around thirty idea to use the new tool of the
within the Working Group on tions of human and cultural countries have joined Council - thematic panel
Situations and if the case is rights in the context of aimed Azerbaijan as co-sponsors of discussions - at one of the
considered to be serious conflicts. Very often parties to tis draft. Through lengthy forthcoming sessions of the
enough, within the Human an amied conflict while consultations with interested Human Rights Council -
Rights Council at large. conducting their activities stakeholders, we managed to hopefiilly in September-with
deliberately destroy part of come up with the version of the participation of all interes-
We were nominated to repre- the cultural artefacts, religious the draft that has not been ted stakeholders, including
sent the Eastern European objects, monwients, cemete- challenged and was adopted Member States, NGOs,
Group, and it was quite a deli- ries, other symbols by consensus diu'ng the sixth national hiunan rights institu-
cate and sensitive experience considered to be part of regular session of the Council tions, the ICRC, etc. We hope
in itself since the complaints another party's cultural last September. to initiate and facilitate an
filed have to do with the sta- heritage so as to erase the interactive dialogue on the

tes-members of the United traces of that party's or peo- The second initiative put existing problem concerning

Nations. Here you are expec- pie's presencein the count. forward by the delegation of missmg persons.

ted to make a pronouncement Wehave facedthis problemin Azerbaijan was adopted very
with regard to alleged viola- the occupied territories of recently, on 28 March of this We thinkthatttffls panel, when
tions or human rights pro- Azerbaijan. As you know, year. We initiated and conducted, can add to our
blerns or concerns in other roughly 20% of our territory managed to adopt, once again efforts to raise awareness
countries. We were joined by or almost one-fifth of the without a vote, a traditional about this issue in the intema-
other countries-Argentina, intemationally recognized draft resolution on missing tional community. Ater this
France, Bangladesh, territory of the Republic of persons. Missing persons is interactive panel we expect
Zimbabwe, one from each Azerbaijan is cwently under another area which involves the High Commissioner for
regional group-so there were foreign occupation and in serious elements of human Hiunan Rights to prepare a
five of us and tried to do our these areas all traces of rights law and intemational summary so that later the
best to arrive at consensual Azerbaijani culture have been humanitarian law. Our Human Rights Council can
decisions on each and every either seriously damaged or resolution focuses on the task the newly created
complaint, and it is gratifying destroyed. Therefore, without persons who went tnissing as Advisory Committee to pre-
that in most cases we succee- naming the country a result of an amied conflict. pare a study on best practices
ded to acbieve this goal. concerned, we thought that it In our own case, we have existing in the world on mis-
is in'iportant for us to flag this more than 4,400 people who sing persons.
Q: What are the priority serious concem and to say still fall under this category as
areas for Azerbaijan on the that cultural rights in a more a result of our ongoing The Advisory Committee is a
Human Rights Council? general framework shall be conflict withArmenia. We are t)-tank consisting of eigh-
respected by States, especial- not the only State that has this teen experts on human rights
A lot of issues dealt with by ly given the fact that many problem. This is why of high standing, wich is tas-
the Council are of genuine States have certain clear-cut Azerbaijan had consistently ked by the Council to conduct
interest to us, but if we have commitments under inter- pursued the matter both here studies and engage in
to prioritize I should mention national law as parties to in Geneva since the time of research on particular
in the first place two initiati- various international conven- former Commission on subjects. It will present the
ves put forward byAzerbaijan tions or other binding legal Human Rights and in New results of its studies to the
on which resolutions were instturnents. Theyhave to live York within the framework of Council, and receive an
tabled and adopted by up to that con'unitment and the General Assembly. It was endorsement or approval by
consensus. The first one dealt this process should be closely the first time the newly crea- the Council.
with the protection and pro- scrutinized and assessed by ted Human Rights Council
motion of cultural rights in the international community. addressedthis problem, so the So these two resolutions were
situations of armed conflict. major ttu'ust of Azerbaijan at the two major Azerbaijani
Our major idea behind this For this reason, our initiative this particular time is that the initiatives. Let me tell yori
initiative was to draw the was greeted with a great deal Human Rights Corincil that the second one-the one
attention of the HRC and of a of interest and enthusiasm, should keep this issue high in conceming tnrssuig persons-
broader international cotnrtni- and opposition from some its agenda and mobilize the was co-sponsored by thirty-
nity on the equal importance States who thought that the attention of the intemational eight countries, all Member
of all categories of human Human Rights Council is not community to the relevance States and observers on the

12 2 2008 Diva

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