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The United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, issued the following statement
today:
Geneva, 24 January 2008--
In this celebratory year of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, I welcome the 7th ratification required to bring the Arab
Charter on Human Rights into force.
All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States
have ratified four or more, of the core international human rights treaties
giving concrete expression to the universality of human rights. Regional
systems of promotion and protection can further help strengthen the enjoyment
of human rights, and the Arab Charter on Human Rights is an important step
forward in this direction.
The next vital step will be to ensure that the body that
will monitor the Charter, the Arab Committee for Human Rights, is independent
and properly resourced so as to be effective and efficient. The Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is committed and stands
ready to support the States Parties to the Charter in ensuring that core
values of human rights are upheld.
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