Following the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, the protection of human rights is a fundamental component of the international legal order. It is estimated that more than 250 international texts, signed since then, deal with human rights (individual or collective, political, cultural, social and economic).
Greece, as the birthplace of democracy, attributes fundamental important to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the consolidation of democratic institutions and the rule of law.
In addition, it supports the universality, indivisibility and interdependence between individual civil rights, on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights, on the other. Furthermore, our country considers respect for human rights, the promotion of democracy and the rule of law to be intertwined with peace, justice, security, stability, the eradication of poverty and cohesive socio-economic development.
United Nations
In the field of multilateral diplomacy, within the UN system, Greece has traditionally shown a strong interest in human rights issues. In particular, it has signed and ratified the basic international treaties/conventions for the protection of human rights, drawn up within the framework of the United Nations in the 1950s. Responding to the obligations that arise from these texts, it regularly presents reports to the Committee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Committee of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Committee against Torture (CAT), the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In the past three years it has submitted, and/or presented orally, reports to the following Committees: ICCPR, ICESCR, CERD, CAT, CEDAW and CRC.
The Foreign Ministry plays a coordinating role for all the other (co-)competent Ministries regarding almost all of the human rights issues that concern the competent UN bodies. On a case-by-case basis, it proposes appropriate measures with a view to improving or strengthening the protection of human rights at a national level, in the direction of the relative international conventions and specific instructions by the competent UN Committees.
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
The 27 EU member states regularly draw up and implement a foreign policy with a view to spreading human rights, democratisation and the rule of law to third countries within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy , one of the five axes of which are the above-mentioned three elements. For this reason, our country participates to the monthly meetings of the CFSP Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM).
Greece always participates in coordinating meetings between the 27 EU member states aimed at drawing up common positions, in meetings within the UN General Assembly (Third Committee), and also in the meetings of ECOSOCs committees, and most importantly, meetings within the UN Human Rights Council (www.unog.ch). In addition, it takes part in processes in development under the UNs auspices, such as the one on drawing up an international convention on disabled people. For instance, Greece had a positive and constructive participation in the consultations between the 15 EU member states under the then President of the Council, Belgian Foreign Minister and Vice Prime Minister Mr. Louis Michel, within the framework of the World Conference Against Racism, which was held in Durban, South Africa, in September 2001.
In the first half of 2003, during the Greek Presidency of the Council, Greece successfully chaired the Councils Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM), whose meetings were held in Athens and Brussels, taking a series of unprecedented initiatives within the framework of the CFSP, such as initiatives for COHOM meetings in Brussels, with a large US delegation under Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, HR and Labour Mr. Southwick, the European Parliaments Rapporteur on Human Rights, Mr. van den Bos, and all of the CFSP geographic Working Groups with a view to coordinating the EUs geographic initiatives during the 59th Ordinary Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. It also organised and co-chaired the 15th Round/Summit of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue and the 2nd Round Table of the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue in Athens and Brussels, respectively.
Furthermore, Greece actively participates in other fora on human rights issues, such as the annual Diplomatic Conference of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) and the European Masters Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation based in Venice (E.MA) www.emahumanrights.org. During Greeces presidency of the Council, in the first half of 2003, Greece co-chaired the EIUC E.MA conference on the Iraq crisis, seen from the point of view of international law and international organisations, and also hosted the first Sessions of the Council and the Executive Committee of the Masters Programme in Athens, i.e., the first sessions to be held outside Venice. Greece also contributed to the completion of an Advanced Internship Programme for E.MA graduates in the Permanent Delegations of Greece to the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and of the European Commission in New York and Geneva during meetings on HR issues. An indication of Greeces general interest in the field of human rights is also the fact that several Greek academics or experts have achieved distinction through their work in various HR bodies within the UN system.
For more information regarding international human rights bodies:
www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/index.htm
www.europa.eu
www.un.org
http://www.unhchr.ch/TBS/doc.nsf/FramePage/Country%20Greece?OpenDocument
Last updated: 28/02/2007