Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, has stressed that there must be an end to impunity in the world. In an address at the Time Warner in New York on 8 December 2006 to mark International Human Rights Day (10 December) the Secretary-General said the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the work of the UN Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the hybrid ones in Sierra Leone and Cambodia, and the various Commissions of Experts and Inquiry, have proclaimed the will of the international community that such crimes should no longer go unpunished. “We have made progress in holding people accountable for the world’s worst crimes. And yet they still do. Mladic and Karadzic, and the leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army –- to name but a few -– are still at large. Unless these indicted war criminals are brought to court, others tempted to emulate them will not be deterred”, he added.
“Some say that justice must sometimes be sacrificed in the interests of peace. I question that. We have seen in Sierra Leone and in the Balkans that, on the contrary, justice is a fundamental component of peace. Indeed, justice has often bolstered lasting peace, by de-legitimizing and driving underground those individuals who pose the gravest threat to it. That is why there should never be amnesty for genocide, crimes against humanity and massive violations of human rights. That would only encourage today’s mass murderers -– and tomorrow’s would-be mass murderers -– to continue their vicious work”, Annan stressed. Protecting and promoting human rights is first and foremost a national responsibility. Every Member State of the UN can draw on its own history to develop its own ways of upholding universal rights. But, many States need help in doing this, and the UN system has a vital role to play, Annan said, “let’s not content ourselves with grand statements of principle. We must work to make human rights a reality in each country.”
The Secretary-General noted there has been some progress in this area, particularly in the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the work of the UN war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and the hybrid tribunals in Sierra Leone and Cambodia. He urged civil society groups, human rights defenders and individuals to each play their part to ensure that governments and the UN are held to account for their promises on rights. Aside from giving real meaning to “responsibility to protect,” there must be an end to impunity, he said.
Click here for full text of the addressand the UN News |
