ISHR has published a ‘scorecard’ for Iceland that is seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for 2018-2019.
To coincide with the #HRCIcelandpledge event in New York this Thursday 12 July hosted by ISHR and Amnesty International, ISHR has published a ‘scorecard’ for Iceland that is standing for election to the UN Human Rights Council
The scorecard offers a quick ‘at-a-glance’ objective view, focusing on Iceland’s cooperation with the Council, their support for civil society, their engagement with UN treaty bodies and special procedures, whether they have spoken out in concern about reprisals, and whether they have established an ‘A status’ national human rights institution.
‘Council Member States must undertake to uphold the highest human rights standards, cooperate fully with the Council – as required by GA resolution 60/251 – and comply with international standards and legal obligations, if the Council is to be the legitimate, influential body the global human rights situation demands’ said ISHR’s Tess McEvoy.
‘Council Member States must be genuinely committed to promoting universal human rights and defending those who advocate for them. Only so can human rights defenders and civil society actors rely on the Council to promote human rights progress on the ground,’ added McEvoy.
The scorecard and #HRCIcelandpledge event are an important contribution in this regard.
While the scorecard is intended to increase scrutiny and enhance transparency in the election, ISHR acknowledges that data limitations and the need for objectivity mean that many of the criteria are concerned with form rather than substance.
“The fact that a State has accepted a high number of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations, has consistently sent replies to communications received from special procedures or has no outstanding treaty body reports, says nothing about the extent to which recommendations from those mechanisms have been implemented on the ground,’ said ISHR’s Madeleine Sinclair.
Voting on Iceland’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council will take place at the UN General Assembly on 13 July 2018.
Scorecards from 2016 and 2017 are available here. The scorecard for Iceland can be accessed here.
The sources and criteria for the scorecards are set out here and below:
|
ELEMENT |
SOURCE |
|
Previous terms |
OHCHR website, List of past members of the Human Rights Council |
|
Submitted a public pledge on its candidacy |
Unites Nations Documents Search |
|
Pledged to strengthen Human Rights Council membership and adherence to membership standards |
Signed the joint statement at the 35th session of the Human Rights Council presented by the Netherlands |
|
Committed to applying an objective, human rights-based criteria in addressing situations of concern |
Signed joint statement at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council presented by Ireland, and by implication the joint statement at the 35th session of the Human Rights Council presented by the Netherlands |
|
Played a leadership role on country situations at the Council
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Has taken action to fulfill the commitments regarding country situations at the Council set out in the joint statement at the 32nd Council session presented by Ireland and the joint statement at the 35th Council session presented by the Netherlands, including by addressing at least two country situations of concern under item 4 and leading at least two statements on country situations at the Council. |
|
Issued a standing invitation to Special Procedures |
OHCHR website, Standing Invitations |
|
Consistently responded positively to country visit requests (Less than 5 outstanding) |
OHCHR website, Country visits and special procedures
|
|
Sent a reply to more than 80% of communications received from Special Procedures |
OHCHR website, Communication report and search
|
|
Accepted more than 70% of UPR recommendations |
UPR Info website, Statistics of Recommendations |
|
Case of reprisals has never been highlighted in SG reports (2011-2016) |
OHCHR website, Acts of intimidation and reprisal for cooperation with the special procedures |
|
Spoken out expressing concern about reprisals |
Signed the joint statement at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council presented by the Ghana |
|
The State has consistently sponsored Council and Third Committee resolutions on human rights defenders, civil society space and preventing reprisals |
Sponsored more than 8 of the following resolutions: Human Rights Council resolutions 13/13, 22/6 & 31/32 (human rights defenders), 24/21 (civil society space), 12/12, 24/24, 36/21 (reprisals), 25/18 & 34/5 (renewal of mandate of Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders); General Assembly resolutions: 66/164, 68/181, 70/161, 72/247 |
|
Ratified 10 or more international human rights treaties and protocols
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Ratified 10 or more of the following international human rights treaties and protocols – ICCPR, ICCPR-OP1, ICCPR-OP2; ICESCR, ICESR-OP; ICRD; CEDAW, CEDAW-OP; CRC, CRC-OP-AC, CRC-OP-SC, CRC-OP-IC; ICMW; CPED; CPRD, CRPD-OP; CAT, OP-CAT |
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Has 3 or fewer outstanding treaty body reports |
OHCHR website, Reporting Status
|
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Has an NHRI in conformity with the Paris Principles (A-status) |
GANHRI, Status of National Institutions
|
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Sponsored both the Council and Third Committee resolutions on NHRIs |
Sponsored both Human Rights Council resolution 27/18 and General Assembly resolutions 70/163 and 72/186 |
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