United States Mission Geneva

Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, of California, was confirmed March 3 by the United States senate for the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service as the United States Representative to the UN Human Rights. Ambassador Donahoe’s most recent post was as an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for international Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. Her research has focused on norms on use of force, UN reform, and the international rule of law.

President Obama has affirmed America’s commitment to the United Nations as an indispensable, if imperfect, institution for advancing our security and well-being in the 21st century. We know that when we fully employ our unique ability to work multilaterally through the UN and other international organizations, it results in considerable benefits to the United States and the American people.

This past year we have seen more and more people around the globe gaining greater access to more information through the Internet, cell phones and other forms of connection technologies. From Iran to China, from Egypt to Colombia, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens are using digital technologies to spread and access information in real time. Simultaneously, too many governments are spending more time, more money and more attention to implement regulatory and technical mechanisms that are intended to curtail freedom of expression and the free flow of information.

Without an understanding of their human rights, people are unable to effectively exercise them. Promoting human rights education is thus an excellent tool for the promotion of human rights. Training of police, judges, military personnel, and law enforcement personnel can help prevent and reduce violations. Human rights education can also cultivate respect for the human rights of all individuals without distinctions based on race, sex, language, religion or other factors.

I’m very pleased to be able to have had the opportunity to address the Council and to discuss some of the priorities that the United States has for this Council, and to be able to reiterate the importance that we give to promoting and helping the Council operate in a more effective way, in a way that is based and rooted on human rights principles and focuses on those places and the needs to be able to address abuses where they happen.

In April last year, the leaders of the G20 came together in London and agreed to do everything necessary to ensure recovery, to repair our financial system and to maintain the global flow of capital. This robust and timely response helped to halt the sharp decline in global economic activity and stabilize financial markets.

When we ran for election to the Human Rights Council in 2009, we did so out of a renewed commitment to the Council, to the United Nations, and to the defense of human rights and human dignity around the globe. At the September plenary session of the HRC, we made clear that three tenets guide our participation: a commitment to principled engagement; consistent application of international human rights law; and a fidelity to the truth. By principled engagement, we mean we will support what the Council does well, and we want to work constructively on aspects where we see the need for fundamental change. We seek to build partnerships that transcend traditional geographic groupings and that are based on an appreciation of shared responsibilities to the world community.

The United States recommends the Government of Egypt lift the state of emergency that has been in effect since 1981 and replace the Emergency Law with a counterterrorism law that guarantees civil liberties. Because of freedom of expression concerns, the United States recommends the abolishment of prison terms for incitement to discrimination regarding sex, origin, language, religion or belief, and for acts damaging to an individual’s honor. The United States recommends that the Government of Egypt release bloggers and activists currently detained under the Emergency Law and cease its arrests and detentions of political activists.

Well, let me say first how great it is to be back at Brookings where I spent many happy hours as a trustee before I was forced to resign, to serve in the U.S. government. It’s also great to be here with so many good friends and colleagues from the human rights world.