Weaponization of human rights slammed

Experts from nongovernmental organizations voiced their strong opposition on Tuesday to the weaponization of human rights by some countries and called for better promotion of human rights protection by advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Christoph Stuckelberger, chairman of the Geneva Agape Foundation, said that human rights are used more and more as a weapon.

"Every country has progress in human rights, and deficits. We should support each other to overcome the deficits and to applaud where we can learn from the others," he told a seminar on promoting human rights protection and sustainable development held in Geneva's Ecumenical Center.

Stuckelberger, who has taught at several universities around the world, including Beijing-based Minzu University of China, said that is the kind of relationship his NGO wants to have with Chinese human rights NGOs and academic partners.

He criticized the representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia who did not respect diplomatic etiquette during the January universal periodic review of China's human rights record while every other country was making inputs in a respectable way in a three-hour-long session.

Stuckelberger described the weaponizing of human rights as a power game by some for dominance and warned that it will only produce a lose-lose scenario, adding that the world needs a win-win situation.

Nathan Day Wilson, fundraising, planning and reporting manager of the World Council of Churches, echoed the same views. Without naming the countries, he said some countries were weaponizing human rights to achieve geopolitical advantage and to try to hide one's own decadence.

He listed the common challenges facing the world, including climate crisis and conflicts.

"We should not think one part of the world against the other, but rather (think) one world," he said.

Thorsten Gobel, director of programs of ACT Alliance Geneva Office, said the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are strongly based on human rights, focusing on the most vulnerable and most marginalized.

"There is an obvious relationship between sustainable development and the realization of human rights," he said, citing a wide range of areas from climate justice to migration and gender equality.

Catherine Mbengue, a former official at the United Nations Children's Fund, emphasized the close relationship between sustainable development and better human rights.

She said that as the world is facing multiple challenges, it is important for NGOs to facilitate dialogue.

Albert Barseghyan, a representative in Geneva of the Sikh Human Rights Group, said that sustainable development must work for all.

"We can learn from each other and foster cooperation … For effective cooperation, we need to respect each other's civilization," he said.

He urged people to find common ground, work together and make sustainable development a success.

Wilson believes the approach of linking human rights with sustainable development will help counteract those who try to weaponize human rights.

The Tuesday seminar was sponsored by the Chinese Association for International Understanding, China NGO Network for International Exchanges, and Amity Foundation. It was held while the United Nations Human Rights Council was holding its 55th session in Geneva.