Letter to the President of the Human Rights Committee of UN
30.06.2015 19:23
Mr. Fabian Omar Salvioli
President of the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations.
Us and we members of NGOs in Venezuela, participants constructive dialogue and civil society, as
part of the review process of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights submitted by the
Venezuelan State to the Committee on Human Rights of the United Nations on 29 and June 30,
2015.
During the day on June 29 happened a few episodes that we want to draw the attention of the
members of this honorable Committee to ask, with all due respect to explanations on working
methods deserve in dialogue with all civil society Venezuelan.
It developed both during the day Monday 29 events that happened consideration of the organizations
that we subscribe this document can be viewed as granting privileges to some social organizations
and NGOs in our country, compared to others that we attend. This is the case of exhibitions
conducted after by the organizations present, a dialogue with them began by questions to the
Committee on subjects that caught his attention. There questions people determined upon themes
that while they had regarding the speech delivered by said, was no less true that also touched topics
of the speeches of other organizations, which were not given the right of reply were directed .
Furthermore, no list of speakers will be opened, the Chairman of the Committee told us informally
that the Secretariat had done but this is not performed, depriving thus the ability to express different
views on issues embodied in our report, there is a dialogue taking a balanced manner against one
spot and other topics of interest.
At the informal meeting that took place after lunch with some members of the Committee and social
organizations this dialogue to continue responding to the questions that were still pending from the
previous meeting took place, our attention, the questions were Speakers assigned in advance, and
once more the right word is not opened. In the case of SURDH Organization, the representative had
to interrupt the local social organization that acted as moderator of the debate and take the floor to
provide additional information, which expressed a contrary view to the organization that had
preceded it in his speech . After the National Organization for Human Rights Network, also had to
interrupt requesting the right to speak in order to provide other information of interest reflected in his
report.
Finally, alarmingly, the citizen who ran the "dialogue", a member of a local NGO, when closed the
meeting, gave the word of autocratic and arbitrary manner at its sole discretion, to Ligia Bolivar, to
conduct on behalf of all the organizations present, some general recommendations that NGOs
should be deemed to suggest the Venezuelan government and that could be reflected in the final
recommendations. After the aforementioned citizen concluded, the social organization "Victims
Guarimba" apply the word to narrow further recommendations and the member of the Swiss NGO
denied the intervention claiming the lack of time. Importantly, Ms. Bolivar represents neither can
abrogate the representation of social organizations of Venezuela, let alone represents the feelings of
all of us involved in this dialogue.
Again we emphasize that during the constructive dialogue word is a privilege over other
organizations. Accordingly, we urge the review of the working methods of the Committee on Human
Rights in relation to the meeting with civil society, and establish very clear guidelines on mechanisms
for the development of dialogue evenly between members of different organizations within a country,
in many cases, represent and hold very different views on the same subject, as was expressed in the
meeting we had on June 29, 2015.
Looking forward to his comprehensive care, we expect a prompt and timely response.
Geneva, June 30, 2015
The signatories:
FUNDALATIN
Committee of Victims of the Coup and Continuing Guarimba
Alternative Network of Human Rights SURDH
Youth Centre for Human Rights
National Human Rights Network
Human Development Institute and Social Economy
National Council for the Defence of Human Right to Health