Alexander Yakovenko expressed hope that the Council for Human Rights, established to replace the Human Rights Commission as part of a wide-ranging UN reform, will move away from double standards and politicization toward unbiased protection and promotion of human rights.
"Discrimination against minorities, infringements on their rights, the problem of statelessness, and non-compliance with the basic principles of justice administration represent a source of conflict situations," he said. "Unless they are stopped, these practices are fraught with serious consequences."
Speaking at the council's first session in Geneva, Yakovenko praised its idea to prepare regular surveys on the human rights situation in individual countries, but called for a realistic and case-to-case assessment, given that no state has an impeccable rights record.
He also criticized the UN high commissioner for refugees for failing to follow the principle of fair national representation when staffing his office, and described as "unacceptable" the fact that no Russians were currently on the UNHCR staff.
