OIOZ AVW £1 : 31Va NOIlJ313 £10l-010Z (:)HH) llJNnOJ SlH91H NVWnH 31VOIONVJ WHY MALAYSIA'S CANDIDACY SHOULD BE SUPPORTED Malaysia .s seeking to be a member of the Human Rights Council 'HRC) for the 2010 to 2013 term. If elected, we will · Engage constructively in the evolving modalities of work of the HRC to make it a strong, fair, effective, efficient and credible vehicle for the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide; Support the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Continue to participate actively in the norm setting work of the HHC; Help foster a spirit of cooperation in the HRC, based on the principles of mutual respect and dialogue, free from acrimony and politicization; Promote greater coherence between the work of the HRC with other United Nations agencies and actors in achieving internationally targets and goals; and Act'ively support international action to advance the rights of vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled. elected to the Council, Malaysia is committed to further enhance and strengthen those norms and values. · ,In Malaysia's experience as a developing country, the promotion and protection of human rights have been achieved inter alia through much emphasis on Economic, Social and Cultural (ESC) rights, including through the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). That said, with increased affluence and prosperity, the Government is increasingly sensitive of the need to balance its traditional emphasis on ESC rights with civil and political rights. · · · · In that context, Malaysia is continuously monitoring and evaluating key indicators with a view to ensuring the promotion and protection of all human rights for its people. Having undergone its first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) review in February 2009, Malaysia believes that the UPR mechanism is perhaps the most important innovation adopted in recent times by the UN human rights system. Despite certain technical difficulties, including resource and procedural constraints, the process effectively includes the participation of all stakeholders in reviewing states' human rights record and merits conNnued support from all delegations and stakeholders. On our part, we remain committed to implementing the recommendations emanating from the UPR and would be in a position to share of information concerning the status implementation of those recommendations with interested partners in due course. While divergence in positions on certain human rights issues between the developing and the developed world remain, Ma'laysia believes that · · · MALAYSIA'S VISION FOR THE HRC · Malaysia believes that our membership to the HRC would contribute toward enriching the quality of dialogue, cooperation and action aimed at advancing the promotion and protection of human rights for all people, in all parts of the world. On the whole, Malaysia believes that since its establishment, the HRC has contributed positively towards institutionalizing norms of cooperation and collaboration in global efforts aimed at tackling human rights issues. If · · · since its establishment in 2006, the HRC has effectively dealt with a wide range of human rights challenges while upholding principles of impartiality, transparency and non-selectivity. Therefore, the work of the HRC must continue to be supported by all stakeholders. · As a developing country on a trajectory towards devel'oped status, Malaysia is keenly aware of the need for capacity-building and technical assistance in the promotion and protection of human rights. In this regard, Malaysia believes that developed countries could positively contribute to such process through among others, information sharing and technical exchanges. Like many delegations, Malaysia acknowledges that there is room for improvement in the HRC. As the review of the HRC mandated by General Assembly resolution 60/251 would be due by 2011, Malaysia believes that if elected to the HRC, it can play a constructive role in the review process including through consensus building efforts, among others. · MALAYSIA'S COMMITMENTS AND PLEDGES · Increasing support for functioning of SUHAKAM; the roles and · · Continuing efforts to raise human rights awareness among all segments of the population including law-enforcement officials, members of the judiciary, government officials and other stakeholders; a National Child Policy on Women as well as the National Plan Action for the Advancement of Women; Continuing fostering meaningful and productive engagement between the government machinery and civil society; Strengthening capacities for implementation and enforcement measures for human rights conventions which Malaysia is party to, alongside reconsidering of instruments which it has yet to accede to; Deepening and widening our cooperation with and support for the work of various UN actors and mechanisms involved in the promotion and protection of human rights such as the OHCHR, Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, UNHCR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM, INSTRAW, UNICEF and UNEP including through, inter alia, voluntary financial contributions; Upholding the principles of dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders in furthering the promotion and protection of human rights for all peoples, without distinction and discrimination of any kind; ~stablishing Furthering the UN development agenda, particularl.y in realizing the right to development, induding support for ongoing efforts aimed at its operationalization and implementation; Sharing best practices, experiences and achievements in economic, social and cultural rights including advancing women's and children's rights, poverty eradication and education with interested partners; Engaging constructively with all our partners and stakeholders to ensure that the international community continues to create a supportive external environment towards the creation of economic stability, shared prosperity and equitable gains from globalization; Engaging continuously with all our partners and stakeholders to assess and monitor the implementation of recommendations from the UPR process; and Working continuously at the regional level with our partners under the ASEAN framework, in particular, with the newly established ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in the promotion of human rights in the region. · · · · · · I I · I · ·