PERMANENT MISSIONOF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITEDNATIONS 231EASTslsr srREET, NEWyoRK, Ny 10022 TEL:212-8260840x 1O4. FAX:212-826296/

STATEMENT BY AMBASSADORVANU GOPALA MENON, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVEOF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THB PLENARY MEETING TO ADOPT DRAFT RESOLUTION N6O{L.48ON THB HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, 15 MARCH 2006

Thank you for giving me the floor, Mr President.

2 Voltaire once said, "Work keepsqway thosethree great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty". So perhaps shouldbe gratefulthat the discussions the we on HumanRightsCouncilhavetakenthis long! But, asthey s&y,all goodthingsmust cometo an end.And manyof us hereareglad for it. We havebeenat this for months. 3 The fatiguein this room is palpable. We have had intensediscussions. Delegations have fought for their positions,as well they should.We all haveresponsibilities champion nationalinterests. to our Alas, this also led to sharpdisagreements. Sometimes they seemed pointedenoughto derailthe process. 4 Was it fortitude or obstinacythat madeus persevere? was certainly the It deft and patient leadership the co-Chairsthat kept the processon track. I pay of tribute to them. They then handedthe batonto you, Mr President, the sprint to for the finish. You have worked tirelesslyto forge consensus put togetherwhat and you call your "besteffort". Looking at the text, it is an apt description. is also It testamentto the good faith and couragethat most delegationshave shown in accepting compromise. I do not meanto suggest the text is poor. It is not. It is balanced 5 that and realistic. You have met the critical concernsof developing and developed The countries. text establishes HumanRightsCouncilthat is superior what we a to have. Council memberswill be required to amassa significant threshold of support in a direct and secret election. Term limits will allow all memberso especially srnallstates, havethe opportunity serve. to to The Councilwill be more representative. Dialogue and cooperationare stressed,double standardsare reduced. short,this is a Councilthat will havelegitimacyin membership in In and its decisions.

6 will your text makeeveryone completely happy?Of course not. But this is a good thing. If any delegationgot everythingit wanted,this would be a capitulationnot a negotiation. And capitulations the anathema enduring are to agreements. 7 Let me call for trust. Let us trust in the process that we havedevisedto ensurefairnessand efficacy.Let us trust in the ability of memberstates make to sounddecisions. us trust in ourselves Let that we havethe courage deal with to this body constructively and through a prism that is broaderthan just national interests. 8 I stress point because oftenlosesightof it whenwe angstoverthe this we configuration the Council.But this Councilwill not bejudgedon itsitructure, it of will be judged by its resultsin promotingand protectingh;man rights. This is whereour role asmemberstates crucial. How we relatsto the Council,how we is cooperate, how realisticwe aree how fair we are,how commiffedwe are - all these will influencehow successful Council will be. In this regard,it is important the that we make utmost efforts to avoid the mistakesof the past, mistakeswhich discreditedthe Commissionon Human Rights. We should also be prepared to regularlyreviewthe work methods functioning the Councilto makeit more and of effectivein the promotionandprotectionof humanrights.The resolutionalready providesfor this. In short,we shouldensure the Councilis a living entity,one that that is fine-tunedand overhauled occasionally. shouldfocur o.rr "nrrgi", on We makingthe Councilwork, because is wherewe will bejudgedby history. this 9 So let us put aside our disagreements dissatisfactions and and move forward. We have all put much effort into this process.We have all a shared commitmentto improve humanrights. Let us get on with nurturingwhat we have created ensuring success. and its

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Thankyou.

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