By Wilmer Hak
The biggest achievement however was the official establishment of CCI in Geneva, with a permanent office and representative at the Human Rights Council. We are humbled that we could make such an achievement. Thanks to all your support and prayers, we were able to achieve this vital position to protect life, family and freedom.
Relevance of Geneva
From the beginning, the CCI board and staff have been committed to opening an office in Geneva. Here, where the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Treaty Bodies are located, many human rights issues are being discussed and unfortunately, also altered. It is very often at this place that the value of life, family and freedom is undermined. This may happen through several mechanisms, the first and most important one is through resolutions.
Resolutions are non-binding commitments made by States which reflect the political will and commitment of Member States. At first sight, we might be relieved that it is not legally binding, but these documents are unfortunately often used as a tool for political pressure. Many delegates are pressured to sign commitments that often do not align with domestic legislation and values.
This is often done through the inclusion of (non-exhaustive) loaded terms. These terms might look innocent at first hand, but when closely observed, they relate to all kinds of unethical policies.
This happens regularly with abortion, despite abortion having no legal basis in binding international law, even the opposite, many resolutions still refer to it as a human right via misleading terminology. Diplomates are often unaware of this and pressured by NGOs, Member States and the United Nations to agree with the resolution. When being adopted, national stakeholders can misuse the resolution locally by opening abortion clinics.
Another dangerous aspect with resolutions is that they can become legally binding over a certain period of time. The consequence will then be that abortion is regarded, worldwide, as an inherent human right. To prevent this from happening, legal support is needed to help the delegates make the right decision.
New Opportunities
With the permanent office in Geneva, the CCI has new opportunities to legally support the delegations and thereby the national policies of Member States. We can now be present during most negotiations at the Human Rights Council on these resolutions and during the publication of all other kinds of reports. There we can draw attention to these issues and call for change.
The office can do this through several tools. First and foremost through research. Gathering legal evidence is necessary to show the strength of our values, both from a moral and a legal side. This research also helps us to be aware of what is at stake and what the best response to the situation at hand is.
The second tool the office uses is reaching out to diplomats with the concerns we have. We often face diplomats who are unaware of the language in the resolution. Helping them will guide them through the negotiations and give them the balanced information to make a proper decision when voting.
It also happens that a diplomat does not vote or negotiate in line with its national legislation. This often happens due to the pressure put on them by other organizations of the United Nations. Informing the national parliament or ministry of foreign affairs will help to release that pressure from the diplomat whereby he will operate more in line with the national legislation and values.
Another useful tool for the office is that being in Geneva ensures not only that we can engage more with the diplomats, but also with the human rights system itself. Reports can be presented and submitted to a wide audience on all sorts of topics, including the legality of abortion, state sovereignty and the freedom of religion.
The office also has the opportunity to organize events, speak publicly at negotiations and interact with human rights experts from the United Nations about the human rights situation in certain countries. This often entails situations where abortion or euthanasia is promoted as a human right or when the freedom of religion is not explicitly being mentioned in international documents.
Conclusion
Shortly said, the Christian Council International has widened its opportunities and accelerated its engagement with all kinds of stakeholders. Besides God, we thank all of you for making this milestone possible. On the short term, the office is looking to establish itself more and expand itself to ensure that CCI will become and remain a permanent beacon of hope.
For all of our donors, big or small, we once again want to show our appreciation. Thanks to the contributions made. Through that CCI can continue to protect Life, Family and Freedom on a world stage.
Wilmer Hak is CCI Policy Officer Geneva
