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China, Women's Rights and the WTO on the Geneva agenda

The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development is focusing on China, trade agreements and women's rights in its lobbying efforts before the 56 th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, this week in Geneva.

MONTREAL - March 22, 2000 - The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development is focusing on China, trade agreements and women's rights in its lobbying efforts before the 56^th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which opened this week in Geneva.

"The current crackdown on dissent in China is evidence that the bilateral human rights dialogue being pursued by Canada and others is little more than appeasement. It is time to re-apply pressure at the international level and the UNCHR is the appropriate forum for this," today said Warren Allmand, President of the International Centre.

"We have also been lobbying the Canadian government to co-sponsor the U.S. resolution condemning China for its worsening human rights record, its crackdown against any form of dissent, including Falun Gong practitioners, labour activists or leaders of fledgling political parties," he said.

Mr. Allmand said that human rights activists were dismayed when Canada reached a bilateral agreement with China on World Trade Organization (WTO) accession without setting any preconditions or raising any questions about human or labour rights in China.

The International Centre will also lobby government at the UN Commission on Human Rights on the issue of coherence between global and regional trade agreements with international human rights obligations. "The rules of the WTO, or NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), must be compatible with existing international human rights standards to ensure that economic globalization does not lead to further inequities between rich and poor."

The Centre is also addressing the issue of poverty of women under the agenda item of economic social and cultural rights. Through its women's rights programme, which is committed to mainstreaming women's rights as human rights, the Centre will push for the adoption of a resolution on women's rights to land ownership, personal property and adequate housing.

"There is a clear and undeniable connection between the poverty of women and the problems they face owning land or personal property or having access to adequate housing," Mr. Allmand said. This resolution is in line with a motion adopted by the Commssion on the Status of Women and the UN's sub-commission on Human Rights.

Moreover, the Centre will focus its advocacy on the importance of renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences and to provide new mechanisms to implement recommendations.