Overview of Swiss human rights dialogues
Today, Switzerland leads human rights dialogues and consultations with a number of nations, namely Iran, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Russia, Indonesia and Tajikistan.
Controversial dialogue with Iran
The human rights dialogue with Iran (conducted since 2003) seems to have come to a standstill in the face of the recent political developments as no conferences have taken place since 2008. In its recent position paper the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) once again states the minimum requirements for a productive discussion and advocates the termination of the Swiss human rights dialogue with Iran. All the same, the FDFA apparenly plans to start a new round of dialogues as well as a meeting with Iranian experts.
Documentation by the FDFA
Humanrights.ch has received from the human rights section of the Political Affairs Division IV the following overview of the current state in the abovementioned countries:
Human rights dialogue with China
Since 1991, Switzerland has been leading a dialogue on human rights issues with China, the last round of which took place in summer 2008. Three main topics were discussed on - penal law, minorities and religious freedom, as well as economy and human rights. These issues were supplemented by collateral events, for example the implementation of common projects and the exchange of expertise.
In 2007, an external evaluation of the dialogue was performed by members of the German Institute for Human Rights. The authors see the extension of the dialogue by means of project-based activities as particularly positive and aim at continuing a substantial dialogue at yearly intervals. The formulation of specific aims of these dialogues includes the results of all results of the external evaluation. The projects on the topics of penal law and death sentences are continued. An evaluation on the potential of projects in the human rights and business sectors is performed, too. The deployment of a human rights advisor to the local Swiss diplomatic mission will be maintained. After the next round of dialogues, an internal examination will be performed and, after two further rounds of dialogue, an external evaluation will once again take place.
Human rights dialogue with Vietnam
Switzerland took on the formal dialog with Vietnam in 1997, and after a seven-year break the dialogue was reassumed in May 2005 with a dialog round in Vietnam. The most recent of these meetings took place in Bern on 22 April 2010. The main aim of the human rights dialogue held alternately in Switzerland and Vietnam is to sustainably improve the general human rights situation in Vietnam. The four main topics of these discussions are questions on general international human rights issues, penal law / criminal proceedings / enforcement of sentences, minority rights / religious freedom, as well as women's rights.
Based on the medium-term concept of the Political Affairs Division IV, human rights dialogues that are conducted over several years are to be evaluated by external personnel every four years. The external evaluation conducted in 2009 focussed in particular on the choice of priorities in the report. The evaluator assumed the chosen subjects as adequate and the schedule as feasible, but advises to limit within the four main items the number of topics discussed on. The continuation of the dialogue within a framework of substantial yearly meetings is therefore aimed for. The intensity of the collateral events and the delegation of a human rights advisor to the local Swiss diplomatic mission. An informal exchange with other dialogue partners in Vietnam (especially within the Group of 4: Switzerland, New Zealand Norway and Canada) is maintained. A renewed internal evaluation is due in 2013.
Human rights dialogue with Cuba
Cuba has committed itself to give priority to questions of human rights in its consultations with Switzerland. For this reason, during the fourth round of political consultations in November 2009 in Havana, human rights issues were at the centre of discussions.The continuation of consultations in the form of substantial yearly dialogue rounds is aimed for, the main topics are to be supported by accompanying projects. An informal exchange with other consultation partners of Cuba (Spain, Norway, Austria) is maintained in seminars on human rights issues. The delegation of human rights advisor was postponed but will be re-examined at a later date.
Human rights consultations with Russia
The next consultations with Russia will take place in Moscow at the beginning of June for the eighth time. As in the previous years, the discussions will be held in a constructive atmosphere; since 2009 there are even two meetings a year. One in autumn during the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, the other is the official consultation every spring. One of the projects, concerning the field of juvenile law, shows the operational scope of these consultations. An exchange between Swiss and Russian experts has already begun. One of the aims is the construction of a model detention centre to the south of Moscow.
Local human rights dialogue with Indonesia
A human security advisor to the Swiss diplomatic mission is occupied with the organisation and implementation of the local dialogue, focussing namely on prison administration, gender issues, inter-religious dialogue and historical issues, including the Rome Statute. The continuation of the dialogue within the framework of substantial and regular rounds of dialogue until 2011 was decided on in 2009. If possible, the collateral events are intensified and the human security advisor stays in his position. The dialogue was assessed internally in 2009 focussing on the wording of specific aims of the dialogue and the possible implementation of an external evaluation at a later date.
Human rights consultations with Tajikistan
The dialogue with Tajikistan was launched in 2009 during a visit to the region by Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey.The first official round of dialogue is planned to start before summer 2010 in collaboration with the SDC office in Dushanbe. An operational intensification of the dialogue is planned and a human rights advisor will be brought in.
Update: 07.07.2010
