MONTEVIDEO (26 October 2011) –– United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, concluded her visit to Uruguay. It was the final leg of a ten-day mission to Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, aimed at engaging in dialogue with the authorities on the various human rights challenges in these three countries and encouraging them to strengthen the integration of human rights in their policy agenda.

The Deputy High Commissioner met with the President, Mr. José Mujica, and the Vice-President of the Republic and President of the General Assembly, Mr. Danilo Astori. She also met with the President of the Supreme Court, Mr. Leslie van Rompaey.

She held extensive discussions on specific human rights issues with the Secretary of the Presidency; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Social Development; the Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, and the Director of Human Rights of the Ministry of Education and Culture. She also met with members of the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, as well as with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Penitentiary System. “I am very grateful for and impressed by the genuine commitment and open-mindedness of the authorities in acknowledging the shortcomings and exploring areas needing further action for better protection of the rights of all Uruguayans,” she said.

Kang had a session with Uruguayan civil society organizations, as well as with the diplomatic corps, and visited El Molino prison for women with children under five years of age.

She also participated in a ministerial-level human rights seminar organized by MERCOSUR on human rights integration in the context of its 20-year anniversary. She acknowledged the significant role played by MERCOSUR given its uniqueness in the development of public policies based on human rights, “Through this very high-level participation, a clear message is sent: human rights continue to be a crucial issue of concern in the region, particularly in view of the new public demands for increasing recognition of fundamental rights.” Kang and her team also met with the Executive Director of MERCOSUR’s Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights to discuss new areas to further the cooperation between the two institutions.

She also gave a keynote speech at the National Congress on the occasion of United Nations Day, and met with the Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team to review the support provided to them by the OHCHR Regional Office for South America in integrating human rights into their programs and activities as “One UN” pilot country.

With her interlocutors, the Deputy High Commissioner praised the leading role played by Uruguay on human rights issues, including as the current President of the Human Rights Council. “Uruguay is a small country but a very important voice for human rights in the international arena, and one that carries a great deal of credibility. The High Commissioner and I are very appreciative and supportive of this role, and we are thankful for the strong support Uruguay gives to the work of our Office.”

Kang added that “Uruguay is a unique example of how public policies based on human rights can not only pull people out of poverty in a sustainable manner but also reduce the marginalisation and exclusion that are at the roots of so much deprivation of rights today.” She noted, however, that challenges still remain, and encouraged the authorities to continue their efforts to tackle long-standing human rights concerns such as the investigation and prosecution of past human rights violations, the situation of prisoners and the national prison system, violence against women, the discrimination and poverty that disproportionately affects women, children and people of African descent in Uruguay, as well as the high secondary school drop-out rates and the situation of adolescents in conflict with the law.

She welcomed the bill passed in a 50-41 vote by Congress early this morning, stating that “under international human rights law, crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations such as those committed during the dictatorship period are not subject to any statute of limitations.” Acknowledging the two past national referendums in favour of maintaining the Expiry Law, she stressed that while popular will must be taken into account by the leaders of the country in overcoming the divisiveness of this sensitive issue, “human rights protection applies irrespective of majority or minority views, and the State has an obligation to uphold the human rights of all persons at all times.” She recalled the right of victims to truth, justice and reparation, and added that the future of human rights will rest on shaky ground if Uruguay does not come to terms with past crimes.”

Noting with concern the high rate of domestic violence and reviewing the government measures to implement the 2003 law, Kang called for more effective measures in support of women victims of violence. Also noting the underrepresentation of women in high-level decision-making processes, including the General Assembly, she added that “Uruguay’s commitment to human rights and gender equality needs to be matched by more concerted efforts to address the discriminatory status of women in many sectors of the country.”

In discussing the Government’s efforts to address the challenge of high drop-out rates from secondary schools, including the plan to extend the One Lap-top Per Child programme to every adolescent, she noted Uruguay’s track record as a model of public education that embodies the concept of education as a fundamental human right, and encouraged the authorities to undertake further measures to reverse the trend in the drop-out rate and to shore up the quality and integrity of its public education system.

Stressing the crucial role played by independent national human rights institutions in strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights, she noted that “It has been two years since Uruguay passed a law to create the National Human Rights Institution in compliance with international standards, but the Institution has yet to be established. I hope Parliament will meet the deadline to appoint the Directors of the Institution in April next year, and I offer the full cooperation of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that it becomes an independent and effective guardian of the rights of all people living in Uruguay.”

Learn more about the Deputy High Commissioner Kyung-wha Kang: http://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/deputy-high-commissioner/nada-al-nashif

UN Human Rights Country Page - Uruguay: http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/uruguay

Regional Office for South America: http://acnudh.org

For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Santiago de Chile, OHCHR regional office for South America:
Jennifer Ross: +562 321 7750 / jross@ohchr.org
In Geneva: Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9310 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org
Xabier Celaya: +41 79 444 7578 /xcelaya@ohchr.org

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