Photo: @UNHumanRights
The Diplomat. 27/05/2017
The Council of Ministers yesterday authorized voluntary contributions to international agencies, funds and programs for a total amount of 1,100,000 euros, the vast majority for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the rest for the Organization For the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is the United Nations body charged with promoting and protecting human rights throughout the world and assisting the High Commissioner to this end.
Spain maintains a fluid relationship and active dialogue with the High Commissioner and its office which is reflected in the institutionalization of bilateral consultations Spain-OACNUDH, which are held annually since 2009.
“This was contributed by the significant increase in our country’s financial contribution from 2004 to 2008, which allowed for greater cooperation with the OHCHR on issues of mutual interest, such as non-discrimination against women, protection of children, eradication of Torture and the death penalty, among others”, the government said.
The contribution comes in full candidacy Spanish to the Council of Human Rights
With this contribution, “we want to fulfill Spain’s commitment to human rights and the multilateral system of protection and promotion of them, supporting the important work carried out by the UNHCHR”.
According to the Executive, “given that Spain is a candidate for the Human Rights Council for the period 2018-2020, its level of contribution must approach the place that would correspond to it in coherence with the multilateral vocation that manifests our country”.
The Spanish candidature to the Council was presented in June 2016 to cover one of the two vacancies in the group of Western Europe and Others, made up of 28 of the 47 countries that make up this body. His rivals will be Australia (which has never belonged to the Council) and France (which has already belonged twice). The vote will take place next fall at the UN General Assembly.
