Fed: Australia calls for reform of UN treaty system

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2000
Fed: Australia calls for reform of UN treaty system

CANBERRA, Aug 29 AAP - Australia would only continue to cooperate with the United Nations
treaty committee system if the system was radically overhauled, the federal government
said today.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the system had to recognise the right of democratically
elected governments to make laws for their country.

The government announced it would review its participation in March after coming under
heavy criticism from the UN committees over treatment of Aborigines and asylum seekers.

Mr Downer said the review found the system needed a major overhaul and cabinet had
decided to take strong measures to endeavour to improve the effectiveness of the UN's
human rights treaty bodies.

"The cabinet's decided that Australia's strategic engagement with the treaty committee
system should depend on the extent to which effective reform can occur," Mr Downer told
reporters.

The government would take a number of measures in pursuit of reform, including refusing
committee requests for information or to visit Australia without compelling reasons, he
said.

It also would scale down its representation at the committees and would not sign or
ratify a protocol to the Convention on Eliminating all forms of Discrimination Against
Women, he said.

"We will immediately implement a package of measures to improve our continued interaction
with the committees, including reporting to and representation at treaty committees being
based on a more economical and selective approach where appropriate," he said.

"We'll only agree to visits to Australia by treaty committees and requests from CHR
mechanisms for visits and the provision of information where there's a compelling reason
to do so."

Mr Downer said Australia would also reject unwarranted requests from treaty committees
to delay the deportation of unsuccessful asylum seekers.

"We want to ensure that adequate recognition of the primary role of democratically
elected governments and the subordinate role of non-government organisations is recognised,"

he said.

"We want to ensure that committees and individual members work within their mandates."

Australia also wanted to improve the coordination between committees and address inadequate
secretariat resources, he said.

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KEYWORD: UN AUST LEAD

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