The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, defended today, at the opening of the session of the Human Rights Council, a more reinforced presence of the agency in several countries, including the Portuguese-speaking countries Brazil and Mozambique.
Quoted by UN News, Turk said that “in a context of heightened conflicts and threats to humanity, countries need to interact constructively with the international ecosystem of human rights mechanisms,” adding that he would like to “increase engagement with Brazil, Central Asia, Ecuador, Kenya, Mozambique and the United States, as well as in the Caribbean region.”
Currently, 95 states host offices linked to the High Commission, among which are representation in the Portuguese-speaking countries Brazil, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste.
In addition to strengthening the presence in Brazil and Mozambique, Volker Turk also considered that it would be important “to establish, for the first time, a presence in China and India,” countries that together account for over a third of the world’s population.
Among the positive examples of the High Commissioner’s involvement, Turk cited contributions to the “post-conflict transition” in East Timor and “accountability for crimes committed” during the armed conflict in Colombia.
Notícias ao Minuto