28 February 2017 – The Human Rights Council during its midday meeting continued with its high-level segment, hearing addresses from dignitaries from 15 countries and one organization.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, said that human rights were too important to become hostages and be used for political pressure.  The rising global Christianophobia was of utmost concern as four in five people killed in the world for religious reasons were Christians. 

Alok Sharma, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, called on the Human Rights Council Member States to make efforts to end modern slavery, to place the promotion of the rights of women and girls at the centre of their domestic and foreign policy, and to reinforce civil society. 

Lorena Fries Monleón, Under-Secretary of Human Rights of Chile, noted that the Human Rights Council faced immense challenges as it started its next cycle: uncertainty, the devastating impact of conflicts, fundamental changes in some countries, and inequality and discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, gender or nationality. 

Pedro Raúl Villagra Delgado, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Argentina, said that Argentina’s history was the reason that it promoted a comprehensive defence of human rights, adding that Argentina renewed its commitment to working toward the universal ratification of the International Convention against Enforced Disappearance.

Tsend Munkh-Orgil, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had to be given more financial and human resources  in view of its important mandate. 

Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, warned that excluding international humanitarian law from being a useful guide in armed conflict today was a way to fuel cycles of violence, and a way to escape the responsibility of managing operations in a way that respected proportionality and precautions.

ANWAR MOHAMAD GARGASH, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, said the United Arab Emirates was taking a future-oriented approach that embraced diversity and engaged young people, ideas which in the Middle East were not universally accepted.  Reviewing progress in the country, the Minister noted that Emirati women made up 66 per cent of the labour force.  The United Arab Emirates had continued its promotion of children’s rights, a focus which extended beyond childhood, and also continued to expand and strengthen workers’ rights, promoting transparency in contractual relations, and had also made progress against human trafficking.  Turning to challenges, the Deputy Minister said that Da’esh’s twisted ideology represented a danger to open societies everywhere, as it promoted religious hatred and preyed on the most vulnerable.  The refugee crisis placed a burden on Syria’s neighbours.  In Yemen, an already fragile State had been shattered by a three-way assault of extremism.  Security had collapsed after the Houthis violently overthrew the legitimate Yemeni Government, and Iran was arming the insurgents with weapons, including armed drones.  The Iranian interference had deepened the Yemeni conflict, allowing Al-Qaida more space to operate.  The United Arab Emirates called for the strong enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions barring Iranian support for the Houthis.