“It won’t work without human rights”

Mr Rücker, you are President of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2015. Your message when taking up the post was that the work of the Human Rights Council can be made more effective. Are we any closer to that goal?

Yes, I believe we are. All countries realise that the Human Rights Council has too much on its agenda, even if some of them may have an interest in overburdening it. We have held interesting discussions with national representatives and human rights NGOs, including at an informal meeting in Berlin. We have achieved a number of things: many thematic resolutions are now put on the council’s agenda only every two years. That makes room for other things – for example, addressing the human rights situations in countries. The Human Rights Council’s website is now also being improved to enable swifter and easier access to information about the council’s work. That enhances transparency and shows the council’s work to greater advantage. There will also be a much better overview of the council’s many activities. Transparency helps us to work more efficiently. It increases the council’s credibility and its accessibility to outsiders. And it leads to greater effectiveness – in other words, it enables us through our work to help those we are there to help in the first place: people whose rights are being violated.

On what concrete issues has there been progress under the German presidency?

The Human Rights Council has tackled a very broad agenda again in 2015 – that’s evident if you look at the 137 resolutions and decisions that were adopted this year, whether on country situations or themes. But this gratifying state of affairs is not directly due to the German presidency – it’s the countries that set the agenda. The Council President’s mandate only extends to procedural and organisational issues. But that’s very important, of course, because it includes deciding whether and how an NGO representative is allowed to address the council. Whenever I’ve heard talk of “reprisals” – attempts by countries to intimidate or punish civil society or keep it away from the Human Rights Council – I’ve systematically followed up every single case. And that’s had a real impact.

Germany has been re-elected to the Human Rights Council for the 2016-2018 term. What are the key concerns of German human rights policy?

As one of its founding members, Germany views the Human Rights Council as a central element in the multilateral human rights architecture. We want to press ahead with its work and further strengthen its political clout. Human rights – along with security and development – are one of the three pillars of the United Nations, so they have to be properly attended to and funded. Of course, it’s difficult to predict where in the coming years the human rights situation will deteriorate to such an extent that it needs to be addressed in the Human Rights Council. Of course, some countries remain high on our agenda: Syria and North Korea are just two examples. And Germany will continue to work for its “own” cross-cutting themes: the rights to water and sanitation and adequate housing, the rights of victims of human trafficking and the right to privacy, especially in the digital age.

Human rights abuses often occur during crises and conflicts. The world order appears to be increasingly unstable – are we living at a bad time for human rights?

Unfortunately, this is truly not a good time for human rights. But it seems to me it’s also a time of growing conviction that we won’t get anywhere without human rights. They are the international community’s measuring stick when the United Nations Security Council is deciding on sanctions or even intervention. And they serve as an early-warning mechanism for future crises – that’s an important aspect the international community is taking increasingly seriously. To this extent, human rights have long since become a “hard issue”. Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has pushed for a conceptual examination of this issue – the connection between human rights and security – also with a view to better integrating the work of the Human Rights Council and the Security Council.

In 2016, the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights is due to be adopted. What is it all about?

The Federal Government’s coalition agreement provides for the drawing up of a National Action Plan to Implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Federal Foreign Office is spearheading the project and consulting with the ministries affected. As part of this process, the Federal Government is asking which guiding principles on human rights should determine national action on business. Are the existing framework conditions for German companies sufficient to guarantee the protection of human rights? Germany would like to better balance global business activities with human rights protection. Of course, the interests of business, civil society and trade unions frequently diverge. That’s why the Federal Government has, since November 2014, been engaged in an extensive consultation process to identify areas where interests overlap. What we are looking for is an “intelligent mix” of voluntary commitment on the part of business, incentives and support for implementation, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, but also sharp sanctions in the case of serious human rights violations involving German companies. We are now nearing the end of this consultation phase and I’m confident that we’ll succeed in finding the right mix.

You are familiar with work at the UN from previous positions you’ve held. What motivates your commitment to the goals of the international community?

Despite all the challenges to its authority, the United Nations possesses a unique legitimacy and a unique set of instruments when it comes to finding the right answers to the global challenges we face in terms of peace and security, development and human rights. Helping shape these answers to the best of one’s ability –  whether as Special Representative of the Secretary-General or as President of the Human Rights Council or in another capacity – is not only an honourable task but a fulfilling one in the truest sense of the word. And then there’s the enriching contact with diversity, which is, so to speak, part of the United Nations’ DNA.

International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2015

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