Groups in Geneva to Lobby for UN Envoy
Kek Galabru, founder of the rights group Licadho, recently traveled to Geneva, where the ninth annual meeting of the UN's Human Rights 
Q. What is the aim of your trip? A. I have come to Geneva withAdhoc president Thun Saray and four other Khmers, who live in the foreigncountries and have helped facilitate our participation in the Human RightsCouncil annual meeting in Geneva.The Human Rights Council is opening a meeting from Sept. 8 until Sept. 23. Inthe meeting they will also bring the Cambodiaissue to discussion, regarding the mandate of the UN representative on human rightsin Cambodia.We civil society want to see the term of the UN representative to be continuedin Cambodia.We don't want to see them cut this term out of Cambodia. Q. Alongside the discussion about the term of the UNrepresentative on human rights, what are the specific things that the meetingis focusing on? A. In that meeting they are not only focusing on the Cambodianissue, but they are also talking about children and women's issues, as well as someother issues. But in that meeting, they have raised our Cambodian issue. Wereally want the term of the UN representative on human rights in Cambodia to becontinued, as we know that the Cambodian government doesn't want this mandateto be continued. So our civil society strives hard to talk about it with theHuman Rights Council members in order to lobby and negotiate with our Cambodiangovernment so that the Cambodian government can allow the mandate to continue.Whether the UN representative on human rights can continue its mandate dependson the Cambodian government's permission. Q. The Cambodian government plans to close the Office of theUN High Commissioner on Human Rights in Cambodia. Is the Human RightsCouncil in Genevareacting to this plan? A. The permanent Office of the UN High Commissioner on HumanRights in Cambodia won't bediscussed in this Genevameeting. It could be discussed between our government and the United Nations, andshould not be discussed at the Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Councilis talking about the mandate of the UN Special Representative on Human Rights.We have received unofficial information that perhaps our government won't opposethis suggestion. But the UN secretary-general, he doesn’t want the UN SpecialRepresentative appointed by him anymore. So he wants to see the UN SpecialRapporteur instead of a UN special representative. For the mandate, we reallywant to see that the position of the UN Rapporteur remains the same as theposition of the UN Special Representative’s position, in coming into Cambodia tomonitor the human rights situation and then reporting to the Cambodiangovernment on how to change those institutions in order to respect humanrights. Q. If the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rightsin Cambodiacloses, what will be the affect to the civil society and the politicalsituation? A. We hope that the Office of the UN High Commissioner onHuman Rights in Cambodiawon't close its door. If the government does not allow this office to continueits work, it will affect a lot to the Cambodia people because we stillhave a lot of human rights issue that so far haven't been solved completely. Sowe need more cooperation with the UN, we need more technical support and humanresources support. So I think we still need more support from them.