“Michel Forst”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Michel Forst is a French national actively involved in the defense of human rights. Former Secretary General of the French national human rights institution, he is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders since June 2014.

Career

After graduating in language, theology and health studies, Michel Forst started his career teaching German. Then, he started as director of social healthcare institutions in the field of childcare, the elderly and those in extreme-poverty.^[1]

He became the executive director of Amnesty International France in 1989, where he remained for ten years.

During this period, he was involved in many human rights projects, including the organisation of the first summit on human rights defenders in Paris in 1998.^[2] This event was held as the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,^[3] with more than 350 human rights defenders attending the summit. The presence of Kofi Annan, then Secretary General of the United Nations, drew significant attention on the event. Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin, then French President and Prime Minister respectively, intervened during the closing session, reaffirming France's commitment to the protection of human rights defenders. On 9 December 1998, in New York, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, now commonly known as the Declaration on human rights defenders.^[4] That same year, human rights defenders were to receive the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.

Michel Forst continued his career in nonprofit organizations. In 1999, he became the executive director of La Ligue contre le cancer. He remained in this position until 2001, when he joined the UNESCO in the Office of Social and Human Sciences.^[5] In 2003, he became Secretary General of La Cimade, a French organisation which brings legal aid to migrants and asylum seekers. He left in 2005, when he was appointed Secretary General of the French national human rights institution, the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme.^[6] Michel Forst is also a founding member of Front Line Defenders, an Irish non governmental organisation based in Dublin and a former board member of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).

In 2015, Michel Forst was appointed [https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000030008403 Knight of the Legion of Honour] by the French government.

United Nations

In 2008, Michel Forst was appointed Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti, taking over from Louis Joinet. He resigned from this position in 2013, before the end of his mandate.^[7]

From 2012 to 2013, he acted as Chair of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.^[8]

In June 2014, Michel Forst became United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.^[9] This mandate was created by the then United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2000, in order to ensure the enforcement of the 1998 Declaration on human rights defenders.^[10] His main mission as an independent expert is to inform on the risks and threats faced by human rights defenders on the ground.^[11] He also makes recommendations so as to better protect human rights defenders. He undertakes country visits and regularly reports to the Human Rights Council and to the United Nations General Assembly. He can also take up individual cases of concern. For example, in October 2015, he presented an allegation letter to the government of the United States concerning concerning the criminal complaint filed against Edward Snowden, the revocation of his passport and the interference with his attempts to seek political asylum.^[12] Michel Forst carries out his mission in cooperation with States, international structures and civil society organizations.^[13]

Since he started his mandate on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst has presented a number of thematic reports, highlighting the situation suffered by specific groups of defenders. He presented reports on the situation of [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/environmentaldefenders.pdf environmental and land rights defenders], of [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/N1722075.pdf defenders working in the field of business and human rights], on the situation of defenders [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/G1800851.pdf working for the rights of people on the move]. He also presented a report on [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/A%20HRC%2031%2055_E.pdf good practices in the protection of human rights defenders].

Michel Forst also presented a number of country reports after he officially visited such countries. This is the case of Australia, [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/G1703812.pdf Azerbaijan], [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/G1529394.pdf Burundi], [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/G1703812.pdf Hungary] and [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/sites/protecting-defenders.org/files/G1803794.pdf Mexico]. During his visit to Mexico, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_F4kC5NWUU Michel Forst met with Carmen Aristegui] a journalist he supported for her work against impunity and corruption.

In October 2015, Michel Forst launched the website [https://www.protecting-defenders.org/en protecting-defenders.org], in order to share information about human rights defenders and his actions as Special Rapporteur, and to facilitate individual communications. This website complements the official website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Michel Forst has sought to make his mandate more accessible to human rights defenders and to the general public. He has notably been undertaking academic visits to many countries (Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, DRC, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel and the OPT, Lebanon, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Russia, Spain, El Salvador, Venezuela, among others). He has also developed his presence on social media - with a [https://twitter.com/forstmichel?lang=fr Twitter] and a [https://www.facebook.com/SRhumanrightsdefenders/ Facebook] account and he published user-friendly versions of his official reports to the United Nations.

Human Rights Defenders World Summit 2018 and Nobel Peace Prize

In 2018 and in the context of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on human rights defenders, Michel Forst has been actively supporting the idea of a [https://hrdworldsummit.org/ second World summit] on human rights defenders and he has been developing many activities to celebrate this Declaration and its impact on the reinforcement of civil society.

The Human Rights Defenders World Summit 2018 will take place on 29, 30 and 31 October 2018, in Paris. The event is organized by eight different human rights organizations, and more than 150 human rights defenders are expected to participate. It aims to pay a tribute to human rights defenders and to provide them with a platform to define strategies for the years to come.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on human rights defenders, Michel Forst also supports the nomination of human rights defenders for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.^[14] In an opinion column published in The Independent along with Susi Bascon from Peace Brigades International, he underscored the importance to support human rights defenders in a world where "freedom and democracy are on the defensive". They further explained: "There is no doubt that everyone on the nomination list for the prize has contributed significantly to building more peaceful societies. But we need to recognise that many are only able to do this because human rights defenders laid the foundations for action."^[14]

This nomination was presented the French Government. It has been supported by Ann Clwyd MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group at the Houses of Parliament, Peace Brigades International, more than 200 human rights organizations throughout the world and a number of scholars.^[15] A petition to endorse this nomination has also been created on change.org.

References

1. ^{{Cite web|url=http://www.acatfrance.fr/public/c327-40ans-10-michel_forst.pdf|title=Entretien avec Michel Forst - De l'ACAT à la découverte des atrocités au Zaïre avec Amnesty|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}
2. ^{{cite web|title=Information on Human Rights Defenders' Summit, Paris, December 1998: Summary|url=https://www.amnesty.org/fr/documents/act30/015/1998/en/|website=Amnesty International|publisher=Amnesty International|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
3. ^{{cite web|title=Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/SRHRDefendersIndex.aspx|website=UNHR|publisher=UNHR|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
4. ^{{Cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/rightandresponsibility.aspx|title=OHCHR - Declaration on the Right and Responsibility|last=|first=|date=|website=www.ohchr.org|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2018-09-27}}
5. ^{{cite web|title=Michel Forst bio|url=https://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/annualconfs/61/bio_michel_forst.shtml|website=Universal Declaration at 60|publisher=UN|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
6. ^{{cite web|last1=Djian|first1=Stéphanie|title=European group of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Newsletter #1|url=http://www.nhri.net/pdf/EGnews1_E.pdf|website=NHRI|publisher=NHRI|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
7. ^{{cite web|last1=Britell|first1=Alexander|title=Michel Forst, UN Human Rights Expert in Haiti, Tenders Resignation|url=http://caribjournal.com/2013/03/24/michel-forst-un-human-rights-expert-in-haiti-tenders-resignation/#|website=Caribbean Journal|publisher=Caribbean Journal|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
8. ^{{cite web|last1=Forst|first1=Michel|title=Statement by the Chair of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures, Mr. Michel Forst, on behalf of all Special Procedures mandate holders at the High-level panel on human rights mainstreaming at the twenty-second session of the Human Rights Council|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13061&LangID=E|website=UNHR|publisher=UNHR|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
9. ^{{cite web|title=Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/CountriesMandates/HT/Pages/IEHaiti.aspx|website=UNHR|publisher=UNHR|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
10. ^{{cite web|title=Ten years on, human rights defenders continue to pay a high price|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=8877&LangID=E|website=UNHR|publisher=UNHR|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
11. ^{{cite web|title=Mandate|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/Mandate.aspx|website=UNHR|publisher=UNHR|accessdate=3 July 2015}}
12. ^{{Cite web|url=https://spdb.ohchr.org/hrdb/31st/public_-_AL_USA_14.10.15_(19.2015).pdf|title=Letter dated 14 October 2015, from UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst to the Government of the United States|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}
13. ^https://www.protecting-defenders.org/en/content/methods-work
14. ^¹{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/nobel-prize-human-rights-united-nations-juana-raymundo-guatemala-a8560921.html|title=The Nobel prize committee has to stop overlooking the human rights defenders who risk their lives every day|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-09-30|language=en-GB}}
15. ^{{Cite web|url=https://peacebrigades.org.uk/sites/peacebrigades.org.uk/files/Open%20Civil%20Society%20Letter%20to%20support%20the%20Nobel%20Peace%20Prize%20for%20Human%20Rights%20Defenders%205.pdf|title=« Open Civil Society Letter To Support the Nobel Peace Prize for Human Rights Defenders »|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}

Career

United Nations

Human Rights Defenders World Summit 2018 and Nobel Peace Prize

References

External links