INSAN Coalition for UPR announces boycott amidst ongoing Gaza war, disregard for Palestinian rights
AMMAN — The INSAN Coalition for UPR on Wednesday announced its boycott of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), amidst the total disregard for UN resolution affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and blatant violations of human rights in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
The coalition’s decisions were announced during a press conference at the Jordanian Women’s Union headquarters in Amman.
Among the key decisions taken was the suspension of all engagement programmes with countries participating in the ongoing war. “This suspension aims to address the lack of oversight and accountability for Israel, as these countries failed to fulfill their legal obligations or promptly intervene to stop the Israeli occupation’s crimes.”
The coalition also decided to discontinue its advocacy actions and campaigns which usually happen prior to the UPR country review.
Founded in 2012, INSAN Coalition for UPR, is currently composed of 20 Jordanian civil society organisations from various regions across the Kingdom. The coalition was established with the aim of preparing the UPR report, a periodic United Nations review mechanism of the human rights records of UN member states.
“Our position today does not mean we are against the International Humanitarian Law [IHL]. Quite to the contrary, human rights and the IHL are universal principals that do not belong to specific nations,” said Hala Ahed, human rights advocate, INSAN Coalition coordinator, and legal consultant at the Jordanian Women’s Union.
“If certain nations have given up on the international human rights system, the system does not fall... these nations have abandoned humanitarian principles,” she said.
Ahed said that the Kingdom’s upcoming review will be out in January 2024.
During the press conference, Jordanian Women’s Union President Amna Zu’bi said, “The very same countries that are known to be a promoter of human rights are the ones that have shown reckless disregard for human life in Gaza and a lack of criticism of Israel’s actions and deliberate killing of Palestinians.”
Executive Director of the Justice Centre for Legal Aid Hadeel Abdel Aziz, pointed out that the decisions are aimed toward achieving more equitable and consistent approaches to the international human rights system.
Rami Ayasrah, a representative of the National Society for Human Rights-a coalition member, condemned the atrocities and war crimes committed by Israel in the strip.