Statement by the World Organization for Development to the UN Human Rights Council on the state of civil society and human rights in the Russian Federation

The World Organization for Development applied to the UN Human Rights Council with an official statement on the state of civil society and human rights in the Russian Federation (full text of the Statement).

To the attention of the member states of the UN Human Rights Council, the non-governmental segment of the UN and all interested parties

Association on sustainable development and investment climate improvement, uniting investors and creditors “World Organization for Development” (further – World Organization for Development), refers to the UN Human Rights Council, based on Article 71 of the UN Charter and Resolution 1996/31 ECOSOC with an official statement on the actual state of civil society and the human rights situation in the Russian Federation.

The main focus of the World Organization for Development is sustainable development and the promotion of the achievement of the SDGs. Human rights affect almost all of the 17 global goals and most of the 169 related targets. When human rights violations occur, it reflects on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and jeopardizes the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Preamble:

For more than 30 years, foreign non-governmental organizations and foundations financed by Western countries have been active in the territory of the Russian Federation and carry out the tasks of integrating Russia into the Western space (cultural, educational, scientific, economic, etc.). Gradually, a civil society was born and strengthened in Russia.

In the USSR and young Russia, the power structures did not understand how to interact with non-governmental organizations and active representatives of civil society. What they should be, what goals to pursue, what and whose values to protect. All this was taught to Russia by Western partners. As a result, Russia received a non-governmental elite, namely the elite of civil society, which professed Western values, was financed by Western funds and directly by foreign embassies and, accordingly, became an influential part of the political agenda within Russia, which reflected and protected precisely the interests of its Western donors. By the way, this elite of civil society also received grants in Russia for their activities. It was this elite of civil society that was very far from the real population of the country, and the people of Russia treated such a civil society as artificially created, not popular, not real.

What happened to the former “civil activists”?

30 years have passed. Russia’s political contradictions with Western states have exacerbated the situation with the elite of civil society within Russia. The so-called elite of civil society, raised and nurtured by Western countries and Western values, was forced to defend the interests of their donors, but not the interests of Russia and the Russian people. Systematic steps to destabilize the situation inside Russia, by the so-called elite of civil society, under the leadership of Western countries, whose main goal was to create a revolutionary situation and further overthrow the government in Russia, led to a completely understandable reaction from the authorities. It is with this that the reflection of the Russian authorities in relation to the so-called “elite of civil society” in Russia is connected. The main fact is that the support of the so-called “elite of civil society” on the part of the Russian people amounted to no more than 3.5%. But more than 60% of the Russian population supported the current government, although many of them have questions for the Russian government and are not happy with everything.

Now let’s digress for a moment, dream up and imagine: the United States of America, our time, Russian NGOs come and begin active work to promote their values in the United States. Do you think this is possible? And then they find dissatisfied citizens in the US and try to create a revolutionary situation within the US. That’s right, it’s impossible! BUT not even because the US intelligence services will not allow this, but primarily because the Russian Federation never interferes in the internal affairs of other states using the “soft power” tool. But why then do other states interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation? This practice, implemented in the last 30 years against Russia, has been stopped.

That is why there has been an increase in legislation on foreign agents. This practice will be continued by the authorities. Legislators and law enforcers in Russia will continue to implement measures to protect the national interests of the country. And in any strong state, under similar circumstances, the government would do the same. The so-called “elite of civil society” began to threaten the national interests of the Russian Federation and did not reflect the opinion of the majority of the country’s citizens. Not only the government, but also Russian society squeezed out of the Russian Federation controlled and financed from abroad “soft power”. The bulk of this “elite of civil society” fled to other countries, where they dreamed of living.

That is why there has been an increase in legislation on foreign agents. This practice will be continued by the authorities. Legislators and law enforcers in Russia will continue to implement measures to protect the national interests of the country. And in any strong state, under similar circumstances, the government would do the same. The so-called “elite of civil society” began to threaten the national interests of the Russian Federation and did not reflect the opinion of the majority of the country’s citizens. Not only the government, but also Russian society squeezed out of the Russian Federation controlled and financed from abroad “soft power”. The bulk of this “elite of civil society” fled to other countries, where they dreamed of living.

Let’s be honest, the Russian people have a lot of questions for our government regarding economic, social and other areas. But when it comes to instilling alien values in us and the loss of national identity, the Russian people will support the current government, no matter how hard life inside the country is.

In connection with the above, we declare that many appeals to the UN Human Rights Council regarding violations of human rights are related to the activities of agents controlled from abroad, the main goal of which was destabilization within Russia, chaos, revolution and the collapse of the country. All this, as you understand, would cause irreparable damage to the rights of more than 140 million citizens of the Russian Federation.

Stop the practice of interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation:

We ask the UN Human Rights Council to contribute to the further suppression of unfair practices by a number of foreign states aimed at interfering in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation. This request is due to the fact that these interventions exacerbate the situation within the country and contribute to the tightening of the current legislation within the Russian Federation. With such external pressure, mistakes are possible on the part of law enforcers and law enforcement agencies, and violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian Federation are not ruled out.

Manifestation of new forms of xenophobia, racism and nationalism against Russians:

Of particular concern is the situation associated with violations of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens abroad. There is a process of abolition of Russian culture, language and everything connected with Russia. Historical facts are distorted in relation to the real contribution of the Soviet Union to the victory over fascism. The world is on the brink of a new form of Nazism, and the Jewish people experienced a similar horror. The Soviet Union made a huge contribution to the fight against the genocide of the Jewish people, and now there are prerequisites for such manifestations against the Russian people. It’s time for the respected UN Human Rights Council to think about establishing a special mandate to protect the rights and freedoms of the Russian people and Russian culture, subjected to new forms of xenophobia, racism and nationalism.

The new civil society in Russia, with national values:

We would like to inform you that in the civil society of the Russian Federation the situation is ripe for reviewing approaches to the non-governmental segment. Everything will comply with the best world practices in the formation and support of nationally oriented NGOs. The main principles are the national interests of Russia, support from the majority of the population of the Russian Federation and the lack of funding from foreign donors. The same values for NGOs are shared in the USA, Europe and Asia. And only with this approach, the situation with human rights in Russia will not look so implausible, but will reflect the real truth.

Appointment of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation (Human Rights Council resolution 51/25):

Of course, we have a negative attitude towards the suspension of the membership of the Russian Federation in the UN Human Rights Council, which, in our opinion, is a factor that worsens the situation due to the lack of a direct dialogue between the UN Human Rights Council and the Russian authorities. The further step of the Russian Federation and the decision to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council is clear to us. The Russian Federation, as the legal successor of the USSR, which was one of the founders of the United Nations, has made a significant contribution to the development of the UN system and deserves respect for itself.

We appeal to the Members of the UN Human Rights Council: in the interests of a real improvement in the human rights situation in the Russian Federation, we consider it appropriate to consider a professional specialist positively disposed towards the Russian Federation and the Russian people for the post of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, because if a “Russophobe” is appointed, then there will be no cooperation and interaction with the civil society of Russia and, as we assume, with the Russian authorities, and the mandate will not fulfill the tasks assigned to it.

We express assurances to all Members of the UN Human Rights Council of our respect for them and declare with full responsibility that this Statement is a manifestation of our citizenship and corresponds to what we really see, is not financially or politically stimulated by the Russian authorities. Moreover, we inform you that the Association on sustainable development and investment climate improvement, uniting investors and creditors “World Organization for Development”, for 13 years of its activity has not received a single grant or any other financial support from the Russian budget or foreign donors. It is this fact that makes us truly independent in expressing our position in the UN Human Rights Council.