The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jose Ayala Lasso, has established a Human Rights Hot Line, a 24-hour facsimile line that will the United Nations Centre for Human Rights emergencies, such as the 1994 crisis in Rwanda. The Hot Line will be available to victims of human rights violations, their relatives and non-governmental organisations. The Hot Line fax number in Geneva, Switzerland is 41-22-917-0092.

In addition, a Human Rights Database will be created at the United Nations Centre for Human Rights in Geneva to gather information for use by special rapporteurs who are responsible for investigating questions such as religious intolerance, torture, racism and freedom of expression. The new database will contain information that will eventually be available by modern or other electronic means to human rights rapporteurs and experts worldwide.

Both measures are designed to improve the "timely flow of information from and to special rapporteurs from anywhere in the world" and form the basis of an electronic network linking the globe, Mr. Ayala Lasso said. The Hot Line will be especially valuable to those wishing to establish urgent, potentially life saving contact with the Special Procedures Branch of the Centre for Human Rights.

The measures are part of new moves by the United Nations to enhance the global flow and exchange of information . Such information is essential in addressing five priority areas of the United nations human rights programme:

• Human rights emergency situations;
• Developing situations which may require preventive action by the High Commissioner;
• Investigative missions by special rapporteurs or working groups;
• Follow-up action by the High Commissioner to recommendations made by special rapporteurs and working groups;
• Implementation efforts, including the work of treaty-based bodies and the provision of advisory services and technical assistance to United Nations Member States.

The new steps being taken by the High Commissioner represent the continued implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna, Austria, from 14 to 25 June 1993. Mr. Ayala Lasso, who was appointed as the first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 14 February 1994, said the Vienna Conference was a watershed, marking the realization of an "era of implementation" of human rights standards and mechanisms that have been developed over the past years.

Human Rights Fax HotLine
41-22-917-0092