Former UN Human Rights Chief says we must be bolder in calling out world leaders
'Demagogues and political fantasists — to them, I must be a sort of nightmare': Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein
* Originally published on December 12, 2019.
This is a 2-part conversation: Listen to The Unconventional Diplomat: Standing Up For Principles
In 2016, on a stage in The Hague, Netherlands, and shaking with rage, UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein decided to break with diplomatic convention.
In a speech he personally wrote, he called out political leaders, whom he says were abetting the violation of human rights.
"To Mr. Geert Wilders, his acolytes, indeed to all those like him — the populists, demagogues and political fantasists — to them, I must be a sort of nightmare," he said in a speech that's now legendary in diplomatic circles.
Then he revealed a list of other leaders who were undermining human rights — an action that defied diplomatic protocol by naming names.
"What Mr. Wilders shares in common with Mr. Trump, Mr. Orban, Mr. Zeman, Mr. Hofer, Mr. Fico, Madame Le Pen, Mr. Farage, he also shares with Da'esh," he told the audience.
Al Hussein stresses that he does not equate "nationalist demagogues with those of Da'esh, which are monstrous, sickening." But he does maintain that the use of "half-truths and oversimplification" is used both by populists in their rhetoric and by Da'esh, also known as ISIS, in their propaganda.
For years, and in various diplomatic roles, Al Hussein was careful with his words. But the intensifying authoritarianism among political leaders around the world pushed him to be bolder. He felt that not saying anything while in office and not speaking truth to power would be "unforgivable."
"It was the right thing to do," he told Mary Lynk of CBC Radio Ideas at his home in Harlem, New York.
'Fearfulness within the UN'
Al Hussein is forthright in his criticism of governments and leaders, and believes the United Nations should do the same — and call them out.
"There is a fearfulness within the UN. They can't understand that, you know, you have to earn the respect of the states, that you can't just be servile. You can't just be fawning all over them. We're not in the 'like' business. We're in the 'respect' business."
However, Al Hussein is quick to point out that it's important for people involved in the diplomacy not to be "too sanctimonious and self-righteous." There may come a time where a public apology to a country or government is necessary, according to Al Hussein — something he attests to doing himself.
"The UN is not an organization that can say that it's covered entirely by glory, because there are some extremely shameful and painful episodes that itself has had to pass through."
Before he was the UN chief of human rights, Al Hussein was president of the UN Security Council and president of the International Criminal Court.
He became emboldened to become a global voice for human rights and to speak up, because the substantial gains of human rights that had been gained are now under serious attack.
He adds that there's a misconception that human rights is a "soft type of fungible values" when juxtaposed with geopolitics, economics or development.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Al Hussein argues.
"The reason why you see countries bristle is because they understand that human rights is an extremely powerful field of human experience. And they don't want to — many don't want to — be held to account."
Rethinking leadership
What keeps Al Hussein up at night? His answer is straight to the point: something he calls "the mediocrity of public officialdom."
From the threat of climate change, to the risk of nuclear war, to pandemics of the future, he argues that the world needs leaders to confront these enormous challenges that now may seem to be insoluble.
"Leaders who are steeped in knowledge of history and economics and law, who have a strong moral core, who are courageous. And frankly speaking, we don't have that," he asserted.
So how can we make better leaders? It comes down to changing how we think of leadership.
Al Hussein told Lynk that leaders are not simply people elected or appointed, but who organize at grassroot levels, providing services to communities. They may be young, they're always brave and dedicated, and they are willing to give up virtually everything for others.
"They're not out seeking fame or seeking attention, which is almost the passport of every politician around the world: self-serving and narrow-minded," he said.
"These people [true leaders] are … willing to sacrifice their lives, time with their family, if they were to be detained. I mean, that's leadership — not some politician who refuses to resign when one scandal after another comes out into the open and is hiding behind some desk."
* This episode was produced by Mary Lynk.
