On 6 December 2012, High Commissioner Navi Pillay delivered keynote speeches at the two main human rights events of the European Union – the annual Fundamental Rights Conference, on the internal dimension, and the annual EU-NGO Forum, on the external dimension of the EU’s human rights policies.

At the Fundamental Rights Conference, the High Commissioner warned that in the climate of economic crisis, Roma and migrants are increasingly at risk of becoming scapegoats, being targeted for repressive treatment such as forced evictions. She also pointed out the disproportionate impact of austerity policies on groups at risk, such as persons with disabilities.

“I have heard growing concerns from civil society that this is leading to the re-institutionalization of persons with disabilities, which is against the spirit and wording of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” said the High Commissioner. “I urge European States to ensure that the most vulnerable in their societies aren’t seen as the ‘softest targets’, the groups to which cuts can be most easily applied.”

In a meeting with non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations forming the European Expert Group for Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care, the High Commissioner expressed full support of their efforts to replace child care institutions by support for families or family-type care and to ensure independent living for persons with disabilities.

At the EU-NGO Forum, the High Commissioner made a forceful statement in favor of a universalistic approach to human rights. “International standards constitute a growing body of universal norms which have at times come under attack from adherents of alleged “regional” approaches, but those attempts have failed to undermine their universal appeal,” said the High Commissioner. Moreover, she introduced a recent study on OHCHR field presences by Liam Mahoney and Roger Nash, ‘Influence on the Ground’, which illustrates how OHCHR has worked with governments as well as civil society to generate real change.

During her visit to Brussels, the High Commissioner also met with Barbara Lochbihler, Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the European Parliament, with Morten Kjaerum, Director of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency, and with Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Special Representative for Human Rights.