VZCZCXYZ0031
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLP #3147/01 3261621
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221621Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1378
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6312
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3636
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7499
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4756
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 2008
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RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4205
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 4647
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 9230
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS LA PAZ 003147 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON PHUM BL
SUBJECT: BOLIVIA HOSTS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) From October 24-26, Bolivia's eastern city of Santa 
Cruz hosted a conference of National Human Rights 
Institutions (NHRIs) from over eighty countries.  The theme 
of the conference was "respecting the human rights of 
migrants."  The Santa Cruz Declaration, the conference's main 
product, focused primarily on next steps.  However, it also 
took a jab at current United States immigration policy, 
specifically the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico 
border.  President Evo Morales opened the conference with a 
speech that argued for the liberalization of migration around 
the world.  He also used the occasion to criticize U.S. 
policies on a number of fronts including immigration, the war 
in Iraq, and our "harboring" of former President Sanchez de 
Lozada.  The conference, at least temporarily, raised 
Bolivia's profile in international human rights circles.  The 
conference also gave President Morales a venue to expound on 
immigration liberalization; an issue which resonates with the 
estimated three million Bolivians who live outside of Bolivia 
as well as with the thousands who leave the country on a 
monthly basis.  An underlying conference objective was to 
persuade developed countries to further open their borders to 
both legal and illegal migrants.  End Comment. 
 
----------------------------- 
Description of The Conference 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) From October 24-26, Bolivia's eastern city of Santa 
Cruz hosted a conference of National Human Rights 
Institutions (NHRIs) from over eighty countries.  The 
conference, titled the "Eighth International Conference of 
National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of 
Human Rights," was a gathering of National Human Rights 
Institutions (NHRIs) from around the world. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The theme of the conference was "respecting the 
human rights of migrants."  The conference attendees focused 
much attention on strategies for getting countries to ratify 
and implement the "International Convention on the Protection 
of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of their 
Families." 
 
-------------------------- 
The Santa Cruz Declaration 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Santa Cruz Declaration, the conference's main 
product, focused primarily on next steps.  However, it also 
took a jab at current United States immigration policy, 
specifically the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico 
border.  The declaration consists of forty-four points which 
can be condensed into the following main ideas; 
 
 - NHRIs should promote a human rights approach to 
   migration; 
 - NHRIs are critical to the monitoring and protection 
   of migrants' rights; 
 - NHRIs should promote the ratification of the "Inter- 
   national Convention on the Protection of the Rights 
   of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families;" 
   and, 
 - NHRIs should cooperate with organizations at all 
   levels (local, national, regional and international). 
 
Item 11 of the declaration contained a clear statement 
against U.S. immigration policy regarding construction of a 
wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.  The item reads, 
"experience demonstrates that physical barriers, including 
walls, endanger fundamental rights such as the right to life." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
President Morales Opines on Migration and U.S. Policies 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) President Evo Morales opened the conference with a 
speech that argued for the liberalization of migration around 
the world.  He used the occasion to criticize U.S. policies 
on a number of fronts including, immigration, the war in 
Iraq, and our "harboring" of former President Sanchez de 
Lozada.  Morales argued that people, regardless of their 
nationality, should be allowed to move freely around the 
globe to seek economic opportunities.  He stated that people 
should be "globalized" before the globalization of products 
and services.  He added that there is "no marginalization, no 
exclusion for migrants (moving from the developed North to 
the less-developed South) they are actually welcomed," while 
in the other direction, he explained "migration is demonized 
and criminalized".  In an attempt to further his point he 
gave the following example, "the U.S. Embassy in La Paz only 
authorized a visa for the days of my meetings (UNGA).  If I 
hadn't been president they would not have let me in the 
United States."  Morales later called on members of the 
conference to push for the extradition from the United States 
of former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.  He also urged 
participants to put pressure on the United States "to pull 
its troops out of Iraq." 
 
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Comment 
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¶6. (SBU) The conference, at least temporarily, raised 
Bolivia's profile in international human rights circles. 
Bolivia's Defensor del Pueblo, Waldo Albarracin, was 
singled-out in the Santa Cruz Declaration for his 
contributions.  (Note: The Defensor is an independent agency 
that handles human rights cases submitted by citizens against 
the GOB).  Poloff spoke to the Defensor after the conference 
and he stated that the conference was a "big success" and 
that it garnered a lot of goodwill for his office and Bolivia 
in general. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The conference also gave President Morales a venue 
to expound on immigration liberalization; an issue which 
resonates with the estimated three million Bolivians resident 
outside of Bolivia as well as with the thousands who leave 
the country on a monthly basis.  An underlying conference 
objective was to persuade developed countries to further open 
their borders to both legal and illegal migrants.  A press 
release issued after the conference highlighted this goal, 
"Participants also recalled that very few countries have 
ratified the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of 
All Migrants Workers and Members of their Families, and that 
so far, no country among the developed nations has ratified 
the Convention."  End comment. 
GOLDBERG