HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS, AND ON THE RIGHTS TO WATER AND SANITATION

The Human Rights Council this afternoon held a clustered interactive dialogue with Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, and with Leo Heller, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to drinking water and sanitation.

Ms. Kornfeld-Matte noted that her report examined the prospects and stakes linked to assistance technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence and automation as concerned the ability of older persons to exercise their fundamental human rights. Robots and artificial intelligence would radically change our lives in the future, particularly the way older people were being taken care of. That issue needed to be examined in-depth in order to ensure deeper respect of older people’s human rights. Given the increased pressure from an ageing population in a context of economic constraints, the need for adequate assistive technologies and robotics would be increasing. Unfortunately, there was no mention of assistive technologies in the United Nations principles for older people. Their use could increase the ability of older persons to fully enjoy their rights and be independent. She spoke about her missions to Singapore and Namibia.

Mr. Heller reminded that under articles 2 and 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, States had an obligation to take deliberate, concrete and targeted steps to establish a regulatory framework for water and sanitation service provision that met the States’ obligations to respect, protect and fulfil those human rights. They had to ensure that regulation and regulatory actors contributed to the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation without discrimination of any kind. They should safeguard adequate provision of services to, inter alia, homeless people, dispersed communities, and to victims of situations of armed conflict, emergencies, natural disasters or climate change effects. He spoke about his missions to Portugal and Mexico.

Namibia, Singapore, Mexico and Portugal spoke as concerned countries.

The National Human Rights Commission of Mexico and the Portuguese Ombudsman also took the floor.

During the discussion on the rights of older persons, delegations noted that assistive technologies and robotics represented an important opportunity to improve health services for old persons and ensure that they could fully enjoy their fundamental rights. In that respect, knowledge sharing on technologies would permit the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for all. Several delegations outlined the need to ensure that older persons were well informed and empowered to decide for themselves so that technologies would not have an adverse impact on their human rights. Modern robotic technology should not be seen as a singular approach for addressing future assistive care needs because human touch and companionship could never be effectively substituted.

On water and sanitation, speakers highlighted that the rights to water and sanitation needed to be protected through the principles of equality and universality. As water was a public good, many delegations outlined that States had the responsibility to adopt a national water policy. Access to water and sanitation for vulnerable groups was of particular concern, including for migrants. Some speakers worried that the competition for water between water “users” and water “uses” would increase the risk of conflicts and continued inequalities in access to services. Taking into account financial restraints in almost all States, how could States ensure non-discriminatory enjoyment of human rights to water and sanitation, delegations inquired.

Speaking during the interactive discussion were the delegations of the European Union, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Tunisia on behalf of the African Group, Brazil on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Human Rights of Older Persons, Holy See, Sierra Leone, Montenegro, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Qatar, Germany, France, Russian Federation, Greece, Brazil, Pakistan, Sudan, Chile, Switzerland, Venezuela, Japan, Maldives, Burkina Faso, Finland, Malaysia, Australia, Viet Nam, Iraq, Spain, Egypt, Slovenia, Ecuador, Djibouti, Bolivia, United States, Tunisia, Austria, Morocco, China, South Africa and Portugal.

Russian Federation, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Qatar spoke in a right of reply.

The Human Rights Council will next meet on Tuesday, 12 September, at 9 a.m. to hold a general debate on the oral update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to be followed by the continuation of the clustered interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, and with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to drinking water and sanitation. The Council will then hold a clustered interactive dialogue with the Working Group on arbitrary detention, and with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery.

Documentation

The Council has before it the Report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons (A/HRC/36/48).

The Council has before it an addendum to the Report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons - mission to Singapore (A/HRC/36/48/Add.1).

The Council has before it an addendum to the Report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons - mission to Namibia (A/HRC/36/48/Add.2).

The Council has before it the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation (A/HRC/36/45).

The Council has before it an addendum to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation - mission to Portugal (A/HRC/36/45/Add.1).

The Council has before it an addendum to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation - mission to Mexico (A/HRC/36/45/Add.2).

Presentations by the Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

ROSA KORNFELD-MATTE, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, noted that her report examined the prospects and challenges linked to assistance technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence and automation as concerned the ability of older persons to exercise their fundamental human rights.

Ms. Kornfeld-Matte said she had conducted a visit to Singapore in September 2016 upon the request of the Government in order to identify good practices and shortcomings in the implementation of existing legislation. Singapore was one of the most rapidly ageing countries in the world. The number of people over 65 was set to double by 2030 to reach 900,000 persons. The Independent Expert congratulated the Government for establishing programmes to support the needs of this population. It was important to allow older persons to age in a dignified manner. Healthcare technologies offered prospects to reorganize health care systems. She encouraged the Government to pursue its efforts to establish new health models and use new technologies in the health sector.

In March 2017, Ms Kornfeld-Matte visited Namibia which had acquired independence only 27 years ago. It remained the country with the highest inequalities in the world which were essentially the legacy of colonial times. More needed to do done to combat poverty, particularly amongst older people. Namibia had a great potential to make sure that older persons could fully enjoy their rights. Notably, the country enjoyed a comprehensive welfare system that played a key role in its economy and society.

Ms. Kornfeld-Matte outlined that robots and artificial intelligence would radically change our lives in the future, particularly the way older people were being taken care of. It was a call for reflection because this issue needed more in-depth examination in order to ensure deeper respect of older people’s human rights. Given the increased pressure from an ageing population in the context of economic constraints, the need for adequate assistive technologies and robotics would be rising. Systems could carry out tasks that humans could not or would not be willing to carry out. Unfortunately, today, there was no mention of assistive technologies in the United Nations principles for older people. In the absence of a specific instrument on older persons, only the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provided some indications on the right to access to assistive technologies.

Assistive technologies and robotics should be used in monitoring the health of older persons, assisting older persons, and to meet the need for social interactions, she emphasized. New technologies were becoming more autonomous thanks to artificial intelligence. Their use could increase the ability of older persons to fully enjoy their rights and be independent. This raised a series of concerns and risks for the rights of older persons that could be faced by reforming existent frameworks and policies and adopting a human rights approach on the use of assistive technologies. Explicit consent of the user was requested in the use of these technologies, she recalled. The Agenda 2030 and its call to “leave no one behind” was a unique opportunity to prevent the use of assistive technologies and robotics in the sector of healthcare for older people from increasing inequalities between developed and developing countries. Finally, she outlined that last December, she had presented a report to the Working Group on ageing in New York upon request of the Council of Human Rights.

LEO HELLER, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, reminded that under articles 2 and 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, States had an obligation to take deliberate, concrete and targeted steps to establish a regulatory framework for water and sanitation service provision that met the States’ obligations to respect, protect and fulfil those human rights. They had to ensure that regulation and regulatory actors contributed to the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation without discrimination of any kind. They should safeguard adequate provision of services to, inter alia, homeless people, dispersed communities, and to victims of situations of armed conflict, emergencies, natural disasters or climate change effects. States should prohibit disconnections due to the inability to pay in law and in regulatory frameworks as that was a retrogressive measure that violated the human rights to water and sanitation. Regulatory actors had to provide access to objective, comprehensible, clear and consistent information and facilitate free, active and meaningful participation in regulatory decision-making processes. Mr. Heller emphasized that international human rights law did not call for a particular choice of regulatory framework. What was essential from a human rights perspective was that those carrying out regulatory functions be immune to pressures from any illegitimate interests and that the main objectives of regulations be aligned with the water and sanitation human rights standards and principles.

Turning to his country visits, Mr. Heller noted that Portugal had achieved outstanding progress in the water and sanitation sector over the past decades. Portugal now enjoyed almost near universal water coverage and the coverage of sanitation services had also shown clear signs of progress. Drinking water quality and wastewater treatment had also experienced impressive improvement. With the recently adopted State Budget Law, the Government of Portugal had established a legal regime for the automatic attribution of a social tariff for the provision of water services to lower income consumers. That law, however, required further institutional steps in order to be fully implemented at the municipal level. At the same time, Mr. Heller regretted that Congress had not adopted the draft bill on the protection of individual and common rights to water. A comprehensive assessment of the State’s institutional arrangements in the water and sanitation sector should be developed from a human rights perspective.

As for his visit to Mexico, Mr. Heller recognized the efforts taken by the three levels of the Government of Mexico in order to improve the coverage of the water and sanitation infrastructure. The institutions and public servants had worked vigorously to offer services, in many cases, under difficult circumstances. Mexico should also be commended for the revision of its Constitution and the incorporation of the human rights to water and sanitation. Despite those positive achievements, Mexico continued to face many challenges in order to guarantee the right to drinking water and sanitation to some 120 million inhabitants. In order to overcome those barriers, it was essential to guarantee support to municipal services in communities and to ensure water and sanitation to all without any discrimination, with special attention given to indigenous peoples and homeless persons.

Mr. Heller announced that he would be conducting a country visit to India in October 2017. His next thematic report would address the issue of the human rights to water and sanitation in humanitarian assistance, and the issue of accountability and the human rights to water and sanitation.

Statements by Concerned Countries

Namibia, speaking as a concerned country, thanked Ms. Kornfeld-Matte for her visit in March 2017, noting that she had engaged with a wide range of stakeholders while assessing the implementation of existing international instruments and policies and laws pertaining to the human rights of older persons. Reviewing the content of Ms. Kornfeld-Matte’s report, it was noted that Namibia had launched an Action Plan towards Prosperity for All which had the potential to contribute to the enjoyment of human rights by older persons. Namibia was committed to ensuring that no older person was left behind.

Singapore, speaking as a concerned country, thanked Ms. Kornfeld-Matte for her visit, giving details of her visit and on Singapore’s action plan. The opportunity to learn from her experience was welcomed. Singapore’s officials had shared the interest of Ms. Kornfeld-Matte, and thanked her for her comprehensive review of policies and programmes caring for its senior citizens. Singapore would study all the recommendations, but noted that some recommendations were not suitable for Singapore. Singaporean society was aging rapidly, but would remain dynamic and turn aging into a positive force for social development.

Mexico, speaking as a concerned country, noted that the report of the Special Rapporteur was a valuable tool to evaluate the progress and remaining challenges faced by the country in order to ensure the rights to water and sanitation. In 2011, the rights to water and sanitation had been enshrined in the Constitution and structural reforms had been undertaken. The national water plan for 2014-2018 had been adopted providing a framework that ensured access to water and sanitation to all with no discrimination. On the basis of this programme, 15.3 million inhabitants have been provided with water. Mexico’s coverage of water and sanitation had increased from 92.9 percent to 95.4 per cent in the last six years. Mexico had given priority to vulnerable populations, particularly indigenous people. The Federal Water Act still needed to enter into force to update the national legislation and bring it in line with international standards. Mexico announced that, on the basis of the observations made by the Special Rapporteur, three national standards had been updated to ensure a better monitoring of the quality of water.

National Human Rights Commission of Mexico, in a video statement, shared the concerns expressed by the Special Rapporteur, and stressed that access to drinking water was among its priorities. The drop in the budget for water provision was a concern, and there must be a human rights based legal framework for access to drinking water. The needs of the people must be put above commercial and corporate needs. The National Human Rights Commission was committed to disseminating the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations and its functions were essential to achieving all human rights, including the Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

Portugal, speaking as a concerned country, reiterated its commitment to cooperate with Special Procedures which were the best mechanisms of the Human Rights Council to further develop knowledge and promote the effective realization of human rights. In Portugal, the rights to water and sanitation were constitutionally protected through the principles of equality and universality, and the right to housing; the State had the obligation to adopt a national water policy, and as water was a public good, its management was incumbent on the State. The pricing policy was specifically aimed at promoting the most rational and responsible use possible of this resource and did not correspond to commercial imperatives. The Special Rapporteur had raised concern about the detrimental impact of austerity policies and Portugal had taken steps to mitigate those.

Portuguese Ombudsman said that 95 per cent of the population had access to piped drinking water and 80 per cent to sanitation networks and others used other sanitation solutions. The Ombudsman had recommended municipal providers to abolish the service fee, which would further reduce the cost of water. Access to water and sanitation for vulnerable groups was of concern, including for migrants. The Ombudsman was monitoring access to water and sanitation in juvenile detention facilities, as well as in migrant detention facilities, including at the airport.

Interactive Dialogue

European Union asked the Independent Expert how she envisaged the integration of technologies into existing social support networks for the elderly, especially those based on the community. The Special Rapporteur was asked about the most effective approach to put into practice the concept of independent regulatory bodies. Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, stated that the social system in its Member States was influenced by the Islamic principles of respect and care for all, irrespective of age. As for regulation of access to water and sanitation, it was crucial for developing countries to ensure that right to all. Tunisia, speaking on behalf of the African Group, noted that the ambient assisted living solutions and assistive technologies could have a positive impact on the different dimensions of health and quality of life of elderly persons. Nevertheless, new technologies could also cause a new form of dependency.

Brazil, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Human Rights of Older Persons, took seriously the Independent Expert’s call to reflect on the impact of robotics and artificial intelligence technology on the rights of elderly persons. The group reaffirmed its commitment to continue to champion older persons’ rights and to promote their autonomy, dignity, equality and social and political participation. Holy See stated that water was always at the centre of social and economic development. The competition for water between water “users” and water “uses” increased the risk of conflicts and continued inequalities in access to services, with significant impact on local economies and human wellbeing. Sierra Leone noted that the modern robotic technology should not be seen as a singular approach for addressing future assistive care needs because human touch and companionship could never be effectively substituted. Turning to water and sanitation, the delegation took note of the efforts to redefine the role of regulation and regulatory frameworks.

Montenegro welcomed the report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons. Montenegro appreciated her comprehensive approach which continued to tackle different aspects of the lives of older people and to analyse gaps in the legal and policy frameworks. The number of older persons in Montenegro continued to increase and there was a clear need for the creation of an integrated social care system addressing the needs of older people. United Arab Emirates welcomed the Independent Expert’s report that presented the important potential of assistive technologies for the realization of older persons’ human rights. Such technologies could guarantee older people more autonomy. Medical assistance based on innovation and training for people assisting older persons at home was needed. Israel shared the Independent Expert’s view that assistive technology was an essential measure to enable older people to live independently. Israeli companies had already developed a remote monitoring system for seniors who lived at home. The 2030 Agenda presented a unique opportunity to ensure that advanced assisted devices in older persons’ care were affordable.

Qatar agreed that assistive technology may enable older persons to live independently on an equal footing with other persons. However, these technologies should not lead to the alienation of older persons from their families. They should allow them to interact with other members of the society. Germany regretted that there was no international regulatory model for water and sanitation services. On the rights of older persons, Germany asked the Independent Expert to give best practice examples of how to ensure that such technologies did not have an adverse impact on the human rights of older people. France outlined that public governance of water and sanitation was vital in order to realize Agenda 2030 and should be founded on a large scale concertation process. France asked the Special Rapporteur how its mission could fit in realizing Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation.

Russia shared the concern about the impact of assistive and robotics technology on privacy and the use of personal data and said that in 2016 it had adopted the strategy for older citizens up to 2025, which included all spheres of life, including medical and health assistance. Greece said that assistive and robotics technology and artificial intelligence would radically transform the concept of care for older persons, but this was an issue that presented challenges, particularly in terms of ensuring the human rights of the elderly. In what ways could the State more effectively control non state-owned service providers of safe drinking water? Brazil agreed that emerging technologies presented challenges in the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons and said that the recommendations in the report would help the common objective of leaving no one behind. Could the Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation mention concrete examples of good practices on how regulatory actors could support national policies, in line with a human rights framework?

Pakistan had in place a strong social system with inbuilt mechanisms for the provision of care to older persons by younger members of the family and it believed that measures and policies related to ageing should ensure that older persons were protected from any form of maltreatment and could live in dignity. Sudan would provide every care to its older people through the family, had in place a modern and innovative fund for old-age pensions, and had created a financial institution for older persons with the view of combatting poverty. Over the past five years, thanks to mega projects and small-scale activities, Sudan had increased drinking water coverage by 400 per cent. Chile was aware of pitfalls from the rapid technological progress in the care for older persons, and it had several programmes in place to ensure the delivery of social services to the elderly which aimed to increase their participation.

Switzerland thanked the Independent Expert and the Special Rapporteur and welcomed the analysis of the responsibilities towards the right to sanitation, asking what the implications were for the involvement of the private sector in drafting monitoring indicators. Venezuela said respect for the human rights of older persons was of paramount importance, agreeing that the design of assistive technologies had to have a human rights-based approach. Japan noted that it aspired to contribute to the international community through promoting the development and use of assistive technology and robots, and asked if there were any good practices the Special Rapporteur was aware of which she would be able to share with the Council.

Maldives said its Government had taken progressive action to ensure the human rights of older persons. On water and sanitation, Maldives was particularly vulnerable to issues pertaining to those rights, and had a goal of exchanging good practices with other countries to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable were met. Burkina Faso said the Government had made efforts to improve access to drinking water in recent years, and renewable energies had also been a focus of innovation. Finland said ensuring quality in the enjoyment of human rights was a key priority for Finland, and noted that in many places around the world, women were in charge of water management. The Special Rapporteur was asked for good practices in daily life to ensure that women’s views were heard in water management and ensuring safe and accessible sanitation.

Malaysia recognized the increasing pressure on water availability due to climate change and agreed that governing water and ensuring its availability was administratively complicated and fragmented and involved legislative, environmental, technological, economic and political considerations. It was thus critical for a holistic regulation of water services to be adapted to ensure the sustainability of water resources. Australia agreed that access to assistive technology could enable persons with disabilities, which might include older persons, to enjoy their right to an adequate standard of living and be included in the community, but noted that there was no “right to assistive technology” nor a “right to assisted living in old age” under international human rights law. The suggestion of new “rights” shifted the focus away from genuine implementation gaps.

Viet Nam warned that assistive technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence should not be a substitute for human care but a complement. Iraq was cooperating with the United Nations agencies with the view to rebuild water plants destroyed by the war. The social networks in Iraq together with the joint pensions system and the efforts of the Government were a way to alleviate the challenges that older persons faced. Spain agreed that from the perspective of human rights, the ultimate aim of regulation was to give the practical effectiveness of the right to water and sanitation. Could the Special Rapporteur provide examples of the pressure that could lead to the abuse of the human rights to water and sanitation?

Egypt noted that knowledge sharing on technologies would permit the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for all. There should be basic and clear criteria to ensure the economic accessibility of the poorest to water and sanitation. Slovenia asked the Independent Expert in what ways rapid technological advances could be promoted while taking into account the challenges that end users might face with frequent changes in technology. Taking into account financial restraints in almost all States, how could States ensure non-discriminatory enjoyment of the human rights to water and sanitation? Ecuador agreed that there should be a human rights-based approach right from the design of assistive technologies for the elderly. States should ensure the social inclusion of older persons. The privatisation of water resources had led to restrained access to drinking water and sanitation worldwide.

Djibouti remained committed to achieving the rights to drinking water and sanitation to all its citizens. International cooperation was key in ensuring access to those rights by all. Djibouti urged the international community to step up knowledge sharing in that respect. Bolivia agreed that the main aim of regulation was to protect the human right to water, placing special emphasis on vulnerable populations. The goal was to promote affordability, accessibility and quality of that resource. United States said it had supported the provision of assistive technology for older persons and persons with disabilities since 1998. Nevertheless, technologies could not take the place of human care, nor could they negate the responsibility of Member States towards older persons.

Tunisia thanked the Independent Expert on the human rights of older persons and underscored that assistive technology contained many advantages, yet could not evolve to the detriment of human relationships. Austria said technical and social innovation provided an essential tool in addressing challenges associated with the enjoyment of human rights by older persons, asking Ms. Kornfeld-Matte how to reconcile such technologies with the right to privacy. Morocco said Morocco had an action plan on access to drinking water. Regarding the human rights of older persons, the results of a survey demonstrated that the population was aging, and Morocco had adopted an approach based on older persons’ right to integration in society as active participants. China said assistive technology could assist older persons, helping to enhance the social lives of the elderly; China had an age-old tradition of respect for the elderly, and had made active efforts toward putting in place a legal regime. Water was the source of life, and security of drinking water was significant for people’s well-being.

Remarks by the Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

ROSA KORNFELD-MATTE, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, noted that there was an increase in the number of older persons around the world, which combined with a sharp drop in the number of persons born meant that help was needed. The human hand would always be better than robotics, but if labour was scarce, choices must be made. The human touch and tenderness would be provided by people and other tasks would be left to robotics or artificial intelligence, with the aim to enable older people to live independently for as long as possible. Legal frameworks must be adjusted to recognize the danger that robotics posed to the sovereignty of older persons and their right to privacy. Remote medical care was an important component, for example locating persons in need of medical care with GPS; robotics could help with lifting people for example, and machines could distribute food and medicine to patients, which was already being done in some hospitals in Singapore. A number of things could be automated and done by robots so that human resources could be devoted to providing care and affection for older persons. There must be a well-informed debate with older persons, and no change could be engendered without their consent. There was going to be a shortage of labour in the near future, thus it was essential to use robotics to help family and neighbours.

LEO HELLER, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, expressed satisfaction that Mexico had adopted three new standards related to water quality which were essential steps in ensuring the human rights to water and sanitation for the whole Mexican population. On a similar note, the Special Rapporteur recognized that Portugal was aware of the challenges in providing affordable water and sanitation for all without discrimination and welcomed the active involvement of the Ombudsmen in the provision of water and sanitation services. Mr. Heller welcomed the progress and achievements a number of countries were making in ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation, including in China, Djibouti, Venezuela, Sudan, Sierra Leone and other countries. In response to the question raised about the engagement of the mandate with the Sustainable Development Goal 6, the Special Rapporteur said he was involved in the monitoring and evaluation process, including the setting of the monitoring indicators. The Sustainable Development Goal 6 was human rights based, but there was the concern that this alignment with human rights was being lost in the monitoring process – namely, the affordability was an issue that was not very well reflected in the current monitoring framework. This was true also for discrimination and inequality in water and sanitation services, and this exclusion must be better addressed in the monitoring systems. The Special Rapporteur highlighted that the current monitoring framework did not encompass the actions taken to achieve the target 6.2 on sanitation, which mentioned specific needs of women and girls.

Turning to concrete examples of regulatory models and processes, specifically in the context of non-discrimination through regulation and control on non-State service providers, Mr. Heller stressed that regulation included norms, standards and laws and there were good examples of laws, which included a human rights-based approach to water and sanitation. Unfortunately, regulatory bodies seemed to be more economically than human rights oriented, which was the tradition of the regulation in water and sanitation sector. Thus, the States must take further steps to change the minds of the regulators and mainstream human rights principles and convince the regulators that their main function was to ensure that human rights were reflected in the norms for the provision of the water and sanitation services.

Interactive Dialogue

South Africa stated that it was important to highlight the significant contribution of older persons to national development, which should be at all times harnessed and utilised. It also underlined the issue of accountability in the regulation of water and sanitation, noting that in developing countries sanitation could not be separated from water. Portugal agreed that there were risks and challenges for the enjoyment of the human rights of the elderly associated with the use of technologies if a human rights- and people-based approach was not followed. To what extent could the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing contribute to the advancement of such a human rights approach?

Right of Reply

Russian Federation, speaking in a right of reply, said in response to Ukraine that it was trying to draw the attention of the international community. There had been cases of enforced disappearances in that country. The Kiev authorities were called on to bring those responsible to justice. The Russian Federation’s obligations under international human rights treaties and mechanisms were applied to all of its territories, including Sebastopol and Crimea.

United Arab Emirates, speaking in a right of reply, said the falsification of reality in the declaration of Qatar aimed to manipulate public opinion. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had to present a statement indicating erroneous information. Qatar had created a platform that supported terrorism and disseminated terrorist ideology and supported persons on the international list of terrorists. There was no embargo imposed on Qatar and the air space was open. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar had called for the Council to assess the implications of the embargo, while life continued normally.

Venezuela, speaking in a right of reply, said to the United Kingdom that its highly arrogant tone was rejected by Venezuela. It was regrettable that the United Kingdom echoed those who wanted to overthrow the legitimate Government. Venezuela was concerned about racial discrimination in the United Kingdom, and there was cruel segregation of ethnic minorities. The world awaited the result of investigations into torture and abuse committed during the illegal invasion of Iraq. The United Kingdom continued to inflict pain on those held in juvenile institutions.

Qatar, speaking in a right of reply, said that Qatar wanted to present reality to the Human Rights Council about the violations stemming from the coercive measures adopted by States, which had imposed an embargo on Qatar and its residents. Since the start of the crisis three months ago, Qatar had been saying that dialogue was the only way to overcome the crisis, including in the Gulf Cooperation Council. It was important not to use terrorism as a pretext for imposing an embargo, exert influence on countries, and incur broad-scale violations. The embargo States had not submitted evidence of Qatar’s support for terrorism or other evidence for imposing the embargo. Those unilateral coercive measures should be examined by the Human Rights Council.



For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC/17/120E