HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS GENERAL DEBATE ON THEMATIC REPORTS AND ON ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The Human Rights Council in its midday meeting held a general debate on the thematic reports by the United Nations Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office, and on the annual report of the High Commissioner.

In the general debate, speakers raised an array of issues including the abolition of the death penalty, unilateral coercive measures, torture and ill-treatment, violence against women and girls, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting and early and child marriage and arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of human rights defenders. Several delegations spoke about the right to development and post-2015 development agenda, and about poverty eradication as a prerequisite for sustainable development. Speakers expressed serious concern about the shrinking space for civil society organizations globally and said that human rights activists continued to be imprisoned because of their political views.

The following delegations took the floor during the general debate: Morocco (on behalf of a Group of States), Costa Rica, (on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), United Arab Emirates (on behalf of the Arab Group), Ethiopia (on behalf of the African Group), Sierra Leone (on behalf of a group of States), Romania, Pakistan, Montenegro, Ireland, United States, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Morocco, Cuba, Mexico, India, Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, Benin, Botswana, Algeria, Thailand (on behalf of a group of States), Estonia, Republic of Korea, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt, Netherlands, Singapore, Iceland, Spain, Iran, Armenia, United Nations Children Fund (joint statement), Switzerland, Malaysia, Sudan, Holy See, Republic of Moldova, Belgium, Council of Europe, Equatorial Guinea, Belarus, Turkey, Barbados, Syria, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Albania, Ecuador, Angola, Iraq and Panama.

The South Africa Human Rights Commission spoke in a joint statement, while the following non-governmental organizations also addressed the Council: Soka Gakkai International (joint statement), Liberal International, Associazione Comunta Papa Giovanni XXIII, Asian Legal Ressource Centre and Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.

The thematic reports of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office, and the report of the Working Group on the right to development were introduced on 12 September and a summary can be found here.

Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt, Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan spoke in right of reply.

At 3 p.m., the Human Rights Council will hold its annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective throughout its work and that of its mechanisms which will address the specific issues of gender integration in the country-focused work of the Council. The Council will conclude the general debate at a later date.

General Debate on the Annual Report of the High Commissioner and the Thematic Reports of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner and her Office

Morocco, speaking on behalf of a Group of States, said that torture was never justifiable. The Convention against Torture Initiative was a global initiative stressing long-term support and regional cooperation for universal ratification and implementation of the Convention against Torture. It had been possible to bring together a broad group of United Nations Member States as well as other stakeholders. All United Nations Members were called upon to take part in a parallel event that would take place at the high-level session of the General Assembly in September.

Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, encouraged the Human Rights Council to continue its dynamic efforts to promote and protect the effective exercise of the right to development. They advocated for the need to step up efforts in relation to this right. Eradicating poverty was the major problem facing the world at present and was a prerequisite for sustainable development. Common challenges were being faced. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States was committed to the sustainable development goals.

United Arab Emirates, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said that it considered that today more than ever there was a need to promote the right to development under international partnerships, as indicated by Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals. It was important that countries honoured their commitments in order to ensure global development for all. Human rights had to be integrated in the establishment of the post-2015 development agenda with a strengthened call for partnership.

Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said that it attached great importance to the right to development and to the establishment of an equitable international order. The African Group believed in the need to ensure the promotion of responsible international governance. International solidarity and technical assistance had to be the priority. The African Group reiterated its call for the inclusion of the right to development in the post-2015 agenda, and called for a legally binding instrument to ensure the implementation of the right to development.

Sierra Leone, speaking on behalf of a group of States, said that forced or early marriage constituted a grave threat to human rights, and recalled the Human Rights Council’s commitment to address this issue through a resolution underlining the rights of victims and the role of communities, education and religious leaders in ending this harmful practice. The core-group intended to adopt another resolution on this matter at the twenty-ninth session of the Council to go further on this issue.

Romania said that it highly valued the report on birth registration and called on States to address this issue. Romania also welcomed the report on the death penalty, and would continue its participation to initiatives aimed at promoting its abolition. Romania finally underlined the importance of the role of civil society organizations for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Pakistan said legitimate struggles for self-determination could not and must not be misrepresented by equating them with terrorism. Pakistan regretted the continued denial of that right to the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Despite several Security Council resolutions, the unresolved status of the area and innumerable human rights violations there continued to question the conscience of the international community, which should play its due role in expediting a peaceful resolution to that dire situation.

Montenegro said a high priority was the universal abolition of the death penalty and expressed concerns about the imposition of the death penalty in many countries for various crimes, including for persons who committed crimes before the age of 18, and about the impact on children whose parents were sentenced to death. It also raised concerns about unfair trials in a number of States, including mass trials which led to death penalty convictions.

Ireland expressed serious concern about the shrinking space for civil society organizations globally. It spoke about its draft resolution on a human rights based approach to preventable mortality of children under five, recalling that every year 6.6 million children died before their fifth birthday, largely from preventable diseases. Ireland also called on States to act on the recommendations of the Working Group on arbitrary detention, including on individual cases, and called on States to respond.

United States said that human rights activists continued to be imprisoned because of their political views. Increased restrictions on freedom of expression had led to violence. The United States called on all States to release all political prisoners and prisoners of opinion, including Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and to ensure that human rights defenders were not arbitrarily detained.

Venezuela reaffirmed its support to the work of the Working Group on the right to development. Without the realisation of this right, one could not guarantee the enjoyment of other rights. Venezuela regretted that some developed countries had impeded and blocked major advances in this field. The global economic crisis had had a negative impact on countries of the South. Insufficient transfers of technologies or the imposition of unilateral sanctions had a negative impact on the people. Venezuela called for the adoption of an international binding instrument on the right to development.

Saudi Arabia expressed concerns about the slowdown of progress with regard to the realization of the right to development. Saudi Arabia was concerned about obstacles to the right to development of the Palestinian people. Saudi Arabia had achieved great progress in the field of development, and had increased its aid to other countries.

South Africa expressed concern about the work of the Working Group on the right to development, saying it did not support a rights-based approach to development that was not elaborated in international human rights standards. South Africa also spoke about the need to prioritize the operationalization of the human right to development and the need for a convention on the right to development, which would criminalize poverty on a global level and thus realize the Millennium Development Goals.

Morocco thanked the Working Group on the right to development for its report and spoke about the need to establish development projects, including technical assistance. Particular attention should be paid to the struggle against inequality and Morocco stressed its commitment to balance between civil and political rights on one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. Morocco remained committed to active partnerships between South and North countries as well as South and South.

Cuba said the blockade against it was a clear example of unilateral coercive measures; it was a major obstacle to the right to development of the Cuban people, and must be lifted immediately as requested many times by the General Assembly. Cuba also referred to the report on the make-up of the staff of the High Commissioner’s Office and hoped that the new High Commissioner would achieve more progress on that subject than had been made in the past.

Mexico said that it took note that the Joint Inspection Unit’s report would be presented at the twenty-eighth session of the Council. Mexico stressed that the Human Rights Council was not the pertinent body to hear the report of the Unit. Mexico asked which body would be more appropriate to address the questions relating to the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, outside of questions related to the geographic balance.

India attached great value to the right to development, which should be central to the post-2015 agenda. India called on all States to increase their efforts for the realisation of the right to development. The focus should be on development as a right, rather than on human rights as a development. India took positive note on the improvement of the gender balance within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, but was concerned about the geographic imbalance in this Office.

Costa Rica welcomed the report on the world programme for education, and announced that a draft resolution would be presented to approve the third phase of this. Costa Rica was in favour of the universal abolition of the death penalty, and called on States that had not done so to introduce a moratorium, and recalled their obligations to respect the human rights of persons on death row.

Sierra Leone said the right to development provided that all peoples were entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social and political development. Sierra Leone expressed its support for the inclusion of the right to development at the forefront of the sustainable development goals. A legally binding international instrument was crucial to advance the right to development, which was a fundamental inter-related right that could improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

Benin spoke about the importance of the right to birth registration, and how it was enshrined within its own constitution. In 2004 Benin instituted new procedures for birth registration and issuance of birth certificates free of charge. Benin said it was considering the abolition of the death penalty, including by hosting the Africa Conference on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in June 2014 which led to a draft declaration calling for a total moratorium leading to abolition of the death penalty. Benin was also carrying out sensitization of the public on the issue.

Botswana spoke about its adoption of a holistic and comprehensive national strategy to reduce childhood mortality, and specifics of the programme, including high impact and low-cost interventions as well as immunization campaigns. States needed to encourage international cooperation to reduce child mortality, including sharing of best practices and technical capacity building. It also spoke about the importance of universal suffrage of all adult citizens, as contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Algeria said that the Vienna Declaration constituted a basis for the obligation that States had to guarantee the right to development for their citizens. The text also underlined the need for States to engage in international cooperation. An international binding instrument on this was necessary. Different viewpoints that remained on this issue could be overcome in a spirit of constructiveness. Algeria underlined the importance of the Working Group, and of the inclusion of the right to development in the post-2015 development agenda.

Thailand, speaking on behalf of a group of States, said that the Millennium Development Goals did not reflect States’ commitment for the protection of human rights. The post-2015 development agenda had to reflect this commitment, and had to include the rights of the most vulnerable people, in particular with regards to access to water, health and education. The new agenda should include measures to fight corruption, and reflect the needs to enhance cooperation and to strengthen accountability for the private sector. Thailand encouraged States to engage constructively in the negotiation process.

Estonia was concerned regarding incidents of arbitrary deprivations of liberty, namely the case of an Estonian citizen who had just been arbitrarily arrested on Estonian territory by the Russian authorities and was now arbitrarily detained in Moscow, in violation of many international conventions to which the Russian Federation was a State party. Estonia called for the immediate release of this person by the Russian authorities.

Republic of Korea said the Convention on Slavery was adopted in 1926 but there was still a great need to combat contemporary forms of slavery and exploitation. It commended the international community’s significant efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict, as seen at the London Summit in June. In particular it urged Japan to address the historic cases of sexual slavery from World War II. It was deplorable that Japan refused to accept the recommendations of the High Commissioner and United Nations human rights treaty bodies on the issue.

Chile said a just international economic order was a favourable environment to end poverty. There was a need for global governance, and Chile said it shared the view that countries bearing an unequal environmental burden should have extra support, such as small island developing States. Although the right to development was a topic that led to divergent points of view, it must still be at the heart of human rights and Chile committed its support to it.

Indonesia expressed deep concern that the number of people living in absolute poverty had increased in many developing countries. It was critical that a people-centred and planet-sensitive development agenda be at the centre of the sustainable development goals and post 2015 development agenda. Indonesia welcomed the progress achieved in the Working Group on the right to development and said States must be committed to achieving standards which could be adapted into a legally binding instrument.

Japan said Japan was actively committed to the enhancement of the role of women and had been working with others on such issues as women’s empowerment, health care and rights in the area of peace and security. On the issue of so-called comfort women, Japan had made efforts to conduct document search and conduct interviews to uncover the truth. The Government of Japan had no intention of changing its views on this issue.

Egypt said that the right to development was only realisable if it was central to United Nations activities and policies, as well as accompanied by technical cooperation. Egypt believed that the reference to it in the report on cooperation with human rights mechanisms was regrettable, misleading and manipulating.

Netherlands was concerned that civil society organizations were more and more being targeted and called on all States to allow them to conduct their activities. The Netherlands welcomed the initiative to introduce a resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Singapore said it rejected the view in the Secretary-General’s report that drug-related offences did not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’ – on the contrary, Singapore viewed drug trafficking as a ‘most serious crime’ because of its impact on wider society. Drug traffickers preyed on the young and vulnerable and drug use generated crimes and social problems that harmed communities. Singapore viewed the death penalty as an effective deterrent. It respected States which had chosen to abolish the death penalty, and expected similar respect in return for its decision to retain it.

Iceland commended the Secretary-General for his insightful report into the death penalty and was encouraged that around 160 countries had renounced capital punishment; the progressive march towards universal abolition continued. Iceland expressed deep concerns about the implications of mass surveillance and censorship on the enjoyment of human rights on the internet. It emphasized that addressing gender-based discrimination was a priority, and the responsibility of States to end discrimination against people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Spain spoke about the abolition of the death penalty, commending Equatorial New Guinea for its moratorium of the death penalty and Sri Lanka for establishing a committee to consider a moratorium. Spain highlighted the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Right’s handbook on technical assistance on preventing child mortality, which was a report the Office could be most proud of. Reducing child mortality would be among the objections of the post 2015 development agenda.

Iran said that the right to development should be central to the post-2015 development agenda, in which capacity building and transfer of technology must be interwoven. Strong political will was needed to elaborate a legally binding instrument on the right to development. Unilateral coercive sanctions imposed by some States aggressively undermined the realization of all human rights, including the right to life, health and development.

Armenia said that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide determined the criminal responsibility of perpetrators and defined genocide as the ultimate crime against humanity. The threat of this scourge still existed today and international efforts were needed to strengthen prevention in order to avoid repetition of this crime. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had a major role to play in coordination of this work.

United Nations Children Fund, in a joint statement, welcomed the sustained attention of the Council to the important topics of female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage and said that programmes addressing those practices must be owned and implemented by key stakeholders at the national level. The need for change was urgent: more than 700 million women today had been married as children and 3.6 million girls were subjected to female genital mutilation annually.

Switzerland said the abolition of the death penalty was a priority and Switzerland was involved in bringing as many States as possible to that position. It called on non-abolition States to commit to absolute transparency concerning the application of the death penalty. Switzerland stressed the need for political will and the allocation of sufficient health resources as an essential step to reducing maternal mortality and realizing the right to health. Reducing early marriage and maternal mortality should be included in the sustainable development goals.

Malaysia said it only imposed capital punishment for the most serious crimes and not for non-violent financial crimes, non-violent religious practise or expressions of conscience. It was only carried out after all rights of appeal had been exhausted. Malaysia was convinced that the application of death penalty was an important deterrent for the most serious crimes, although the Government remained open to consulting with the public on the matter, including on possible alternatives to the death penalty.

Sudan said it strongly believed that the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures by some States as tools of political or economic pressure was the fundamental obstacle to the realization of the right of development. Coercive measures harmed social and political development and flagrantly violated not only the right to development but all human rights. The Council should consider establishing a Special Procedure mandate holder to monitor their negative impact on targeted countries.

Holy See said that the number of elderly persons within the general population was increasing and would reach 2 billion by 2050. The significance of this demographic trend was too often calculated only on the basis of projected economic impact which could constitute a serious threat to their rights. The increasing number of older people who remained in good health meant that they could make their contribution to the society for longer periods of time and new strategies and approaches were needed to restructure society in general, including the world of work and health care.

Republic of Moldova said on the death penalty that it was concerned about the lack of respect for international norms and standards in situations where the death penalty was still applied. Open and transparent discussions at the national and international levels were crucial for advancing the cause of abolition. The Republic of Moldova concurred with the conclusions of the Secretary-General on strengthening the structures and independence of existing national human rights institutions to enable the effective fulfilment of their mandate.

Belgium strongly opposed the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances and was alarmed that the restriction on its use for the most serious crimes was not respected. A number of countries continued to impose the death penalty for crimes such as drug-related offences, engagement in consensual sexual acts or apostasy. Belgium called upon the small minority of countries that still used the death penalty to do so in accordance with minimum standards including restricting its use to crimes that involved intentional killing.

Council of Europe said that it had previously spoken of the right of persons with disabilities. The right of persons with disabilities as individuals to be fully integrated into society was dependent on them being able to participate in the cultural life of that society. The Council of Europe would today open a special painting exhibition by an artist living with a mental disorder. The promotion of integration of persons in cultural life could be done by diversified means to their benefit and also that of the whole society.

Equatorial Guinea commended the Inter-governmental Working Group on the right to development on its efforts to promote the right to development. Equatorial Guinea noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights continued to implement and encourage a policy of sustainable development. It supported the efforts of the Council to promote and protect the realization of the right to development. Cooperation should concentrate on the establishment of a post-2015 development framework.

Belarus said that it found unilateral coercive measures to be an obstacle to a democratic and just international order, which had to be based on the United Nations Charter. Belarus believed that the practice of unilateral coercive measures had to be stopped. Unfortunately, in many cases, human rights mechanisms including the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council and treaty bodies continued to distance themselves from this issue.

Turkey recalled that together with Mexico it had co-sponsored the resolution on birth registration – the first right that paved the way to all other rights as it provided official and legal representation of a person before the law. Some 230 million children were still not registered at birth and were consequently denied many of their human rights, such as the right to education. The issue deserved to be taken up by the Council and social awareness of the value of birth registration was a key tool.

Barbados said three decades after the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development, the current model of development was shown to be unequal, unstable and unsustainable. Small Island Developing States had made less progress than other groups, or even regressed, in economic terms. The time had come for new approaches to assist middle income countries and others that had graduated from access to concessional resources.

Syria spoke about the effects of unilateral coercive measures which prevented access to human rights. Some States applied those measures, trampling underfoot international relations and dialogue, without justification. As a country suffering from the effect of such measures imposed by many States and organizations on pretexts which deprived them of any meaning, Syria said the measures had a huge impact on civilians, particularly regarding access to food and healthcare. States must be held accountable for their actions, Syria added.

Sri Lanka said that the right to development was about mainstreaming and implementing development policies at all levels in order to increase the capacity of States to promote and protect human rights. Priority needed to be given to the special needs of developing countries which were negatively affected by external events, including economic and financial crises. Sri Lanka attached great importance to the advancement of global partnerships for the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.

Ukraine said that executions of people by the so-called military tribunals supported by Russia were clearly documented and called the attention of the Council to flagrant violations of the rights of children in Ukraine by the armed groups. Recognizing the important role of civil society in the promotion and protection of human rights, Ukraine was concerned by the drastically shrinking civil society space in the occupied Crimea, and called on the international community to condemn the so-called elections in Crimea and Sevastopol.

Albania urged the countries which still retained the death penalty to introduce a moratorium with the view to abolition and agreed that transparency on the use of the death penalty was the fundamental safeguard that prevented the arbitrary deprivation of life. The death penalty should not be imposed or implemented on persons suffering from any form of mental disorder. Albania said that the debate on the use of the death penalty must continue until the world was free of this cruel punishment.

Ecuador strongly believed that the right to development was an inalienable human right, on equal footing with all other human rights. The vision of development that had prevailed was strongly based on economics and promoting economic growth. As a consequence, it had brought about strong disparities. Ecuador noted with alarm that in certain parts of the world States gave priority to fiscal austerity in their public policies.

Angola welcomed the efforts of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote human rights, including the human right to development. A few months from the beginning of the challenges concerning the Millennium Development Goals, it believed that a renewed global partnership was needed. Trade, finance and investment policies should be aligned systematically with the norms and principles of human rights.

Iraq said that there had been reasonable convergence of views in the report of the Inter-Governmental Working Group on the right to development. The achievement of the requirements for development was principally on the shoulders of the Governments and there was no one-size-fits-all. The challenges faced included climate change, migration, desertification and epidemics. Iraq concurred with the recommendations contained in the report of the Inter-Governmental Working Group.

Panama spoke about its measures to reduce child morbidity and mortality in under-five year olds, as well as social protection programmes and improvements to primary healthcare. Panama had rolled out an obligatory and free child vaccination programme. It also spoke about important programmes on sexual and reproductive healthcare, as well as increased access to services in poor rural areas.

South Africa Human Rights Commission, speaking in a joint statement with 22 A-status accredited national human rights institutions, expressed especial concern at the number of human rights violations against people based on gender identity or sexual orientation. It praised former High Commissioner Navi Pillay for her work on the issue and encouraged her successor to continue on the same path. States should work together to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

Soka Gakkai International, on behalf of severals NGOs¹, urged States to implement the third phase of the World Programme which aimed to promote social inclusion of marginalized groups, fostering interreligious and intercultural dialogue and combating stereotypes and violence. It urged the Council to consider a follow-up resolution in its next session on the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training.

Liberal International in a joint statement with International Network of Liberal Women, stressed that ongoing violence against women and girls continued to represent one of the most prevalent human rights violations. There were severe gaps within the current international normative framework to prevent, eliminate and punish violence against women. The Council should adopt a global women’s rights legal framework.

Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII; on behalf of severals NGOs², asked how long the international community could expect persons living in extreme poverty to wait for an effective implementation of the right to development. Effective implementation of the right to development was crucial to surmount the ongoing challenge of poverty, hunger, disease, lack of clean water and others.

Asian Legal Resource Centre spoke about arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances for human rights defenders by State actors, citing cases in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and other countries, and said that State institutions in Asia needed radical transformation in order to guarantee justice and human rights to their citizens.

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain called upon the Council to assume its responsibilities vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia with a view to changes in the human rights system to which Saudi Arabia had acceded. It had to establish separation of the three policies of primacy of the law, independence of the legislative apparatus, and the promulgation of laws through an assembly elected by the people.

Right of Reply

Ukraine, speaking in a right of reply, responded to comments by Russia regarding the protection of journalists. It noted that many Russian journalists appeared to prefer using questionable credentials issued by armed groups labelled terrorist organizations by the Ukrainian authorities, over official accreditation by the Ukrainian authorities themselves. Perhaps some of the journalists only took the guise of being reporters but were actually working instead as saboteurs. Ukraine also said there were cases of Russian media being transported to areas of Ukraine just before armed terrorist groups started shelling them, in order to get colourful media coverage of the bloodshed which they then attributed to the Ukrainian authorities. The bellicose anti-Ukrainian propaganda by the Russian mass media inflamed hatred, and Russia was urged to put a stop to it.

Saudi Arabia, speaking in a right of reply, responded to the concerns expressed by the United States on the arrest and detention of a human rights activist in Saudi Arabia. Freedom of expression was guaranteed in Saudi Arabia in accordance with its legislation, and its protection of human rights was affirmed. The laws guaranteed individual human rights. Freedom of expression could go hand in hand with international human rights and humanitarian law, but nobody had the right to harm the reputation of Saudi Arabia, and sanctions could be imposed for anyone violating the constitutional provision that Islamic Sharia had supremacy. Nationals and foreigners were treated equally by the law; everyone was equal in the eyes of the law in Saudi Arabia.

China, speaking in a right of reply, reiterated that China was against the practice of naming and shaming regarding human rights issues, as well as the politicization of human rights issues. China was opposed to the use of human rights by certain countries to make charges against the justice procedure of other countries. How China dealt with crime was a matter of national sovereignty; China would not waver as a result of foreign experience. The relevant countries should respect the sovereignty of China’s justice system, and instead put their own houses in order.

Egypt, speaking in a right of reply in response to what was mentioned by the United States concerning allegations of detention of activists and bloggers in Egypt, said the Constitution did not restrict freedom of thought or expression for any reasons or using any means. All trial procedures had enjoyed the legal guarantees of the right to fair trial. Egypt would be happy to provide correct information regarding this issue.

Republic of Korea, speaking in a right of reply in response to remarks made by Japan on the issue of so-called comfort women, said that the recent remarks and actions of Japan had contradicted its stated position. It had recently conducted a review of details on redrafting of the Kono Statement. If it intended to uphold the Kono statement, it should not have made a contradicting exercise to undermine the credibility of its stated position.

Russia, speaking in a right of reply in response to Estonia, said that Estonia had distorted the facts. On Ukraine, it was good that the delegation was so concerned about its children, but Russia did not see this in practice. It drew the attention of Ukraine to the crimes committed by its own mercenary battalions, including torture, kidnappings, and rape. Ukraine was referred to its own words given on Friday not to overload the Human Rights Council with trumped up statements on human rights in Ukraine.

Japan, speaking in a right of reply, said that the purpose of the Asian Women Fund and the letters of apology by the Prime Minister and delivery of atonement money were to offer compensation to comfort women from the moral point of view. The Treaty of San Francisco had settled the legal side of the post-war reparations once and for all.

Republic of Korea speaking in a second right of reply, said that Japan was denying any responsibility toward military slavery victims and said that the issue had never been addressed in the treaty or in bilaterally agreement. The phenomenon of the comfort women only broke out in 1990s when the victims broke the silence, therefore, this issue could never have been included in the San Francisco Treaty. Japan needed to recognize its legal responsibility and take appropriate steps towards the victims.

Japan speaking in a second right of reply, stressed that its stance on the legal responsibility was described in the previous statement.

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¹Joint statement: Soka Gakkai International; Foundation for GAIA; Planetary Association for Clean Energy (PACE); Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH); International Catholic Child Bureau; Equitas International Centre for Human Rights Education; International Association for Religious Freedom; Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center; Al-Hakim Foundation; International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR); International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD); Soroptimist International; Servas International; International Federation of University Women; International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education; Institute for Planetary Synthesis; Myochikai (Arigatou Foundation); CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation; United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders); Human Rights Education Associates (HREA); and Teresian Association.


²Joint statement: Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII; International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education; New Humanity; Caritas Internationalis; Dominicans for Justice and Peace - Order of Preachers; Heart's Home; International Volunteerism Organization for Women, Education, Development; and International Institute of Mary Our Help of the Salesians of Don Bosco.


For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC14/118E