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Universal Periodic Review – MEDIA BRIEF

Tuesday, 22 January 2013 (Morning)

(Disclaimer: The following brief is intended for use of the information media and is not an official record.  The note provides a brief factual summary of the UPR Working Group meeting with the State under review and does not cover all points addressed.  An official summary of the meeting can be found in the Working Group report.)

State under review

Romania
Represented by 13-member delegation headed by Bogdan Aurescu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Documents

To access national report, compilation of UN information, and summary of stakeholders’ information, visit the Romania page on the UPR website).

Troika *

Kenya, Qatar, Czech Republic.

Opening statement by State under review

Few points raised in the  opening statement of State under review:
 (See full statement on the Romania page on UPR Extranet )

  • Since the first UPR of Romania in 2008, the country has continued its efforts in promoting and protecting human rights at the national level and has endeavoured to prevent the occurrence within society of extremist ideologies and movements with impact on human rights;
  • Romania’s Ombudsman and the Romanian Institute for Human Rights addressed human rights violations and received and distributed complaints filed by victims of human rights abuses;
  • The preservation and development of the culture of identity of persons belonging to national minorities was of particular importance to Romania and the effective participation of minorities to the political, social, economic, public and cultural life was a reality;
  • Regarding the Roma, the Government had a strategy in place, covering the period 2012-2020, based on six directions of action: education, social inclusion, health, housing, culture, and social infrastructure; the aim of the strategy was to ensure the socio-economic inclusion of the Roma minority, which remained a priority for the new Government;
  • Among the steps taken to address the needs of the Roma was the establishment of a National Agency for Roma, Roma offices in line ministries, Roma participation in the decision-making process and in public life, and the programme “Education of Roma Children”;
  • As regards the administration of justice, major progress has been achieved in finalizing the legislative framework and has adopted new measures, including the creation of the National Anti-corruption Directorate and the National Integrity Agency (created in 2007; the first European country to do so);
  • A new Civil Code entered into force in October 2011 and efforts had been undertaken to strengthen the accountability of magistrates; steps have also been taken to improve the transparency and objectivity of the procedure of promoting of judges;
  • Romania ratified the OP to the Convention against Torture in 2009 and a draft law was currently under review which aimed to establish a national mechanism for the prevention of torture in places of detention;
  • Romania also ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2011;
  • In terms of the mass media, awareness raising campaigns were broadcast aimed to promote a culture of tolerance and mutual understanding; 
  • The Romanian legislation punished any form of discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation and special attention was paid as regards training of police and gendarmerie forces on LGBT rights; 
  • The National Strategy against Trafficking in Persons for 2012-2016 set up the framework of action in combatting this phenomenon and led to a number of concrete measures aimed at preventing such acts; in 2011, detailed legislation was enacted to ensure specialized assistance for child victims of trafficking. 

Participants

In total 71States participated in the dialogue:  30 HRC members and 41 observers (Statements available on the Romania page on UPR Extranet).

Positive achievements

Positive achievements noted by delegations included, among others:

  • The ratification of the OPCAT and the CRPD;
  • Steps taken to eradicate human trafficking;
  • Legislative reform in the field of judicial independence and administration of justice;
  • The adoption of and efforts to implement the new national Roma strategy;
  • The National Council for Combatting Discrimination;
  • The National Anticorruption Strategy

Issues and Questions

Issues and questions raised by the Working Group included, among others:

  • Measures to eliminate discrimination against Roma and ensure their enjoyment of basic rights;
  • Steps to counter discrimination at various levels in Romania;
  • Participation of minorities in public life and use of minority languages;
  • Efforts undertaken to ensure that all children enjoyed access to education;
  • Measures to combat human trafficking;
  • Steps topromote equal access to adequate health services, particularly for HIV-affected persons.

Recommendations

States participating in the dialogue posed a series of recommendations to Romania.  These pertained to the following issues, among others: 

  • To take further appropriate and effective measures to eliminate discrimination against Roma and ensure their access to education, healthcare and employment without discrimination;
  • To ensure the National Strategy for Roma Integration was implemented in full;
  • To take special measures to guarantee Roma children equal access to inclusive quality education;
  • To ensure that all children complete their 10-year compulsory education and to fully implement the National Education Law adopted in 2011;
  • To adopt appropriate measures to counter discrimination and to develop policies in order to integrate existing legislation against discrimination at various levels in Romania;
  • To facilitate greater integration and participation in society of people with disabilities and to implement the necessary measures to guarantee the inclusion of disabled children in society, with particular focus on education;
  • To ensure acts of discrimination against LGBT persons were properly investigated and perpetrators be held accountable and to further intensify related training for State and local authorities on international human rights standards;
  • To adopt a national strategy on sexual reproductive health and to further promote equal access to adequate health services for HIV-affected persons;
  • To redouble efforts to combat violence against women and children and human trafficking and enhance support to victims through financing for victims’ centres;
  • To consider establishing an independent ombudsperson for children;
  • Publish an enhanced and updated national action plan by 2015 to detail how the government will eliminate the use of excessive force against prisoners and pre-trial detainees;
  • Ratification of human rights instruments: ICESCR and its OP; Convention on forced disappearances; the CERD, the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers; ILO Convention 189 (migrant workers); and the Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

Adoption of report of Working Group

The adoption of the report of the UPR Working Group on Romania is scheduled to take place on Friday, 25 January 2013.

The troikas are a group of three States selected through a drawing of lots who serve as rapporteurs and who are charged with preparing the report of the Working Group on the country review with the involvement of the State under review and assistance from the OHCHR. 

Media contact: Rolando Gómez, Public Information Officer, OHCHR, + 41(0)22 917 9711, rgomez@ohchr.org