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Universal Periodic Review – MEDIA BRIEF

Monday, 22 October 2012 (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

The Czech Republic
Represented by 18-member delegation headed by Mr Vladimír Galuška, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Documents

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

Troika *

Chile, Malaysia,  Mauritania.

Opening statement by State under review

Few points raised in the  opening statement of State under review:
 (See full statement on the Czech Republic page on UPR website)

  • Noted as major achievements, among others, the adoption the Antidiscrimination Act in 2009 as well as the ratification of several human rights instruments, including the Rome Statute of the ICC, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Additional Protocol to the European Social Charter Providing for a System of Collective Complaints;
  • The Government established strategies such as the Concept of Roma Integration and the recent Strategy for Combatting Social Exclusion;
  • The Government instituted a National Strategy for the Protection of the Rights of the Child to fully meet obligations of the CRC;
  • Other strategies were developed to improve the life of the elderly persons with disabilities and victims of human trafficking and other crimes;
  • Responding to advance questions posed by a number of delegations, the head of delegation drew attention to the activities of the Government Agency for Social Inclusion, the Council for Roma Minority Affairs, and various projects focussing on the employment of Roma in public service;
  • The police and public prosecutors had special units to deal with cases of hate and race crimes;
  • A new bill on the social and legal protection of children had been prepared;
  • Responding to other question, the delegation noted that the Government had introduced new legislation that aimed to reduce the number of prisoners by imposing alternative sentences;
  • The Government also supported the renovation of prison facilities and the improvement of living conditions for inmates;
  • Plans were currently underway to develop relevant services and further educate public bodies and social workers dealing with domestic violence;
  • The Czech Republic had also adopted a National Programme to Prepare for Population Ageing covering the years 2008-2012;
  • Moreover, the Government envisaged ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the end of this year.

Participants

In total 61 States participated in the dialogue:  23 HRC members and 38 observers  (Statements available on the Czech Republic page on UPR website)

Positive achievements

Positive achievements noted by delegations included, among others:

  • The accession to a number of international human rights instruments including the ratification of the Rome Statute on the ICC;
  • The adoption of the Anti-Discrimination Act in 2009;
  • Efforts to better integrate members of the Roma into society;
  • Progress made in improving legal protections for children and the adoption of a National Strategy for the Protection of the Rights of the Child;
  • The adoption of the National Action Plan for Inclusive Education in 2010;
  • The establishment of a National Strategy to combat trafficking in human beings and the overall commitment to combat human trafficking;

Issues and Questions

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

  • Measures to address acts of discrimination against Roma and to raise awareness thereon,
  • The National Action Plan for Inclusive Education (NAPIE), in particular how it is applied towards marginalized groups, especially Roma children;
  • Cases of extremism and neo-Nazis in the country;
  • State policies to advance the rights of the child;
  • Policies and programmes to address trafficking in persons and redress to victims;
  • The State’s policy on address non-discrimination against women;

Recommendations

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

  • Cases of discrimination against Roma and measures to monitor such cases;
  • The National Action Plan for Inclusive Education (NAPIE) in view of the full realisation of the rights of Roma children;
  • Awareness-raising efforts about tolerance against members of the Roma community;
  • Investigations into racially motivated acts of violence against Roma; and access to the legal system for Roma;
  • A national mechanism to address acts of discrimination and xenophobia, including hate speech and hate crimes;
  • Actions to ensure the protection of migrant workers;
  • Measures to fight discrimination against women in all spheres of life;
  • National policies and programmes related to human trafficking;
  • The prohibition of corporal punishment of children in all settings;
  • The establishment of a national human rights institution in compliance with the Paris Principles;
  • The enactment of legislation contained in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy;
  • Recommended ratifications of human rights instruments, among others:  The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; OP CRC sale of children; OP trafficking in persons especially women and children; the Convention on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings; and the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime

Adoption of report of Working Group

The adoption of the report of the UPR Working Group on the Czech Republic is scheduled to take place on Monday, 29 October 2012.

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.