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Universal Periodic Review – MEDIA BRIEF

Monday, 28 October 2013 (Morning)

(Disclaimer: The following brief is not an official record, provides a brief factual summary of the UPR Working Group meeting with the State under review, and does not cover all points addressed)

State under review

Monaco
Represented by 17-member delegation headed by H.E. Mr. José BADIA, Government Councilor, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Relations.

Documents

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

Troika *

Uganda, Philippines and Guatemala.

Opening statement by State under review

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

  • Monegasque civil society had been called upon to review Monaco’s national report. The National Council and the Monegasque Parliament had also been involved in the process. These elements showed the importance Monaco attached to the UPR mechanism;
  • Monaco had adopted a Law in 2009 which had led to the creation of a Prenatal Coordination and Family Support Centre to provide for abortion in the three cases for which it was legal to resort to it;
  • The nationality law had been amended to allow women to transmit Monegasque nationality;
  • A  2013 law had amended the Criminal Procedure Code, which brought it into line with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, with regard to assistance of a legal counsel;
  • A draft regulation on video surveillance was currently being drafted, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Human rights Commissioner;
  • Monaco had signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009.  A draft law was now with the National Council;
  • Monaco had also signed several other international instruments, including the Council of Europe Convention on cyber-crime; the Protocol on the Status of Refugees; and the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education;
  • Monaco would also soon ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse;
  • The setting up of a High Commissioner for the protection of rights, freedoms and mediation was planned for beginning of 2014;
  • In 2013 the Monegasque Courts had been visited by the Council of Europe’s Human rights Commissioner and a workshop on fighting racism in Europe had been held;
  • Several measures had been taken with regard to the rights of persons with disabilities. A Special Delegate on persons with disabilities had been appointed in 2006;
  • On domestic violence, a 2011 law on the prevention and punishment of violence had been designed to strengthen both the protection of women and people with disabilities.

Participants

In total 40States participated in the dialogue:  17 HRC members and 23 observers  (Statements available on Monaco page on the UPR Extranet).

Positive achievements

Positive achievements noted by delegations included, among others:

  • The voluntary submission by Monaco in 2012 of a mid-term of report on the status of its UPR obligations;
  • Accession to nearly all core international human rights instruments and cooperation with UN Special Procedures;
  • The establishment of the Office of Minister for Appeals and Mediation;
  • Assistance and protection to victims of domestic violence and measures to promoting and protect the rights of women and children;
  • The Improvement of conditions for persons with disabilities, including the passing of related legislation;
  • Contributions to helping achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Issues and Questions

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

  • Measures in place and envisaged to bolster support to and legislation on the rights of foreign workers;
  • Plans to address any distinctions in view of nationality and residence in terms of employment;
  • Steps to strengthen legislation so as to further combat discrimination;
  • Efforts to further promote and protect gender equality;
  • Moves to set up of a national independent human rights monitoring mechanism;
  • Steps to ratify pending international human rights instruments, in particular the Rome Statute of the ICC.

Recommendations

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

  • To strengthen and consolidate legislation on discrimination on all grounds
  • To strengthen protection measures and legislation for foreign workers; 
  • To adopt pending legislation on harassment and violence in the workplace;
  • To continue to promote efforts to promote gender equality;
  • To establish a mechanism that monitored gender equality in employment, wage discrimination against women and discrimination on sexual orientation;
  • To decriminalise defamation and make it part of the Civil Code;
  • To amend criminal legislation as an aggravating criminal circumstance;
  • To take measures to raise awareness about the new legislation concerning domestic violence;
  • To include in national legislation the definition of torture in compliance with the CAT;
  • To put in place an independent procedure to monitor complaints of human rights violations by the police;
  • To consider establishing an independent national human rights institution;
  • Ratification of human rights instruments: the Rome Statute of the ICC, the Convention on the rights of migrant workers, the OP to the ICESCR, the Convention on the rights of person with disabilities, the Convention on enforced disappearances, the OPCAT and the OP to CEDAW.

Adoption of report of Working Group

The adoption of the report of the UPR Working Group on Jordan is scheduled to take place onThursday, 31 October 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. 
**For access to the UPR Extranet, please fill out the following form to receive a username and password

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Cédric Sapey, Public Information Officer, OHCHR, + 41(0)22 917 9695, csapey@ohchr.org