Press briefing notes on Tunisia

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani
Location:   Geneva
Date: 28 January 2014
Subject:    Tunisia

We congratulate the people of Tunisia for their adoption on Sunday of a new constitution that translates their aspirations for dignity, social justice and individual liberties.

We also commend the exemplary commitment to dialogue and consensus that has marked the democratic transition in Tunisia. The constitutional process has benefited from the wide participation of civil society actors.

We encourage political actors in Tunisia to ensure that the next steps of the transition are conducted in a peaceful, inclusive and transparent manner. They will need to ensure that the independent institutions established in the constitution, such as the National Human Rights Institution, are strong and that they help promote accountability and the rule of law with full respect for human rights.

The UN Human Rights Office in Tunisia will continue to support national efforts towards the establishment of an open and democratic society in the country.

ENDS

For further information and media requests, please contact Ravina Shamdasani (+41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org ) or Cécile Pouilly (+41 22 917 9310 / cpouilly@ohchr.org )

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