Council takes up technical assistance, discusses human rights situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries

MORNING

23 March 2011

Hears from Minister of State of Somalia

The Human Rights Council this morning took up its agenda item on technical assistance and capacity building, holding an interactive dialogue on the third joint report of seven United Nations experts on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and hearing a presentation from the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of reports on Guatemala, Bolivia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Cyprus and Kyrgyzstan. The Council also heard presentations on the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, and the Trust Funds established to support the Universal Periodic Review. The Minister of State of Somalia also took the floor.

Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, presenting the third joint report of seven United Nations experts on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reiterated their deep concern about the serious human rights situation in the country. The situation was especially worrying in the eastern part of the country, where serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law by national security forces and armed groups continued to be documented. Most of those violations were linked to the conflict and had been committed in the framework of operations conducted by the national armed forces against armed groups and/or in reprisals against these operations by armed groups, while many stemmed from the existence of criminal networks within the national armed forces. The willingness of the Government to cooperate with the international community needed to be sustained by regular exchange and dialogue.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking as a concerned country, said that the report was a fragmented compilation of reports elaborated by other structures, without verification on the ground. The Special Rapporteurs had not fulfilled the resolution 13/22 of the Human Rights Council, due to the absence of visits to the country by the Experts, the non-cooperation on the elaboration of the action plan for human rights and the silence of the Special Rapporteurs on the operationality of the human rights liaison entity. For those reasons, the Democratic Republic of the Congo rejected the conclusions and reports of the third joint report of the seven United Nations experts.

In the interactive dialogue on the joint report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speakers shared the concern of the seven experts related to the very serious situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the continuing lack of protection for civilians and the widespread abuse of human rights including sexual and gender-based violence. The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo required more vigilance, speakers agreed, and supported the creation of a single mandate dealing with the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which would ensure and facilitate regular cooperation with the Government and other regional and international organizations.

Speaking in the interactive dialogue on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were France, Belgium, Switzerland, Brazil, Norway, the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Algeria, Luxembourg, Japan and Zimbabwe.

The following non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Amnesty International, World Organisation Against Torture, International Federation of Human Rights Leagues and Association of World Citizens.

Kyung-Wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, presenting reports submitted by the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General on country situations under the agenda item on technical assistance and capacity building, said that according to the report on the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner in Guatemala, alarming levels of insecurity and impunity persisted in Guatemala. The situation of the Guarani people in Bolivia continued to be of high concern and the impunity for violations committed by unconstitutional regimes persisted. The report on Afghanistan noted that impunity remained a fundamental impediment to building the rule of law and respect for human rights. In Nepal, the report highlighted the consequences of the prolonged political stalemate on the peace process, and focused on the efforts to address impunity, inequality and discrimination, all root causes of the conflict. The report of the Secretary-General on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran reflected the continued concerns about torture, arbitrary detention, unfair trials and the death penalty, intensified crackdown on human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, journalists and opponents. The report on Guinea examined human rights issues in the context of the electoral process and highlighted main human rights challenges, such as impunity, including the impunity for sexual and gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices.

Ms. Kang said that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, concerns remained about the overall human rights situation, and the human rights violations linked to the persistent conflict in the eastern part of the country. The armed conflict in Colombia continued to pose significant challenges and all parties continued to violate human rights and international humanitarian law, while, following the demobilisation of paramilitary organizations, illegal armed groups contributed to the widespread violence. Sierra Leone had improved its capacity to promote and protect human rights; still, discrimination against women and harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation persisted. The report on Cyprus focused on freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, right to life and freedom of religion and said that the division of Cyprus continued to negatively affect human rights. In her oral update on the progress in technical assistance and cooperation on human rights in Kyrgyzstan, the Deputy High Commissioner said that critical human rights issues included the lack of independent and effective administration of justice, lack of fair trials and due process, ill-treatment and torture by law-enforcement officials, gender-based violence and others.

Afghanistan, Bolivia, and Colombia spoke as concerned countries. The rest of the countries were scheduled to take the floor in the afternoon meeting.

The Council also heard presentations by William A. Schabas, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights; Guiliano Comba, Chief of the Universal Periodic Review Section at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Anders Kompass, Director of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Zahra Mohamed Ali Samantar, Minister of State at the Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia, addressing the Council under the agenda item on technical assistance and capacity building, said that after more than two decades of internal armed conflict, two crucial point were what could be practically done now and the tackling of the root causes of the political and socio-economic crisis. The Government of Somalia attached great importance to the restoration of peace, observance of human rights and international humanitarian law in times of war, notwithstanding the challenges and difficulties which Somalia was facing today.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of the Council announced that the Council in a closed meeting had examined the human rights situation in Tajikistan under the complaint procedure established pursuant to Council resolution 5/1 and had decided to keep the situation under review.

The next meeting of the Human Rights Council will be held at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will continue to hear statements by concerned countries on the reports presented by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, hold a general debate on technical assistance and capacity building, and will then proceed with the election of the Advisory Committee members and the appointment of the Special Procedures mandate-holders and members of the Expert Mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples.

Documentation

The Third Joint Report of Seven United Nations Experts on the Situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, (A/HRC/16/68), reiterates the experts’ deep concern at the serious human rights situation in the country, which has reportedly not improved since their initial report. The experts are of the view that the current mandate given to a group of seven thematic special procedures does not have the necessary flexibility and reactivity to ensure a regular dialogue with the Congolese authorities, and is therefore not the most suitable mechanism to respond to the specific needs of the country.

Presentation of Report of Seven UN Experts on Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

RASHIDA MANJOO, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, speaking on behalf of the six Special Procedures mandates and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, under resolution 13/22, reiterated their deep concern at the serious human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as highlighted by the latest reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretary-General, and the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the Security Council’s Sanctions Committee. The situation was especially worrying in the eastern part of the country, where serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law by national security forces and armed groups, continued to be documented. These included acts of arbitrary execution; rape; arbitrary arrest and detention; forced displacement; torture; cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; and looting. Another source of concern was the reported cases of recruitment and use of children by Congolese armed groups and military commanders from the national armed forces.

Most of these violations were linked to the conflict and had been committed in the framework of operations conducted by the national armed forces against armed groups and/or in reprisals against these operations by armed groups. Many of the serious human rights violations stemmed from the existence of criminal networks within the national armed forces. This had led to a failure to prioritize the protection of civilians, insubordination and competing chains of command within the army, and in some cases, cohabitation and active collusion with armed groups. They had also received reports regarding the illegal exploitation of natural recourses which, despite the Government’s condemnation, remained of concern as it was a chief cause of many serious human rights violations.

Ms. Manjoo said the reporting period was also marked by an increase in violations against human rights defenders and media representatives. The majority of the urgent appeals and allegation letters sent by the thematic Special Procedures mandate-holders illustrated the risks and attacks faced by male and female human rights defenders, as well as the lack of compliance with the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, following her visit to the country in June 2009. They acknowledged the stated willingness of the Congolese authorities to improve cooperation with the international community in the field of human rights, including with the Special Procedures. However, they highlighted that for such cooperation to be fruitful, it needed to be sustained and based on regular and flexible exchange and dialogue. The late responses from the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to their letters, as well as the late submission of the global action plan on the implementation of recommendations for discussion and improvement in accordance with Council resolution 13/22, regrettably did not meet these criteria. Similarly, the Government had responded to less than 7 per cent of the urgent appeals and allegation letters sent by the experts since they were requested to report for the first time on the human rights situation in the country, in March 2008.

Statement by Concerned Country

SEBASTIEN MUTOMB MUJING (the Democratic Republic of the Congo), speaking as a concerned country, said that the third joint report on human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the seven United Nations experts was not a report but a fragmented compilation of reports elaborated by other structures, without verification on the ground. It was a paradox that the seven experts did not mention the progress made in the ground since 2008, while the Human Rights Council itself had congratulated the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its Universal Periodic Review for the improvements in the human rights situation in this country. It was the position of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the Special Rapporteurs had not fulfilled the resolution 13/22 of the Human Rights Council, for three reasons. First was the absence of visits to the country by the Special Rapporteurs, who had not made a single request for a country visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the adoption of the resolution. The second reason was the non-cooperation between Special Rapporteurs to elaborate the action plan for human rights. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had requested harmonisation meetings several times, but had never received any answer. The third reason was the silence of the Special Rapporteurs on the operationality of the human rights liaison entity. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had centralised the human rights liaison entity with the involvement of the national non-governmental organizations network which had issued a circular in order to disseminate information about this mechanism. The Special Rapporteurs did not report back to the Council on this mechanism and had instead chosen to criticise the delay in setting up the national human rights institution. For those reasons, the Democratic Republic of the Congo rejected the conclusions and reports of the third joint report of the seven United Nations experts.

With regard to the report submitted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the human rights situation, it was worth pointing out, among other indicators, the recruitment of 2,000 magistrates, 400 of whom were women, prosecution and sanctioning of grave human rights violations and the ratification of several human rights instruments, including the Convention against Corruption. The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo asked the Council to ensure that the technical assistance requested be provided to the country through the field offices of the United Nations. In addition, the Government would continue to ask questions about cooperation with the International Criminal Court and the attitude of the seven thematic experts, while the human rights situation on the ground was continually improving.

Interactive Dialogue on Report of Seven UN Experts on Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

JEAN-BAPTISTE MATTEI (France) said France shared the concern of the seven experts related to the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The report referred to summary executions, arbitrary detentions, recruitment of child soldiers and worsening attacks against human rights defenders and journalists. France would continue to monitor closely the investigations following the assassination of Floribert Chebeya in 2010. France asked the Special Rapporteur what was her assessment of the priorities in the action plan? France noted there was certain progress on wide spread systematic violence against women; however, the fight against impunity should continue. Did the Rapporteur believe that the recommendation for remuneration for victims of sexual violence would contribute to a better situation? France would like to know what role would be played by the single expert in the area of providing technical assistance in place of the current system of seven experts.

FRANCOIS ROUX (Belgium) thanked the experts and especially Ms. Manjoo for the report. Belgium welcomed the efforts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the fight against impunity, the investigations and the recent convictions and condemnations of serious human rights violations. They were also pleased to see that the Government had prepared a plan of action for the implementation of the recommendations of the High Commissioner and the Special Procedures. The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, remained of serious concern and they shared the concerns highlighted by the Special Procedures in the face of the very serious human rights situation in the country. The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo required more vigilance. In addition, sexual violence was still widespread and serious human rights violations were taking place. Belgium invited donor countries to fulfill the need for assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The creation of a single mechanism dealing with the situation in the country, such as a single mandate, would be better.

JURG LAUBER (Switzerland) said that Switzerland took note of the will of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to improve cooperation with the international community and the efforts to implement the initial recommendations of the seven Special Procedures. Switzerland welcomed the recent decision of the court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which had convicted for the first time grave human rights violations committed in the province Fizi. The human rights situation was still of grave concern, particularly sexual violence in the east of the country. In addition, serious obstacles to the administration of justice were registered. With regard to the national plan of action, Switzerland encouraged the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to continue cooperation with Special Procedures and to take special measures to implement their recommendations. Switzerland was of the opinion that a single mandate dealing with the human rights situation in this country would be more effective in ensuring and facilitating a regular cooperation with the Government and other regional and international organizations and therefore fully supported the recommendation by the seven United Nations Experts for the creation of this new mandate.

MARIA NAZARETH FARANI AZEVEDO (Brazil) said Brazil appreciated the willingness of the Congolese authorities to improve cooperation with the international community with a view to improving the human rights of its population. The Brazilian Government donated last year $ 1 million to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the implementation of a project to provide support and reparation to victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Brazil suggested hearing from the human rights office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the advancements made possible on the ground through the technical assistance provided by the Office of the High Commissioner with the cooperation of Member States of this Council.

HALVORE SAETRE (Norway) said Norway welcomed the third joint report of the seven Special Procedures on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the report showed that the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remained of serious concern. Norway believed that it was important that the United Nations continued to improve coordination and cooperation across all the mechanisms that operated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the importance to report human rights abuses and protect witnesses. Norway welcomed the prosecution of sexual violence because that would send the message that those responsible for these violations would be held accountable. Norway attached great importance to the fight against impunity. It was crucial to maintain focus on survivors of sexual violence and to continue to provide reparation. Norway supported the repeated call by the seven experts for the establishment of a single country special mandate for the Democratic Republic of the Congo that would strengthen the follow up of the existing recommendations and improve the dialogue with the Government.

DAVIDE ZARU (European Union) said that the European Union shared the concern that the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had not improved since the initial report of the United Nations experts and was gravely concerned about the findings in the report, including summary executions, sexual violence, torture, recruitment of child soldiers, lack of protection and assistance for internally displaced persons and others. The European Union recommended that the Human Rights Council continue addressing the human rights situation in this country through the establishment of the single mechanism and continued engagement with the Government. The European Union was grateful to the United Nations Experts for highlighting the scourge of the sexual violence and called on the Government to do more to ensure that the victims benefited from their right to remedy. The European Union asked the opinion of the seven United Nations experts on how the survivors of sexual violence could get effective redress. The European Union reiterated the call on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to redouble its efforts to bring perpetrators of human rights abuses to justice, including through continued cooperation with the International Criminal Court. The European Union asked the opinion of the United Nations experts on the need for reform and assistance to improve the structural shortcomings in the country which were linked to deficiencies in state institutions and resulted in human rights violations.

MARIA TODD (United Kingdom) said the United Kingdom noted with great concern the continuing lack of protection for civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the widespread abuse of human rights including sexual and gender-based violence. The United Kingdom was a major donor supporting the electoral process in the country and with Presidential and Parliamentary elections scheduled for late 2011, it noted with great concern the worsening human rights situation faced by journalists and human rights defenders and also the recent rise in human rights abuses against political activities as reported by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office. The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo should ensure that freedom of the media and freedoms of assembly and expression were fully protected in both the pre-election and election periods. The United Kingdom supported the recommendation of the Special Rapporteurs to establish a country specific Special Procedures mandate as this would be the best way to take forward work on the implementation of recommendations.

OSMAN TAT (United States) said that the Council had a critical role to play in helping the Congolese people and their Government to improve the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States supported continued engagement and monitoring by the Council of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In particular, they echoed the observation in the joint report that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would be best served by the appointment of a single mechanism dedicated solely to the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States remained gravely concerned about human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States was firmly committed to helping the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other nations in the region undertake effective measures to end the corrosive cycle of violence and impunity and were deeply committed to supporting the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its efforts to prevent further abuses.

MANON BOISCLAIR (Canada) said Canada fully supported the proposal for the establishment of a single mechanism to deal with the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Canada asked what specific measures needed to be put in place to ensure the implementation of the national action plan elaborated following resolution 13/22. Canada was still concerned by the human rights violations committed by the armed groups in the country, regardless of the progress made so far to bring perpetrators to justice. Canada was working with the Government on security sector reform and asked the United Nations Experts what steps must be taken to ensure the progress in this reform and to ensure the effectiveness in combating the impunity. Canada urged the Government to protect and guarantee the right to association and freedom of expression of its population. The presidential elections in November 2011 would be an important step forward in consolidating peace and stability in the country and Canada asked what steps could be taken by the international community to ensure that those elections were fair, just and free.

IDRISS JAZAIRY (Algeria) said Algeria encouraged the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s zero tolerance for violations against women, especially in the east of the country, and the Government’s position that there should be an end to the illegal exploitation of natural resources by promoting targeted investment to improve the living conditions in the country. Economic policies aimed at implementing the Millennium Development Goals would lead to better answers for the population. Algeria supported the Congolese authorities in their work with the Office of the High Commissioner and said the upcoming elections would be critical for the country. Algeria said that the Government had shown positive interaction with the office of the High Commissioner on the ground and said this mandate was not the only method to promote human rights in the country and that the willingness of the Government was essential in considering renewal of the mandate. Algeria asked if the Council should be considering issues that were the domain of the International Criminal Court.

JEAN FEYDER (Luxembourg) welcomed the report and the declaration made by the European Union. Luxembourg was concerned about the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest in the world, where fundamental rights to life, food, education and health were violated on a daily basis. Rape and sexual violence continued to take place although Luxembourg welcomed investigations that were being carried out. They would like the Council to continue its efforts in monitoring the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and protect the most vulnerable groups. The international community had to put an end to this large scale impunity. Life and survival of the large majority depended on farming.

YUJI YAMAMOTO (Japan) said that Japan commended the work of the seven thematic Special Procedures and said that their work was extremely vital to the improvement of the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in maintaining the commitment of the international community to the issue. The mapping report of last October had significantly contributed to discussions in the Council on the human rights situation in this country. Japan appreciated the efforts of the Government to engage with the mandate-holders and the work undertaken to ensure the rule of law, including the prosecution for crimes of sexual violence. However, the human rights situation in the country remained serious and little had changed, with continued inhumane treatments, sexual violence, and use of child soldiers. Japan urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo to improve its human rights situation by appropriately responding to the recommendations of the mandate-holders.

ENOS MAFEMBA (Zimbabwe) said there should be greater technical assistance to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that all human rights mechanisms already involved in operations in the country had made specific recommendations. The way forward was to fully engage the Government with a view to addressing the mutually observed and identified agreed concerns. Zimbabwe stood by the Government and said that establishing a country specific mandate against the will of the Government would not be helpful. The Council should listen to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cooperate with them and provide them with the necessary technical assistance.

PATRIZIA SCANELLA, of Amnesty International, said that several reports on the Democratic Republic of the Congo had highlighted judicial reforms and the fight against impunity as requiring particular attention. Amnesty International believed that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would benefit from more support in their fight against impunity and in their efforts to implement United Nations recommendations aimed at tackling impunity and improving the justice system. The focus on judicial reform and impunity covered a large quantity of recommendations received by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The October 2010 United Nations mapping report which documented the unpunished crimes highlighted the action by the United Nations in the impunity field. Amnesty International urged all Council members and observers to establish a single mandate and provide the experts with the resources to implement this mandate.

ALEXANDRA KOSSIN, of World Organization against Torture, in a joint statement with International Federation of ACAT (Action By Christians for the Abolition of Torture), said that the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was still very worrying and they deplored the lack of real follow up of the communications made by the experts. Human rights defenders continued to carry out their activities, running real risks of losing their lives. They highlighted the high level of impunity by security forces and said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo should give effect to the provisions of the Convention against Torture and establish a bill related to the criminalization of torture and the question of the death penalty was also of great concern for them. They wanted an end to impunity and special measures should be taken to bring perpetrators to justice. As regards the human rights situation in the country, more assistance would be given to the Democratic Republic of the Congo if the Council had an individual dedicated mechanism to the country and they urged the Human Rights Council to create such a mechanism.

JULIE GROMELLON, of International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, reiterated their deep concern about the human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not only in the east but throughout the country. The Government should shed light on the circumstances of the deaths of Chebeya and Bazana. Some recommendations relating to the protection of human rights defenders, security sector reform, and access to places of detention still had not been implemented and they were fully dependent on the political will, rather than on the capacity and resources. The Human Rights Council should remain seized with the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the creation of a single mandate which would enable communication with the Government and the implementation of the national plan of action.

GENEVIEVE JOURDAN, of Association of World Citizens, said that rape had been used as a weapon of war in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It had destroyed communities and societies in the country and humanitarian aid remained insufficient and inappropriate. The focus on women victims of rape was not sufficient; there was a need for focus on communities as a whole and the fight against impunity. Violence against women was neglected by the authorities. The United Nations Security Council renounced rape as a weapon of war, but this had not been denounced by courts as well; sexual violence was seen instead as collateral of a war. Epidemics of sexual violence continued and the Association of World Citizens called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to consider the sexual violence as it should be considered and to shoulder its responsibilities in this regard.

Concluding Remarks

RASHIDA MANJOO, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, on behalf of the six Special Procedures mandates and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, under resolution 13/22, said that the purpose of her mandate was to make recommendations to assist the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo so that it could make tangible improvements on the ground in relation to human rights. The mandate holders had sent a letter in September 2009 asking for an update on the implementation of their recommendations. No response was received. Another letter was sent in 2010 and there had not been a response. In February 2011, the Special Rapporteur received from the Government a brief description of the human rights agency but not an assessment of how it was functioning. The Special Rapporteur received the Global Plan of Action in February 2011 which was a summation of human rights mechanisms, government departments responsible for various functions and general costs, for example $ 40,000 for establishing the National Human Rights Bureau but with no explanation on how it would be done. The document contained some benchmarks but they were not specific or targeted enough. The Special Rapporteur encouraged the Government to refine the Global Plan of Action.

The mandate holders had faced communication challenges, for example the mandate holders had sent 29 communications and received 3 responses in three years. The Special Rapporteur viewed reparations as a transformative tool to challenge the systematic structural aspects of discrimination and exploitation in different contexts. Regarding elections, there should be a space for human rights defenders to monitor the elections and for journalists. The Government should acknowledge the important role played by both groups. The Global Action plan had not met the requirements of the Human Rights Council resolution. The categorization was broad and there were no specific or action orientated benchmarks for implementation. Strengthening law enforcement and the justice sector and reforming the security sector were of greatest importance. Regarding human rights defenders in the media, there was a need to adopt a law to protect human rights defenders. The Special Rapporteur believed the Council should remain seized of the situation and that the High Commissioner should report on an annual basis to the Council on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Statement by Minister of State at the Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia

ZAHRA MOHAMMED ALI SAMANTAR, Minister of State at the Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia, said that the Government and people of Somalia were following the ongoing events in some of the sisterly Arab countries with particular concern, pain, solidarity and respect. However, some public statements made in reference to contemporary Somalia were totally unacceptable. Ms. Ali Samantar extended Somalia’s gratitude to Kuwait for its contribution to their Permanent Mission in Geneva since 1991 without which the mission would not have operated, the United Arab Emirates for its generous and humanitarian contribution to a staff member of the mission, and the Government of Yemen for proposing the formation of the Geneva Friends of Somalia, so far the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Ethiopia, Australia, Djibouti, Norway, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya. For the first time, during the stand alone interactive dialogue for Somalia, the United States had organized a closed door meeting with the Government of Somalia, the international agencies working in Somalia, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the establishment of a coordinated road map with benchmarks. They were grateful to the United States. The Government and the people of Somalia fully and highly appreciated the invaluable support provided by the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM). After more than two decades of internal armed conflict, what could be practically done now and the tackling of the root causes of the political and socio-economic crisis were two crucial points.

The Government of Somalia attached great importance to the restoration of peace, observance of human rights and international humanitarian law in times of war, notwithstanding the challenges and difficulties which Somalia was facing today. Following the Universal Periodic Review workshop in Djibouti in February this year, the Government of Somalia had decided to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Somalia was grateful to their Ambassador, Yusuf Bari-Bari, for bringing human rights close to home and championing the cause of human rights in Somalia. Somalia was also thankful to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for its valuable support in hiring an independent consultant to advance the drafting of their National Report. Despite a lot of obstacles, the Government was committed to submit its national report on May 2011. Therefore it was very important for the Somali Government to extend the contract for the independent consultant until their national report would be adopted in September 2011. They also intended to visit Puntland soon and to engage with Somaliland.

Documentation

The Annual Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, (A/HRC/16/20), provides an update of the activities undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) since its reports in 2010 to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/13/26) and to the General Assembly (A/65/36). It focuses on implementation of the six thematic priorities established by the Office for 2010/11.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the Activities of her Office in Guatemala, (A/HRC/16/20/Add.1), provides an overview of the human rights situation in Guatemala and the work undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2010. In compliance with its mandate, the office in Guatemala conducted monitoring activities and provided advisory services and technical cooperation to State institutions and civil society to assist in the implementation of the recommendations contained in previous reports.

Corrigendum, (A/HRC/16/20/Add.1/Corr.1), Paragraph 7 For the existing text substitute
7. In 2010, Guatemala was hit by several natural disasters, which affected over 723,000 people and caused 96 deaths and major damage to infrastructure and productive capital.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the Activities of her Office in Bolivia, (A/HRC/16/20/Add.2), expresses concern for the violence against women, and analyses the phenomena of lynching, the rights of persons deprived of their liberty or those who have been victims of human rights violations by unconstitutional regimes, as well as the situation of human rights defenders and journalists. The report also provides details about the principal activities undertaken by the High Commissioner’s office in the country and includes 10 priority recommendations formulated by the High Commissioner.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the question of human rights in Cyprus, (A/HRC/16/21), reflects a variety of human rights-related issues, including the restoration of all human rights to the population of Cyprus, in particular to refugees; the tracing of and accounting for missing persons in Cyprus without any further delay; and the restoration and respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, including freedom of movement, the freedom of settlement and the right to property.

Corrigendum, (A/HRC/16/21/Corr.1), Paragraph 39, first sentence should read For Turkish Cypriots living in the Republic of Cyprus read Turkish Cypriots living in the south.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Colombia, (A/HRC/16/22), analyses the most important developments related to the situation of human rights and international humanitarian law in Colombia in 2010 and further analyses several particular situations of concern and summarizes the main activities carried out by OHCHR-Colombia.

The Report of High Commissioner on the human rights situation and the activities of her office, including technical cooperation in Nepal, (A/HRC/16/23), is currently unavailable.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights activities in the Republic of Guinea, (A/HRC/16/26), covers the period from April to 31 December 2010 and outlines the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in Guinea.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, (A/HRC/16/27), reiterates a number of recommendations that the High Commissioner and several human rights mechanisms have made in the past. The report assesses the response of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to these recommendations since the last report.

Corrigendum, (A/HRC/16/27/Corr.1), is currently unavailable.

The Report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and on the achievements of technical assistance in the field human rights, (A/HRC/16/67), describes ongoing human rights concerns in Afghanistan and outlines recommendations to address them, as well as actions the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is taking to support and strengthen institutional capacity in the country through the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The Interim Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Iran, (A/HRC/16/75), reflects the patterns and trends in the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran and provides information on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution, including recommendations to improve its implementation. In its resolution 65/226, the General Assembly called upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to address the substantive concerns highlighted in the previous report of the Secretary-General (A/65/370) and the specific calls to action found in previous resolutions of the Assembly (resolutions 63/191, 62/168 and 64/176), and to respect fully its human rights obligations, in law and in practice, in relation to a number of specifically identified concerns.

The Report of the High Commissioner on assistance to Sierra Leone in the field of human rights, (A/HRC/16/78), notes that socio-economic conditions remain extremely challenging. Financial and capacity constraints have limited the ability of the national human rights institutions to comply with their tasks, negatively impacting the administration of justice, and creating room for impunity. The constitutional review process has been delayed and crucial recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including the abolition of the death penalty and amendment of discriminatory legal provisions, have not been implemented. The Reparations Programme has been affected due to gaps in the financial requirements and lack of political will.

The Report of the Secretary-General on advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights, (A/HRC/16/66), is an annual report on technical cooperation in the field of human rights, reflecting the discussions of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights.

Presentation by Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of Country Reports Submitted by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner

KYUNG-WAH KANG, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said her presentation today was to introduce country-related reports. Concerning the report on the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner in Guatemala, Ms. Kang said alarming levels of insecurity and impunity persisted in the country. Mounting insecurity marked political debates, with strong calls for repressive measures, while a weak judicial system remained unable to tackle impunity. Protection of human rights defenders was an important priority, as was the support to women’s rights, including addressing violence and protecting sexual and reproductive rights. Calls of the indigenous peoples for inclusion in Guatemala were undermined by structural patterns of racism and discrimination. The report stressed the need for structural reforms and measures that promoted a multicultural approach to protecting indigenous peoples’ full range of rights. The report urged the Government of Guatemala to implement the recommendations formulated in the High Commissioner’s previous reports, in particular to conduct an annual evaluation of progress toward full implementation, in cooperation with civil society.

Turning to Bolivia, the Deputy High Commissioner reiterated her appreciation to the Government of Bolivia for the renewal of the mandate of the Office for three more years. The Government had enacted important laws aimed at promoting compliance with the Constitution and international human rights standards. The situation of the Guarani people continued to be of high concern and the impunity for violations committed by the unconstitutional regimes persisted. The report encouraged further judicial reform and enhanced access to justice, especially for marginalised populations.

The report on Afghanistan noted that in 2010 the armed conflict intensified throughout the country with a rise in civilian casualties, and that women and children made up a greater proportion of those killed and injured. The report highlighted that impunity remained a fundamental impediment to building the rule of law and respect for human rights. The launching of the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme and the establishment of the High Peace Council had raised concerns about governmental priorities in combating impunity. The report also focused on the situation of women, widespread arbitrary detention, support to civil society, and support to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and other state institutions in the field of human rights.

As for the report on Nepal, Ms. Kang said that it referred to the broad range of activities undertaken by the Office, including monitoring of the human rights situation and provision of technical assistance to the State and civil society. The report highlighted the consequences of the prolonged political stalemate on the peace process, and focused on the efforts to address impunity, inequality and discrimination, all root causes of the conflict.

The report of the Secretary-General on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran reflected the patterns and trends in the human rights situation in this country and provided information on the progress made in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 65/226. There were continued concerns about torture, arbitrary detention, unfair trials, the death penalty, and the intensified crackdown on human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, journalists and opponents. The Secretary-General had renewed his call on the Government to receive the Special Procedures in conformity with the standing invitation issued by Iran in 2002.

The High Commissioner’s report on Guinea was the first report on this country and it examined human rights issues in the context of the electoral process and highlighted main human rights challenges, such as impunity, including the impunity for sexual and gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices. The perpetrators of the most serious crimes remained free due to the lack of an independent justice system and security forces. Important developments in Guinea over the past year would contribute to improving the human rights situation and the Government’s commitment to national reconciliation and accountability for past human rights abuses were encouraging.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, concerns remained about the overall human rights situation, despite the efforts of the Government to implement the key recommendations from the High Commissioner and United Nations human rights mechanisms. Many human rights violations were linked to the persistent conflict in the eastern part of the country. The persistence of sexual and gender-based violence remained of particular concern and in October and November 2010 alone nearly 2,000 incidents had been reported. The High Commissioner had deployed a high-level panel to the country to hear victims in different provinces and assess whether remedies and reparations were available and adequate. The report of the High Commissioner commended the Government for the cooperation in the context of the mapping report of the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1993 and 2003.

The report on Colombia acknowledged the commitment of the Government towards human rights and its willingness to engage in dialogue with human rights organizations and for taking important steps to address past violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The armed conflict continued to pose significant challenges and all parties continued to violate human rights and international humanitarian law, while following the demobilisation of paramilitary organizations, illegal armed groups contributed to the widespread violence. Many violations of human rights continued to be treated as matters of military justice and the report recommended that those should fall under the competence of civilian courts.

Turning to the report on the assistance to Sierra Leone, Ms. Kang said that this country had improved its capacity to promote and protect human rights and that in particular the legal framework protecting the rights of vulnerable groups had been improved. Still, discrimination against women and harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation persisted. Major challenges included pervasive poverty which significantly affected social and economic rights, while the constitutional review process had been delayed and crucial recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had still to be implemented.

The report on Cyprus focused on freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, the right to life and freedom of religion. The division of Cyprus continued to negatively affect human rights and it was hoped that efforts of the Cypriot leaders to achieve a comprehensive settlement would provide avenues to improve the human rights situation on the island.

In her oral update on the progress in technical assistance and cooperation on human rights in Kyrgyzstan, the Deputy High Commissioner said that the Office had assisted the authorities with technical advice at the national and local levels and had assisted the Government with the Universal Periodic Review process. In response to the violence of June 2010 and the ensuing human rights crisis, the Office had deployed field missions to monitor, document and report on the human rights situation. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had identified a number of critical human rights issues and had assisted the authorities in addressing them, including the lack of independent and effective administration of justice, lack of fair trials and due process, ill-treatment and torture by law-enforcement officials, gender-based violence and others.

Presentation by the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights

WILLIAM A. SCHABAS, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, said the report 16/66 was an update on the work of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights. The Board had refocused its attention from the detailed revision of individual projects to advising the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on policy orientation and strategy in strengthening its country engagement and rationalizing procedures of the Technical Cooperation Programme. Regarding the interpretation of Decision 2/102 regarding annual reporting cycles, if the Human Rights Council wished to see a continuation of this reporting mandate, a new Human Rights Council or Decision on the matter should be tabled.

The Board noted that the Voluntary Fund for Technical Assistance was being used for technical cooperation in activities in country offices, for human rights advisers and for human rights components of peace missions. As of December 2010, the financial situation of the Fund was as follows: total income of $ 16,408,343 and $ 17,746,279 of expenditure, the estimated fund balance was $ 16,345,286. The Board noted that the Office of the High Commissioner’s assistance to country teams was playing an increasingly important part of the technical cooperation provided in support of national human rights protection systems. The human rights advisers attached to the offices of Resident Coordinators were crucial in advising them on human rights policy and strategic issues, facilitating the capacity-building of country teams and national counterparts. The Board had kept abreast of the Universal Periodic Review follow-up process and how new mechanisms could benefit and influence the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on technical cooperation, as well as the establishment of the additional trust fund to help countries implement recommendations emanating from the Universal Periodic Review process, namely the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance.

The Board reiterated its gratitude and thanks to all Member States and organizations for all donations to the Voluntary Fund, which manifested confidence in the work of the Board of Trustees and in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Board looked forward to meeting with Member States, civil society organizations and United Nations partners at its next session, which, for the first time, will be held in the field (Bujumbura and Nairobi from 26-29 April 2011).

Presentation on the Trust Funds Established to Support the Universal Periodic Review

GIULIANO COMBA, Chief of the Universal Periodic Review Section at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, thanked the Human Rights Council for this opportunity to brief Member States on the trust funds established to support the Universal Periodic Review. Speaking about the background, Mr. Comba, said that two trust funds were established by the Secretary-General pursuant to Council resolution 6/17 of 2 September 2007: the Voluntary Fund for Participation in the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism, and the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance for the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. The terms of reference of the two trust funds were formally approved by the Controller on behalf of the Secretary-General on 31 March 2008 (for the Trust Fund for Participation) and on 11 November 2008 (Trust Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance).

The terms of reference of both funds were posted on the Universal Periodic Review webpage. As regards the management, the High Commissioner for Human Rights was the manager of both funds consistent with the terms of resolution 6/17. Under United Nations rules, the organizational structure, the Strategic Framework and the programme budget had to be aligned. Accordingly, the Trust Fund for Participation, which was intended for the funding of activities covered by Sub-Programme 4 of the Strategic Framework entitled “Supporting the Human Rights Council, its subsidiary bodies and mechanisms” was managed by the Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division of which the Universal Periodic Review was part. The Trust Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance, on the other hand, was intended for the funding of activities covered by Sub-programme 3 entitled “Advisory Services, technical cooperation and field activities” and was therefore managed by the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division. More specifically, the Voluntary Fund for Participation supported the following Expected Accomplishment: “Full support to the Universal Periodic Review mechanism, including the timely and effective assistance, as appropriate, to States within the Universal Periodic Review framework.

Mr. Comba said the corresponding Indicator of Achievement for this Expected Accomplishment was: “Increased number of activities for the effective preparation of the Universal Periodic Review”. As regards the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance, it supported the following Expected Accomplishment: “Timely and effective assistance to requesting States to assist them in the implementation of recommendations they had agreed to in the Universal Periodic Review process, including through the provision of assistance from the relevant universal periodic review trust fund”. The corresponding Indicator of Achievement was: “Increased number of assistance programmes and activities to requesting States in the implementation of universal periodic review recommendations”. Concerning the activities, the terms of reference of the Voluntary Fund for Participation were straightforward to date, two types of activities had been funded: travel costs for one member of developing country delegations, particularly least developed countries, who made the request to attend the Universal Periodic Review working group session and the Human Rights Council plenary at which the country was reviewed; and field-based pre-session workshops aimed at advising the State on how to organize a process of national consultations, drafting the national report and preparing for the review. These workshops brought together countries from the same region with facilitating countries which had already been reviewed for the purpose of sharing information, experience and best practices. In a few cases, workshops had been organized for the benefit of one country only; this was recently the case for Somalia. Regarding the funding, as of mid-March 2011, contributions to the Voluntary Fund for Participation amounted to $ 1,800,000 million. Estimated total commitments also as of mid-March amounted to approximately $ 710,000. The Voluntary Fund for Participation had received contributions and pledges from: Austria; Colombia; Denmark; Germany; Hungary; Italy; Japan; Kuwait; Romania; the Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; and Switzerland.

Speaking about future activities, Mr. Comba said the outcome of the recently concluded review of the Human Rights Council called for the strengthening and operationalization of the Voluntary Fund for Participation established by the Council in its resolution 6/17 in order to encourage a significant participation of developing countries, particularly least developing countries and small island developing States, in their review.

Presentation on the Universal Periodic Review Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance

ANDERS KOMPASS, Director of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Universal Periodic Review Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance was established by the Human Rights Council in 2007 with a view to provide, in conjunction with multilateral funding mechanisms, a source of financial and technical assistance to help countries implement recommendations emanating from the Universal Periodic Review, in consultation with, and with the consent of, the country concerned. In 2009, contributions totaled $ 535,326 and in 2010 $ 385,025 were received for the Universal Periodic Review Trust Fund. The contribution made by the United Kingdom in 2010 was earmarked to support a planned Universal Periodic Review follow-up related assistance in the Republic of Congo in support of a public campaign on violence against women; to assist countries of the Pacific Islands; and for the sharing of experiences on Universal Periodic Review follow up by countries in South East Asia.

As of today nine countries – Cape Verde, Tuvalu, Ecuador, Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Chad, Belarus, Mali and Senegal - had formally requested the Office of the High Commissioner’s assistance to follow up and implement outcomes emanating from the Universal Periodic Review. The Office had so far responded positively to seven such requests for assistance. In 2010, two sub-regional meetings to share Universal Periodic Review outcomes and implementation of recommendations were held for West and Central African countries and for East and South African countries. A third regional meeting to facilitate the sharing of experiences would be held next week in Brussels in cooperation with the European Union. Information on the Universal Periodic Review Trust Fund in terms of reference and list of countries that had requested assistance was available on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights website. Regarding the proposal to establish a Board of Trustees for the Universal Periodic Review Trust Fund, the Director said that he cautioned about the idea of using the limited available funds mainly to cover the cost of a Board, rather than for the intended purpose of facilitating and supporting Universal Periodic Review follow-up related activities. The Director informed all States that a briefing on the Office’s work in support to the follow-up to the Universal Periodic Review for States was already planned for 14 April 2011 when the heads of the human rights field presences would be in Geneva.

Statements by Concerned Countries

ZALMAI AZIZ (Afghanistan), speaking as a concerned country, said that the report brought to light progress in sectors such as education or health, which was evidence of the commitment of the Government to the promotion and protection of human rights. The report also highlighted daunting challenges stemming from the ongoing campaign against insurgency and international terrorism. The Government of Afghanistan adhered to its commitment toward the protection of civilians and had taken steps aimed at minimising harm to civilians living in the conflict zones. As a result, contrary to the 20 per cent increase in deaths caused by terrorists, there had been a marked decrease in civilian casualties. Due to increased terrorist attacks in 2010, the number of casualties had increased. Violence against women, linked to many factors, such as illiteracy, harmful traditional practices and others, constituted other challenges facing Afghanistan. The Government had undertaken an integrated approach which had already showed progress, such as the prohibition of forced marriages. Today, women in Afghanistan were an essential part of the political process. They enjoyed the right to vote and be elected. Women held 27 per cent of seats in the national Parliament. Afghanistan was passing through exceptionally trying times in its history; the country still faced immense challenges in ensuring the equal respect for human rights for its citizens amidst waging a war of necessity and not of choice. Afghanistan was fully aware of its inescapable obligations in the field of human rights and valued the continuing cooperation with the Human Rights Council and United Nations human rights mechanisms.

ANGELICA NAVARRO (Bolivia) thanked the Office of the High Commissioner for the submission of this annual report under item 2 of the agenda. The invitation extended to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish an office in Bolivia demonstrated the transparent way in which their country was carrying forward the construction of their plural-national State. In February 2010 they presented in the Universal Periodic Review a report prepared in participation with civil society. Bolivia had accepted the recommendations received and it was making progress. In November they welcomed the visit of the High Commissioner to their country when they were preparing the law against racism and all forms of racial discrimination. They reiterated their thanks for her visit and her words of encouragement on this particular issue. They also had the visit from the Sub Committee on the Prevention of Torture which was very useful for conducting their project for prisons reform. It was not easy to wind back the State after so many years of corruption from the neo-liberal regime of the past. They had to make the most of their natural resources and consolidated the territorial development area. They did not want to undermine the recognition and enjoyment of everybody’s rights. They were managing to make historic progress in Bolivia, particularly for the most vulnerable population. Several international organizations had recorded the socio-economic progress in Bolivia and they were working with a view to hold the first judicial elections which would allow the State to improve their justice system broadly. Finally, they indicated some of the progress made such as their commitment to defend civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as well as environment rights and they would continue to do that. Bolivia took note of the conclusions and recommendations set fourth in the High Commissioner’s report.

HERNAN ULLOA (Colombia), speaking as a concerned county, said Colombia would like its comments on the report on the situation of human rights in Colombia in 2010 to be made public. The report recognized the achievements and challenges that remained in the country. Colombia was well aware that fundamental steps needed to be taken towards human rights. Measures that had been achieved included the law on homage to victims of forced disappearance and the new criminal military code. In 2010, there was a drastic drop of homicides for protected persons. The report also highlighted the incorporation of the human rights chapter in the national development plan 2010-2013 which referred to the respect, guarantee and promotion of human rights with a differential and gender based approach. The Human Rights Chapter incorporated important measures on education and human rights culture, access to justice, combating impunity and non-discrimination. Currently, the Congress was debating draft bills about restitution of land for those who were victims of human rights violations which demonstrated the Government’s commitment to victims. After so many years of irrational violence, reparation and remedy was required. The law deemed in the report was scheduled to be applied over a 10 year period and would cost $ 20 billion and would include the cancelation of fraudulent land holdings. The Government hoped that by April this year land would be handed back to rural families. The Government was deeply committed to human rights and would remain firm in hosting dialogue between different sectors. This year there was a constructive dialogue with human rights defenders which had begun to look at issues of justice, gender and land based issues. The Office of the Attorney General and Ombudsman and other state bodies would convene a national human rights conference this year. Colombia was well aware of the outstanding challenges in human rights and international humanitarian law and noted in the report the violations by armed groups. The Colombian Government was working towards a cultural of respect for human rights.

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