Mr. President,
Distinguished Members of the Human Rights Council,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the High Commissioner, I take this opportunity to highlight some of the reports that have been submitted to this session of the Human Rights Council. Most of these reports are country-specific. As the seventh session progresses in the forthcoming days, we will also offer details from reports that cover thematic issues.

Allow me to begin with two reports that are annexed to the Annual Report. Specifically, I refer to aspects of OHCHR work with regard to Guatemala and Uganda.

Concerning our activities in Guatemala, I am pleased to inform you that, during the past year, OHCHR provided technical assistance to a wide range of State institutions and non-governmental organizations, including the national human rights institution and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Congress, and a diverse group civil society entities. The Office continued to provide advice in the development of key legal standards and public policies. We are very pleased with the announcement by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs earlier this week regarding his Government’s intention to extend the mandate of OHCHR in Guatemala and look forward to continue our fruitful cooperation.

With regard to our work in Uganda, the report focuses on the human rights situation in northern and north-eastern Uganda. Significant progress should be welcomed such as the large scale return of IDPs and a significant reduction in military subsequently replaced by police. It is particularly important to respect the rights of IDPs to a free and informed choice in determining if, when and where they wish to move. The report underlines that in coordination with the Uganda Human Rights Commission, OHCHR has successfully stepped up its training and capacity building activities. We welcome the recent progress reached with regard to the peace agreement. OHCHR is ready to assist in the implementation of relevant aspects of the agreement, particularly with regard to accountability and reconciliation.

Moving now on to our report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, you will recall that the High Commissioner had an opportunity to observe developments first hand during her mission there in November last year. We remain deeply concerned by the effect on human rights of the intensification of the armed conflict throughout 2007. In addition to casualties resulting from military operations by the warring parties, civilians have also suffered from the destruction of property, loss of livelihood, displacement, and disruption of access to education, healthcare and essential services.

Let me now highlight our report’s account of a number of developments that have taken place in Sierra Leone. A Commission charged with reviewing the 1991 Constitution was established. Important legislation for the protection of women’s rights relating to domestic violence, inheritance and registration of customary marriages, was passed by Parliament. There still remains a number of challenges to the full promotion and protection of human rights, including prolonged pre-trial detention, poor prison conditions and increasing incidents of gender-based violence. A key recommendation formulated in the report is that the Government of Sierra Leone take all possible measures to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and particularly the establishment of a Reparations Program and a Trust Fund for war victims.

Concerning our report on Colombia, 2007 has also seen progress in efforts to protect human rights. These included the initiation of legal proceedings against former paramilitary leaders and judicial investigations into the activities of high level officials for their alleged links with paramilitary groups. At the same time, the report describes the dynamics generated by the interplay of the internal armed conflict, drug-trafficking and organized crime. Among the challenges identified is the need to guarantee the rights of all victims of violations of human rights and breaches of humanitarian law, as well as the consolidation of the demobilization of the paramilitary groups.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me illustrate briefly our report on the role and achievements of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the Government and the People of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of human rights. Our office there continued its technical cooperation to support relevant Government institutions, focusing on the inter-related areas of the rule of law, rights to land and livelihood, as well as civil society participation. In addition, the Office continued to provide support to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. We welcome the 18-month extension of our Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Cambodia on the implementation of a technical cooperation program on human rights, which we signed last November last year. We look forward to resuming discussions for a standard agreement.

Regrettably, and as our report before you details, the High Commissioner’s most recent meeting with the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea yielded no concrete results. As requested by this Council, we offered OHCHR technical assistance to the Government of the DPRK, particularly in light of the forthcoming review of that country under the UPR. Despite such impasse, OHCHR stands ready to engage with the DPRK authorities in an open dialogue on human rights issues.

Mr. President,

I will move now to our report on Nepal, a country where significant progress has been made. Efforts to reduce statelessness have already been highlighted by the High Commissioner. I would also like to mention the signing and ratification of several international human rights instruments, the promulgation of regulations providing quotas for marginalized groups and women in recruitment to the civil service, the police and the army, as well as the appointment of members of the National Human Rights Commission. However, there continue to be obstacles to the full enjoyment of human rights in the country, with particular concerns regarding the Terai region. The constituent assembly election, postponed twice in 2007, is now due to be held in April. It will be a major and crucial milestone in the transition of the country as well as in addressing the longstanding issues of discrimination and impunity. Progress on both these issues is crucial to consolidate peace.

I also draw your attention to the Report of the Secretary-General on the Question of Human Rights in Cyprus, and to our report on the conclusion of the Fourth Annual Workshop on regional cooperation for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asia-Pacific region, which falls under item 8.

The subject of the geographic composition of the Office has been commented on extensively this morning. I will therefore simply draw your attention to the report on the composition of the staff of the Office that has been submitted to you as document A/HRC/7/57. I believe that the report shows that OHCHR has significantly reversed the trend of recruitment from overrepresented regions, thanks to the measures vigorously applied by the High Commissioner. Of course, the work will continue to further improve the geographic diversity of OHCHR staff in order to achieve adequate representation of all member states.

Finally, in the context of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I would like to remind you of the year-long, system-wide campaign that the Secretary-General launched last December. OHCHR, together with partners in the UN, governments, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and educational centers, is planning a series of activities both at the country and international level to mark this crucial milestone. The details of these activities are outlined in our report A/HRC/7/34.

I trust that the information presented in all our reports will contribute to enriching your discussion in the days to come.

Thank you.