Human Rights Council opens its high-level segment and hears from 20 dignitaries

24 February 2020

Hears Addresses by President of Montenegro, Captains Regent of San Marino, and the President of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord of Libya

The Human Rights Council this morning began its high-level segment, hearing addresses from dignitaries from 20 countries, who spoke about their national efforts to promote and protect human rights, challenges facing the multilateral order, and human rights violations globally. Many dignitaries voiced concern about grave human rights violations in countries around the world.

The following speakers took the floor: Milo Djukanović, President of Montenegro; Luca Boschi and Mariella Mularoni, Captains Regent of San Marino; Faiez Mustafa Serraj, President of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord of Libya; Antonio Rivas Palacios, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay; Heiko Maas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany; Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway; Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; Lejeune Mbella Mbella, Minister of External Relations of Cameroon; Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria; Jeppe Kofod, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan; Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia; Simon Coveney, Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland; Ann Linde, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden; Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia; Riad Al-Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine; Tete Antonio, Secretary of State for External Affairs of Angola on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries; Akmal Saidov, Minister of Human Rights of Uzbekistan; David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; and Damares Alves, Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights of Brazil.

The Council will next continue its high-level segment.

High-Level Segment

MILO DJUKANOVIC, President of Montenegro, stressed that Montenegro was dedicated to universal values that were fundamental for modern democracies, and that its continuous policy was to be an actor for peace, security and cooperation in its region. Montenegro’s experience in the Human Rights Council had taught it that it was necessary to strengthen genuine dialogue, understanding and tolerance. Yet, it seemed that the Council’s reach and potential was not being used in the most effective way. There were visible politically motivated activities that limited its operations, which led to the repetition of mistakes and the deepening of mistrust. Montenegro was continually active in protecting, promoting and fulfilling human rights, reporting regularly to all treaty bodies and cooperating openly with the system of special procedures, and strengthening the effectiveness of the Universal Periodic Review. The rule of law and fundamental freedoms were the priorities in the process of negotiations for a full-fledged membership of Montenegro in the European Union. Yet, Montenegro recognized the challenges that required more resolute engagement, such as gender equality and women’s rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, inclusion of the Roma population, response to human trafficking, improvement of media freedoms, and protection of journalists.

The Law on Religious Freedoms was in line with the most modern legislative standards. It upheld freedom of confession, regulated the legal position of religious communities, and guaranteed the constitutional principle of separation between the church and state. Yet, Montenegro had faced accusations from one religious community and a brutal media campaign led dominantly from the close neighbourhood, containing skilful manipulations and attempts to accuse the State of Montenegro of trying to usurp church property and change the centuries-long purpose it had been used for.

LUCA BOSCHI, Captain Regent of San Marino, wished to share the voice of all States in combatting all forms of human rights violations, and devoting the utmost attention to all areas of the world where human rights were being undermined. The Republic of San Marino was small and faced continuing economic difficulties. However, despite these factors, it had committed to transpose into domestic legislation the main achievements of international standards in respect of human rights. At the same time, it was committed to explore areas of possible improvements.

MARIELLA MULARONI, Captain Regent of San Marino, recalled all the progress made in recent years in the protection of human rights. This had included progress made in combatting violence against women and gender based violence, as well as promoting an education of non-indifference and non-discrimination. Progress had also been made in promoting a disability-friendly society, in particular by approving law no. 28 “Framework Law for the assistance, social inclusion and rights of persons with disabilities” in 2015. The introduction of civil registered partnerships in 2018, as well as an amendment to the Constitution to broaden the application of the principle of equality before the law in regard to sexual orientation, represented another step forward in this regard. The education curriculum had also been revised to include issues such as citizenship, dialogue, respect for others and conflict management. San Marino appealed to all States to abolish the death penalty, and hoped for a global moratorium on this punishment.

FAIEZ MUSTAFA SERRAJ, President of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord of Libya, said that he came not only to speak about the suffering and plight of people in Libya but also to speak about their aspirations. February marked the ninth anniversary of the revolution that ended the 42-year dictatorship. The Libyan people aspired to a civic state, but unfortunately some did not want it and were fighting it. The aggression that had been in place since 4 April 2019 was evidence of this, and until today there had been no deterring stance by the international community. There was continuing violation of human rights, leading to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, all undermining stability. The people of Libya refused dictatorship and looked to uphold the Constitution that enhanced the rule of law and civic rights. Due to shelling and the closure of schools, children had lost their right to education. Perpetrators had to be held to account. Because of the aggression led by war criminals, children were dead from shelling. A few days ago, Tripoli’s port was bombed and this was a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Libyan people were deprived of their economic rights. People in east Libya were silenced and deprived of their right to freedom of expression. A member of Parliament was recently kidnapped in Benghazi. All of this was done by Haftar, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court. The Council was reminded of the proxy war that was being led in the Libyan territory. The Government of National Accord considered that the international community had a responsibility to react and should address the root causes of the current aggression.

ANTONIO RIVAS PALACIOS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, reiterated Paraguay’s commitment to international law, political dialogue and cooperation among nations. The best way to address the most urgent issues facing humanity nowadays was to construct multilateral responses to them. There were no effective unilateral solutions. It was thus crucial to improve the resources, visibility and relevance of the Human Rights Council. In order to maintain the credibility of the Council, Member States should vote in the United Nations General Assembly with utmost responsibility. The Minister further noted that the efficiency and effectiveness of the Council should be measured by the real impact of its resolutions on the ground. States’ success in their efforts to protect human rights depended on their national human rights mechanisms, which was why Paraguay was working on strengthening its follow-up to human rights recommendations and their implementation. The Minister stressed that there could be no development without human rights, adding that the next few years would be key in achieving a more sustainable world. Countries thus had to step up strategic alliances in order to protect the environment and share prosperity. The Minister expressed concern about the situation of human rights in Nicaragua.

HEIKO MAAS, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, said that the quest for peace and respect for human rights remained two sides of the same coin. As members of both the Human Rights Council and the Security Council, Germany would pursue the institutional exchange between the two bodies. Germany would continue to fight against impunity for human rights violations, and as such it continued to support the work of the International Criminal Court as well as investigative mechanisms set up by the Council for specific conflicts. The Minister cautioned that around the world countries were seeing a worrying push back against human rights protections. Globalization, climate change and the digital revolution raised further questions, which included questions raised at a Ministerial Conference in Berlin last December. These would continue to be raised here at the Council, and the Office of the High Commissioner was key to this. Germany expressed concern at the chronic underfunding of this Office, and as such announced a voluntary contribution of at least 6 million euros for this work this year. The Minister noted other situations causing concern, including violations of liberties in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the shrinking scope for civil societies in China, Egypt and Russia, and the maltreatment of ethnic minorities such as the Uighurs. He also raised the worsening human rights situation in Venezuela, and the human toll of conflicts in Syria and Yemen. As well as these new conflicts, the threat of hate, racism and xenophobia continued to persist around the world, and had to be addressed with urgency.

INE MARIE ERIKSEN SØREIDE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, noted that the worrying trend of attacks on human rights and those who defended them was paired with the erosion of democracy and the rise of populism. Multilateral cooperation and the rules-based world order was being challenged globally. However, there was hope as brave activists and human rights defenders spoke up in persistent and peaceful protests all over the world. Only 9 per cent of the global population enjoyed a free press and journalism continued to be a dangerous occupation. In 9 out of 10 cases, killings of journalists were not punished and women journalists were particularly vulnerable to threats. The space for civil society continued to shrink. The latest statistics from the United Nations showed that every week, around nine people were murdered because of their efforts to build more inclusive and equal societies. Norway had further increased the budget for human rights efforts through other channels in 2020, in addition to being one of the largest donors to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. From 2018 to 2021, Norway would annually provide around $ 20 million to the Office of the High Commissioner

STEF BLOK, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, spoke about meeting three Rohinya refugees, one of the most discriminated peoples in the world. They were in The Hague to attend a court session and then they left and went back to an overcrowded refugee camp on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh. This Council existed to make a difference to people’s lives. It was here that the world community could engage in discussions with experts and governments, speak out, and pass resolutions on global human rights issues. They all knew that the Council sometimes fell short of its potential. The Council could sometimes be biased against some States, such was the case against Israel. As no multilateral organization was perfect and they had to improve the functioning of the Council, seeing how it was a leading United Nations human rights body. It was no surprise that the Council witnessed resistance to dealing with country situations. At the session in September last year, the Council had adopted important resolutions on Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing of its Rohingya population, on the slaughter of civilians by South Sudanese fighters’, on Syria’s targeting of hospitals and other civilian institutions, and on attacks on civilians and denial of humanitarian access in Yemen. That was why the Netherlands pledged to fully cooperate with the Council and why they had recently hosted the seventh meeting of the Istanbul Process, supporting efforts to combat intolerance based on religion or belief.

LEJEUNE MBELLA MBELLA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, recalled a number of issues facing all countries, including the migration crisis and its many victims, violent terrorism, the environmental impact of climate change, and the crisis of multilateralism. These undermined the legitimate expectations of communities. Last year had held considerable challenges for Cameroon. It had continued its major development projects in order to improve the living conditions of its citizens. However, the hosting of large numbers of refuges, as well as fighting Boko Haram had been major concerns. Security in the north west and south west of the country had improved to some extent. Cameroon continued to bring forward structural and regulatory measures to bring this conflict to an end. On 24 December 2019, a general legal code had decentralized Cameroon, granting a special status to the north west and south west regions due to their linguistic specificities. The Government had also banned discrimination against anyone based on the language used. He explained that a fire which occurred on 14 February 2020 in Ngarbuh during action by the security forces had caused the sad death of one woman and four children. A number of reports had accused the forces of killing 22 villagers, including 14 children, but he rejected these allegations. The deaths had occurred during a security operation to tackle armed gangs that had been operating in the area.

ALEXANDER SCHALLENBERG, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria, congratulated the Council for the appointment of Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, a distinguished Austrian diplomat who had been successfully serving Austria for many years. The Secretary-General had given a clear wake-up call to all when he spoke of a global human rights crisis. The fundamental rights in many countries were being seriously threatened. In Syria, the recent intensification of fighting in Idlib had led to numerous civilian deaths and new displacement. In Yemen, war crimes had been committed over the last years. In Venezuela, the world was witnessing abuse of State power, with people being executed and incarcerated without any legal basis or access to a fair trial. In light of these and other alarming situations, they had to hold firm and demand compliance with the principle of “pacta sunt servanda”. Priority issues for Austria were the rights of minorities, freedom of expression and human rights and new technologies. Minorities around the globe faced persecution and violence and Austria renewed its commitment to ensuring that concerns of minorities continued to be reflected in the work of the United Nations, by presenting a resolution to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and by hosting the next regional forum on minority issues in Vienna. In times of fake news, targeted misinformation campaigns and hate speech, Austria remained committed to the protection of journalists and the promotion of freedom of expression.

JEPPE KOFOD, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, said that Denmark took its Council membership very seriously, noting that human rights and democracy were core pillars of its foreign policy. The Council held a promise of giving a stronger voice for human rights in the United Nations. But it needed improvements if it was to fulfil its potential. Steps had been taken in the right direction, such as the creation of an international independent fact-finding mission to Venezuela, the renewal of the Group of International and Regional Eminent Experts on Yemen, and the mechanisms established on Syria and Myanmar. Denmark’s answer to serious threats to human rights around the world would not be an indifferent silence. Women’s and girls’ rights had been a Danish priority for decades. Denmark would not accept rolling back on the progress made in that field. For Denmark, it was a key priority to counter the tendency to misuse religion to suppress women’s rights. The prohibition of torture was another priority for Denmark, the Minister said, as well as the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. There was a worrying trend of shrinking civic space. The Danish Government had increased its engagement to support civil society organizations and human rights defenders. The United Nations must develop a lasting human rights culture that could deliver real impact for citizens across the world, the Minister concluded.

MUKHTAR TILEUBERDI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, said that Kazakhstan had been firmly committed to the values of human rights since gaining independence. It attached great importance to cooperation with all international human rights mechanisms and recognized the pivotal role that the Council played in this regard. As a result of a peaceful transition of power and the subsequent election in June 2019, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a well-known diplomat and former Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, had been elected as the President of Kazakhstan. His main priorities included protecting human rights, resolving pressing social problems and developing an inclusive economy, and he had initiated a wide dialogue with civil society. Kazakhstan had decided to accede to the second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aimed at abolishing the death penalty. All submitted recommendations during Kazakhstan’s Universal Periodic Review had been examined and 90 per cent of them had been supported. Additionally, a decision had been taken to revise the law on peaceful assemblies and relevant articles of the Criminal Code which would contribute to the effective implementation of the right of people to exercise their right to freedom of expression. Penalties had been toughened for those who committed violence.

EDGARS RINKEVIČS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, said that one of the greatest achievements of the United Nations was the creation of a comprehensive human rights system. Human rights were a core element of international law, and all Member States must protect, respect and fulfil human rights. The Minister expressed concern about restrictions on freedom of expression in the Russian Federation, as well as about the situation of human rights in the occupied regions of Georgia and eastern Ukraine. He called on the Russian authorities to ensure impartial investigation of those violations. Latvia continued to be alarmed by the shrinking of civil space in certain countries and harassment, intimidation and arrest of human rights defenders, especially women and defenders of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. Each year there were countries that took the necessary steps towards decriminalizing same-sex relationships. However, in the past year there had been a deeply worrying trend of several countries taking a backward step and enacting new criminal provisions against same-sex relationships. Turning to freedom of expression in all its forms, the Minister reminded that journalists’ safety and the integrity of their work was endangered on a daily basis. He also underlined that violations of freedom of religion were particularly concerning, especially when religious groups were banned and oppressed on the grounds of alleged “extremism.”

SIMON COVENEY, Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland (Tánaiste), said that in these turbulent and unpredictable times, all needed a clear and independent voice to speak out in support of fundamental rights. States would not deliver on their commitments under the 2030 Agenda unless they recognized that the protection of human rights lay at the heart of sustainable development. The use of the death penalty continued, the safe environment for civil society actors was routinely threatened, and human rights defenders were subjected to attacks. In northern Syria, children were being driven from their homes in sub-zero temperatures. The catastrophe in Idlib was a dark moment for humanity. In Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, the devastating impacts of conflict and instability continued to be felt by a staggeringly high number of civilians. Irish people knew from their own experience that the process of sustaining peace could often seem impossible. Because Ireland understood the benefits of peace, it was committed to the Middle East peace process. The only realistic way for a just peace was through a negotiated two-State solution with an independent Palestinian State. Mr. Coveney said the current multilateral architecture had to be adapted to recognize the scale of challenges of the twenty-first century, including the existential threat of climate change? A properly resourced and dynamic United Nations, including the vital human rights pillar, continued to offer the best platform to unite people in a global community.

ANN LINDE, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, reaffirmed Sweden’s support for the Human Rights Council, highlighting its unique and important role to address, prevent and remedy human rights violations and abuses. She reminded that human rights were being pushed back and that democracy was in decline, adding that States had an obligation towards the individual as the rights bearer and that their work should be guided by a human rights-based approach. Ms. Linde further stressed that multilateral cooperation and dialogue were needed more than ever. It was when they disagreed that States needed to come closer and talk more. Because half of the world’s population still did not enjoy the same rights, representation and resources as the other half, the world needed to hear again about Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy. As long as women’s and girls’ enjoyment of human rights was considered less important than that of men, the world stood to lose, the Minister emphasized. Sweden also continued to push for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. Speaking of new challenges to human rights, Ms. Linde named social and economic inequality, corruption, shrinking space for civil society and free media. Accordingly, Sweden’s Drive for Democracy initiative dealt with those dangerous trends and pursued them in parallel with its Feminist Foreign Policy. As part of the Drive, Sweden would emphasize the rule of law, from the democratic fundamentals of legislation to combating corruption and fighting for accountability.

RETNO LESTARI PRIANSARI MARSUDI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, listed concerning worrying trends globally, including: trade wars, development and poverty; the fight for women’s rights and equality; growing xenophobia and racism; hate speech which was dividing communities; and denial of basic human rights for Palestinians which was at its worst. The situation in the Council created challenges. The current United Nations financial crisis had an impact on the work of the Council as well as the persistent divide between the prioritization of civil and political rights vis-à-vis economic, social and cultural rights. Against this background, Indonesia proposed three points. First, the prevention mandate of the Council had to be strengthened, by redoubling efforts on the promotion of human rights. The Council had to focus on how to best prevent human rights violations by strengthening national capacities and resilience and creating an ecosystem of peace. Second, the Council had to ensure inclusivity and involve all stakeholders, especially women. Investing in women meant investing in human rights. Third, there was a need to ensure synergy and collaboration within the work in the Council. The Council could not work alone and partnership was crucial. Better coordination was needed between Geneva and New York. If all of those points were embraced, there would be potential for innovative solutions for long-standing issues. It would resolve the issue of overlapping mechanisms and proliferation of resolutions among the Council and other United Nations organs.

RIAD AL-MALIKI, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, regretted the complete lack of justice and the flagrant violation of international human rights law being perpetrated around the world. The Human Rights Council was the last bastion for people that believed in law and human rights. The international community had largely failed to live up to its reputation for protecting human rights. Nevertheless there must be a commitment to honouring universal human rights. Palestinians’ rights, whether humanitarian or diplomatic, must be defended. As such, the State of Palestine would take to the International Court of Justice the Americans’ violation of human rights, as a result of their decision to relocate their embassy to Jerusalem. They had also brought a complaint to the Human Rights Council, as there were serious grounds for believing that war crimes had been committed by the Israeli Government in the occupied territories. He called on States to support Palestinians and help emancipate them from Israeli occupation. Increasing settlements were being built by Israel with American support. Israel’s impunity was widespread. People were being killed everywhere, including women and children. The use of the death penalty was also in place, as recently as yesterday for a young man from Gaza. The so-called “Deal of the Century” was of course not a plan for peace, but instead was a plan to see the Palestinian people capitulate. State of Palestine called on Member States, the European Union and the African Union to reject this plan. Jerusalem had to be the capital of a Palestinian State, and there could be no peace deal without the right of Palestinians to return. The Council had taken some positive steps, including reports highlighting the unlawful operation of international companies in the occupied territories.

TETE ANTONIO, Secretary of State for External Affairs of Angola, delivering his statement on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, underlined the supremacy of peace, democracy, the rule of law and social justice. For the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, he invited all to attend a side event, which would be attended by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ministers from Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique, as well as representatives of the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and Visao Mundial. The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries would also hold a side event devoted to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration with debates dedicated to the 2030 Agenda and human rights. The Minister reminded that 2019 was the year of youth in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries and that they were implementing the Plan of Action for Youth 2018-2022 with goals related to education, health, gender equality, reduction of inequalities, climate change, peace, justice and effective institutions, and cooperation, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

AKMAL SAIDOV, Minister of Human Rights of Uzbekistan, reminded of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, which had laid the foundations for the modern architecture of international law, including universal values of protecting human rights. The Minister also recalled the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which had been one of the first instruments that Uzbekistan had ratified since gaining independence. He stressed that Uzbekistan had begun a new political atmosphere following the recent elections. The country had taken active measures to implement the gender equality principles. It had established the National Commission for Gender Equality, and a woman assumed the position of the chair of the Senate. Female deputies now accounted for 32 per cent of all deputies of the Parliament, and they occupied 25 per cent of seats in the Senate. Uzbekistan intended to continue making tremendous progress in ensuring gender equality and to create a “discrimination-free zone.” Upon the initiative of its President, Uzbekistan paid special attention to ensure a more active role of citizens in improving the effectiveness of reforms under the slogan “Society – the initiator of reforms”. The Government was also implementing the National Indicators of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and it had developed a National Human Rights Strategy. Uzbekistan paid great importance to cooperation with international partners and multilateral structures, especially the United Nations, the Minister stressed.

DAVID ZALKALIANI, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, said that the world continued to see the dire consequences of the conflict in Syria, and the struggle of courageous people seeking a democratic transition in Venezuela. The international community had a significant role to play in alleviating such conflicts. Human rights and environmental protection, child friendly justice, and civic participation were necessary, among other measures, to secure human rights around the world. Member States should continue to seek to uphold the work of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism, one of the key mechanisms of the United Nations. As such, Georgia looked forward to its third Review cycle this year. Advancing the human rights framework was the top priority of Georgia, which remained committed and actively took part in relevant initiatives. Each year the Council adopted an annual resolution on cooperation with Georgia. He outlined the intention of the Government to table a resolution on the continued cooperation with Georgia during the current session, and hoped that Member States would support this. In Abkhazia and neighbouring regions, despite repeated calls by the Council, the human rights situation on the ground continued to deteriorate, with ethnic discrimination, arbitrary detention, and violations of the right to health among many abuses currently being faced by the local population. The recent decision by Russia to remove Georgian produced medicine, the erection of barbed wire fences, and the regular closing of the border crossing continued to cause alarm. He deplored the violence against the ethnic Georgian population, and called on Member States of the Council to impose restrictive measures on those responsible for perpetrating this violence.

DAMARES ALVES, Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights of Brazil, reminded that the Brazil of the past had been inundated with violence and corruption; the priority of the new Brazil was to protect the right to life. The Minister cited a 20 per cent decrease in the number of murders in a single year, as well as the declining number of raped women. She stressed that the fight against organized crime was another priority for the Government. The new ombudsman for human rights received thousands of calls per day in multiple languages, whereas video calls would soon allow the Brazilian deaf community to report rights violations. The Government was fully committed to fighting corruption, which had been the biggest human rights violation in the past. The Bolsonaro administration had inherited a situation of systematic embezzlement of funds. Funds would be dedicated to helping adolescents in conflict with the law and for the protection of human rights. The Bolsonaro Government would also pay a life pension to children born with microcephaly due to the Zika virus. When it came to equality between men and women, Brazil had sophisticated laws to protect the rights of women, aimed at fighting violence against women and girls, the Minister explained. The Brazilian Government was fully committed to fighting violence against children. Children in the Amazon region required the full attention of the Government, as did illegal deforestation. As for fighting violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, the Government had published a report on their treatment in the prison system. The re-election of Brazil to the Human Rights Council confirmed its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, and Brazil continued to welcome visits by special procedures, the Minister concluded.

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