UN Human Rights Council 
59^th  Session – Item 3
L.22 – General Comment
 

Elimination of female genital mutilations

EU General Comment

Mister President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU Member States that are members of the Human Rights Council. This general comment has been agreed upon by the EU as a whole.

We thank Burkina Faso and the African Group for presenting this resolution on a topic of great importance to the European Union.

The EU considers Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to be one of the most serious human rights violations—a harmful practice that undermines the recognition, full and equal enjoyment, and exercise of the rights of women and girls, including their right to bodily autonomy, while posing a severe threat to their health and well-being.

We strongly believe that the leadership and ownership demonstrated by the African Group on this issue are crucial. We acknowledge the efforts made to involve civil society organisations and relevant UN agencies in the drafting process.

We welcome the constructive and positive engagement of the African Group during the negotiations. We have been pleased to foster a fruitful dialogue on this vital issue.

We appreciate the inclusion of a comprehensive focus on the challenges and opportunities presented by digital and emerging technologies in the prevention of FGM.

We also welcome the references to the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls, which is clearly impacted by this harmful practice. All women and girls have the right to have full control over and decide freely on matters related to their sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, free from discrimination, coercion and violence.

Furthermore, we commend the recognition of FGM as a grave human rights violation, a form of abuse, and an extreme form of gender-based violence.

We believe there is significant scope for continued collaboration, including on the full, equal and meaningful participation of girls, which is highly relevant in this context. The EU continues to stress the importance of adopting a transformative approach to effectively address the root causes of FGM.

We believe that this year’s resolution reflects the development of a shared commitment and common ground to achieve the highest possible effectiveness in the fight against these harmful practices.