EU Statement – UN General Assembly 3rd Committee: Interactive dialogue with the Chair of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ms. Preeti Saran

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

We thank Ms. Preeti Saran for her comprehensive presentation. We also congratulate Ms. Saran on her re-election to the Committee for a new 4-year term.

The European Union and its Member States commend the Committee for its dedicated efforts to promote the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Committee plays a vital role in advancing the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights. We welcome its valuable guidance to States parties in the implementation of their obligations under the Covenant.

A strong and effective treaty body system is essential to the international human rights framework. Against the backdrop of ongoing operational challenges, the European Union and its Member States commend the Committee’s continued efforts to maintain its effectiveness and ensure the sustainable delivery of its mandate.

The European Union recognizes civil society organizations and national human rights institutions as indispensable partners in supporting the effectiveness of the United Nations human rights treaty body system. Ongoing operational challenges may affect their ability to engage with treaty bodies and contribute to their work. In this context, the EU and its Member States will continue to support the Committee’s efforts to ensure the meaningful, effective and inclusive participation of relevant stakeholders, which remains essential to the overall impact of the treaty body system.

The Covenant continues to apply in situations of armed conflict and occupation. We are deeply concerned by the large scale destruction of health, education, water and energy infrastructure in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war of aggression, and by measures in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine that condition access to health care, pensions, social benefits and education on the acquisition of the citizenship of the occupying Power.

As highlighted in the report, additional meeting time, including through the establishment of a third annual session, would contribute to reducing the backlog of reports awaiting consideration and enhancing alignment with other human rights mechanisms. At the same time, the liquidity crisis resulted in the reduction of the seventy-eighth session from four weeks to three. Other capacity constraints continue to affect the Committee's work. Against this backdrop, and recognizing the resource constraints affecting the Committee, what measures would most effectively enhance the implementation of its annual work cycle?

I thank you.