HRC 39 - EU Intervention: General debate on Item 10, including on other HC/SG country reports (Georgia)

Mr President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[*], Montenegro* and Albania*, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

The EU reaffirms its strong support for the important work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in providing technical assistance and capacity building at the country level. We thank the High Commissioner for the reports presented to the Council, including the oral updates on Ukraine and Libya pursuant to the resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council in June 2017 and March this year.

Technical assistance and capacity building can be vital for the effective integration of human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law in national policies and frameworks. Many States present in this room have received technical assistance from OHCHR which has strengthened legislation, policies and frameworks.

In the case of the EU we have benefited from technical support in the development of directives and policies to ensure their full compatibility with international human rights standards for which we are grateful.  

The EU would like to encourage States to respond positively to technical assistance and capacity building. We call upon States to fully cooperate with the OHCHR, including providing the Office unhindered access to monitor and report on the human rights situation on the ground. 

Mr. President,

The EU welcomes the technical cooperation provided by the OHCHR to Georgia. We appreciate the cooperation of the Government of Georgia with the OHCHR and its office in Tbilisi and acknowledge the progress made in certain areas. The EU remains concerned about the report’s conclusion that there has been no progress in granting access for OHCHR and international human rights mechanisms to Georgia’s regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and urges those exercising effective control to grant unfettered access to these areas. In the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, growing restrictions on freedom of movement and other measures have negative implications on the rights to education, to health and to property and hinder the achievement of further and tangible progress in the Geneva International Discussions. The death in custody of Archil Tatunashvili in Tskhinvali in February 2018 and other unresolved cases of alleged unlawful death or killing need to be addressed.

The EU also follows closely the human rights developments in the Central African Republic, Somalia, the Sudan, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ukraine, Cambodia and Yemen, which we have commented on in detail during the respective interactive dialogues.

I thank you, Mr. President.

[*] Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.