US Mission Geneva

Ambassador Donahoe: It’s so important to have journalists participating at the Council, but also specifically in the UPR process because you can really make a difference in amplifying the message that comes out of the UPR process for your own country. I think that is particularly important in the case of Burma.

The United States commends Saint Kitts and Nevis for its commitment to protecting human rights, especially noting the establishment of a Human Rights Desk at the Ministry of Health to respond to human rights abuses against persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Thank you very much and welcome to everybody. We’re very pleased to have you with us today. As you know, in our work at the Human Rights Council the U.S. places great stress on the core human right of freedom of expression, and your work as journalists is central to making that right real for others and because you are actually able to amplify the work of human rights defenders and civil society actors where you live and work.

I echo President Obama, Secretary Clinton and so many others in expressing deep sadness at the senseless loss of Ugandan human rights defender and LGBT activist David Kato. As an advocate for the group Sexual Minorities Uganda, David Kato worked tirelessly to improve the everyday lives of vulnerable gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals. His efforts helped achieved the Ugandan High Court’s January 3 ruling safeguarding all Ugandans’ right to privacy and the preservation of their human dignity.

We felt it was very important to come and open this session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) and do so with a great emphasis, first of all, on our support for the work of the CD historically, for the profound influence it has had on disarmament and arms control as well as the non-proliferation agenda.

The United States welcomes Deputy Minister Kaparadze and the Georgia delegation to the UPR Working Group and thanks Georgia for the completion of its national report and presentation today. We would like to offer the following comments.

The United States warmly welcomes Foreign Minister Spindelegger and the Austrian delegation to the UPR Working Group. We have carefully reviewed the report and presentation, and would like to make a few observations and recommendations.

GENEVA – On January 27th, the U.S. government and the government of the Russian Federation, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation (MOHSD), signed a Protocol of Intent on Cooperation for the Global Eradication of Polio.

The United States welcomes the Burmese delegation to the UPR Working Group, but we remain deeply concerned about the very poor state of human rights in your country.