US Mission Geneva

1. THAILAND – CUSTOMS AND FISCAL MEASURES ON CIGARETTES FROM THE PHILIPPINES A. REPORT OF THE APPELLATE BODY (WT/DS371/AB/R) AND REPORT OF THE PANEL (WT/DS371/R) • The United States followed this dispute as a third party, in particular the issues raised with respect to the interpretation and application of Article X:3(b) of the GATT 1994 [...]

The United States recognizes the need to improve coordination on policies and programs within the UN system to empower women, and fully supports UN Women, Under-Secretary-General Bachelet and her team in stepping up to this challenge.

The human challenge of Internet freedom is to use technological tools to build a different kind of relationship between citizens, civil society and their governments — a relationship based not merely upon the consent of the governed, but upon broad participation in governance by all citizens.

The exhibit features 60 black-and-white portraits of individuals from tribes around the world including subjects from Australia, Bali, Bhutan, Botswana, Canada, Fiji, Haiti, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Peru, the United States, and Zambia.

We appreciate in particular the focus on good practices of indigenous peoples’ participation in different levels of decision-making. The examples highlighted in the report give us much to think about as we work to improve the participation of Native Americans in decisions that affect both them and the overall well-being of the United States.

The Government of Syria continues to carry out a pattern of gross human rights violations despite promises to stop. As Secretary Clinton said yesterday, from the U.S. perspective, President Assad “has lost legitimacy.” She said: “President Assad is not indispensible, and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power. Our goal is to see that the will of the Syrian people for a democratic transformation occurs.”

On this World Population Day we must redouble our efforts for the health and well-being of women and families around the world. The United States is committed to working with other governments across the globe and with our international and non-governmental partners to meet the opportunities and challenges of population growth …

This year a jury will choose three policies that they believe best contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of forests. Twenty policies from sixteen countries were nominated and the United States joins five other countries on the list of finalists: Bhutan, The Gambia, Nepal, Rwanda, and Switzerland.

Special Rapporteurs are supposed to be impartial, objective, and demonstrate personal integrity. Mr. Falk’s behavior is not consistent with these qualities, and his lack of judgment in posting this cartoon is stunning, even if he has subsequently removed it from his blog. Notwithstanding his retraction, that Special Rapporteur Falk should have even temporarily endorsed such a cartoon by posting it on his personal blog demonstrates that he is unfit to serve in his role. I regret that statements in the media about this issue attributed to the OHCHR do not come near to addressing its seriousness.