United States Mission Geneva

The United States notes with interest Nicaragua’s inclusion in its reporting on civil and political rights that the Office for Coordination of Access to Information guarantees that the government observes and complies with the law on access to information. Media and civil society groups, however, have expressed serious concerns that government officials have denied them access to information that should be publicly available, and also that the Office for Coordination of Access to Information is severely understaffed and lacks adequate equipment to reasonably serve the public. The United States recommends that Nicaragua ensure full compliance with the letter and spirit of its law on access to information, and that the Office for Coordination of Access to Information be sufficiently staffed and equipped to undertake its responsibilities to the public.

The United States remains concerned about the treatment and rights of migrant workers in Qatar, and we thus recommend that Qatar pass a comprehensive law specifically outlawing trafficking in persons. We further recommend that Qatar implement its new Sponsorship Law in a way that ends migrant workers’ dependence on their sponsors for residency rights, enabling workers to change jobs, travel, and negotiate for a fair contract without their sponsor’s permission. We additionally recommend that Qatar effectively protect the rights of the domestic workers who are excluded from the purview of current labor laws and who must rely for protection solely on the provisions of unregulated, private contracts they sign with their employers, thus making them especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

As in our humanitarian efforts now, and as we transition to reconstruction and rebuilding, the United States looks forward to working together with the international community and most importantly, with the government of Haiti to assist in its revitalization.

I came to Geneva for the Human Rights Council’s consideration of North Korea as part of the Universal Periodic Review, and I thought it was important to be here for that debate because of the importance of human rights in the United States, the concern in the United States for human rights in North Korea. I am very happy that I was able to be here for this and participate in this discussion.

The United States remains deeply concerned by the reports of human rights abuses committed in the DPRK, including allegations of extrajudicial execution, torture, and systemic deprivation of due process in prisons, labor camps, and other institutions where international standards are not met. The lack of remedies or transparent accountability in dealing with allegations of abuse makes it difficult for foreign governments to accurately assess the human rights situation in the DPRK.

The United States notes that torture and ill-treatment of suspects and prisoners and failure to provide food and basic health care in Congolese detention facilities continue. We also note that UN officials have raised very serious concerns about the DRC’s prisons.

The United States notes the Government of Norway’s actions to confront the problem of ethnic discrimination and racism, including the Action Plan to promote Equality and prevent Ethnic Discrimination 2009-2012.

Cambodia has made strides in recent decades to rebuild its judiciary and eliminate judicial corruption. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is one example; however, even within the administration of the ECCC there have been allegations of corruption.

The United States notes the Government of the Dominican Republic’s nationwide efforts to improve civil registration access and procedures. We remain concerned however, by the major barriers Dominicans of Haitian descent face in establishing their citizenship.