US Mission Geneva

When the mandate of the committee of experts was adopted in March, we made it clear that we did not support international oversight of domestic legal processes absent an indication that they are manifestly failing to deal seriously with alleged abuses.

The Human Rights Council created on September 30 the first-ever Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association to provide the special attention these fundamental freedoms currently lack. Support for the resolution came from countries across the globe.

The United States applauds the United Nations Human Rights Council’s establishment today of the first-ever UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association. The United States co-sponsored the resolution creating this mechanism with a broad cross-regional group of 62 countries, including original co-sponsors the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lithuania, the Maldives, Mexico and Nigeria.

The United States shares the grave concerns raised regarding kidnapping for ransom by terrorists, abhors such actions, unequivocally condemns impunity for hostage-takers, and firmly supports efforts to end the practice of ransom payments since these payments directly support terrorists

The United States believes in the importance of a credible, impartial, and transparent investigation into the tragic events of May 31. We emphasized this last June, and we continue to hold this view. We have expressed our commitment to working with partners, including our longstanding friends Israel and Turkey, to ensure a full and appropriate response to the incident and the circumstances that led to it.

The United States welcomes today’s engagement by the Human Rights Council on the issue of the mass rapes that occurred in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between 30 July and 2 August. The United Nations Security Council has clearly recognized the importance of protecting the women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from all forms of violence.

We appreciate that the Tomuschat Committee did not jump to conclusions on Israeli motives or recommend follow up in the UN, however we remind the HRC that the United States opposed the creation and mandate of this committee, which stems from the deeply flawed Goldstone report. We have detailed those concerns and need not repeat them here.

We begin by commending the many countries that have engaged with the HRC special procedures this year for working with the international community to address human rights and domestic political challenges in their countries.

The United States believes strongly in the protection of children from abuse and exploitation in armed conflict. We are dismayed at the continuing reports of children being killed, maimed, raped, sexually abused, forced to bear arms as child soldiers, forced into sexual slavery, used for exploitative labor purposes, and other deplorable acts at young ages.