21st Session of the Universal Periodic Review
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Geneva,
January 28, 2015
The United States welcomes the Kuwaiti delegation.
We are encouraged that Kuwait has committed to improving the situation of its stateless population. Persons previously identified as eligible for citizenship should have their cases processed expeditiously. We also urge Kuwait to amend its nationality laws to eliminate discrimination against women in transmitting citizenship.
We applaud the opening of Kuwait’s domestic worker shelter and the startup of the Public Authority for Manpower. We urge continued efforts to prosecute all violators of the 2013 anti-trafficking law, to strengthen protections for workers and to prevent forced labor.
We recommend that Kuwait:
- Respect the universally recognized right to nationality set forth in the UDHR, and stop revoking citizenships, while reinstating citizenships that have already been revoked;
- Ensure that media and internet laws fully comply with Kuwait’s obligations to protect freedom of expression under international agreements;
- Schedule visits for the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression in line with their requests and Kuwait’s 2010 standing invitation.