General Comment by the Delegation of the United States of America
Human Rights Council 29th Session
July 2, 2015
Thank you, Mr. President.
The United States welcomes the continued attention of the Council to the issue of protecting human rights while countering terrorism. It is essential that this body returns to consensus on how best to further address this important issue and we appreciate the lead sponsors’ efforts to ensure all viewpoints are reflected in the final text of this resolution. States play a crucial role in protecting persons from acts of terrorism and, as is well-known, the United States has taken a range of measures to counter the scourge of terrorism. Further, each State has the primary responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. Additionally, the United States wishes to clarify that the reference in operative paragraph 4 to a responsibility of States to protect persons in their territory from acts of terrorism does not describe or give rise to any general international legal obligation.
Thank you.