Item 2: General Debate on the Report of the High Commissioner
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Delivered by Ambassador Keith Harper
Human Rights Council Session 31, March 22, 2016
Thank you Mr. President.
The United States commends the High Commissioner and his office and wishes to highlight the following countries where OHCHR is active.
We commend the people of Sri Lanka for restoring democratic institutions and urge the government to continue to pursue its reform agenda.
In Thailand, we urge the government to fully respect civil liberties and restore democratic governance, through an inclusive process and without delay.
The United States is troubled by the harassment and detention of peaceful activists and opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We call on the DRC to honor its international human rights obligations.
We welcome the commitment by the Haitian Provisional President to follow through with the agreement to complete the final round of the electoral process and we support all efforts aimed at finding consensual and constructive solutions that reflect the will of the Haitian people.
We call upon Cambodia to consult with and promote a vibrant, open, and free civil society, to support political plurality, and to ensure that its justice and legislative processes are transparent.
Libya faces a dire human rights situation. We strongly support continued efforts by the OHCHR to report on the human rights situation in Libya and OHCHR’s continued work with UNSMIL.
We lament the closure of the OHCHR field office in Togo in 2015.
We are deeply concerned by reports that Russia may close the Moscow office of the OHCHR. Such a move would be yet another example of the growing crackdown on independent voices and a deliberate step to further isolate the Russian people from the world.
Thank you.