U.S. Mission to International
Organizations in Geneva

38^th Session, May 3, 2021
Statement As Delivered by Meryn Schneiderhan

The United States warmly welcomes the Namibian delegation to the UPR working group.

We recommend that Namibia:

1. Prioritize fighting corruption by enacting an access to information law, fully implementing whistleblower protections and empowering and adequately funding the Anti-Corruption Commission to fulfill its mandate.
2. Establish a sexual offender registry program and review the effectiveness of sentencing laws and educational curriculum concerning gender-based violence.
3. Include the protection of same-sex couples in reforms and proposed amendments to the Combating of Domestic Violence Act.

We commend Namibia’s record of protecting human rights and recognize Namibia’s Tier 1 status for minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking. We recommend continued efforts to curb gender-based violence, and especially domestic violence. We believe it is important that Namibia increase public transparency and fully enforce laws that provide accountability for acts of corruption.