U.S. Mission to International
Organizations in Geneva

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

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

We recommend that Niger:

1. Follow through on legal obligations related to preventing and prosecuting human rights violations and abuses by security forces, including those involving physical and sexual abuse and arbitrary detention, and unlawful killings of unarmed persons.

2. Extend state services – including security, justice, education, and health services – to all its citizens, including access to a well-managed family planning program.

3. Strengthen protections for civic actors, including by ending arbitrary arrests of journalists and civil society activists who criticize the government.

We applaud Niger on its first democratic transfer of power in the face of reprehensible violence by terrorist groups. We encourage open and lawful proceedings as Niger addresses violence from extremist militant groups and seeks peaceful, political dialogue with opposition groups.