Madam President,

The EU warmly welcomes Ms. Isha Dyfan who possesses vast and diverse experience in the field of human rights and WPS agenda and congratulates her on her appointment as Independent Expert.

We welcome the commitment of the Federal Government of Somalia to improve the human rights situation in the country, and to address security threats and protection of civilians in compliance with international standards, including by working to strengthen accountability and the rule of law.

We commend the efforts of Somalia to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 despite a difficult context with prolonged armed conflict and ongoing humanitarian crises. We underline the importance of implementing a human rights-based approach in responding to the pandemic.

The EU is alarmed by reports of increased sexual and gender-based violence against women and children. The EU also remains deeply concerned about ongoing violations and abuses of human rights such as child early and forced marriages; female genital mutilation; recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and their detention; continued application of the death penalty; and restrictions to freedom of expression and media freedom. Moreover, we remain concerned about the vulnerable situation of IDPs and of persons with disabilities in the country.

The EU calls on the Somali government and all Somali stakeholders to swiftly implement Somalia's human rights obligations in full, to step up efforts to protect civilians, improve access to justice and ensure accountability, including by adopting a new Penal Code.

The EU is seriously concerned by recent developments relating to the Media Law and the Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill. We encourage Somalia to enact the Sexual Offences Bill of 2018, which has already been approved by the Government, adopt the draft Female Genital Mutilation Bill, reinforce the protection of children against abduction, protect freedom of expression and improve the safety of journalists.

The operationalization of the National Human Rights Commission also remains an important priority.

Madam Independent Expert, how can the EU and its Member States support your effort in preparing the human rights transition plan mandated by this Council?

I thank you.