Mr. President, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[1], Montenegro* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA country Liechtenstein, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

Mr President,

The EU reaffirms its strong commitment to the United Nations bodies tasked with the promotion and protection of human rights. The EU continues to support and defend the integrity and independence of the mandate of the High Commissioner and his Office. The OHCHR is indispensable in order to ensure impartial and objective scrutiny of human rights situations in all parts of the world. The Council also needs to step up its efforts to call for accountability and independent human rights monitoring.

The EU is seriously concerned about the continuing refusal of an increasing number of States to grant the OHCHR and the human rights mechanisms access to their territories or specific regions. The EU calls on all States to support the OHCHR, to grant access, to issue a standing invitation to Special Procedures, and also honour it.

Moreover, the EU reminds, as was also emphasized by the High Commissioner in his opening address to the Council that Members of this Council and candidates for membership are required to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights and have a particular responsibility to cooperate with the Council and its mechanisms.

Mr. President,

The EU continues to be seriously concerned about intimidations, harassments and reprisals against individuals and groups who seek to cooperate, cooperate or have cooperated with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights. Everyone should be able to enjoy their right, individually or in association with others, to unhindered access to and communication with international human rights bodies. We would like to commend the Assistant Secretary-General Andrew Gilmour for his work on leading these efforts within the UN system, and thank him for presenting the UN Secretary-General’s report, which constitutes yet another worrying account of the situation around the world. The EU hereby calls on all states and this Council to prevent and address cases of intimidations and reprisals.

In closing, the EU reiterates the importance of ensuring a safe and enabling environment for all civil society actors who remain invaluable partners for human rights mechanisms and play a vital role in the Council. We would like to ask the ASG Gilmour, how the UN system, including the Human Rights Council, could better respond to early warning signs that, if left unchecked, later on often lead to more severe acts of intimidations and reprisals?

Thank you.

[1] The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.