The Human Rights Council in its midday meeting held a general debate on the thematic reports by the United Nations Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office, and on the annual report of the High Commissioner.
In the general debate, speakers raised an array of issues including the abolition of the death penalty, unilateral coercive measures, torture and ill-treatment, violence against women and girls, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting and early and child marriage and arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of human rights defenders. Several delegations spoke about the right to development and post-2015 development agenda, and about poverty eradication as a prerequisite for sustainable development. Speakers expressed serious concern about the shrinking space for civil society organizations globally and said that human rights activists continued to be imprisoned because of their political views.
The following delegations took the floor during the general debate: Morocco (on behalf of a Group of States), Costa Rica, (on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), United Arab Emirates (on behalf of the Arab Group), Ethiopia (on behalf of the African Group), Sierra Leone (on behalf of a group of States), Romania, Pakistan, Montenegro, Ireland, United States, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Morocco, Cuba, Mexico, India, Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, Benin, Botswana, Algeria, Thailand (on behalf of a group of States), Estonia, Republic of Korea, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt, Netherlands, Singapore, Iceland, Spain, Iran, Armenia, United Nations Children Fund (joint statement), Switzerland, Malaysia, Sudan, Holy See, Republic of Moldova, Belgium, Council of Europe, Equatorial Guinea, Belarus, Turkey, Barbados, Syria, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Albania, Ecuador, Angola, Iraq and Panama.
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Извор: Канцеларија на Организацијата на Обединетите Нации во Женева – 15.09.2014
