UPR Reviews of Haiti, South Sudan, Timor Leste and Zimbabwe

Several UPR reviews of relevance to the Edmund Rice Network took place in Geneva in January.

The Christian Brothers North American Province joined with local partners to present a joint submission for Haiti, which focussed on issues of access to education and health care, child servitude and trafficking. All of these issues were the subject of recommendations made  to Haiti in the course of the review.

The review of South Sudan highlighted a wide range of human rights concerns. These included the implementation of the 2018 revitalised peace agreement, addressing past human rights abuses, particularly regarding sexual violence against women by members of the armed forces, freedom of expression, the safety of journalists and human rights defenders, discrimination and violence against women, early and forced marriage, the rehabilitation of child soldiers, access to education and health care and the need to ratify a range of key UN human rights treaties.

Timor Leste was commended for its implementation of recommendations received in previous reviews and for its adoption of a range of Action Plans on a range of human rights issues. The joint ERI submission with Vivat International and a number of local NGOs, focussed on issues relating to education and access to water and sanitation. Whilst neither issue featured prominently in the review several recommendations relating to access to education were put forward. The major issues raised in recommendations related to ratification of international conventions, disability, domestic and gender based violence and child marriage.

All of the issues raised in ERI’s joint submission prepared by the Justice Desk in South Africa featured prominently in the recommendations made to Zimbabwe. These issues included women’s rights, particularly in regard to marriage, equality and discrimination, child marriage and freedom of expression and assembly.

A complete list of the recommendations made to each State will eventually be available to download here by clicking on the relevant name. States reviewed are due to indicate their response to the recommendations by the June Human Rights Council session.