2. Views expressed by member and observer States
of the Council on the review outcome
609. No views were expressed by States members and observers of the Council.
3. General comments made by other relevant stakeholders
610. The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, in a joint statement with Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, welcomed the process and outcome of the universal periodic review, and the attention paid during the interactive dialogue and in the report in the Working Group to the severe exclusion of the Roma minority in the Czech Republic and to the need to tackle discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It requested that the record reflect specific concerns, including the lack of a Government response to the coercive sterilization of several hundreds of Roma women during the period from the late 1970s to 2004. The Government had not offered any clear indication as how it intended to rectify the current erosion of the right to adequate housing in domestic law. It was also unknown how the Government would desegregate the school system and deal with the Presidential veto of an anti-discrimination bill adopted by the Czech Parliament on 24 April 2008. It urged the Czech Republic to take account of these matters in the follow-up to the universal periodic review.
611. Amnesty International welcomed the focus in the review on the issue of discrimination against ethnic minorities and other marginalized groups. Amnesty International supports and welcomes suggestions to ensure that Roma are not discriminated against in the area of employment, health care, education, housing and access to justice. Roma continue to suffer from discrimination at the hands of both public officials and private individuals. They can often not obtain housing, even if they present financial guarantees. Segregation in the education system is widespread and Roma children are frequently placed in special schools for children with mental disabilities. Concern was also expressed at the fact that Roma women had been subjected to sterilization procedures without their full and informed consent. The Government should take all measures to stop such practices.
4. Views expressed by the State under review
on the outcome and concluding remarks
612. In his closing remarks, the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic thanked all representatives who had taken the floor. Thanks were also expressed to all those who had devoted their time to studying the human rights situation in the Czech Republic and had raised concrete recommendations during the interactive dialogue. For the Permanent Representative, the delegation and his colleagues in the ministries, the universal periodic review had become a unique chance to see the human rights in the country through the eyes of all others, and they would continue working on its follow-up.
Argentina
613. The review of Argentina was held on 16 April 2008 in conformity with all the relevant provisions contained in Council resolution 5/1, and was based on the following documents: the national report submitted by Argentina in accordance with the annex to Council resolution 5/1, paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/1/ARG/1); the compilation prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/1/ARG/2); and the summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/1/ARG/3).
614. At its 18th meeting, on 11 June 2008, the Council considered and adopted the outcome of the review on Argentina (see section C below).
615. The outcome of the review on Argentina is constituted of the report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (A/HRC/8/34 and Corr.1), together with the views of Argentina concerning the recommendations and/or conclusions, as well as its voluntary commitments and its replies presented before the adoption of the outcome by the plenary to questions or issues that were not sufficiently addressed during the interactive dialogue in the Working Group.
1. Views expressed by the State under review on the recommendations
and/or conclusions as well as on its voluntary commitments
616. The Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations Office at Geneva reaffirmed the commitment of Argentina to the universal system for the promotion and protection of human rights, in particular the Council and its mechanisms.
617. For Argentina, the system of bodies created pursuant to human rights treaties and special procedures of the Council is one of the main achievements of the United Nations in the field of the promotion and protection of human rights at the universal level, and constitutes one of the principal tools of the Organization for ensuring the compliance with international human rights obligations assumed by States.
618. Argentina noted that in the framework of the reform of the United Nations system some three years ago, the establishment of the universal periodic review was one of the main innovations. The review mechanism enables the Council to assess the human rights situation in a given country within a framework of universality and non-selectivity, while ensuring equal treatment for all States in accordance with General Assembly resolution 60/251 which created the Council.
619. Argentina noted that with the two first sessions of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, the system has been put in place. Throughout these two sessions, a genuine and constructive international dialogue and an excellent cooperation among States took place, and this will certainly contribute to improving the compliance with human rights obligations and commitments. Nevertheless, Argentina noted that it is important to further improve the mechanism within the framework of the Working Group. In particular, it is necessary to work with a view to contributing to the uniformity of certain key aspects of the mechanism, such as the preparation of the reports of the Working Group, in coordination with the troika and the Secretariat, as well with regard to the format to be used for the section on recommendations.
620. Argentina was in the first group of countries to be reviewed in the context of the universal periodic review. Within the framework of the review of Argentina, 21 recommendations were made. The Government of Argentina has accepted all those recommendations.
621. Argentina considers that this last stage of the mechanism - the adoption of the outcome by the Council - is of particular importance since it makes it possible to include civil society in the process, in an active and participatory manner. Argentina has supported the participation of the civil society since the beginning of the negotiations on the institution-building process. Argentina highlighted the importance of contributions by non-governmental organizations to the debate.
622. Argentina also wished to emphasize the issue of follow-up to the recommendations and commitments made within the framework of the universal periodic review. The Council will in the future have the task of carrying out that work in the most appropriate manner. In this regard, Argentina has embarked on domestic measures to comply with the recommendations made during the review and with its voluntary commitments. Argentina will report in due course on the follow-up to the recommendations and commitments. Argentina indicated that it had already decided to announce its decision to recognize the competence of the Committee established under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to examine individual complaints and inter-State communications, through a communication sent to the relevant office of the United Nations in New York.
623. Similarly, Argentina announced that on 21 May, the Congress approved the legislation authorizing the executive branch to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto, the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
624. The Government of Argentina is also developing new initiatives to comply with recommendation 4 in respect to witness protection, in particular those witnesses giving evidence in trials related to human rights violations. Argentina further indicated that it is committed to keep the Council informed of developments for the fulfilment of its commitments and follow-up to the recommendations, and reiterated its commitment to continuing to take an active part in the work of the Council.
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