3C: OHCHR dialogue

Nordic statement in the UNGA Third Committee interactive dialogue with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 13 October 2022.

The statement was delivered by Norway

The Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and my own country Norway wish to thank the Assistant Secretary-General for her presentation.

We reaffirm our strong support for the mandate of the High Commissioner and the independence of the Office. It is crucial for the UN’s efforts to promote and protect human rights.

The High Commissioner has a mandate to identify, verify and report on all serious human rights situations. Objective and well-researched assessments are a testament to the integrity of the Office. The Human Rights Council is responsible for addressing human rights violations wherever they occur. We regret that a majority in the Council rejected to follow up the report on Xinjiang with a debate.

OHCHR has a crucial role to play in assisting States in implementing their human rights obligations. We are strong supporters of its technical assistance and capacity-building, and we repeat our call for increasing the regular budget financing of the Office.