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Thank you, Mr. President.
I have the honor to speak on behalf of Morocco, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Tunisia and Romania, the Core-Group of the Human Rights Council Resolution 34/41 of 24 March 2017, establishing that the second session of the Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Forum be dedicated to Parliaments, as promoters of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
We take this opportunity to convey our appreciation to Mr. Martin Chungong, Chairperson of the Forum, for his guidance and leadership, as well as to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, for their assistance and cooperation. At the same time, we express our gratitude to the Office of the High Commissioner for ensuring the smooth running of the Forum's work.
Mr. President,
The second session of the Forum provided a platform for exchanging views, sharing best practices, as well as for identifying the main challenges faced by Parliaments in promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The discussions revealed, inter alia, situations affecting the capacity of women and persons that are marginalized or discriminated against to participate in parliamentary work and to stand for parliamentary office. It was also underlined the need for members of parliaments to enjoy their human rights as a prerequisite for promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Participants explored best practices to make parliaments more transparent, open and accountable, and to better interact with other State institutions. Enhancing the involvement of parliaments in international human rights mechanisms was also an important topic of discussion.
We therefore welcome the report of the Chairperson on the second session of the Forum and strongly encourage States and other stakeholders to consider and implement the recommendations contained therein.
Mr. President,
We take this opportunity to announce that this year’s resolution on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, under item 3 of the agenda, will focus on the third session of the Forum, to be held in 2020, under the theme “Equal access to justice for all: a necessary element of democracy, rule of law and human rights protection”. We count on the support of all Member States!
Thank you Mr. President.