Human Rights Council 50th session
Interactive dialogue with the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia
Nordic-Baltic Intervention delivered by Denmark
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30 June 2022
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries.
We thank the Commission for its update. We fully agree there is a need to ensure complementarity with the work already done by other mandates.
We welcome recent positive steps taken by the government of Ethiopia in meeting with the Commission in Geneva and encourage the government to fully cooperate with the Commission, including allowing it full access to the country.
However, we remain deeply concerned about human rights violations and abuse by all parties to the conflict in Northern Ethiopia as well as in other parts of the country, especially in light of the recent unlawful killings of hundreds of civilians in the Oromia region on 18 June.
We urge all parties to seek negotiated political peace settlements to all ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia. The parties must ensure unhindered safe, humanitarian access and respect the human rights, security and safety of civilians. It is imperative that grave human rights violations and, in particular, sexual and gender based violence, are documented, investigated and prosecuted.
Commissioners,
could you share your thoughts on how you will pursue cooperation with relevant stakeholders going forward, including with the Ethiopian government and the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce?
Thank you.