High Commissioner,
Mr. President,
Estonia fully aligns with the EU statement.
We thank the High Commissioner for his tireless efforts to uphold human rights and for speaking up against all violations and abuses, as well as for this update.
The situation of human rights around the world is deteriorating. We express our concerns over the human rights situations in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Sudan, and refer to Nordic-Baltic statements delivered during the respective interactive dialogues under item 2.
The escalation of tensions in Gaza and in the wider region is very worrying. We deplore the unbearable pain and suffering of civilians – mostly women and children – as a result of the ongoing military actions with devastating humanitarian consequences. We call on the parties to stop the atrocities and to respect their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law.
We strongly condemn Russia’s ongoing full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, which continues to inflict terrible consequences on civilians and particularly on children. As the new school year began in Ukraine, Russia intensified its deliberate attacks on the country’s educational facilities, further disrupting a study process. Making schools a target of bombing is a violation not only of international humanitarian law, but also of the right to education.
We are gravely concerned by the lack of upholding human rights for all across China, especially in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. In this regard, we welcome the High Commissioner’s recent statement on the two-year anniversary of the release of the OHCHR Xinjiang report, and his commitment to seek tangible results on human rights progress across the entire country and for the implementation of all UN recommendations.
Thank you!