United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Statement

Universal Periodic Review – Guinea-Bissau

January 2015

Thank you, Mr President,

The UK welcomes the return to constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau following the democratic Presidential and Legislative elections in 2014. We also welcome the subsequent improvement in the human rights situation, particularly in respect of civil and political rights, and encourage the Government to prioritise further action to promote and protect human rights. We applaud the Government's commitment to implement the security sector reform programme. We hope this process will reinforce the primacy of civilian authority, and reduce the potential for human rights violations by members of the security forces.
We also urge the Government to accelerate plans to strengthen the justice sector, making it more accessible, reliable and independent, thereby providing greater human rights protection for the people of Guinea-Bissau.
We acknowledge the efforts being made by the Government to encourage the abandonment of practices harmful to the health and well-being of women and girls, especially Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage. The recent conviction of individuals involved in the practice of FGM is welcome evidence of this commitment.

The UK makes two recommendations:

Take steps to end impunity, and to bring to justice those responsible for human rights abuses or violations.

Take practical steps, including through public information campaigns and greater community level engagement, to accelerate the eradication of FGM and to reduce the number of child, early and forced marriages.

Not protectively marked	2

Gambia UK Statement

televigne

2015-01-23

Valeriano De Castro

FCO