Universal Periodical Review of Kiribati

19 January 2015

Intervention by the delegation of Estonia

Estonia warmly welcomes the delegation of Kiribati to the UPR’s 21st session.

Estonia notes with appreciation that since the last UPR session, Kiribati has taken several steps to implement the previous recommendations. First, we would like to commend Kiribati for significant progress made in meeting its obligations through the incorporation of human rights principles into its national legislation, of which the most outstanding achievement is the establishment of the Ministry of Women, Youth and Social Affairs (MWYSA) in October 2013. We note positively, that the new institution has already contributed to awareness-rising on gender equality and youth issues. We admit that the Ministry needs adequate resources in order to fulfil its mandate. We also commend Kiribati for the endorsement of the Te Rau n the Mweenga Act (2014) to criminalize domestic violence and the endorsement and enactment of the Children, Young Persons and Family Welfare Act (2013).

Secondly, and more concretely with regard to the action taken on the recommendations arising from the first UPR round, we would like to commend the Government of Kiribati for the establishment of the Kiribati National Human Rights Taskforce (KNHRT) Despite the Government’s limited resources and capability to immediately sign and ratify all the remaining core international human right treaties, we hope that the Taskforce (KNHRT) would also contribute to Kiribati’s further steps towards the completion of that important task. In that light, we would like to welcome Kiribati’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2013.

However, we remain concerned with regard to guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression and opinion and the right to information. Estonia invites the Government to guarantee the access to public information and to ensure that journalists and media workers can operate without fearing reprisals.

Finally, we would like to encourage Kiribati to continue efforts to become part of all the main international human rights instruments and cooperate with the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, including by issuing the standing invitation.

Estonia would like to make the following recommendations to the Government of Kiribati:

to accede and fully align its national legislation with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), , and accede to the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court (APIC)

to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the two optional protocols (ICCPR-OP1/OP2)

to decriminalize defamation and include it under the Civil Code in accordance with international standards, develop self-regulatory mechanisms of the media and strengthen the professional standards of journalism in the country

We would like to wish the delegation of Kiribati a successful review meeting.

Thank you!

Jaanus Kirikmäe

2015-01-19

Valeriano De Castro

VM