Human rights

Australian Statement for the Item 4 General Debate, 12 March 2021

We denounce escalating restrictions on civic and democratic space, including press freedoms. The continuous deterioration of the rule of law and lack of independence of the judicial system is accompanied by the criminalization and systematic targeting of civil society organizations.

The rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association are fundamental to the dignity of human life. These rights are mutually reinforcing, universal, inalienable, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. They are protected in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 37/7 of 22 March 2018 “Promoting human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals through transparent, accountable and efficient public services delivery”, underlined that a professional, accountable and transparent public service upholding the highest standards of efficiency, competence, integrity, accessibility and non-discrimination is one of the essential components of good governance, and ensuring such a public service contributes to the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On December 9th and 10th 2020, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and UNESCO co-organised the World Press Freedom Conference in the Hague. Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other government representatives of 53 countries convened upon initiative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to address the importance of the safety of journalists and media workers and the issue of impunity for crimes against them. To date, 58 states have endorsed the Conference’s concluding document: The Hague Commitment to increase the Safety of Journalists. All other states are invited to join.

Our group wishes to reiterate its continued strong support for the SRSG and the CAAC mandate. We stress the importance we attach to the independence, impartiality, and credibility of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism. We also stress the need for objectivity in decisions to list and de-list parties to conflict in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s annual reports. We further encourage the full implementation of all Action Plans and commitments made by parties to armed conflicts.

One of the greatest human rights challenges is achieving substantive gender equality. Women and girls frequently face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Australia thanks the Special Rapporteur for her report on the connections between death threats, intimidation, and the killing of human rights defenders.

We firmly believe that everyone has the right to hold any belief or none, to change religion or belief and to manifest religion or belief, either alone or in community with others.

We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report on the increased risk of sale and sexual exploitation faced by children as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.