Canada Appears Before the United Nations Human Rights Council for Third Universal Periodic Review
Statement
OTTAWA, May 10, 2018
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, have issued the following joint statement announcing Minister Wilson-Raybould’s appearance before the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 11, in Geneva, Switzerland to represent Canada for its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
“A commitment to human rights is vital to fostering an environment where everyone has equal opportunity to contribute to, and fully benefit from, the society in which they live. That is why promoting and protecting human rights in Canada and abroad is one of the top priorities of the Government of Canada.
“Canada values and celebrates its diversity and has some of the strongest human rights laws in the world, but there is always room for improvement. Canada is pleased to appear before the United Nations Human Rights Council for our third UPR. This appearance will provide an important opportunity to hear the views of UN member states as well as continue our engagement with Canadian civil society organizations and Indigenous groups on how to improve our system.
“The process helps to ensure that all UN members states, including Canada, are held to the same standards on human rights. It also provides an opportunity for states to declare what actions they have taken to improve the domestic implementation of their international human rights obligations and to share leading practices to help improve the human rights situation in all countries.
“We appreciate the contributions of all those involved in Canada’s national report and in our UPR appearance. We will closely review the recommendations as well as the views of Canada’s civil society and Indigenous organizations.”
Quick Facts
- The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a state-driven peer-review process before the UN Human Rights Council.
- The UPR is the only global human rights mechanism that examines the human rights situation of all United Nations member states. It is a unique process in which states provide each other with constructive recommendations on how to improve the human rights situation in their country.
- Canada was instrumental in the creation of the UPR process and continues to participate actively in this process. Since its establishment in 2008, our country has participated in two UPRs, in 2009 and in 2013. This is the first UPR in which a minister has been head of delegation.
Related Products
Associated Links
- Universal Periodic Review
- Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers from across the country gather to discuss Human Rights
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Simon Ross
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