We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, noting the outcome of the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong which took place on 19 December 2021, express our grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements of the Special Administrative Region's electoral system.
The International Coordination and Response Group representing Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, met virtually to discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran’s response to our offer to discuss reparations for the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752) and which steps need to be taken to ensure accountability and justice.
Statement from the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today issued the following statement:
On the occasion of the Summit for Democracy, the undersigned members of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) affirm that the revitalization of democracy within our own nations and around the world is essential to promoting and protecting human rights, especially for those most vulnerable including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons. Threats to the rule of law, rising levels of inequality, authoritarianism, and corruption are eroding democracy in every region, with grave consequences for LGBTI persons, among others. Persistent criminalization of LGBTI status and ongoing violence and discrimination undermine the ability of LGBTI persons to fully participate in democratic and political processes.
The text of the following statement was released by Canada, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States: We are profoundly concerned by recent reports of the Ethiopian government’s detention of large numbers of Ethiopian citizens on the basis of their ethnicity and without charge.
Democracy is a universal aspiration and an enabler of sustainable development. As Member States of International IDEA, we are stewards of this conviction and heirs to the historic transformation of the past century, which turned democratic government into the global norm, thus enhancing development, human rights, peace and security.
We are deeply concerned by reports of summary killings and enforced disappearances of former members of the Afghan security forces as documented by Human Rights Watch and others...
“Canada condemns the convictions of Myanmar’s detained, democratically elected civilian leadership, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. Today’s convictions follow trials that met no standard of impartiality and are emblematic of the regime’s blatant disregard for human rights and judicial independence..."
Today, in response to the continuing attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms in Belarus, the disregard for international norms and the repeated acts of repression, we have again taken coordinated sanctions action against certain individuals and entities.
