Human Rights Council: 18th Session of the the Universal Periodic Review Working Group, Geneva, 27 January to 7 February 2014
Statement by the UK Mission Geneva on the Universal Periodic Review of Slovakia, 3 February 2014.
The Universal Periodic Review takes place at the Palais des Nations, Geneva
Thank you Mr President,
The United Kingdom welcomes the Slovak Republic’s commitment to human rights and its continued progress in this area.
The UK commends the work of the Slovak Republic Government’s Council for Human Rights, National Minorities and Gender Equality towards drafting a nation-wide strategy for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Slovak Republic.
The UK equally welcomes the important ongoing work by the Government’s Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities. We urge the Government to offer all possible support both to the Plenipotentiary and to wider policies which seek to address the difficulties faced by the Roma communities in the Slovak Republic, including marginalistion, high unemployment and low living standards.
The UK urges the Slovak Republic to make further progress in addressing and drawing to the attention of potential victims, the problem of cross-border trafficking in people. We encourage the Slovak Republic to continue to promote its National Programme to Combat Human Trafficking and to work towards a renewed strategy beyond 2014.
We would like to make two recommendations:
• First, that the Slovak Council for Human Rights, National Minorities and Gender Equality take steps towards the implementation of a nation-wide strategy for the promotion and protection of human rights.
• Second, that the Government of Slovakia work to raise awareness amongst vulnerable communities of the dangers of human exploitation and to ensure these communities receive adequate support.
Thank you Mr President.