CTI praises States’ progress in its annual statement to HRC40
H.E. Ambassador Morten Jespersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN in Geneva, addressed the 40th session of the Human Rights Council this morning, speaking on behalf of the Core Group of States spearheading the Convention against Torture Initiative, namely, Chile, Denmark, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco.
Ambassador Jespersen welcomed the expansion of CTI through the addition of Fiji as a Core State. As a leading Pacific Island nation, Fiji will support the CTI to translate the renewed commitment of many Pacific countries to ratify the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT) into reality. This is an exciting new development.
As part of the Item 3 debate, he updated delegates on progress so far on achieving a world free from torture and other forms of ill-treatment. He said:
“As CTI enters its 5th year, with 11 new State parties since its launch in 2014, I am pleased to report good progress towards achieving our vision – a vision where every country in the world has raised their voice to condemn torture through ratification of the UN Convention against Torture, and are taking steps to actively implement it.”
Ambassador Jespersen congratulated the Governments of the Marshall Islands, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and The Gambia for having ratified UNCAT during the course of 2018, as well as for the ongoing efforts being taken by many other governments towards ratifying the Convention.
He mentioned the launch of CTI’s newest Strategy for the 2018-2020 period, through which the CTI has committed to increase awareness of the benefits of ratifying the Convention, of sharing good State practices on ratification and implementation, as well as strengthening our institutional engagement with government ministries.
Regarding CTI’s constructive dialogue with States over the course of 2018, Ambassador Jespersen referred to the attendance of more than 80 States in CTI events, as well as the in-country visits conducted to The Gambia, Sudan and Tonga since last reporting to the Council. He also gave specific acknowledgement to the CTI high-level seminar gathering 11 Pacific Island States in Fiji in February 2019.
Jespersen closed his intervention by thanking the 41 UN Member States who are members of the CTI Group of Friends, the international and regional organisations NGOs and other experts who are partners of the CTI, and reminded the Council that the CTI stands ready to support any State who is considering ratifying the Convention and wishes to advance on this issue.
The full statement is available here.
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