Human Rights Council 36th Session (11-29 September 2017)

Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on Somalia

Statement by Ireland

27 September 2017

Ireland wishes to align itself with the statement delivered by the EU.

Mr. President,

We would like to thank the Independent Expert for his report.

We welcome the peaceful transition of power in Somalia following elections earlier this year, and commend the positive cooperation of the Federal Government and international community in efforts towards peacebuilding and state-building. We further commend the Federal Government for their engagement and leadership of the humanitarian responses during the ongoing drought, which has been vital in averting a situation of famine across the country. 

While welcoming this progress, we remain deeply concerned regarding a number of human rights issues in Somalia, not least the ongoing insurgency of Al-Shabaab which continues to destroy livelihoods and lead to grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Cooperation and support for the international and Somali response to this threat remains vital.

A number of serious protection challenges warrant the sustained effort of the authorities in Somalia, including guaranteeing the right of freedom of expression, ceasing the use of the death penalty, developing rule of law to ensure access to justice, and protecting the rights of women and girls.

While acknowledging the progress made in substantially increasing the numbers of women represented in parliament, we encourage the Federal Government to progress judicial reforms and sexual offences legislation to protect the rights of women and girls and ensure access to justice for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

We further highlight the importance of the Independent Expert’s recommendation to raise awareness among traditional leaders in Somalia about human rights.

Question:

As noted in your report, protection concerns become amplified in situations of displacement. Considering the increased vulnerability of those displaced and experiencing humanitarian crisis in Somalia, how could we be better incorporating human rights in our humanitarian responses, and, looking forward, how can we incorporate human rights in our longer term development cooperation?

Thank you