Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani met, Sunday evening, Baghdad time, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volk Turk.
The meeting witnessed, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, a discussion of the qualitative development witnessed by the human rights file in Iraq, as Al-Sudani stressed that the government views the Universal Periodic Review as an essential mechanism in promoting and protecting human rights, noting that Iraq will discuss its fourth periodic report in January of next year after voting on it in the last cabinet meeting.
Al-Sudani stressed Iraq’s commitment to human rights standards, as it is a party to international agreements and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, appreciating the efforts of the human rights team working within the UNAMI mission in Iraq, and the breadth of the measures implemented by the Iraqi government to preserve the rights of minorities and spectrums of the components of the Iraqi people, and to provide assistance to victims of terrorism and the dictatorial regime.
The Prime Minister stated that Iraq has succeeded in establishing a successful experience in the field of transitional justice, and the government has proceeded with the legal and executive framework for all human rights principles, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution and approved international standards.
For his part, the High Commissioner indicated the Commission’s desire to open a representative office in Iraq, in order to raise the level of cooperation in the field of capacity development, technical, economic and social cooperation, and in the field of the environment.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency