42nd Session of the Human Rights Council General Debate on Item 5 Statement by Mr. Masashi NAKAGOME Minister, Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva(19 September 2019)
2019/10/3
General Debate on Item 5
Statement by Mr. Masashi NAKAGOME
Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva
Thank you, Mr. President.
The human rights treaty bodies and the special procedures play an important and integral role in protecting and promoting human rights in the international community. They are essential to the international human rights mechanism.
At the same time, there are some challenges to be addressed. As we commented in our responses to the questionnaires on treaty body strengthening, in order for members to protect and promote human rights through UN human rights mechanisms, it is essential to improve the treaty bodies so they can function more efficiently and effectively. Japan encourages collaboration in Geneva and New York toward achieving tangible outcomes in this regard.
While recognizing their importance, the special procedures must also be further improved. In this regard, Japan appreciates a number of steps recently taken by the Coordinating Committee of Special Procedures and its willingness to have more dialogue and engagement with Member States. We believe such issues as insufficient communication with Member States and duplication of mandates needs to be addressed. Japan also believes it may be worthwhile considering a third party assessment process for the special procedures. It is also important to ensure that special rapporteurs and independent experts are sufficiently qualified and act with due accountability.
Since some mandates of the special procedures overlap with those of the treaty bodies, we also need a more comprehensive discussion in order to improve these mechanisms. With this in mind, we hope to see more active discussions taking place both here in Geneva and in New York.
The Human Right Council Advisory Committee plays an important role in advising the Council. We should take full advantage of the Committee, keeping in mind that—just as for the special procedures—it is essential to uphold the Committee’s impartiality and independence.
Thank you, Mr. President.