UPR Equatorial Guinea

United Nations Human Right Council 13th Session
Geneva, 15th to 19th March 2010.
UPR Equatorial Guinea – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.


Delivered by Revd Rowland Jide Macaulay
Mr President

We appreciate the delegation’s constructive engagement in the UPR process, and thank you again for your leadership on many important human rights issues.

We commend Equatorial Guinea for accepting the majority of the recommendations, especially paragraph 70(7), noted in the Working Group report, in supporting human rights education and training. Formulated by the Czech Republic, this is a recommendation to:

“Strengthen mechanisms for ensuring awareness and implementation of international human rights obligations, including through establishment of human rights educational programmes for police, prison and judicial staff with special attention to protection of human rights of women, children, persons of minority sexual orientation and gender identity, etc”.

We welcome Equitorial Guinea’s acceptance of this recommendation, which will help ensure that authorities are able to respond more effectively to the needs of all members of society, including women, children and those who are marginalised because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

We would also encourage the government to take steps to ensure that there is no legal or social discrimination on these grounds.

Finally, in implementation of the government’s agreement to take measures to ensure awareness-raising, educational programmes and non-discrimination on grounds inclusing sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV status, we express our willingness to work with the government to develop and implement initiatives to achieve these goals.

Thank you very much Mr President.