Universal Periodic Review 33: Bhutan
UK congratulates Bhutan on holding recent national elections, a sign of their commitment to peace & democracy. However concerns involving women’s rights & press freedom remain.
The Universal Periodic Review takes place in Geneva.
Thank you, Mr President,
The UK welcomes the Bhutanese delegation and would like to congratulate the country on holding their third ever National Assembly Elections in September and October last year. The elections demonstrate Bhutan’s commitment to peace and multi-party democracy. We also welcome the news that more than 90 per cent of the Nepali-speaking people living in the UNHCR-administered camps have been resettled successfully in third countries.
However, we remain concerned by a number of human rights issues in Bhutan. In particular, women and girls continue to face discrimination and women are significantly under-represented in parliament, holding only 8.3% of seats. We are also concerned about the freedom of the press in Bhutan, with defamation suits and national security laws creating a culture of self-censorship. We hope that the Government will promote the independence of the press, including that of state-owned broadcasters and newspapers.
We recommend:
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Developing a new national action plan for combating trafficking in persons, which includes the ratification of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime;
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Ratifying the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention Against Torture;
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Ensuring that children of Nepalese origin are aware of their rights under the law, and that these rights are explained in an accessible manner, including in schools and in official documents.
Thank you, Mr President.