Speech

Universal Periodic Review 48: UK Statement on San Marino

UK Statement at San Marino's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Delivered by the UK Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Eleanor Sanders
Published
23 January 2025
Location:
Geneva
Delivered on:
(Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)
Eleanor Sanders

Thank you, Mr President,

Ringraziamo anche Ministro Beccari e la delegazione sammarinese per il suo impegno, e per la collaborazione.

We warmly welcomes the delegation of San Marino. We recognise San Marino’s progress since its 2019 review.  We welcome progress on setting up a National Human Rights Institution and encourage continued focus on concluding the legislative process.

We commend San Marino’s decision to legalise abortion in 2022. We also commend San Marino’s decision to introduce a ban on sexual discrimination into their Constitution in 2019, and their official celebration of International Day Against Homophobia Biphobia and Transphobia from 2022. We additionally commend the introduction of the Information and Media Law in 2023.

Finally, we welcome progress made on combatting Violence Against Women and Girls since ratifying the Istanbul Convention in 2016. San Marino has enacted two laws and several decrees aimed at addressing gender-based violence, including assistance and protection measures for victims. We also commend prevention efforts such as raising awareness in schools and enhanced training of law-enforcement, social and healthcare professionals.

We have three recommendations:

  1. Implement our recommendation of 2019 to develop a framework to identify victims of trafficking through a national action plan for combatting human trafficking that covers areas of prevention, identification of victims, awareness raising and training of relevant professionals.
  2. Strengthen laws to reduce discrimination against LGBT+ people, including recognising same-sex marriage.
  3. Take further measures to promote and protect freedom of expression, including reviewing and addressing the strict defamation laws that could lead to self-censorship, building on the Information and Media Law.

Thank you Mr President, e grazie mille.

Updates to this page

Published 23 January 2025