UK welcomes Armenia's commitment to "wide-ranging reforms"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United Kingdom welcomes Armenia’s positive progress since its 2015 review, and the Government’s commitment to wide-ranging reforms, the UK said at the 35th Session of Universal Periodic Review (UPR), sharing recommendations to improve their human rights record.

"In particular, we acknowledge Armenia’s conduct of elections in December 2018. We also welcome Armenia’s advances in media freedom, however we remain concerned about reported incidences of hate speech and attacks against LGBT individuals," the statement reads.

"The UK welcomes Armenia’s progress in adopting legislative reforms towards gender equality and combatting violence against women."

Britain recommended that Armenia ratify the 2014 protocol to the ILO Forced Labour Convention of 1930 (P029); adopt an open, merit-based process when selecting national candidates for UN Treaty Body elections; and sign the Global Pledge on Media Freedom, and commit to international efforts to create a safer environment for journalists worldwide as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition.

The UPR is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. The 35th session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Working Group started in Geneva on January 20 and will run through January 31.