US Mission Geneva

We are glad to see the resolution calls upon States to increase their efforts to address child and maternal mortality and apply a human rights-based approach in this regard, which we understand to mean an approach anchored in a system of rights and corresponding obligations established by international human rights law.

All too often today we hear of places of worship being attacked, of individuals belonging to minority religious communities facing violence and discrimination
because of their beliefs, and of repressive laws infringing on the freedoms of religion and expression.

We recognize the importance of maintaining a focus on global food security in order to realize our vision of a world free from hunger.

We are appalled by the continuing violence in Syria that has resulted in more than 70,000 deaths and over one million refugees since the start of the conflict.

Religious freedom is a universal human right that all states have a responsibility to uphold.

The Special Rapporteur’s strong work to date, which documents persistent patterns of systemic abuses by the Iranian government, indicates the strong need for this body to renew his mandate for a third year.

United States’ opposition to this resolution is not an endorsement of the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, which the United States does not recognize.

Today’s vote in the UN Human Rights Council encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to continue on the path toward lasting peace and prosperity following decades of civil war and instability.

This resolution sends a strong signal that the international community intends to remain seized with the situation in Sri Lanka.