21/07/2014

Cambodia rejects 4 recommendations initially accepted

Cambodia revised its decision on eight recommendations they had initially accepted among the 205 recommendations received during their second UPR in January 2014.

Four recommendations were then "noted" (n°118.1-118.4) and four were "rejected" (n°118.5, 118.22, 118.57, and 118.161). As it is not possible to reject recommendations at the UPR according to Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/5/1, the four latter are also considered as noted.

The four recommendations "rejected" are the following:

- 118.5 Ensure the realization of the right to education to all children in Cambodia, including to the children of Vietnamese origin, and sign and ratify the Optional Protocols to ICESCR and to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure (Portugal);

- 118.22 Protect free and independent media, namely through the revocation of article 305 of the Penal Code and article 13 of the Press Law (Portugal);

- 118.57 Continue to combat discrimination suffered by the children of marginalized and vulnerable groups and eradicate gender-based stereotypes. Along these lines, ensure the continuation of the Strategic Education Plan 2009–2013, to offer the same opportunities to all children and youth regardless of race, colour, sex, language, belief, religion, political beliefs, circumstances of birth and social conditions (Colombia);

- 118.161 Ensure that basic education is compulsory and step up its efforts to address the issue of high drop-out rates in schools and in promoting the right of girls to education (Slovenia);

It is the first time that a country changes its position on recommendations after initially accepting them. You can access the recommendations and the responses of the delegation in our document "Responses to recommendations and pledges".

Countries: Cambodia