News item | 15-11-2022 | 19:17
Today, Minister Hanke Bruins Slot (BZK) held talks about the human rights situation in the Netherlands before the Human Rights Council of the UN in Geneva.
During the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a recurring assessment moment between all countries that are members of the UN, Bruins Slot explained what actions the Netherlands has taken to further improve the human rights situation in the Netherlands. The other countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curaçao, also sent ministers to speak on behalf of their country.
The Universal Periodic Review is a unique process that periodically assesses the human rights compliance of all 193 UN member states. All countries are given the opportunity to make recommendations to each other about the observance of human rights in their country. This year it was the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ turn again – the last time was in 2017 – and on behalf of the Netherlands, Minister Bruins Slot, as Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations within the cabinet responsible for human rights in the Netherlands, responded to the comments from the member states about the Dutch situation.
Minister Hanke Bruins Slot: “Compliance with human rights is of great importance. And I am glad that with this recurring review, the UN keeps the discussion about human rights going between countries. The fact that countries can call each other to account and express their concerns is a great asset”.
During the session, the Netherlands received compliments on the National Human Rights Action Plan and the establishment of a National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism (NCDR). At the same time, there were also concerns about discrimination, racism and hate speech.
The minutes of the meeting are still being adopted. Two types of recommendations appear here: notification recommendations and actionable recommendations. This second category of recommendations will guide the next Universal Periodic Review, which is expected to take place in 2027.