(March 8 2022)

Mr. President, Madam High Commissioner,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of over 40 countries. We commend Madam High Commissioner and her Office for their efforts in addressing the human rights impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and welcome the Office’s focus on combatting inequalities as the core of its work.

The pandemic has exposed the prolonged underinvestment in economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development by multilateral human rights mechanisms. We call on the OHCHR to take concrete measures to increase its input in this respect, so as to help all countries, in particular developing countries, overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and achieve sustainable economic and social development. The OHCHR needs to actively provide human rights technical assistance based on the consent of the countries concerned.

We hope that the OHCHR will continue to discharge its mandate in an impartial and objective manner, promote partnership through constructive dialogue and cooperation, respect the human rights and development path independently chosen by countries in light of their national conditions, and oppose the practice of using human rights as a political tool. We believe that mutual trust and respect between the OHCHR and States, especially respect to the authentic information provided by governments, are of vital importance, and could promote effective communication and information sharing. This will contribute to the advancement of the international human rights agenda.

Thank you, Mr. President, Madam High Commissioner.

China, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, DPRK, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Laos, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe