Permanent Representative gives speech at UNGA meeting

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations (UN) Mr O.Och has expressed a position of his country at a discussion titled "Human Rights Treaties". This discussion ran Tuesday within a plenary meeting of the third Committee (Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee) of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly in New York under a topic "Supporting human rights". He underlined an importance of the international treaties in protection of human rights and freedom. The treaties ratified by Mongolia serve as the domestic laws within the country, he said. Mongolia is running legal reforms under the UN Charter and a principle of maintaining international norms on democracy and ensuring human rights, he said and and informed the gathered that the capital punishment is abolished in a new law on crimes. He also said Mongolia has formed its national mechanism on prevention of tortures after signing the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), "bit still faces some challenges in implementing the seven basic conventions on human rights it has joined". He considers that the UN session is a podium for exchanging information about human rights treaties and for discussing methods of sweeping away violations. He appreciated some specific measures taken by the UN such as strengthening the contract committees and coordinating the human rights criteria with developmental goals. The Permanent Representative also highly spoke the cooperation between the UN and its members in realizing human rights, technical assistance given from the UN Human Rights Council as well as the endeavor of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and then expressed a willingness of Mongolia to share its experience with those countries transmitting into democracy. During the discussion, Mr Och announced that Mongolia has been nominated for the 2015 election of the UNHRC, and underlined an important role of the civil society and national commissions in forwarding any actions for human rights, delivering the social voice and working out national policies.