40th Universal Periodic Review of human rights: UK statement on Iceland

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The UK delivered this statement during Iceland’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council.

UPR

The Universal Periodic Review takes place in Geneva.

The United Kingdom acknowledges Iceland’s strong human rights record, welcoming the high priority Iceland has given to the work of the Human Rights Council.

We commend Iceland on topping the 2021 global gender gap index rankings and voting in two novel legal acts on Gender Autonomy.

The UK welcomes Iceland’s commitment to media freedom and commends its ratification of OPCAT in 2019. We are pleased to see the seriousness which Iceland attaches to combatting human slavery including by introducing a new Human Slavery act in 2021.

We recommend Iceland:

  1. Build upon the 2021 Human Slavery act by increasing training for police, prosecutors and judges on investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of modern slavery offences;

  2. Ensure an open, merit-based process when selecting national candidates for UN Treaty Body elections;

  3. Introduce a criminal law provision that expressly considers racist motivation of an offence as an aggravating circumstance.

Thank you.

Published 25 January 2022