The United Kingdom recognises Kuwait’s human rights progress and improvements to domestic worker conditions, but remains concerned by continued use of the kafala sponsorship system.

We welcome Kuwait’s progress in improving rights for stateless persons, but are concerned that access to essential services is often restricted. We urge Kuwait to naturalise stateless persons eligible for Kuwaiti nationality, and regularise the status of the remainder.

We recommend that Kuwait:

1. Ensure all employers are aware of their obligations under Kuwaiti Law concerning domestic workers, including illegality of passport confiscation and debt bondage.

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

3. Protect freedom of expression for all, including online, by repealing legislation that does not comply with article 19 of the ICCPR.

The United Kingdom welcomes Guinea’s engagement with the UPR and progress made, particularly abolition of the death penalty.

We thank Guinea for participating in the 2019 Global Media Freedom Conference. However, we urge the Government to ensure the safety of journalists and human rights defenders, so they can exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association without fear of reprisals. We are concerned by the high number of protestors and bystanders who have died during protests, including up to the 2013 parliamentary elections, and in recent months. For 2020, it is crucial that elections are transparent, fair, timely and credible.

We recommend that Guinea:

1. End impunity and ensure accountability, through prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into cases of human rights violations allegedly committed during the protests of 28 September 2009.

2. Apply the law, and carry out educational campaigns, to end female genital mutilation, and underage or enforced marriages.

3. Ensure availability and awareness of support services for victims of modern slavery, which give due regard to effects of gender-based violence, such as forced sexual exploitation, forced marriage and Female Genital Mutilation

The United Kingdom recognises Grenada’s progress since its 2015 review, including ratification of a number of human rights treaties such as the Convention Against Torture, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. We commend Grenada for being the first Caribbean country to decriminalise defamation and encourage the Government to increase its efforts to protect media freedom.

We remain concerned about reports of domestic violence and child abuse in Grenada, and encourage the Government to increase its efforts to reduce this by implementing strategies to support victims in reporting cases without fear.

We recognise that no executions have been carried out in Grenada for decadesand encourage the Government to establish a formal moratorium on executions, with the aim to eventually abolish the death penalty. We also encourage Grenada to establish an independent national human rights institution, in accordance with the Paris Principles.

We recommend that Grenada:

1. Ratify and implement the Protocol of 2014 to the ILO Forced Labour Convention 1930, (P029).

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

3. Repeal all legal provisions that discriminate against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity, including those in the Sexual Offences Act and Criminal Code.

The United Kingdom welcomes Armenia’s positive progress since its 2015 review, and the Government’s commitment to wide-ranging reforms. In particular, we acknowledge Armenia’s conduct of elections in December 2018. We also welcome Armenia’s advances in media freedom, however we remain concerned about reported incidences of hate speech and attacks against LGBT individuals.

The UK welcomes Armenia’s progress in adopting legislative reforms towards gender equality and combatting violence against women.

We recommend that Armenia:

1. Ratify the 2014 protocol to the ILO Forced Labour Convention of 1930 (P029);

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

3. Sign the Global Pledge on Media Freedom, and commit to international efforts to create a safer environment for journalists worldwide as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition.