UN Human Rights Council’s 16th Session
Thursday, 17 March 2011
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) concerning Lebanon was held on 10 November 2010, and the consideration of the outcome from this UPR was held today, 17 March 2011, during the UN Human Rights Council’s 16th Session.
The Lebanese delegation was headed by Mr. William Habib, Secretary‐General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Habib made a presentation of the measures that have been implemented in Lebanon in the field of human rights. He also gave an update on the status of the recommendations made to Lebanon during the UPR process, stressing that several recommendations had been accepted by the delegation during the UPR in November. He also mentioned that most of the decisions concerning the recommendations that had been postponed had been accepted by Lebanon in the final outcome presented today.
The speakers that could be accommodated in the timeframe of the UPR consideration were Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Armenia, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania and Yemen. These delegations were positive to Lebanon’s report, mostly praising the commitments it had made.
Several of the NGOs that made comments during the meeting expressed concerns about, among other things, the fact that the death penalty has not yet been abolished, the continuation of torture practices in prisons, and the situation for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, e.g. in the context of labour law and freedom of movement. The issue of Palestinian refugees’ rights was specifically dealt with in a statement delivered by Rola Badran from Palestinian Human Rights Organization in collaboration with the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. She emphasised, among other things, the continuing deprivation of some of the fundamental human rights of Palestinian refugees, such as the right to freedom of movement, as well as property rights.
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