PRESS RELEASE : 45th Universal Periodic Review of human rights: UK statement on Central African Republic [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 January 2024.

The UK’s statement during Central African Republic’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Delivered on 26 January 2024.

Thank you, Mr Vice-President,

We welcome the Central African Republic’s implementation of new human rights policies, legislation, and institutional measures, but we remain concerned by the stigmatisation of ethnic and religious minorities, and widespread abuses linked with the Wagner Group, which fuel the protracted conflict.

We call on CAR to protect women and children, and respond to the horrific rise in sexual and gender-based violence.

We recommend that CAR:

1. Take concrete steps to eliminate all forms of discrimination, violence, intimidation and threats, including through comprehensive, anti-discrimination legislation.
2. Adopt legislation to combat sexual and gender-based violence, including by criminalising marital rape, female genital mutilation, and early and forced marriage, and hold perpetrators of these crimes to account.
3. Strengthen the capacity, oversight and accountability of the judicial system, enabling it to independently investigate and prosecute all alleged human rights violations and abuses.

I thank you.