By presenting the National Report on the State of Human Rights within the Fourth Cycle of the General Periodic Review of the UPR, Montenegro once again expressed its commitment to the highest values of democracy, the principles contained in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international legal documents in the field of human rights.
This was said by the Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Fatmir Đeka, at a meeting with the newly appointed Acting Resident Coordinator of the UN in Montenegro, Diego Sorilja.
He congratulated Sorilja on his mandate and praised "the high level of cooperation that the department he leads has with the UN in the country, especially in the preparation of presentations of national reports," the ministry announced.
"We worked together on the simulation of the presentation of the Fourth National UPR and the Third National CEDAW Report, which helped us significantly during the presentation of the relevant reports in Geneva. It is an honor and a pleasure to collaborate and learn from the dedicated and expert people who are part of your team." said Đeka.
The press release states that the national action plan for reporting on the implementation of 226 accepted recommendations after the Fourth Cycle of UPR is in the final stage of preparation, according to which the Ministry, in cooperation with other relevant actors, will prepare the Mid-Term Report next year.
Đeka said that Montenegro continues to strive to strengthen the political, social and economic environment at the national level, which provides and guarantees all the prerequisites for the free enjoyment of human rights and freedoms, without discrimination, on any basis. In this regard, he considers the support of the United Nations to be extremely important.
The minister stated that Montenegro has a good legislative and strategic framework for the protection of human rights and protection against discrimination, which "continuously improves in accordance with international standards within the framework of fulfilling obligations from the European agenda."
He introduced Sorilja to the normative and strategic framework under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and presented the key activities that the department is actively working on.
Irena Rakočević, director general of the Directorate for the Protection and Equality of Persons with Disabilities, informed the interlocutor about the activities and plans in that area that the Ministry is working on in order to ensure the full enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities.
Biljana Pejović, head of the Department for Gender Equality Affairs, reported on the cooperation and projects implemented in the area of achieving equal opportunities for men and women, and the challenges facing national policy in that area.
Sorilja stated that the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Agenda, which is to a significant extent complementary to the process of accession to the European Union, represents a strong incentive for the development of Montenegrin society.
"The establishment of the National Mechanism for the implementation, reporting and monitoring of obligations in the field of human rights is particularly important for the promotion of inclusive and sustainable development of the country. "Many UN member states have such mechanisms that serve to monitor progress in the field of human rights, to report on progress and to implement guidelines for dealing with key challenges in that field," he said.
The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations emphasized the UN's commitment to cooperation with Montenegro and reiterated its commitment to continue supporting the country in its international positioning. He particularly emphasized the importance of strengthening the human rights protection system and establishing the most effective reporting mechanisms.
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