A/HRC/26/14 79. Pakistan, raising a point of order, considered that the intervention by the Turkish delegation and its point of order did not contain any inaccuracy and that it was the sovereign right of every State to express its views. 80. The Russian Federation, raising a point of order, supported the President’s ruling and stated that the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review was not a place for political debate or historical retrospectives. 81. Greece, raising a point of order, indicated that the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review had been convened to review the human rights situation in the Republic of Cyprus and that it was counterproductive to use it to raise political issues. Greece requested that the President ask Turkey to respect the rules of procedure of the UPR and the ruling of the President. 82. Egypt, raising a point of order, supported the President’s ruling and stated that all the States Members of the United Nations should be addressed by their official names, in line with the practices and methods of work of the Human Rights Council and the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review. 83. Armenia, raising a point of order, supported the ruling of the President of the Human Rights Council that a point of order should concern only procedural matters. 84. Cyprus, raising a point of order, reconfirmed that points of order should be concerned with procedural matters only and requested that all political or other erroneous terminology not be included in the record or any other document of the meeting. 85. The President of the Human Rights Council appealed to all delegations to refrain from politicizing in any way or interfering in bilateral or territorial matters, which were being addressed by other competent international bodies. 86. Cyprus explained that Turkish Cypriots were entitled to the full enjoyment of human rights by dint of being citizens of the Republic of Cyprus. The Government took special measures to ensure that those rights, including the rights to employment, education and religious freedom, were properly implemented. Thousands of Turkish Cypriots commuted daily to the Government-controlled area where they worked. They were entitled to social insurance benefits, provided that they made the necessary contributions in accordance with the law. The Government took a series of important measures to support the daily life of Turkish Cypriots. It also provided financial support for the maintenance and restoration of mosques, cemeteries and other Muslims sites. 87. The Government was committed to the reform of the juvenile justice system. The Commissioner for Children’s Rights had prepared a bill regulating prevention and intervention, which was fully compatible with United Nations principles and guidelines. The bill would be submitted for consultation in the near future. 88. Women played an important role in the peacebuilding process through their participation in various working groups and bicommunal structures. 89. The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was in the process of ratification and the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was in the process of signature. The ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was being addressed at European Union level. 90. In recent years, Cyprus had increased its efforts to combat trafficking in human beings by abolishing the so-called “artist’s visa”, adopting anti-trafficking legislation, establishing the National Coordinator and the Multidisciplinary Coordinating Group against 12

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents