11 Feb 2010

UN puts the spotlight on Fiji's human rights record

3:06 pm on 11 February 2010

Tonight, United Nations member states will discuss Fiji's human rights record at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The Council will review Fiji's human rights record based on one report submitted by the interim regime, another one by the UN, and a third by NGOs.

The Suva based regional representative for the UN's Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Matilda Bogner, says all three reports are important for the evaluation.

"Tonight our time there will be a dialogue between the states where states will raise issues of concern and they will ask Fiji about that and the government side will respond. And then the states can make recommendations, areas where there could be improvement and suggest ways where that improvement could happen."

Matilda Bogner says Fiji's interim government will be asked to publicly commit to certain recommendations in a couple of months.

The country will then be re-reviewed in four years.