ITEM 2 - General Debate                          Date: 7/6/2017

Mr. President,

we appreciate all observations presented in the report of the High Commissioner and the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner.

However, the human rights situation in some of the Gulf States is still deeply concerning. The government of Saudi Arabia carries its savage and barbaric war against Yemen for the third consecutive year. Yemen is suffering one of the biggest humanitarian crisis. The Saudi-led invasion has brought the country to the brink of famine by imposing an air and land embargo and leaving 20 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The spread of epidemics such as cholera is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis as hospitals are overcrowded and less than half of the facilities are functioning.

ICSFT is deeply concerned by the international community’s inaction. Saudi Arabia continues its abuses, killings and destructions enjoying full impunity. Human rights violations are present in Saudi Arabia itself, where religious minorities are targeted on a daily basis in Awamiyah and Qatif. Historic buildings have been burned down and damaged by the use of weapons by the military, forcing residents out of their homes and of the neighborhood. These destructions erase the traces of this historic and lived cultural heritage and are clear violations of Saudi Arabia’s obligations under international human rights law.

Mr. President, ICSFT urges Your Council to take stricter measures against Saudi Arabia’s barbaric actions and to hold the government accountable for the genocide in Yemen and the violations against minorities in Awamiyah and Qatif.

Thank you Mr. President