Human Rights Council 50th Session of the Universal Periodic Review – Panama

Mr Vice-President,

We warmly welcome the delegation from Panama.

We welcome the progress that Panama has made since the Third UPR Cycle in 2020, particularly in the area of equality and non-discrimination. 

We commend Panama for the development of several Judicial Branch instruments to protect people in vulnerable situations, such as the Judicial Action Protocol for the Crime of Human Trafficking.

New Zealand recommends that Panama:

1. Submit its twenty-first to twenty-third periodic reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
2. Adopt legislation to shield editorial independence from political and economic influence and strengthen impartial media oversight.
3. Reform criminal legislation to ensure the crime of torture is fully consistent with international standards, repealing the statutory limitation in all circumstances. 

We thank the delegation for their participation today and wish them a successful review.

Thank you.