Surinamese civil society attend the Human Rights Committee

Published on 16 Oct 2024, 12:10 PM

Members of the Surinamese civil society came to Geneva for the review of Suriname’s fourth periodic report to the Human Rights Committee in July 2024

Rayah Bhattacharji from Projekta intervening during the formal briefing with the Human Rights Committee

A delegation of Surinamese human rights defenders participated in the ICCPR review session of Suriname in Geneva in July 2024 with the support of CCPR-Centre and the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples. The delegation was composed of:

Monique Essed Fernandes from the NGO Coalition Suriname (BINI)
Rayah Bhattacharji from Projekta
Louis Biswane from the Association of Indigenous Village Leaders In Suriname (VIDS)
Omar Overman from the LGBT Platform Suriname (online)

In view of the ICCPR review of Suriname, the CCPR-Centre and its national partner, Projekta, organized a training in Paramaribo attended by more than 25 human rights defenders. As a result of the training, participants submitted a CSO report to the Human Rights Committee.

Human Rights Committee briefings

The delegation of human rights defenders participated in the formal and informal briefings of Suriname with the members of the Human Rights Committee. They could inform the members on the NGO reports they submitted for the dialogue with the State and provided updates on recent developments on civil and political rights in Suriname.

The civil society touched upon issues such as the Anti-Corruption Act and its extremely slow implementation, particularly to fully operationalize a Commission. Indigenous and tribal peoples was another topic of concern for the organizations. The need to enact legislation on their rights, recognizing their legal personality and standing before law was a main recommendation. Lastly, the organizations also touched upon the limited scope of the 2022 legislation on gender equality and the lack of implementation of the Gender Vision Strategy.

The delegates also answered specific questions posed by the members, and their feedback was visibly integrated into the questions that the members posed to the State during the dialogue.

Meetings with OHCHR and NGOs based in Geneva

Besides their interactions with the Human Rights Committee, the members also met with the OHCHR Desk Officer for Suriname and with other Geneva-based NGOs. They also attended the Human Rights Council’s 56th session and a session with the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Outcome of the dialogue with the Committee

The Human Rights Committee identified several critical areas where Suriname needs to make significant improvements. The Concluding Observations address the fight against impunity for past human rights violations, the rights of detainees, the rights of LGBTI persons, and the rights of minorities, particularly indigenous and tribal peoples.

For more information about the review click here.