Human Rights Council - 27th Regular Session
Item 10
Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia
Statement by Australia
24 September 2014
We welcome the recent agreement between the Cambodian People’s Party and the Cambodia National Rescue Party committing them to parliamentary and electoral reform.
We urge the Cambodian Government to build upon its work towards legal and judicial reform. We urge further progress on reforms that improve the independence of the judiciary in order to ensure Cambodians are treated with equality before the law.
We encourage Cambodia to develop a mechanism to ensure workers have the right to fair and adequate minimum wage.
Australia looks forward to Cambodia continuing its work towards establishing an independent national human rights institution, consistent with the Paris Principles.
We note current discussions between the Governments of Cambodia and Australia for the permanent and voluntary settlement in Cambodia of a number of refugees in Nauru, and welcome Cambodia’s positive engagement on this important issue. Under an arrangement, Australia would use its expertise, experience and funding to help Cambodia to strengthen settlement support provided to refugees in Cambodia.
Australia thanks the Special Rapporteur for his focused and reasoned reporting over the past six years. We urge the mandate for this important mission continue.