UN RIGHTS EXPERT CONCLUDES MISSION TO EQUATORIAL GUINEA

16 December 2002



The Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the right to freedom of opinion and expression has completed a one-week mission to Equatorial Guinea by noting the express commitment of the authorities to their human rights obligations.

During his mission, carried out from from 1 to 7 December 2002 at the invitation of the Government, Special Rapporteur Ambeyi Ligabo met with the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Ministers of the Interior and of Missions, as well as officials from the Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Social Affairs and the Condition of Women, and the Secretary of Student Affairs of the National University. Mr. Ligabo also met with representatives of: the National Human Rights Commission and the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Bar Association, the press, non-governmental organizations, the political opposition and of foreign diplomatic missions in the capital.

At the end of the mission, the Special Rapporteur noted the express commitment of the authorities to their human rights obligations, and in particular to the right to freedom of opinion and expression. He encouraged the authorities to seek the assistance of the United Nations, and in particular of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The report of the mission (future document E/CN.4/2003/67/Add.2) is expected to be made public by the end of March 2003 and will formally be presented by the Special Rapporteur during the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights under its agenda item 11.

The full text of the Special Rapporteur's statement to the press at the end of the mission follows below.

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Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression at the end of his visit in Equatorial Guinea

"At the onset, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Equatorial Guinea for inviting me to this country in my capacity as Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the right to freedom of opinion and expression. I would also like to thank all national and international personalities, organisations, institutions, members of the media and individuals with whom I met and had very fruitful exchange of views and information. I also wish to thank the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for its support, and the Resident Coordinator and staff members of UNDP in Malabo for their valuable assistance.

My mission to Equatorial Guinea has been enriching with respect to information received in the context of my mandate. The issue of the right to freedom of opinion and expression has been discussed with openess and sincerity with all the people I met.

The economic growth in Equatorial Guinea has raised hopes for a better future. There is therefore a need for parallel improvement in the realization of the whole spectrum of human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social. In my extensive discussions, special attention was given to the advancement of women and the protection of children, the elderly, the youths, particularly in terms of dissemination of information on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

There is also an urgent need for a speedy improvement in human and material resources with regard to the press and the media in Equatorial Guinea. In general, training and financial investments in this area should be major priorities. It was also noted that the same is required in other crucial sectors of the civil society, as well as in the judiciary and the law enforcement organs.

Following the numerous meeting I had, it is my understanding that one of the major obstacles faced in Equatorial Guinea is a deep-rooted lack of education which gravely hinders the realization of human rights, especially in the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. A lack of awareness and basic information on crucial issues like HIV/AIDS may result in a national tragedy and a huge loss of human lives, an experience that many African countries are going through.

It is fully noted that freedom of opinion and expression is one of the most fundamental human rights enshrined in most of the human rights instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Democratic respect for opinion and general debates are therefore the cradle of development and progress in any human society.

In this connection, the Government has committed itself to efforts in submitting to the relevant human rights treaty bodies the reports which are overdue, and enter in a constructive dialogue with them. This will go a long way to honour the commitments the Government made when ratifying the main international human rights instruments.

In my address to the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights, I will report on my mission to Equatorial Guinea; I will emphasize that the Government should urgently seek the assistance of the United Nations organisations and specialized agencies, as well as other international institutions to overcome the serious shortcoming mentioned above. This assistance, if requested by the Government, will be provided in line with a consistent strategy which will clearly define goals and the time-frame for their achievement. Subsequently, a comprehensive plan in order to enable Equatorial Guinea to effectively promote and protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as other cooperation with the Government and with all parties concerned, especially the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

I stand ready to support the request of the Government of Equatorial Guinea and to mutually monitor the process and results of such endeavour.


Malabo, 7 December 2002"



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