Position Paper in Connection with the Nomination of the Russian Federation for the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2014-2016

Russia is a party to the overwhelming majority of the main universal international human rights treaties. They include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, Russia is a party to a number of optional protocols to the above treaties which provide an opportunity to examine individual communications concerning violations.

The international human rights treaties ratified by the Russian Federation are an integral part of its legal system. During its membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council, Russia became a party to a number of key instruments in this field. In 2008, Russia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed conflict. In 2011, Russia acceded to the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. In 2012, our country ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, acceded to the Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Cooperation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children and, in 2013, Russia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography as well as the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Russia has no substantive reservations to the universal international human rights treaties to which it is party.

Russia intends to further expand the range of its international human rights obligations taking into consideration their financial implications and the necessity to adapt its domestic legislation and practice.

Russia submits reports to the human rights treaty bodies in a timely manner and pays special attention to implementing their recommendations. Within the framework of the UN General Assembly, Russia has initiated an intergovernmental negotiating process on improving the work of human rights treaty bodies which is aimed at increasing their efficiency.

Russia will continue to cooperate constructively with human rights treaty bodies in the context of fulfilling its international human rights obligations.

Russia cooperates with the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council on a permanent basis. In 2009, the UN HRC Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples visited the country at the invitation of Russian authorities. A visit to Russia was paid in 2010 by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises, by Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children in 2011 and by the Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights in 2012. In April 2013, the Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers paid her second visit to Russia. A visit of the Working Group on Business and Human Rights is scheduled for autumn 2013.

Russia devotes special attention to the inquiries made by the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council in connection with the alleged human rights violations. Each inquiry is examined by the competent Russian authorities. They provide detailed substantive comments, if necessary.

Russia believes that the interaction between States and the HRC Special Procedures should be based on a voluntary and constructive cooperation and that the Special Procedures should work in strict compliance with their mandates and the Code of Conduct adopted by Resolution 5/2 of the United Nations Human Rights Council and approved by the UN General Assembly.

The Russian Federation will continue to develop cooperation with the thematic Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council in order to further enhance compliance with its human rights obligations.

Russia actively cooperates with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Ms. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, visited the Russian Federation in 2011. Since 2006, Russia has been making an annual voluntary contribution to the budget of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights amounting to 2 million USD. In 2007, the Office and the Russian Federation signed a framework agreement of cooperation which instituted a position of the OHCHR Senior Adviser in Moscow.

The Russian Federation will continue to cooperate with the OHCHR by supporting its programs and projects in line with its international human rights priorities.

The Russian Federation considers the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) as one of the key instruments of international compliance control in the field of human rights. Russia passed the UPR twice – in 2009 and 2013.

The Russian side will outline its position regarding recommendations received at the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council UPR Working Group at the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Russia will continue its active cooperation with the UPR mechanism focusing on implementation of the accepted recommendations and advocating its constructive and depoliticized nature.

The domestic policy of the Russian Federation as well as the one at international fora is particularly focused on countering racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. A significant part of Russia's voluntary contribution to the OHCHR budget is devoted to combating discrimination

Russian law prohibits any form of restrictions on the rights of citizens on social, racial, sex, ethnic, linguistic, religious or any other grounds, which leaves out any possibility for a discriminatory policy against certain groups of citizens to emerge. Discrimination is subject to criminal and administrative prosecution.

Russian Federation annually puts forward a resolution "Glorification of Nazism: Inadmissibility of Certain Practices that Contribute to Fuelling Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance" in the UN General Assembly.

With Russia's active support the Durban Review Conference was held in 2009 in Geneva. Its outcome document developed and complemented the provisions of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action adopted at the World Conference against Racism in 2001.

In the HRC Russia will continue to pay special attention to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the international level.

The Russian Federation pays much attention to the fight against human trafficking - one of the global contemporary threats, as dangerous to the society as illicit drug trade and terrorism. Russia is a party to the international legal instruments on human trafficking adopted by the UN; it actively participated in the elaboration of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons adopted by the UN General Assembly on July 30, 2010. Russia cooperates with partners from the Group of friends united against human trafficking and participates in the meetings of the Working group on combating trafficking in human beings within the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and in the development of its appropriate recommendations as well.

Considerable attention is paid to the financing of activities to combat trafficking in persons. A part of Russia's voluntary contribution to the budget of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2010-2011 (200 thousand USD) was allocated to the projects of the International Training Center in Minsk on training, advanced training and retraining of personnel in the field of migration and the fight against human trafficking. It was also decided to allocate 30 thousand USD to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of trafficking in persons.

Russia will continue to make a significant contribution to the development of international cooperation to prevent human trafficking.

Russia believes that the principle of cooperation - equal interaction among States based on respect for the sovereignty - should form the bed rode of the activities of the UN human rights dimension and the work of the international community in the field of human rights as well.

Russia will seek to ensure that the work of the HRC is conducted in accordance with the principle of equal and respectful cooperation.

In the HRC Russia contributes to the advancement of the business and human rights issues. It is a member of the "group of friends" of the relevant Council resolution. Russia allocates a part of the voluntary contribution to the OHCHR budget to fund this activity and is involved in organizing and holding regional consultations.

Russia is active at the international level so as to ensure a truly universal enjoyment of human rights. The HRC initiative on traditional values and human rights serves this purpose. We believe that our focus on interconnection between traditional values and human rights will strengthen the recognition and respect of the latter on the level of society.

Upon Russia's initiative, the UN Human Rights Council is adopting by consensus resolutions "Human rights and arbitrary deprivation of nationality" and "Integrity of the judicial system". Moreover, Russia initiated the establishment of the Working Group on the Review of the work and functioning of the UN Human Rights Council, which resulted in the HRC resolution 16/21 that laid the foundations for the future functioning of the Council and its subsidiary bodies, it also took an active part in reviewing the status of the HRC in the UN General Assembly and voted for the adoption of the relevant resolution.

Russia will play an active role in the HRC, making a significant contribution to the development of its activities in various areas of the promotion and protection of human rights.