CHAD - UN'S UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW OF HUMAN

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000584 SIPDIS FOR DRL/MLGA - SIBILLA, IO/RHS - OSTERMEIER, AND AF/C E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF UNHRC CHAD SUBJECT: CHAD - UN'S UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW OF HUMAN RIGHTS REF: STATE 130829 ¶1. SUMMARY: Three of the four human rights NGOs contacted by Embassy N'Djamena are aware of and have contributed to the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review. Given that the three human rights organizations are not even the major Chadian human rights NGOs, it seems that the mechanism for soliciting input from NGOs is working, at least in Chad. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Embassy N'Djamena spoke to four different human rights NGOs regarding the Universal Periodic Review for Chad that is scheduled to take place in May 2009. Three of the four groups told us that they are both aware of the upcoming Review, and have participated in it by providing information to the UN Human Rights Council. The three groups who answered affirmatively are Droit de l'homme sans frontieres (Human Rights without Borders),Association pour la promotion des libertes fondamentales au Tchad (Association for the Promotion of Basic Freedoms in Chad),and the Association Tchadienne pour la Non Violence (the Chadian Association for Nonviolence). ¶3. A senior official in the Human Rights Ministry, the Deputy Inspector General (fourth rung down in terms of seniority, after the Minister, Secretary General, and Inspector General) told us he is not aware of the review. However, he thought the Minister himself might be involved, given that he has trips to Geneva scheduled in the next few months. ¶4. COMMENT: Given that the three human rights organizations that have been participating in the Universal Periodic Review are not even the major Chadian human rights NGOs, it seems that the mechanism for soliciting input from NGOs is working, at least in Chad. NIGRO