reinforced. Argentina has ratified all existing regional and international instruments to abolish the death penalty, he added.

AMIRBEK ZHEMENEY (Kazakhstan) said the Government has ratified all key international human rights conventions and issued a standing invitation to special procedure mandate holders. While underscoring his country’s active engagement with United Nations treaty bodies, he expressed concern over their functioning. It is important that committees’ concluding observations reflect more accurately the discussions that took place during the review process. Committees also should focus on their specific mandate and issues pertaining to relevant conventions. Further, multilingualism and the equality of all six official languages are important for their effective functioning, he stated.

ANNA SUZUKI (Japan), highlighting human rights issues in various areas, began with the Democratic Republic of Korea and Japanese citizens itpeace process.

JUANA SANDOVAL (Nicaragua), aligning herself with CELAC, stressed the importance of consensus and respect for each country’s cultural and religious characteristics to promote and protect human rights. Nicaragua fosters regional stability, peace and security. It has doubled its gross domestic product (GDP), while its development indicators are positive, notably for gender equality and civil security. The Government acts as a barrier against international organized crime, terrorism and narco-trafficking in the region. Chief among its achievements is the reduction of poverty, including extreme poverty, which was halved in recent years.

KIM SONG (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) said egregious human rights abuses result, without exception, from those places where national sovereignty is trampled and social inequality is rampant. Citing the examples of Syria, Iraq and Libya, he said discriminatory