As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the Permanent Council,
Vienna, March 13, 2014
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
We have emphasized at every opportunity that the Human Dimension events package is light on fundamental freedoms, and that we would prefer more attention to them given the struggles that civil society, including human rights defenders, confront every day in a great number of participating States.
The United States wishes to express its gratitude to the Swiss Chairmanship for its commitment to ensure that fundamental freedoms receive appropriate scheduling priority at the 2014 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. Every delegation would of course like to see more of its priorities reflected in our Human Dimension work. For example, we would also prefer to see a day devoted to Gender issues, given the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the OSCE Gender Action Plan, with a session, rather than a full day, on Violence Against Women and Children.
We ask that this statement be attached to the journal of the day.
