Mr President,
Allow me to extend the gratitude of Sweden to His Excellency Mr Gerc Pollo, Minister of State, for taking an active part in our dialogue.
We welcome that Albania, in the national report, outlined measures it has taken to ensure gender equality. As many in this dialogue have pointed out, the CESCR, CEDAW and the Human Rights Committee have expressed concern about continued discrimination of women, due to custom and traditional social codes. We listened to the clarifications given by the delegations and welcome the efforts of the government in this area. Since it remains a problem, we recommend (1) to take further measures to ensure equality between men and women, including through facilitation of women’s participation in public affairs and the labour market. We also recommend (2) to strengthen the efforts against all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence.
We welcome that the Albanian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and of the press. However, many journalists have complained that political pressure continue to hinder their ability to work freely. There are also reports on instances of state agents exerting indirect pressure on media institutions. We welcome the information that you are working on enhanced legislation and recommend (3) to continue the efforts to ensure full respect for freedom of expression and of the press, in accordance with Albania’s international obligations.
Lastly, we express our concern about the situation in Albania when it comes to prison conditions, property rights, as well as labour and trade union rights.
Thank you, Mr President