Mr President,
Allow me to extend the gratitude of Sweden to His Excellency Mr Maduekwe, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, and his delegation, for taking an active part in our dialogue here today and addressing the questions we had submitted in advance. We appreciate the strong commitment of the government to handle the challenges Nigeria is facing today within the area of Human Rights.
Sweden noted that the CEDAW committee in 2008 expressed concern on how the tripartite legal system handled women’s rights, especially with regard to marriage, divorce, custody of children and inheritance. In that regard, we note the new information provided here today about the Reform of Nigerian Family law. We hope that the reforms will address those concerns and ensure the equal treatment of women before the law and bring the legislation in line with international standards.
As was pointed out in the presentation, there is a global trend against the death penalty. Both the General Assembly and The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights have called on states to establish a moratorium on executions.We take note of your information that the death penalty is rarely applied, that there is an unofficial moratorium and that a National Committee is reviewing the question. Sweden would, however, recommend to take the steps necessary to formalize the moratorium, with a view to subsequently abolish the death penalty and adhere to the resolutions of the General Assembly in this regard.
Thank you, Mr President.