Mr. President,
Sweden aligns herself with the statement made earlier by the EU delegation. We thank the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Dr Shamsul Bari, for his report, and recognize the extensive consultations made with many stakeholders in a complex political landscape.

Sweden shares the deep concern over the continued impunity and absence of rule of law in Somalia. Reports of summary executions and the use of ruthless physical abuse by the extremist insurgency in the South and central Somalia is deeply worrying and against all values of humanity and human dignity.

We urge the TFG and AMISOM to take all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties and improve the protection regime. Declared commitments in this direction made this morning are welcome. We recognize the challenges on the ground, but the Somali people must be assured that the TFG and its international partners are doing its utmost to address the human rights situation, particularly in Mogadishu where the situation is most acute.

Sweden welcomes the Somali-owned human rights monitoring and tracking mechanism launched in the draft Constitution by way of establishing an independent Somali Human Rights Commission.
Women and children bear the brunt of the consequences of the fighting in Somalia. Their voices should be heard and their lives protected. We suggest that Dr Bari expands and deepens his consultations with Somalia women and young people, i.a through civil society. Sweden welcomes the commitment by TFG to deal with the issue of child soldiers and child abuse.
Sweden is also concerned about the dire situation for human rights defenders, journalists and media houses throughout Somalia and calls upon all relevant Somali authorities to respect their rights.
 
The situation for internally displaced persons throughout Somalia requires continuous monitoring. While opportunities exist to do more in Puntland and Somaliland, the plight of people displaced along in the inaccessible Afgoye corridor outside Mogadishu is particularly worrying.

Dr Bari makes reference to the phenomenon of human trafficking.  As less focus has been put on this severe issue, we would welcome if Dr Bari could elaborate on this further.
Sweden would have welcomed more in depth assessment of the human rights situation in the report, as well as options to work concretely with Somali actors to promote human rights. The challenges are manifold but we should find ways to actively support human rights defenders and Somalia authorities on the ground to advance the human rights conditions. Ultimately, however, safeguarding human rights is the responsibility of Somalia, the government, its local partners and regional administrations, notably Puntland and Somaliland.

To achieve this and to assist the Human Rights Council to stay informed of the developments, Sweden supports a renewed mandate for the Independent Expert.
Thank you, Mr President.