Solomon Islands made significant commitments to make progress on human rights before the UN Human Rights Council last week.
In May of this year the international community, through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council, identified a number of human rights issues faced by Solomon Islands and made recommendations for improvements.Through the UPR, Pacific Island States such as Solomon Islands have had a significant opportunity to discuss their human rights situations with the international community.
"It is great to see concrete commitments coming out of this process, which should lead to improved lives for Pacific people. OHCHR's Regional Office stands ready to provide further assistance to support implementation on the ground," said Matilda Bogner, Regional representative of OHCHR's Regional Office for the Pacific.
Solomon Islands agreed to fully implement its Gender Equity and Women's Development Policy and the National Policy on Eliminating Violence against Women, to establish a national human rights institution, to improve prison conditions for women and to take measures to combat child abuse and provide free, compulsory basic education.
Solomon Islands also agreed to ratify all the remaining core human rights treaties.
Solomon Islands will return to the review process in four years to see what progress has been made in implementing its human rights commitments.