Briefing paper prepared by Civil Rights Defenders (CRD)
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) has participated in the first two rounds of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of its human rights records, but its compliance and engagement with other UN human rights mechanisms has been very limited, despite its treaty obligations and UPR commitments. This low level of cooperation is particularly worrying given the lack of meaningful access to domestic remedies for human rights violations, which continue to take place with impunity.
Human Rights Treaties
Laos is state party to seven core international human rights treaties (and two optional protocols): (1)
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) (accession in 1974)
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (accession in 1981)
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its two Optional Protocols (CRC-OP-AC & CRC-OP-SC) (accession in 1991 & ratification in 2006)
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) (accession in 2007)
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (accession in 2009)
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (accession in 2009)
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) (accession in 2012)
Continue reading “What are…Laos’ International Human Rights Obligations & Commitments?”