Mr. President,
The delegation of Cuba has the honour to present, on behalf of the 21 co-sponsoring States, draft resolution L.3, entitled: ‘Renewal of the mandate of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination’.
This text, of a procedural nature, would allow for the renewal, for a period of 3 years, of the mandate of the Working Group.
This would guarantee the continuity of cooperation, technical assistance and specialized advisory services to states that request them, on the basis of respect for and non-interference in internal affairs.
This Working Group is the only expert mechanism available to the United Nations to address the problem of mercenarism in all its forms and manifestations, and the human rights impact of the activities of private military and security companies.
The balanced geographical composition of the Group provides a comprehensive and balanced global perspective in the examination of the issues under its attention. This favors cooperative actions more in line with the needs and circumstances of the applicants.
The Working Group has developed a work respectful of its mandate and the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures mandate holders. It has proven to be a necessary, useful and effective tool for States.
For the foregoing reasons, Cuba requests the member States of the Council to vote in favour of draft resolution L.3.
Thank you very much.