Australia thanks the High Commissioner for her report, and for her work and that of her office around the world.

Australia strongly supports and values the independence of the OHCHR.  We call on all UN member states to pay their assessed contributions and use their influence in New York to ensure the OHCHR and all mandates authorised by this Council are fully funded through the regular budget.

Australia reiterates its serious concern over the practice of politically motivated arbitrary arrest, detention and sentencing of foreign nationals. We remind states of their obligations under international human rights law and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Australia remains gravely concerned about the deadly violence being perpetrated against the people of Myanmar. We urgently call on the military regime to refrain from further violence, engage in dialogue, release all those arbitrarily detained and return Myanmar to the path of democratic transition.

We welcome and support the High Commissioner's request to visit Xinjiang this year, and again call on China to allow urgent, unfettered access to investigate the numerous and credible reports of human rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Australia will speak separately at this session on our concerns with the human rights situations in Tigray, Syria, Belarus, Venezuela and Eritrea.