Universal Periodic Review Working Group – 44th Session

Universal Period Review of Germany

9 November 2023

Statement by Australia

Thank you, [President/Vice President]

Australia commends Germany’s commitment to human rights and acknowledges its efforts to prioritise gender equality in international engagements, develop self-determination laws protecting LGBTQIA+ people’s rights, and implement legislation addressing human rights violations in supply chains.

Australia recommends Germany:

1. Ensure use of force by law enforcement agencies is necessary and proportional, and update requirements for police to wear identification badges.
2. Ensure full implementation of the Istanbul Convention, including through adequate protection and support structures for women and children affected by violence.
3. Harmonise disability definitions in laws and policies, and replace reliance on a medical model of disability with a human rights model, consistent with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.