Baku. 7 February (AZERTAC). The Human Rights Council`s Universal Periodic Review Working Group reviewed the fulfillment of human rights obligations by Azerbaijan on February 4, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Presenting the national report of Azerbaijan, head of the country`s delegation to the Council, Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, noted the legislation of his country was being regularly improved to bring it in line with international standards in the field of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights.

The Deputy Minister said the Azerbaijani government took all measures to strengthen the functioning and further development of the media, including strengthening its material and technical basis.

“The adoption of a number of new laws laid the ground for the democratization of legal policies and the judiciary. The Government of Azerbaijan together with the Council of Europe set up a working group aimed at improvement of the effectiveness of the judiciary” Khalafov said.

“The Government, in cooperation with the European Commission against Torture, took complex measures for the betterment of the functioning of the penitentiary system”.

In order to promote and realize social and economic rights the Government adopted a number of State programs dealing with poverty issues, employment and food security, among other areas, he added.

According to the Deputy FM, the promotion of cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue was one of the priority areas of Azerbaijan`s foreign policy. “Today in Azerbaijan women were represented in legislative, executive, judicial and administrative bodies and participated actively in the political life in the country. The Government took concerted action to combat violence against women and, in January 2008, launched a joint project on combating violence against women”.

Khalafov also touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying it remained the most difficult problem for his country.

The Council`s member delegations highly praised Azerbaijan`s national report, especially steps to combat human trafficking, progress made in the area of economic, social and cultural rights, achievements in combating poverty, efforts to combat violence against women, and the attention given to the well-being of children.

During the three-hour interactive discussion, members of the Azerbaijani delegation responded to a number of questions from the Council members and observers.

On February 5, Khalaf Khalafov met UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mrs. Navanethem Pillay. During the talk, both Khalafov and Pillay expressed satisfaction with cooperation between the Azerbaijani government and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mrs. Pillay praised human rights reforms in Azerbaijan.

On February 6, the Azerbaijani Deputy FM had a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutierres. Mr. Gutierres hailed the Azeri government`s efforts towards ensuring rights of refugees and IDPs. He said the fact the government removed tent camps and resettled refugees in new settlements can serve as an example for other countries.

Khalafov and Gutierres also exchanged views on prospects for strengthening cooperation between the country and the organization.