
The International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP or Commission) participated in a high-level side event tititled 'Pathways to Moratorium on the Use of Death Penalty: Effective and Good Practices from Member States' at the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly's High-Level Week in New York.
ICDP Vice President Ibrahim Najjar, former Minister of Justice of Lebanon, was a participant in the panel discussion, which was held in a hybrid format. He gave an overview of the work of the Commission, the situation of the death penalty in the Middle East with a focus on Lebanon and reiterated the importance of the UNGA Moratorium Resolution, noting the situation in the Middle East region, to move states away from the death penalty. He was joined in the panel by H.E. Luise Amtsberg, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance, Germany and Mr. Dobby Chew, Director of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN).
The event, which was organized by Italy, Sierra Leone, the European Union and Amnesty International, provided a forum for the participants to discuss and voice their perspectives on the best policies adopted by countries to move towards abolition of the death penalty. In order to support the governments' efforts to accomplish this goal, the debate provided the opportunity to examine the role of civil society. Speakers included H.E. David J. Francis, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Sierra Leone, H.E. Eamon Gilmore, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, H.E. Marina Sereni, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy, H.E. Ángeles Moreno Bau, State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Spain, Ms. Nada Al Nashif, Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, among others.
The discussion was moderated by Mr Rio Hada, Head of Equality, Rule of Law and Development, UNOHCHR New York.
Please find a recording of the panel discussion here