From left: H. E. Rhoda M. Jackson, and Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

GENEVA, Switzerland - On Friday, 25 July, 2014, H. E. Rhoda M. Jackson, paid a courtesy call on Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The High Commissioner expressed appreciation for the increased presence of Caribbean representation in Geneva calling for greater participation in the work of the Human Rights Council. She noted the need to collaborate on human rights issues both at the political level in New York and the technical level in Geneva. Among those matters discussed were the rising operational costs of addressing inhumane situations in many of the conflict areas around the world, including places like Gaza and the Sudan, despite the limited resources available.

On the matter of migration and human rights, Ambassador Jackson took the opportunity to inform the High Commissioner of the challenges faced by The Bahamas in dealing with illegal migration and also highlighted the difficulty in accessing financing as a middle income country.

The High Commissioner reiterated the commitment of her Office to assist The Bahamas in meeting its treaty obligations particularly with respect to the training of experts and the preparation of national human rights reports.