Andorra's delegation highlighted advances in child protection, disability rights, gender equality, and

Andorra's delegation, led by Ambassador Ferran Costa, defended the country's human rights record during its initial review by the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva on Tuesday. The interministerial team presented its report on compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and fielded questions from 18 independent experts as part of the UN's periodic treaty monitoring process.

The session highlighted Andorra's progress in child protection, with officials emphasizing the Centre Residencial d’Acció Educativa (CRAE) as a residential option for government-tutored minors that fully respects rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They outlined protocols to prevent violence against children and adolescents, noting no minors have been deprived of liberty in Andorra since 2017 due to the juvenile justice system's preference for educational and alternative measures as a last resort, always prioritizing the child's best interests.

Delegates addressed abortion in response to expert queries, framing women seeking termination abroad as part of the principality's standard healthcare model. Costa described this as a "structural reality" for a microstate of 90,000 people with one hospital, where specialized treatments like chemotherapy are routinely handled externally in nearby France or Spain—often within 30 kilometers. He stressed that no woman has ever been prosecuted or sanctioned for abortion in Andorra, citing constitutional protections for life under Article 8 and the coprincipality system's influence, including the Bishop of Urgell and French president as heads of state. The delegation reaffirmed commitment to decriminalizing abortion via the new Ministry of Institutional Relations, alongside the 2020 Servei Integral d’Atenció a la Dona (SIAD) for free sexual and reproductive health counseling.

Other topics included 98.8% integration of children with disabilities in mainstream schools under the National Plan for Childhood and Adolescence 2022-2026 and the 2022 Qualified Law on the Person and the Family, which prohibits marriage before 18 and forced unions. Andorra guarantees full voting rights for people with disabilities—one of few nations doing so—and provides individualized care for those deprived of liberty per the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Refugee efforts covered 26 Syrians and over 300 Ukrainians since 2022, with full rights extended. Gender equality advances feature a dedicated legislative framework, the State Secretariat for Equality and Citizen Participation, and a recent parliamentary change enabling withdrawal of the reservation to Article 30.2 of the Istanbul Convention for victim compensation regardless of perpetrator insolvency.

The right to life was discussed systemically, spotlighting Andorra's international leadership in environmental transparency, climate action, and energy efficiency aid for vulnerable groups. Civil society plays an active role, including shadow reports to UN bodies, with the government pledging more NGO involvement.

Costa underscored accountability to treaty bodies as "essential to maintain and consolidate an inclusive, demanding and respectful multilateralism" attuned to national contexts. Coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the report was government-approved on 23 April 2025 before submission to the UN Human Rights Council secretariat. The committee's recommendations will guide future reforms.