The resident diplomatic missions of Australia, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Monday urging all countries with a death penalty statute to cease executions and to issue a moratorium on its use.
The joint statement is timed to mark the 20th World Day Against the Death Penalty.
The statement reiterates the commitment of the five countries to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances for all people, and in all countries.
"The death penalty is deeply flawed. There is no conclusive evidence it deters crime. It is irrevocable – any miscarriage or failure of justice in implementing the death penalty is irreversible and irreparable," it said.
The death penalty is deeply unfair, disproportionately affecting minorities, women, and people with intellectual disabilities or economic vulnerabilities, it also said.
More than two-thirds of all the nations in the world have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice, according to the joint statement.