Quick summary The 55th regular session of the Human Rights Council (HRC55) was held from Monday, 26 February 2024 to 5 April 2024. As the main session of the Council, HRC55 began with a High-Level Segment (HLS). The 2024 HLS included speeches by more than 130 world leaders, including two heads or deputy heads of State, eight heads or deputy …
On the 4th of April, as has been the case every year since the adoption of General Assembly resolution 60/97 in December 2005, the world observes the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. This year, the annual commemoration comes at a time of multiple anniversaries – the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Mine Ban …
The 3-day High-Level Segment of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, held from 26 to 28 February 2024, saw the active participation of around 130 high-level dignitaries and officials, including 2 heads or deputy heads of State, 8 heads or deputy heads of government, and 105 ministers or vice-ministers, as well as representatives from international organisations. The President of the Human Rights Council H.E. …
‘We are going backwards, inequalities are skyrocketing, climate change is burning and pounding our planet, and the number of people living in severe poverty has risen, for the first time in a generation. […] The system is broken.’ These were the sombre words chosen by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to open the Sixth Intersessional Meeting of the …
My priorities as the 18th President of the Human Rights Council I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been elected by members of the Human Rights Council as the Council’s 18th President. Ever since its establishment in 2006, Morocco has been a staunch and active supporter of the Council. I am likewise a firm believer in the Council’s crucial …
On Wednesday 31 January 2024, United States Senator Ben Cardin and Representative James McGovern introduced the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act of 2024, a bill that seeks to protect Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) facing retaliation globally for defending human rights and democracy. Notably, Senator Cardin was also the author of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which established one of …
This article was originally published on Open Global Rights on February 1, 2024. The original article is accessible here . The UN Human Rights Council’s recognition of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a political declaration that paves the way to establishing its legal meaning. In October 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) passed a …
In December 2022, upon his election as President of the Human Rights Council, H.E. Václav Bálek outlined his ‘3P’ priorities : ‘prevention, participation, and progress in efficiency.’ He acknowledged the increase in the Council’s workloads over recent years and the strain this had placed on the Council’s capacity to effectively fulfil its mandate. To address the situation, Bálek appointed H.E. Maira Mariela Macdonal …
As 2023 draws to a close, and as thoughts turn to family, holidays and, for some of us, mince pies, Santa Claus, and a glass of sherry or two (well, at least one of those anyway), it is worth reflecting on the year just ending. What were the key political currents that shaped events at the Council? What did the …
An independent analysis of the Push for Pledges campaign of the Human Rights 75 Initiative December 2023 marks the 75th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an anniversary that the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights has been commemorating throughout the year, culminating in a two-day high-level event held on 11 and 12 December 2023. …
