The Inside Track HRC60 looks ahead at the 60th regular session of the Council, which runs from 8 September to 8 October 2025. It aims to provide those interested in the Council’s work with an at-a-glance brief on what to expect from HRC60: the key issues, debates, and questions that are expected to keep delegates busy; the country situations that will require the Council’s attention; and the draft resolutions that will be negotiated and voted upon.
The Inside Track is produced by the Universal Rights Group with the support of the Permanent Mission of Singapore.
- On 8th September, H.E. Mr. Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, will open HRC60 with the presentation of his annual report on the human rights situation around the world. The presentation of his annual report will provide the basis for an interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner on 9th and 10th September.
- During the session, the Council will consider country-specific reports by the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General covering human rights issues in, inter alia: Cambodia; the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; Myanmar; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Yemen; and Nicaragua.
- Additionally, the High Commissioner will deliver oral updates on technical assistance and capacity-building to improve the human rights situation in Haiti; and on cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine.
- Other oral updates on country situations by Special Procedures mandate holders will focus on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan.
- It will also consider High Commissioner’s and Secretary-General’s reports on a number of thematic issues, including inter alia:
- Right to development.
- Question of death penalty.
- Just transition.
- Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms.
- Indigenous Peoples.
- Nationality rights.
- Role of the family and family-oriented approaches, policies and programmes in the promotion and protection of human rights and in sustainable development.
- Reinforcement of the work to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities.
- Rights of the child and violations of the human rights of children in armed conflicts.
- Thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
- Incompatibility between democracy and racism.
- A world of sport free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
- Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers through transformative change for racial justice and equality.
- Work of the human rights adviser programme.
- The Council will hold 20 interactive dialogues with Special Procedures mandate-holders (14 thematic and 6 country specific), including 14 thematic dealing with: older persons; the right to development; arbitrary detention; the use of mercenaries; contemporary forms of slavery; Indigenous Peoples; the rights to water and sanitation; promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; truth, justice and reparation; the rights of peasants; toxics; enforced or involuntary disappearances; unilateral coercive measures; People of African Descent; and as well as 5 country-specific mandate holders on Afghanistan; Russian Federation; Burundi; Cambodia; Somalia; and Central African Republic.
- In addition, the Council will also hold interactive dialogues with nine investigative mechanisms: the International Team of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the Fact-Finding Mission on the situation in the South and North Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus; the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar; the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua; the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan; the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic; the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine; and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
- Pursuant to President’s statement PRST OS/17/1 of 8th December 2023, the reports and oral updates of the High Commissioner, the Secretary-General and the subsidiary bodies that were presented during HRC60 will be considered during the relevant general debate at HRC61.
- Based on the initiatives formally announced during the HRC60 organisational meeting, the Council is expected to act on around 34 draft resolutions and other texts. The deadline for submitting draft resolutions has been set at 1 PM on Thursday, 25 September.
- At the 60th session, the Council will adopt UPR outcome reports of 15 States: Armenia; Grenada; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Kenya; Kiribati; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Lesotho; Nicaragua; Spain; Sweden; and Türkiye.
- Additionally, the Human Rights Council is expected to appoint one mandate-holder during the 60th session relating to the vacancy of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic. On 8 August 2025, the President released the list of proposed candidates for this vacancy. More information on the upcoming appointment and the candidates can be found here.
- The 11th September is designated a United Nations holiday; no official meetings will take place on that date.
For the full draft programme of work for HRC60, please click here.
Find the English version of the Inside Track here.
Find the French version of the Inside Track here.
