The Human Rights Council this morning adopted nine resolutions, in which it, among other things, extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for a further period of one year. The Council extended the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, for a period of three years each.
The Council also adopted resolutions on the situation of human rights in Sudan; the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar; the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights; the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyers: participation of women in the administration of justice; human rights and international solidarity; and human rights and climate change.
On the situation of human rights in Eritrea, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further period of one year and requested the Special Rapporteur to submit and present a written report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third session, and to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. The Council called on the Government of Eritrea to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur during this period. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 21 in favour, 10 against and 16 abstentions.
The Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons for a period of three years. The Council requested the Special Rapporteur to integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of the mandate, and to continue to submit an annual report on the implementation of the mandate to Council and to the General Assembly.
Concerning the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and its consequences, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years. The Council also decided to continue considering the issue of the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls as a matter of high priority at its fifty-third session.
On the situation of human rights in Sudan, the Council requested the High Commissioner to present an oral update on the situation of human rights in Sudan at its fifty-second session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue. The Council also requested the High Commissioner, upon the restoration of civilian-led government in Sudan and the conclusion of the mandate of the designated Expert, to present a final report to the Council.
Concerning the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, the Council requested the High Commissioner to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made by the independent international fact-finding mission, including those on accountability. The Council decided to hold a panel discussion at the Council's fifty-third and asked the High Commissioner to submit a report on the panel discussion to the Council at its fifty-fifth session.
With regard to the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, the Council requested the High Commissioner to enhance dialogue with representatives from non-traditional donor countries, with a view to broadening the donor base and replenishing the resources. The Council also requested the High Commissioner to prepare a new report on the work of the Office in the implementation and enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, to submit to the Council at its fifty-third session. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 29 in favour, 16 against and 2 abstentions.
Concerning the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyers: participation of women in the administration of justice, the Council called upon all States to guarantee the independence of judges and lawyers and the objectivity and impartiality of prosecutors, and to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation and representation of all women at all levels of the administration of justice. The Council called upon Governments to respond favourably to the requests of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to visit their country, and to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur in investigations, follow-up procedures and the implementation of his or her recommendations.
On human rights and international solidarity, the Council requested the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity to compile and disseminate good practices in the field of international solidarity, from State and non-State actors, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery efforts. The Independent Expert was requested to report regularly to the Council and the General Assembly. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 31 in favour, 15 against and 1 abstention.
As for human rights and climate change, the Council urged States that had not yet ratified the Paris Agreement to do so and called upon all States to adopt a comprehensive, integrated, gender-responsive, age-inclusive, and disability-inclusive approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation policies. The Council also requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the adverse impact of climate change on the full realisation of the right to food, at its fifty-third session.
The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council's fiftieth regular session can be found here.
The Council will next meet at 3 p.m. this afternoon to continue to take action on remaining draft resolutions and decisions.
Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item Two on the Annual Report of the High Commissioner and Reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.14/Rev.1) on Reporting by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation in the Sudan, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the assistance of the designated Expert on human rights in Sudan, to present to the Council, at its fifty-second session, an oral update on the situation of human rights in Sudan, to be followed by an interactive dialogue with the participation of the High Commissioner and the designated Expert, and at its fifty-third session, a comprehensive report on the situation of human rights in Sudan, to be followed by an interactive dialogue with the participation of the High Commissioner and the designated Expert; and also requests the High Commissioner, upon the restoration of civilian-led government in Sudan and the conclusion of the mandate of the designated Expert, to present to the Council at its first subsequent session a final report, with input from the designated Expert.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.19) on the Situation of human rights in Eritrea, adopted by a vote of 21 in favour, 10 against and 16 abstentions, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for a further period of one year; requests the Special Rapporteur to submit and present a written report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third session, and to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session; decides to hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Eritrea at its fifty-second session; and calls upon the Government of Eritrea to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, including by granting him access to the country and committing to making progress on the recommendations included in his reports and on the benchmarks and associated indicators proposed in 2019.
The results of the vote were as follows:
In favour (21): Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America.
Against (10): Bolivia, China; Cuba, Eritrea, India, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
Abstentions (16): Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Qatar, Senegal and Uzbekistan.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.21) on the Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, adopted without a vote, the Council expresses its grave concern at continuing reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in Myanmar, in particular against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities; reiterates the importance of conducting international, independent, fair and transparent investigations into gross human rights violations and abuses in Myanmar; urges Myanmar to cooperate fully with and to grant full, unrestricted and unmonitored access to all United Nations mandate holders and human rights mechanisms; urges Myanmar to immediately commence the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation and reintegration of all forcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims and other minorities from Bangladesh.
The Council requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made by the independent international fact-finding mission, including those on accountability, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-fifth session and a written report at its fifty-sixth session, each to be followed by an interactive dialogue, and a written report to the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session; decides to hold at its fifty-third session a panel discussion on the measures necessary to find durable solutions to the Rohingya crisis and to end all forms of human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, and requests the High Commissioner to submit a report on the panel discussion to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-fifth session.
Action on Resolutions under Agenda Item Three on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the Right to Development
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.1) on Enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, adopted by a vote of 29 in favour, 16 against and 2 abstentions, the Council requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to seek to enhance dialogue with representatives from non-traditional donor countries with a view to broadening the donor base and to replenishing the resources available to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights; requests the High Commissioner to prepare a new report on the work of the Office in the implementation and enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights and to submit the report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third session; decides to continue its consideration of the matter at its fifty-third session, in accordance with its annual programme of work.
The results of the vote were as follows:
In favour (29): Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Against (16): Armenia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Island, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America.
Abstentions (2): Brazil and Mexico.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.3) on the Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors, and the independence of lawyers: participation of women in the administration of justice, adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council calls upon all States to guarantee the independence of judges and lawyers and the objectivity and impartiality of prosecutors, and to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation and representation of all women at all levels of the administration of justice; calls upon Governments to respond favourably to the requests of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers to visit their country, and to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur in investigations, follow-up procedures and the implementation of his or her recommendations.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.4) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons for a period of three years; requests the Special Rapporteur to integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of the mandate; requests Governments to respond favourably and expeditiously to requests by the Special Rapporteur for visits and information; and requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to submit an annual report on the implementation of the mandate to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.7) on the Mandate of Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and its consequences, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years under the title of "Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and its consequences;" calls upon all States to cooperate fully with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of their tasks; requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur with all assistance necessary to fulfil the mandate effectively; decides to continue considering the issue of the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls as a matter of high priority at its fifty-third session.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.9) on Human rights and international solidarity, adopted by a vote of 31 in favour, 15 against and 1 abstention, the Council requests the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity to compile and disseminate good practices in the field of international solidarity from States and non-State actors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery efforts; requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide all the human and financial resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Independent Expert; and requests the Independent Expert to report regularly to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly.
The results of the vote were as follows:
In favour (31): Argentina, Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Against (15): Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America.
Abstentions (1): Mexico.
In a resolution (A/HRC/50/L.10/Rev.1) on Human rights and climate change, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States that have not yet ratified the Paris Agreement to do so; calls upon all States to adopt a comprehensive, integrated, gender-responsive, age-inclusive and disability-inclusive approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation policies; decides to incorporate into its programme of work for its fifty-third session a panel discussion focusing on the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food for all people; also decides to incorporate into its annual programme of work, beginning in 2023, at a minimum a panel discussion, with sufficient time to discuss different specific themes on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights; requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and to submit a report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-fifth session reflecting on the panel discussion and identifying the necessary measures for minimizing the adverse impact of climate change on the full realisation of the right to food; requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third session a report on the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food; and requests the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change to highlight the adverse impacts of climate change on the full realization of the right to food in his work and reports.
