Human Rights Council to Hold its Fifty-Third Regular Session from 19 June to 14 July 2023

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fifty-third regular session from 19 June to 14 July 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 

The session will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, 19 June under the presidency of Ambassador Václav Bálek (Czechia).  The opening will be addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.  The Council will be meeting in room XX of the Palais des Nations.

During the session, the Council will hold 28 interactive dialogues with Special Procedures mandate holders and investigative mechanisms.  It will hold four interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner on his annual report, and on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Myanmar and Ukraine.  It will also hold three enhanced interactive dialogues on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, on the situation of human rights in Sudan, and on technical cooperation and capacity-building in the Human Rights Council: taking stock of the past for a better discharge of this mission in the future. 

In addition, the Council will hold panel discussions on human rights violations against Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar and on the role of media literacy in achieving freedom of opinion and expression, and hold its annual panel discussions on women’s rights and on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights.  It will also hear presentations of the Secretary-General’s interim report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the report of the Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, as well as oral updates on human rights situations in Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine and Georgia.     

The final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of 13 States will also be considered, namely those of the Czechia, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan and Sri Lanka.

A detailed agenda and further information on the fifty-third session can be found on the session’s web page.  Reports to be presented are available here. All meetings of this session are broadcast on UN Web TV.

First Week of the Session

The fifty-third regular session will open on Monday, 19 June under the presidency of Ambassador Václav Bálek with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, presenting his annual report, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on Afghanistan with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.  In the afternoon, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the situation of human rights in Sudan, and an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea.

On Tuesday, 20 June, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry that is investigating alleged humanitarian and human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel leading up to and since 13 April 2021.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s annual report.  On Wednesday, 21 June, the Council will hold 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.  Following that, it will be presented with the Secretary-General’s interim report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Further, it will hear oral updates on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka and in Nicaragua.  Following those presentations, interactive dialogues will be held with the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity and with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.

Over Thursday, 21 June and Friday, 22 June, four interactive dialogues will be held: the first with the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the second with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls; the third with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and the fourth with the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members.

Second Week of the Session

The Council will start its second week with 10 interactive dialogues spread between Monday, 26 June and Wednesday, 28 June.  On Monday, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.  On Tuesday, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the right to education and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.  On Wednesday, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

Following a hiatus on Thursday, 29 June, a United Nations Office at Geneva holiday, the Council will on Friday, 30 June, hold its annual discussion on the human rights of women.  The morning panel will discuss gender-based violence against women and girls in public and political life and the afternoon panel will debate social protection: women’s participation and leadership.  The Council will also continue its interactive discussion with the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and hold an interactive discussion on the Office of the High Commissioner’s report on the impact of casualty recording on the promotion and protection of human rights.

Third Week of the Session

On Monday, 3 July, the Council will hold its annual panel on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights.  This year’s panel will discuss the adverse impact of climate change on the full realisation of the right to food for all people and ways forward to address the challenges therefor, as well as on best practices and lessons learned, including science-based approaches and local and indigenous knowledge.  It will also continue its interactive dialogue on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report on the impact of casualty recording on the promotion and protection of human rights, and begin its interactive dialogue on the Secretary-General’s report on the adverse impact of climate change on the full realisation of the right to food.  Further, it will hold a panel discussion on the role of digital, media and information literacy in the promotion and enjoyment of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

On Tuesday, 4 July, after the conclusion of the discussion on the Secretary-General’s report on climate change and the right to food, interactive dialogues will be held with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons and the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide.  The Council will also begin its consideration of agenda item three on the promotion and protection of all human rights with the presentation of thematic reports.  There will be four interactive dialogues on Wednesday, 5 July, with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; on the first oral update of the independent international fact-finding mission investigating alleged human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran; on the oral update of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic; and on the High Commissioner’s report on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Thursday, 6 July will see three further interactive dialogues: two on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, discussing the High Commissioner’s written update on the subject and the oral progress report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, respectively; and one on the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi.  The Council will also hear the presentation of the report of the Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises on the eleventh session of the Forum on Business and Human Rights, held from 28 November to 30 November 2022.

Thursday afternoon, all day Friday, 7 July and the morning and afternoon of Monday, 10 July will be dedicated to the consideration of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of the Czechia, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan and Sri Lanka. 

Fourth Week of the Session

After concluding its consideration of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review on Monday, 10 July, the Council will hear the presentation of a written update on the operations of the Voluntary Fund for Participation in the Universal Periodic Review and the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review.  It will then hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, which will continue on Tuesday, 11 July.

Also on Tuesday, interactive dialogues will be held with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and on an oral update from the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic.  Further, the Council will hear the presentation of a report by the Office of the High Commissioner on the progress made on the two-year comprehensive communications strategy on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.  It will also hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report recommending the way forward to improve technical cooperation and capacity-building in the field of human rights.

For Wednesday, 12 July, the Council has scheduled an interactive dialogue on a presentation from the High Commissioner on the findings of the periodic report of his Office on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, and on the interim report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine.  This will be followed by an oral update of the High Commissioner on cooperation with Georgia.

From Wednesday afternoon, through Thursday, 13 July and until the end of Friday, 14 July, the Council will take action on draft resolutions and decisions, appoint a number of Special Procedures mandate holders, and then close the session.    

The Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States, which are responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.  The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.

The composition of the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third session is as follows: Algeria (2025); Argentina (2024); Bangladesh (2025); Belgium (2025); Benin (2024); Bolivia (2023); Cameroon (2024); Chile (2025); China (2023); Costa Rica (2025); Côte d’Ivoire (2023); Cuba (2023); Czechia (2023); Eritrea (2024); Finland (2024); France (2023); Gabon (2023); Gambia (2024); Georgia (2025); Germany (2025); Honduras (2024); India (2024); Kazakhstan (2024); Kyrgyzstan (2025); Lithuania (2024); Luxembourg (2024); Malawi (2023); Malaysia (2024); Maldives (2025); Mexico (2023); Montenegro (2024); Morocco (2025); Nepal (2023); Pakistan (2023); Paraguay (2024); Qatar (2024); Romania (2025); Senegal (2023); Somalia (2024); South Africa (2025); Sudan (2025); Ukraine (2023); United Arab Emirates (2024); United Kingdom (2023); United States (2024); Uzbekistan (2023); and Viet Nam (2025).

The term of membership of each State expires in the year indicated in parentheses.

The President of the Human Rights Council in 2023 is Václav Bálek (Czechia).  The four Vice-Presidents are Muhammadou M.O. Kah (Gambia), Asim Ahmed (Maldives), Marc Bichler (Luxembourg), and Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez (Bolivia).  Ms. Alvarez will serve as Rapporteur of the Geneva-based body.

The dates and the programme of work of the fifty-third session are subject to change.

Information on the fifty-third session can be found here, including the annotated agenda and the reports to be presented.

For further information, please contact:

Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer (simp@un.org) and David Díaz Martín, Human Rights Council Public Information Officer (David.diazmartin@un.org)

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HRC.23.61E