AFTERNOON - Human Rights Council Adopts 16 Texts, Establishes a Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan and a Working Group on the Rights of Peasants

 

Council Extends Mandates on Afghanistan, an Equitable International Order, the Promotion of Truth and Justice, the Disposal of Hazardous Waste, Private Military and Security Companies, Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, and Unilateral Coercive Measures

 

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted a Presidential statement and 15 resolutions, in which it established an independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan, and a working group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas.  The Council also extended mandates on Afghanistan, an equitable international order, the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the activities of private military and security companies, enforced and involuntary disappearances, and unilateral coercive measures.

Other texts concerned the reports of the Advisory Committee, the use of mercenaries, quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, the centrality of care and support from a human rights perspective, the World Programme for Human Rights Education, human rights and indigenous peoples, and the human rights of older persons.

In a resolution on responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, adopted by a vote of 19 in favour, 16 against and 12 abstentions, the Council decided to urgently establish an independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan, with a mandate to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights and international humanitarian law violations in the context of the conflict that began on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties. 

The Council decided, by a vote of 38 in favour, 2 against and 7 abstentions, to establish, for a period of three years, a working group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, consisting of five independent experts, with a mandate to promote the effective and comprehensive dissemination and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas.

On the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan for a period of one year.  It requested the Special Rapporteur to prepare a report on the phenomenon of an institutionalised system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and exclusion of women and girls.

Concerning the mandate of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, the Council adopted, by a vote of 31 in favour, 13 against and 3 abstentions, a resolution in which it decided to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order for a period of three years, and called upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Independent Expert in the discharge of the mandate.

As for the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, the Council decided to extend the mandate for a period of three years and urged all States to cooperate with and to assist the Special Rapporteur so that his mandate could be carried out effectively.

Concerning the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years.

With regard to the mandate of the open-ended intergovernmental working group to elaborate the content of an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies, the Council decided to renew the mandate of the working group for a period of three years to continue to elaborate the content of an international regulatory framework to protect human rights and ensure accountability for violations and abuses relating to the activities of private military and private security companies. 

On enforced or involuntary disappearances, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Working Group for a further period of three years and called upon States that have not provided substantive replies concerning claims of enforced disappearances in their countries to do so, and to give due consideration to relevant recommendations concerning this issue made by the Working Group in its reports.

In a resolution on human rights and unilateral coercive measures, adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 13 against and 2 abstentions, the Council decided to extend for a period of three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. 

In a Presidential statement, the Council noted that the Advisory Committee had made four research proposals.

On the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, the Council adopted, by a vote of 32 in favour, 13 against and 2 abstentions, a resolution in which it requested the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination to continue to monitor mercenaries and mercenary-related activities in all their forms and manifestations in all parts of the world, and to continue to update the database of individuals convicted of mercenary activities.

Concerning ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, the Council decided to convene a panel discussion on accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, especially children in the most vulnerable situations, at its fifty-seventh session.

As for the centrality of care and support from a human rights perspective, the Council decided to request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organise a two-day expert workshop to address the human rights of women, persons with disabilities, children and older persons as caregivers, as well as receivers of care and support, and for their self-care from a gender equality and human rights perspective.  It also requested the High Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive thematic study on the human rights dimension of care and support. 

On the World Programme for Human Rights Education, the Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare, from within existing resources, a plan of action for the fifth phase of the World Programme (2025-2029).

Concerning human rights and indigenous peoples, the Council decided that the theme of the annual half-day panel discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples, to be held during the fifty-seventh session of the Council, would be on laws, policies, judicial decisions and other measures that States have taken to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  The Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a stocktaking report, compiling existing procedures on the participation of indigenous peoples at the United Nations, and highlighting existing gaps and good practices, and present the report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session. 

As for the human rights of older persons, the Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a meeting of human rights experts, fully accessible to persons with disabilities, with the participation of the Independent Expert, including with the meaningful and effective participation of older persons and their representative organizations, to discuss and draw up recommendations on the human rights obligations of States regarding violence against and abuse and neglect of older persons in all settings.

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 fifty-fourth regular session can be found here.

The Council will next meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 12 October, to continue to take action on draft texts before concluding its fifty-fourth session on Friday, 13 October.

Action on Resolution Under Agenda Item One on Organizational and Procedural Matters

In a Presidential statement (A/HRC/54/L.5) on the Reports of the Advisory Committee, adopted without a vote, the Council takes note of the reports of the Advisory Committee on its twenty-ninth and thirtieth sessions, and notes that the Advisory Committee has made four research proposals.

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item Two on the Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.16) on the Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, adopted without a vote, the Council calls for an immediate end to all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in Afghanistan; decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan for a period of one year, and requests the Special Rapporteur to present a report to the Council at its fifty-fifth session, to provide an oral update to the Council at its fifty-seventh session and to present a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session; requests the Special Rapporteur to prepare a report on the phenomenon of an institutionalised system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and exclusion of women and girls, building on the report submitted to the Council at its fifty-third session, and to present it to the Council at its fifty-sixth session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue; decides that the mandate holder shall benefit from additional dedicated and specific resources and expertise to be provided by the Office of the High Commissioner; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.18) on Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, adopted by a vote of 19 in favour, 16 against and 12 abstentions, the Council calls for an immediate and complete ceasefire, the rapid establishment of safe and unhindered humanitarian access, the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism, the rehabilitation of critical basic infrastructure, a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the conflict, and the recommitment to the transition towards civilian-led government; decides to urgently establish an independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan, with a mandate to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights and international humanitarian law violations in the context of the conflict that began on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties, to make recommendations, in particular on accountability measures and access to justice for victims, to provide the Council with an oral update at its fifty-sixth session, followed by a dialogue, and a comprehensive written report at its fifty-seventh session, followed by an enhanced dialogue that should include the participation of inter alia the High Commissioner for Human Rights, representatives from the African Union, and the Special Advisor of the Secretary General for the Prevention of Genocide, and to submit the above written report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session; the Council also requests the fact-finding mission, the Office of the High Commissioner, and the designated Expert to coordinate to ensure the fact-finding mission is able to make use of all information, analysis, and reporting; requests the immediate operationalisation of the mandate of the fact-finding mission by the President of the Council, and requests the Secretary-General to provide all the resources and expertise to enable the Office of the High Commissioner to provide such support, in particular in the areas of fact-finding, legal analysis and evidence-collection; calls upon the parties to cooperate fully with the fact-finding mission and its work, and on the international community to support fully the implementation of this mandate; and decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (19): Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, Paraguay, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Against (16): Algeria, Bolivia, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam.

Abstentions (12): Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Gambia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Nepal, South Africa and Uzbekistan.

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/54/L.2) on the Use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 13 against and 2 abstentions, the Council urges all States to take the necessary steps and to exercise the utmost vigilance against the threat posed by the activities of mercenaries; requests all States to exercise the utmost vigilance in banning the use of private companies offering international military consultancy and security services when intervening in armed conflicts or actions to destabilize constitutional regimes; calls upon all States that have not yet become a party to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries to consider taking the necessary action to do so; requests the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination and other experts to broaden their active participation, including by submitting contributions, in other subsidiary bodies of the Council considering related issues; requests the Working Group to continue to monitor mercenaries and mercenary-related activities in all their forms and manifestations in all parts of the world, and to continue to update the database of individuals convicted of mercenary activities; further requests the Working Group to continue to study and identify new sources and causes, emerging issues, manifestations and trends with regard to mercenaries and mercenary-related activities and their impact on human rights; requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Working Group with all the assistance and support necessary for the fulfilment of its mandate; requests the Working Group to consult States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and other relevant civil society actors in the implementation of the present resolution, and to continue reporting its findings on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination to the Council and to the General Assembly in accordance with their respective programmes of work; decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item at its fifty-seventh session.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (32): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Against (13): Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Abstentions (2): Mexico and Morocco.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.3) on the Mandate of Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, adopted by a vote of 31 in favour, 13 against and 3 abstentions, the Council decides to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order for a period of three years, in conformity with the terms set forth by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 18/6; calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Independent Expert in the discharge of the mandate, and to provide all the necessary information requested by the Independent Expert in order to facilitate the effective fulfilment of the duties of the mandate holder; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide all the human and financial resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate; requests the Independent Expert to report regularly to the Council and the General Assembly in accordance with their respective programmes of work; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item in accordance with its programme of work.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (31): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Against (13): Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Abstentions (3): Chile, Costa Rica and Mexico.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.4/Rev.1) on Ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States to place greater emphasis on and expand their activities promoting peace and tolerance through quality education for every child; calls on all States to continue to take all appropriate measures to prevent and protect children, both in person and in digital contexts, from any form of violence, to ensure that children affected by armed conflict and children associated, or allegedly associated, with armed groups or terrorist groups are treated primarily as victims and have equal access to inclusive and equitable quality education; decides to convene a panel discussion on accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, especially children in the most vulnerable situations, at its fifty-seventh session; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive report, in an accessible format, with specific recommendations on how to develop accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child and incorporate it into educational programmes, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.6/Rev.1) on the Centrality of care and support from a human rights perspective, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States to implement all measures necessary to recognise and redistribute care work among individuals as well as families, communities, the private sector and States, in a manner that promotes gender equality and the enjoyment of human rights by all, increase investment in care and support policies and infrastructure to ensure universal access to affordable and quality services for all and to ensure universal access to paid maternity, paternity and parental leave and social protection for all workers, and adopt all necessary measures enabling full, equal, meaningful and inclusive participation of women, persons with disabilities and older persons, as well as children, in decision-making relevant to care and support; decides to request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organise a two-day expert workshop in accessible format, with inputs from interested States, international organizations, the private sector and civil society, to address the human rights of women, persons with disabilities, children and older persons as caregivers, as well as receivers of care and support, and for their self-care from a gender equality and human rights perspective; also to request the High Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive thematic study on the human rights dimension of care and support, summarising and compiling international standards and good practices and main challenges at the national level in care and support systems, and including recommendations on promoting and ensuring the human rights of caregivers and care and support recipients, requiring contributions to be submitted in an accessible format, and further to request that such stakeholder contributions, the study itself and an easy-to-read-version of it be made available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner, in an accessible format, prior to the fifty-eighth session of the Council; and also decides to review progress in the implementation of the present resolution as a matter of priority at its future sessions.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.7) on the World Programme for Human Rights Education, adopted without a vote, the Council decides that the fifth phase of the World Programme will continue to focus on youth while expanding to include children as priority sectors, with special emphasis on human rights and digital technologies, the environment and climate change, and gender equality and to align the fifth phase with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; encourages States to develop, as appropriate, comprehensive and sustainable national plans of action for human rights education and training, with dedicated resources; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare, from within existing resources, a plan of action for the fifth phase of the World Programme (2025-2029), in consultation with States, relevant intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions and civil society, and to submit the plan of action to the Council for its consideration at its fifty-seventh session; recommends that the Secretary-General ensure that an adequate component of United Nations assistance is available to support human rights education and training; and decides to consider this issue at its fifty-seventh session in accordance with its programme of work.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.10) on the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon States to take into due consideration the recommendations contained in the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence when designing and implementing strategies, policies and measures to address gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law within their national context; decides to extend for a period of three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence; urges all States to cooperate with and to assist the Special Rapporteur so that his mandate can be carried out effectively, including by responding favourably and rapidly to requests for visits; requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to report annually to the Council and the General Assembly; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the human, technical and financial assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of his mandate; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item and in accordance with its programme of work.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.11) on the Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, adopted by a vote of 38  in favour, 2 against and 7 abstentions, the Council decides to establish, for a period of three years, a working group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, consisting of five independent experts with balanced geographical representation to be appointed by the Council at its fifty-fifth session, with a mandate to promote the effective and comprehensive dissemination and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, and to submit an annual report to the Council and to the General Assembly on its work and activities, containing its conclusions and recommendations, according to their respective programmes of work; calls upon all States and all stakeholders to cooperate fully with the working group in the performance of its mandate and to consider implementing the recommendations made by the working group in its reports submitted under the mandate; requests the Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the working group with all financial and human resources necessary to enable it to carry out its mandate fully and effectively; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (38): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.

Against (2): United Kingdom and United States.

Abstentions (7): Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Lithuania, Montenegro and Romania.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.13) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, in accordance with his mandate, to continue to provide detailed, up-to-date information on the adverse consequences for the full enjoyment of human rights of managing and disposing of hazardous substances and wastes in an unlawful manner; decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years, and invites him to report to the Council in accordance with its programme of work and annually to the General Assembly; urges the Special Rapporteur to present to the Council, in accordance with its programme of work, annual reports on the implementation of the resolutions that it has adopted, as well as specific recommendations and proposals concerning the steps that should be taken immediately in order to address the adverse implications for human rights of hazardous substances and wastes; requests the Special Rapporteur to inform States, United Nations agencies and other relevant international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders of the impact on human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes; reiterates its appeal to the Secretary-General and to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all assistance necessary for the successful fulfilment of his mandate; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item in accordance with its programme of work.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.15) on the Mandate of the open-ended intergovernmental working group to elaborate the content of an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to renew the mandate of the open-ended intergovernmental working group for a period of three years, with a mandate to continue to elaborate the content of an international regulatory framework, without prejudging the nature thereof, in efforts to protect human rights and ensure accountability for violations and abuses relating to the activities of private military and private security companies, informed by the revised zero draft instrument and revised second draft instrument on an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring of and oversight over the activities of private military and security companies, as prepared by the Chair-Rapporteur, and further inputs from Member States and other stakeholders, and factoring in the work done under the previous mandate; also decides that the open-ended intergovernmental working group shall meet for five working days and submit an annual progress report to the Council; decides that the working group shall invite experts and all relevant stakeholders to participate in its work; invites the contributions of all stakeholders with relevant expertise in that regard; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the open-ended intergovernmental working group with all the resources necessary for its mandate; and decides to remain seized of this important matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.19) on Human rights and indigenous peoples, adopted without a vote, the Council decides that the theme of the annual half-day panel discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples, to be held during the fifty-seventh session of the Council, will be on laws, policies, judicial decisions and other measures that States have taken to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and requests the Office of the High Commissioner to encourage and facilitate the participation of indigenous women, to make the discussion fully accessible to and inclusive for persons with disabilities, and to prepare a summary report on the discussion for submission to the Council prior to its fifty-ninth session; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a stocktaking report, compiling existing procedures on the participation of indigenous peoples at the United Nations, and highlighting existing gaps and good practices, and present the report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session; decides to organize a two-day intersessional meeting before the fifty-seventh session of the Council and another two-day inter-sessional meeting before its fifty-eighth session, in order to allow all stakeholders to hold a dialogue on increasing the participation of indigenous peoples in the work of the Council; requests the President of the Council to appoint one State co-facilitator and one indigenous co-facilitator for each intersessional meeting; decides that the co-facilitators, together with the Office of the High Commissioner, shall be responsible for the preparation of a joint report on the discussions and outcomes of the meetings, including specific recommendations, and for its presentation to the Council before its fifty-ninth session; requests the President of the Council to organise the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions … at the fifty-seventh session of the Council; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.20) on the Human rights of older persons, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all States to prohibit all forms of discrimination against older persons and to adopt and implement non-discriminatory policies, national strategies, action plans, legislation and regulations, including in response to violence, abuse and neglect; invites the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons to continue to raise awareness of the challenges that older persons face in the realisation of their human rights in her annual reports; and requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a meeting of human rights experts, fully accessible to persons with disabilities, with the participation of the Independent Expert, … including with the meaningful and effective participation of older persons and their representative organizations, to discuss and draw up recommendations on the human rights obligations of States regarding violence against and abuse and neglect of older persons in all settings, to prepare a summary report …  containing the conclusions and recommendations of the meeting, and to submit the report to the Council by its fifty-seventh session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.25) on Enforced or involuntary disappearances, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all States that have not yet signed, ratified or acceded to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to consider doing so as a matter of priority; calls upon States to cooperate with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and to respond favourably to its request for visits; decides to extend the mandate of the Working Group for a further period of three years, in conformity with the terms set forth in Human Rights Council resolution 7/12; calls upon States that have not provided substantive replies concerning claims of enforced disappearances in their countries to do so, and to give due consideration to relevant recommendations concerning this issue made by the Working Group in its reports; requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Working Group with all financial and human resources necessary to enable it to carry out fully its mandate; and decides to continue its consideration of the question of enforced disappearances in accordance with its programme of work.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.26) on Human rights and unilateral coercive measures, adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 13 against and 2 abstentions, the Council decides to extend for a period of three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights; requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to give high priority to human rights and unilateral coercive measures, to pursue further work in this area in full cooperation with the Special Rapporteur in her various activities, and to continue to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner to provide all the human, technical and financial assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur; calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in her tasks; urges all United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, treaty bodies and civil society actors to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in the fulfilment of the mandate; and decides to continue its consideration of the issue of human rights and unilateral coercive measures in accordance with its programme of work. 

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (32): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Sudan.

Against (13): Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Abstentions (2): Costa Rica and Mexico.

 

 

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

 

 

 

HRC23.149E