HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CONCLUDES THIRTY-FOURTH REGULAR SESSION AFTER ADOPTING 41 RESOLUTIONS AND A PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT

The Human Rights Council concluded its thirty-fourth regular session this afternoon after adopting 41 resolutions and a Presidential Statement on a wide range of issues. The Council also adopted the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of 11 countries and filled three vacancies of Special Procedures mandate holders.

The Council decided to urgently dispatch an independent international fact-finding mission to Myanmar to establish the facts and circumstances of the alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces. In the same resolution, the Council extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar for one year. The Council also extended the mandates of the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; the Special Rapporteur on minority issues; the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.

The Council also renewed the mandate of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; and of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Another text related to the elaboration of complementary standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Council further recommended that the United Nations General Assembly establish a forum on people of African descent.

The Council, in another text, called upon the Government of South Sudan to investigate all violations and abuses of human rights, and extended the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, composed of three members. The Council also decided to extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, and decided to transmit all reports and oral updates of the Commission of Inquiry to all relevant bodies of the United Nations. In another resolution, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur of the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, including its field-based structure in Seoul.

In a resolution on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, the Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner to strengthen their advice and technical assistance to Sri Lanka.

On the issue of privacy in the digital age, the Council called upon States to take measures to put an end to violations of the right of privacy. In another resolution, the Council called upon States to take effective measures to combat intolerance, stigmatization and violence based on religion or belief. The Council, in a separate resolution, stressed that everyone had the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief. The Council also adopted a resolution dealing with the effect of terrorism on the enjoyment of all human rights. Another adopted resolution called upon States to stop adopting or maintaining unilateral coercive measures not in accordance with international law. The issue of the negative impact of the non-repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries of origin on the enjoyment of human rights was the subject of another resolution adopted by the Council.

The Council decided that the theme of the second session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law would be “Parliaments as promoters of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.” Another resolution requested the Office of the High Commissioner to expand its cooperation with regional human rights mechanisms. The Council also adopted a resolution on promoting the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to support the participation of least developed countries and small island developing states in the work of the Human Rights Council. The Council adopted a resolution on technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya, as well as a resolution requesting the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide technical assistance to Georgia.

Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law was the subject of another resolution adopted by the Council. The Council further adopted a text on the protection of the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In two separate resolutions, the Council called upon States to take measures for the full realization of the right to food and of the right to work. The Council also called upon all States to give full effect to economic, social and cultural rights. Another text reaffirmed that cultural rights were an integral part of human rights, and stressed the importance of respect for cultural diversity. Human rights and the environment were addressed by another resolution adopted by the Council.

The Council adopted four resolutions related to the occupied Palestinian territory: on ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law; on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination; on human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory; and on Israeli settlements. A text was also adopted on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan.

Finally, in a Presidential Statement on the situation of human rights in Haiti, the Council encouraged the Government to support a national reporting and monitoring mechanism to coordinate the implementation of the national action plan.

The Council elected three mandate holders by acclamation. They are as follows:
Saad Alfarargi (Egypt) as the Special Rapporteur on the right to development; Annalisa Ciampi (Italy) as the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and Luciano Hazan (Argentina) as a member of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, from Latin American and Caribbean States.

The Council also appointed four independent experts of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples from four indigenous sociocultural regions: Laila Susanne Vars (Norway) as the member from the Arctic for a three-year mandate; Edtami Mansayagan (Philippines) as the member from Asia for a three-year mandate; Kristen Carpenter (United States) as the member from North America for a one-year mandate; and Megan Davis (Australia) as the member from the Pacific for a two-year mandate. Finally, the Council elected Ion Diaconu (Romania) as a member of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.

The Council adopted its report of the thirty-fourth session ad referendum.

In concluding remarks, Joaquin Alexander Maza Martelli, President of the Human Rights Council, said that the Council had had to adopt extraordinary measures, such as reducing speaking times, in order to be able to complete its work on time. The President encouraged all Member States to consider taking voluntary concrete steps to increase the efficiency of work. Unfortunately, allegations of intimidation and reprisal had been brought to the President’s attention. The President therefore recalled Council resolutions 12/2 and 16/21, which condemned and rejected all acts of intimidation or reprisal by Governments and non-State actors against individuals and groups who sought to cooperate or had cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights. He urged all States to take all necessary measures to prevent and ensure adequate protection against such acts.

Documentation, statements, resolutions and reports relating to this and all Human Rights Council sessions are available on its webpage. Detailed, speaker-by-speaker coverage of every public meeting, in English and in French, can be found on the website of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The thirty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council was held in Geneva from 27 February to 24 March 2017. The thirty-fifth session will be held in Room XX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 6 to 23 June 2017.

Summary of the Programme of Work

At the opening of the thirty-fourth session on Monday, 27 February, Joaquin Alexander Maza Martelli, President of the Human Rights Council welcomed the largest participation of dignitaries in the high-level segment ever, namely 107 dignitaries, and in particular 11 delegates from least developed countries and small island States, whose participation in the Council was supported by the Voluntary Assistance Trust Fund. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, stressed the important role of the Human Rights Council in addressing the disregard for human rights worldwide, noting especially its pivotal role in prevention by sounding early warning alarms, its response to human rights violations through its commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions, the scrutiny by its independent experts, engagement with civil society, and the Universal Periodic Review. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, said that the global effort to protect and promote human rights should never be allowed to diminish. The central theme of the seventy-first session of the General Assembly was achieving a momentum on the 2030 Development Agenda, which was infused in the essence of universal human rights. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reminded that the principle of non-discrimination was enshrined in the United Nations Charter in the second paragraph of the preamble, and that human rights, placed in the preamble of the Charter, had been viewed as the necessary starting condition.

A three-day high-level segment followed, during which senior dignitaries addressed the Council. Also in the first week, the Council held its annual high-level panel on human rights mainstreaming. The Council held a clustered interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on foreign debt and the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, followed by the biennial high-level panel on the death penalty. A panel discussion on climate change was followed by a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on torture, and a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on countering terrorism and the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights. The first week ended with an annual debate on the rights of persons with disabilities, and a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on disabilities and the Independent Expert on albinism.

The second week of the session included the Council’s annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child and a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on truth and justice, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion. The Council held a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, and a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children. The Council also had a clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the environment and the Special Rapporteur on the right to food. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, presented the annual report of his Office, which was followed by a clustered interactive dialogue. A panel discussion was held on the access to medicines in the context of mental and physical health. The Council heard a presentation of the report of the Inter-Governmental Working Group on transnational corporations, the presentation of a series of thematic reports of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, followed by the start of the general debate on item 3: promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. At the end of the second week, a panel discussion on maternal mortality took place, along with an enhanced interactive dialogue on the rights of migrants in the context of large movements, and the continuation of the general debate on item 3.

During its third week, the Council discussed country situations that deserved its attention. It heard from the Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Special Rapporteur on Iran, the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar and the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, all of whom presented update reports. The Council also heard an oral report from the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, and held a high-level panel discussion on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, which was followed by an interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. Further, the Council held an interactive dialogue with the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan which presented a report of its findings. A general debate took place on item 4: human rights situations that require the Council’s attention. Also during the third week, the Council discussed the reports of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, the Forum on Minority Issues, and of the Special Rapporteur on minorities, followed by a discussion on the report of the Social Forum. The Council heard a report by the Chair of the Coordinating Committee of Special Procedures, and held a general debate on item 5: human rights bodies and mechanisms. The Human Rights Council discussed outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of the following countries: Togo, Syria, Venezuela, Iceland, Zimbabwe, Lithuania, Uganda, Timor-Leste, the Republic of Moldova, Haiti, and South Sudan. Finally, the Council held a debate on racial profiling and incitement to hatred, as well as a general debate on item 6: Universal Periodic Review.

The final week of the thirty-fourth session of the Council commenced on 20 March with an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories and the discussion of the reports of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. The Council held a general debate on item 7: human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, and on item 8: follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The Council also discussed item 9: racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. It heard from the Inter-Governmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and the Ad Hoc Committee. The Council held an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the Central African Republic and an interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Interactive dialogues also took place with the Independent Expert on Mali, the Independent Expert on Haiti, and on the High Commissioner’s report on Libya. The Council heard a presentation of the High Commissioner’s update on the situations in Ukraine and Guinea, which was followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Sri Lanka. The Council discussed item 10: technical assistance and capacity-building, and heard the presentation of High Commissioner and Secretary-General country reports under item 2 and 10, including on Cyprus, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and on the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation.

On 23 and 24 March, the Council adopted 41 resolutions and one Presidential Statement.

Resolutions

Action on Resolution under Agenda Item 2 on the Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.1) on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner and relevant special procedure mandate holders, in consultation with and with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka, to strengthen their advice and technical assistance on the promotion and protection of human rights and truth, justice, reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.

Action on Texts under Agenda Item 3 on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.2) on promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights of everyone and respect for cultural diversity, adopted without a vote, the Council reaffirms that cultural rights are an integral part of human rights, which are universal, indivisible, interrelated and interdependent; and calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and to assist the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights in the discharge of the mandate.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.3) on the mandate of the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, adopted with a vote of 31 in favour, 16 against and no abstentions, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights for a period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.4/Rev.1) on the question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all States to give full effect to economic, social and cultural rights by, inter alia, taking all appropriate measures to implement the Human Rights Council resolutions on the question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.5) on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders for a period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.6) on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues for a period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.7/Rev.1) on the right to privacy in the digital age, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all States to respect and protect the right to privacy, including in the context of digital communications, and to take measures to put an end to violations of the right to privacy and to create the conditions to prevent such violations.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.9) on effects of terrorism on the enjoyment of all human rights, adopted with a vote of 29 in favour, 15 against and four abstentions, the Council requests the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council to conduct a study and prepare a report on the negative effects of terrorism on the enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-ninth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.12) on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to non-discrimination in this context, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend, for a period of three years, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.14) on human rights and unilateral coercive measures, adopted with a vote of 32 in favour, 15 against and no abstentions, the Council calls upon all States to stop adopting, maintaining or implementing unilateral coercive measures not in accordance with international law, international humanitarian law, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations among States.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.15) on freedom of religion or belief, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States to step up their efforts to promote and protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, including, by, inter alia, ensuring that their constitutional and legislative systems provide adequate and effective guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief to all, without distinction.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.16/Rev.1) on the negative impact of the non-repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries of origin on the enjoyment of human rights, and the importance of improving international cooperation, adopted with a vote of 30 in favour, one against and 16 abstentions, the Council requests the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council to conduct a study on the possibility of utilizing non-repatriated illicit funds, and to submit the requested study to the Council at its thirty-ninth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.20) on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council decides that the theme of the second session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, to be held in 2018, will be “Parliaments as promoters of human rights, democracy and the rule of law”.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.21) on the right to food, adopted with a vote of 45 in favour, one against and no abstentions, the Council requests the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, and to keep the Human Rights Council informed of the impact of the crisis on the enjoyment of the right to food.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.22) on the right to work, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare an analytical report on the relationship between the realization of the right to work and the implementation of relevant targets in the Sustainable Development Goals.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.24) on birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon States to establish or strengthen existing institutions at all levels responsible for birth registration and consider the development of comprehensive civil registration systems, and the preservation and security of such records, and to ensure adequate training for registration officers.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.25) on the rights of the child: protection of the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council decides to focus its next annual full-day meeting on the theme “Protecting the rights of the child in humanitarian situations”, and requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on that theme.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.26/Rev.1) on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner to provide the resources necessary to enable the Office of the High Commissioner to support regional and subregional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.27) on freedom of opinion and expression: mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.32) on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment: mandate of the Special Rapporteur, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment for a further period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.33) on human rights and the environment, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council requests the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner, to convene, prior to the thirty-seventh session of the Human Rights Council, a one-day expert seminar on best practices, lessons learned and the way forward with regard to human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.36) on human rights of migrants: mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend for a period of three years, effective from the end of its thirty-fifth session, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.

Action on Resolutions under the Agenda Item 4 on Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.8/Rev.1) on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to dispatch urgently an independent international Fact Finding Mission to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council to establish the facts and circumstances of the alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces, and abuses, in Myanmar, in particular in Rakhine State. The Council also decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of human rights in Myanmar for a further period of one year.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.17) on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopted with a vote of 22 in favour, 12 against and 13 abstentions, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran for a further period of one year.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.23) on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur of the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for a period of one year, and also decides to strengthen, for a period of two years, the capacity of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, including its field-based structure in Seoul.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.34) on the situation of human rights in South Sudan, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, composed of three members, for a period of one year, renewable as authorized by the Human Rights Council, and calls upon the Government of South Sudan to investigate all violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law and to hold those responsible to account.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.37) on the human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, adopted with a vote of 27 in favour, seven against and 13 abstentions, the Council decides to extend for one year the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry, and demands that the Syrian authorities cooperate fully with the Human Rights Council and the Commission of Inquiry by granting it immediate, full and unfettered access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic. The Council decides to transmit all reports and oral updates of the Commission of Inquiry to all relevant bodies of the United Nations.

Action on Resolutions under Agenda Item 7 on the Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.11) on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan, adopted with a vote of 26 in favour, three against and 18 abstentions, the Council calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, in particular Security Council resolution 497 (1981), and calls upon Israel to desist from its continuous building of settlements.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.38) on ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, adopted with a vote of 30 in favour, two against and 15 abstentions, the Council calls upon all duty bearers and United Nations bodies to pursue the implementation of the recommendations contained in the reports of the independent commission of inquiry on the 2014 Gaza conflict, the United Nations independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.39) on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, adopted with a vote of 43 in favour, two against and two abstentions, the Council reaffirms the inalienable, permanent and unqualified right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including their right to live in freedom, justice and dignity and the right to their independent State of Palestine, and calls upon all States to ensure their obligations of non-recognition, non-aid or assistance with regard to the serious breaches of peremptory norms of international law by Israel.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.40) on human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, adopted with a vote of 41 in favour, two against and four abstentions, the Council stresses the need for Israel, the occupying Power, to withdraw from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, so as to enable the Palestinian people to exercise its universally recognized right to self-determination.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.41/Rev.1) on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, adopted with a vote of 36 in favour, two against and nine abstentions, the Council urges all States and international organizations to ensure that they are not taking actions that either recognize as lawful, aid or assist the expansion of settlements or the construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

Action on Resolution under Agenda Item 9 on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.10) on combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all States to take effective measures to ensure that public functionaries, in the conduct of their public duties, do not discriminate against an individual on the basis of religion or belief, and to foster religious freedom and pluralism by promoting the ability of members of all religious communities to manifest their religion.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.28/Rev.1) on the establishment of a forum on people of African descent, adopted without a vote, the Council invites the President of the General Assembly to facilitate, during the seventy-first session, a resolution on the establishment of a forum on people of African descent, and recommends that the General Assembly establish a forum on people of African descent, in accordance with the recommendation contained in paragraph 29 (i) of the programme of activities for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.29/Rev.1) on the mandate of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted with a vote of 46 in favour, one against, and no abstentions, the Council decides to renew the mandate of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action for a further period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.30) on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance for a further period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.31/Rev.1) on the elaboration of complementary standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted with a vote of 31 in favour, four against, and 12 abstentions, the Council decides to implement the request of General Assembly contained in its resolution 71/181 by requesting the Chair-Rapporteur of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Human Rights Council on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to ensure the commencement of the negotiations on the draft additional protocol to the Convention criminalizing acts of a racist and xenophobic nature during the tenth session of the Ad Hoc Committee.

Action on Resolutions under Agenda Item 10 on Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.13) on cooperation with Georgia, adopted with a vote of 18 in favour, five against, and 24 abstentions, the Council requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide technical assistance through his office in Tbilisi; and calls for immediate access for the Office of the High Commissioner and international and regional human rights mechanisms to Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.18) on technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon the international community to provide financial support for the United Nations humanitarian response plan for Libya for the period 2017-2018 to address the needs of 1.33 million people, urges the Libyan authorities to expedite the voluntary, safe and dignified return of all persons displaced by the conflict since 2011, and requests the Office of the High Commissioner to monitor and report on human rights violations and abuses across Libya.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.19) on technical assistance and capacity-building in the field of human rights in Mali, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali for a period of one year in order to permit him to evaluate the situation of human rights in Mali and to assist the Government of Mali in its efforts to promote and protect human rights and to strengthen the rule of law.

In a resolution (A/HRC/34/L.35) on promoting the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in the Work of the Human Rights Council, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council decides that the Trust Fund will conduct at least one briefing on the outcomes of the regular and special sessions of the Human Rights Council each year in New York, prior to the commencement of each session of the General Assembly, and also decides that the Trust Fund will conduct workshops in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Caribbean, before the tenth anniversary of the Trust Fund.

In a Presidential Statement (A/HRC/34/L.53) on the human rights situation in Haiti, the Council encourages the Government of Haiti to continue to cooperate fully and effectively with the treaty bodies and to submit its pending reports to said bodies as appropriate; and calls upon the Government of Haiti to support a national reporting and monitoring mechanism to coordinate the implementation of the national action plan, with technical assistance from the Office of the High Commissioner.