Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution on Cooperation With and Assistance To Ukraine, Adopts Session Report Ad Referendum, and Concludes Fifty-Third Regular Session

AFTERNOON 14 July 2023

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted a resolution on cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights, adopted the session’s report ad referendum, and concluded the fifty-third regular session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.1) on cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights, adopted by a vote of 28 in favour, 3 against and 16 abstentions, the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to present an oral update on the findings of each of the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Ukraine to the Council at each of its sessions, until its fifty-ninth session, and before the end of 2023 and 2024, each to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

The Council deferred the appointment of four mandate holders to the next session because of lack of consensus, extending the four current mandate holders until the appointment of their successors. These mandates are the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

The Council adopted the report of the session ad referendum.

In closing remarks, Václav Bálek, President of the Human Right’s Council, expressed gratitude to members of the Bureau, the Secretariat, the Presidency’s Office and the Division of Conference Management for their support over the past four weeks. He also thanked the members and observers of the Council for their contributions and cooperation, and closed the 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 fifty-third regular session can be found here.

The Council’s fifty-fourth regular session will be held in Geneva from 11 September to 13 October 2023.

Action on Resolution under Agenda Item 10 on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.1) on Cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights, adopted by a vote of 28 in favour, 3 against and 16 abstentions, the Council requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to present an oral update on the findings of each of the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Ukraine to the Council at each of its sessions, until its fifty-ninth session, and before the end of 2023 and 2024, each to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (28): Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Czechia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Senegal, Somalia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Against (3): China, Cuba and Eritrea.

Abstentions (16): Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the information media; not an official record.
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