Human Rights Council Concludes Fifty-Third Regular Session After Adopting 30 Resolutions and Holding an Urgent Debate on Religious Hatred

The Human Rights Council today concluded its fifty-third regular session after adopting 30 resolutions and holding an urgent debate on the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by recurrent desecration of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries.

Following the urgent debate, the Council adopted a resolution entitled countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, in which it called upon States to adopt national laws, policies and law enforcement frameworks that address, prevent and prosecute acts and advocacy of religious hatred that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, and to take immediate steps to ensure accountability. The Council requested the High Commissioner to present at its fifty-fourth session an oral update on the various drivers, root causes and human rights impacts of religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.

The Council extended the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease and their family members, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, and the Special Rapporteur on Belarus.

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.

In a resolution on technical assistance to Colombia, the Council requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to appoint an international human rights expert tasked with identifying the obstacles to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement in Colombia.

Through other resolutions, among other things, the Council urged States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Paris Agreement to do so. Further, it urged States to take comprehensive and human rights-based measures to prevent and eliminate forced marriage, and to ensure that their migration legislation, policies and practices are consistent with international human rights law. In another text, the Council demanded that the Syrian Arab Republic meet its responsibility to respect and protect the human rights of all persons within its jurisdiction.

In other texts, the Council requested the High Commissioner to prepare reports that, among other things, identify challenges and best practices in regularly assessing civic space trends; elaborate on the impact of arms transfers; on the situation of the human rights of women and girls in criminal justice detention; and map the work and recommendations of the Council, the Office of the High Commissioner, the treaty bodies and the special procedures of the Council in the field of human rights and new and emerging digital technologies. It also requested the High Commissioner to continue to present an oral update on the findings of each of the Office’s reports on the situation of human rights in Ukraine at each session until the fifty-ninth session.

The Council adopted the Universal Periodic Review outcomes of Czech Republic, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan and Sri Lanka.

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. Mr. Bálek also thanked the members observers of the Council for their contributions and cooperation.

The fifty-fourth regular session of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to be held from 11 September to 6 October 2023.

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

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.23) entitled “Countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”, the Council calls upon States to adopt national laws, policies and law enforcement frameworks that address, prevent and prosecute acts and advocacy of religious hatred that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, and to take immediate steps to ensure accountability, and requests the High Commissioner to present at its fifty-fourth session an oral update on the various drivers, root causes and human rights impacts of religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.

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/53/L.21) on the Situation of human rights in Eritrea, 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; and calls upon the Government of Eritrea to cooperate fully with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, including 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.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.24/Rev.1) on the implementation of Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/RES31/36, recalling that the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to produce a database of all business enterprises involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the report of the independent international fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; requests the Secretary-General to allocate the necessary financial and human resources to ensure that the mandate requested in Council resolution 31/36, was fully implemented.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.30/Rev.1) on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, the Council calls upon Myanmar to ensure the protection of the human rights of all persons in Myanmar; and encourages the international community to continue to assist Bangladesh in the provision of humanitarian assistance to forcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims and other minorities until their return to Myanmar, and to assist Myanmar in the provision of humanitarian assistance to all affected persons of all communities displaced internally in Myanmar.

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/53/L.2) on Business and human rights,the Council requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a yearly consultation regarding challenges, good practices and the implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and to submit a report thereon to the Council at its sixty-second session; decides to extend the mandate of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises for a period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.4) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions,the Council demands that all States take effective action to prevent, combat and eliminate extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions for three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.7) on the Mandate of the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity,the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity for a period of three years; requests the Independent Expert to continue to examine in his reports ways and means of overcoming existing and emerging obstacles to the realization of the right of peoples and individuals to international solidarity and to seek the views and contributions of Governments, United Nations agencies and other relevant international organizations in this regard.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.9) on Human rights and climate change, the Council urges States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Paris Agreement to do so; decides that the annual panel discussion to be held at the fifty-sixth session shall focus on ensuring livelihood resilience in the context of the risk of loss and damage related to the adverse effects of climate change; and requests the Secretary-General to conduct an analytical study on the impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.10) on the Right to education, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education for a further period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.11) on the Elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and their family members, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, under the title Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and their family members, for a period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.12) on Trafficking in persons, especially women and children, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, for a period of three years.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.15) on Extreme poverty and human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend, for a period of three years, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; and requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly and to the Human Rights Council.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.19) on the Enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, the Council requests all Member States and the United Nations system to explore and foster complementarities among North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation aiming at the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights and requests the High Commissioner to undertake concrete activities in this regard; and requests the High Commissioner to organize a series of regional seminars on the contribution of North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation to the enjoyment of all human rights.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.6) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years and urges all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his or her tasks, to consider responding favourably to his or her requests for visits and to consider implementing his or her recommendations.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.13) on Civil society space, the Council requests the High Commissioner to prepare a thematic report that identified challenges and best practices in regularly assessing civic space trends and containing recommendations with a view to enhancing information-gathering on civic space.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.17) on the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities for a further period of three years, with a mandate to identify, exchange, promote and disseminate good practices relating to the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities and their participation as equal members of society.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.22) on the Impact of arms transfers on human rights, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare an analytical report on the impact of arms transfers with a focus on the role of access to information in preventing, mitigating and responding to the negative human rights impact thereof, and to organize a full-day intersessional workshop to hold stocktaking discussions on the role of States and the private sector in preventing the negative human rights impact of arms transfers.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.28/Rev.1) on the Right to a nationality: equality in nationality rights in law and in practice, the Council requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in coordination with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to organize, prior to the fifty-sixth session of the Council, a half-day expert workshop, in an accessible format, to showcase best practices in the promotion of equal nationality rights in law and in practice.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.29) on the Negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize an intersessional half-day expert seminar, before the fifty-seventh session of the Council, to share good practices, achievements, challenges and lessons learned in the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights in anti-corruption efforts in the context of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.3 Rev.1) on Child, early and forced marriage: ending and preventing forced marriage, the Council urges States to take comprehensive and human rights-based measures to prevent and eliminate forced marriage, and to address structural and underlying causes and risk factors, and to promote and protect the right of all women and girls to education, including in situations of armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.13) on the Human rights of migrants: prevention and accountability for human rights violations in transit, the Council calls upon States to ensure that their migration legislation, policies and practices are consistent with international human rights law; and requests the Office of the High Commissioner to convene a half-day intersessional panel discussion on avenues to address human rights violations and abuses against migrants in transit, with a report on that panel to be presented to the Council at its fifty-seventh session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.5/Rev.1) on Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: preventing and responding to all forms of violence against women and girls in criminal justice detention, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to submit to the Council, at its fifty-ninth session, a report on the situation of human rights of women and girls in criminal justice detention, including information on practices and measures to prevent and address violence against women and girls in the context of criminal justice detention.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.26) on the Contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a compilation of best practices in the contribution of development to the promotion and protection of all human rights in the context of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to submit the document to the Council at its fifty-sixth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.27/Rev.1) on New and emerging digital technologies and human rights, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a report, in consultation with States, mapping the work and recommendations of the Council, the Office of the High Commissioner, the treaty bodies and the special procedures of the Council in the field of human rights and new and emerging digital technologies, as well as identifying gaps and challenges and making recommendations on how to address them.

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

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/16) on the Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Council demands that the Syrian Arab Republic meet its responsibility to respect and protect the human rights of all persons within its jurisdiction in a manner consistent with the applicable international law obligations of the Syrian Arab Republic; and also demands that all parties to the conflict respect the human rights of all persons.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/20) on the Situation of human rights in Belarus, the Council strongly urges the Belarusian authorities to fully respect all human rights in accordance with their obligations under international human rights law, and decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus for a period of one year.

Action on Resolution under Agenda Item Five on Human Rights Bodies and Mechanisms

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.8) on the Social Forum, the Council decides that the Social Forum will meet for two working days in 2024 in Geneva, and also decides that, at its next meeting, the Forum should focus on the contribution of financing for development to the advancement of all human rights for all.

Action on Resolution under Agenda Item Nine on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Forms of Intolerance: Follow-Up to and Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.14) on the incompatibility between democracy and racism, the Council decides to convene, before its fifty-sixth session, an intersessional high-level panel discussion on the incompatibility between democracy and racism, with a view to identifying good practices and challenges on the national, regional and international levels to the meaningful, inclusive and safe participation of persons in public and political affairs.

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

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.25 Rev.1) on the Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the field of human rights in Colombia, the Council requests the High Commissioner to appoint without delay an international human rights expert tasked with identifying the obstacles to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement and the consequences for the full enjoyment of human rights under international law, and making recommendations that would help to overcome them.

In a resolution (A/HRC/53/L.1) on Cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights,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.

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