Human Rights Council Adopts 14 Resolutions, Extends Mandates on Russian Federation, Central African Republic, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

Human Rights Council Adopts 14 Resolutions, Extends Mandates on Russian Federation, Central African Republic, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

AFTERNOON 12 October 2023

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted 14 resolutions, in which it extended mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, and the International Team of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Other resolutions adopted concerned the right to privacy in the digital age; promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities; cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights; a world of sports free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; from rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; the enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building in the field of human rights; technical assistance and capacity building for Yemen in the field of human rights; the penitentiary system, security and justice: enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building to protect human rights in Honduras; and the establishment of a regional office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Caribbean Community.

In a resolution on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, adopted by a vote of 18 in favour, 7 against, and 22 abstentions, the Council strongly urged the Russian authorities to comply with all Russia’s obligations under international human rights law and decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation for a period of one year. The Council called upon the Russian authorities to establish full and non-selective engagement with all United Nations human rights mechanisms and to allow the mandate holder unhindered access to visit the country.

On the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Working Group for a further period of three years. It requested the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to strengthen the substantive and administrative support provided to the Working Group in order for it to effectively fulfil its mandate.

Concerning technical assistance and capacity building in human rights in the Central African Republic, the Council decided to extend by one year the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic. The Council decided to hold, at its fifty-fifth session, a high-level dialogue allowing it to evaluate the evolution of the situation of human rights in the field, with a particular focus on the situation of women and girls.

As for assistance to Somalia in the field of human rights, the Council decided to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia for a period of one year, to monitor and report on the situation of human rights with a view to making recommendations on technical assistance and capacity building. It requested the Independent Expert to report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session and to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, and requested the Independent Expert to provide an update to the Council in her report on progress on the implementation of the indicators in the transition plan to inform future action by the Council.

On technical assistance and capacity building in the field of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council decided to renew for one year the mandate of the International Team of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and requested it to provide the technical support necessary to the Government in the effective implementation of its national transitional justice policy. The Council also requested the High Commissioner to continue to provide the Government with technical assistance and further asked him to organise, before its fifty-seventh session, a meeting with the goal of evaluating the progress made in the fields of medico-legal and transitional justice.

Concerning the right to privacy in the digital age, the Council called upon all States to respect and protect the right to privacy, including in the context of digital communications and new and emerging digital technologies, and to take measures to end violations and abuses of the right to privacy. It requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on challenges and risks with regard to discrimination and unequal enjoyment of the right to privacy associated with the collection and processing of data, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

On promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities,the Council decided to convene a panel discussion on the reinforcement of the work to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities, at the fifty-seventh session of the Council, and requested the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion and to present it to the Council at its sixtieth session, followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue. The Council also requested the High Commissioner to establish a knowledge hub to consolidate best practices and know-how in promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities.

As for cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights, the Council urged all States to prevent and refrain from all acts of intimidation or reprisal, both online and offline. It invited the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with adequate resources to prevent and address allegations of acts of intimidation or reprisal in the most effective and gender-responsive manner, and invited the Secretary-General to submit the report he or she presents annually to the Council on cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights.

On a world of sports free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, the Council urged States, in partnership with national, regional and international sports federations and organizations to develop and finance awareness-raising campaigns for preventing and combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in sport. The Council requested the High Commissioner and other relevant parts of the United Nations Organization to support the development and implementation of practical measures and policies with international sporting bodies aimed at combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in sport.

Concerning from rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, adopted by a vote of 33 in favour, 7 against, and 7 abstentions, the Council requested the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement to present its annual report to the General Assembly. The Council requested the High Commissioner to facilitate the participation of the group of legal experts in the fourteenth session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards, and to task them with providing advice with a view to contributing to discussions on the elaboration of a draft additional protocol criminalising acts of a racist and xenophobic nature. It also requested the Chair-Rapporteur of the Ad Hoc Committee to present in person a progress report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session. The Council requested the Chair-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to continue her research and to present to the Working Group at its next session a document compiling existing language to issues pertaining to the draft declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent. The Council decided that the Group of Independent Eminent Experts will meet annually in Geneva for a four-day session, and that it will conduct two annual advocacy visits of two working days each to raise awareness about the need to enhance the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

As for the enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building in the field of human rights, the Council called for the Office of the High Commissioner and other relevant United Nations agencies to continue to provide timely and quality support for States’ requests in their efforts to implement recommendations accepted in the context of the Universal Periodic Review and to prepare their national reports for the review, and encouraged greater coordination in this regard. The Council decided that the theme of the annual thematic panel discussion under agenda item 10, to be held at its fifty-sixth session, would be “Enhancing technical cooperation and capacity building in the implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations”.

On technical assistance and capacity building for Yemen in the field of human rights, the Council called upon all parties to renew the truce and immediately implement all of its provisions, called for the lifting of the siege that the Houthis have imposed on the city of Ta‘izz, and called upon all parties to immediately implement the Stockholm Agreement in order to begin negotiations for a comprehensive and inclusive political solution to the current crisis in Yemen. The Council welcomed the technical assistance provided by the Office of the High Commissioner to the National Commission of Inquiry, and requested the High Commissioner to continue to provide substantive capacity building and technical assistance to the Government of Yemen and all requisite technical and logistical support to the National Commission of Inquiry, and to submit its comprehensive report on alleged human rights violations in all parts of Yemen, as soon as it is available.

Concerning the penitentiary system, security and justice: enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building to protect human rights in Honduras, the Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide technical assistance and capacity building to national civilian authorities in penitentiary, security and justice matters, for a period of one year, to improve the situation of human rights in Honduras. It requested the High Commissioner to submit a report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

On the establishment of a regional office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Caribbean Community, the Council welcomed the initiative of the Government of the Bahamas to host a regional office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Caribbean Community, and welcomed the willingness of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to engage with the Caribbean Community to conclude an agreement with the host country. It requested the Secretary-General to provide all the resources necessary to establish and operate the regional office.

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 Friday, 13 October to take action on two remaining draft resolutions, to appoint a number of mandate holders, and to conclude its fifty-fourth session.

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.12/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 new and emerging digital technologies, to take measures to end violations and abuses of the right to privacy and to create the conditions to prevent such violations and abuses, and to ensure that digital or biometric identity programmes are designed, implemented and operated after appropriate technical, regulatory, legal and ethical safeguards are in place and in full compliance with the obligations of States under international human rights law; encourages all business enterprises, in particular business enterprises that collect, store, use, share and process data, to inform users, in a clear and age-appropriate way that is easily accessible, including for persons with disabilities, about the collection, use, sharing and retention of their data that may affect their right to privacy, to refrain from doing so without their consent or a legal basis, and to establish transparency and policies that allow for the free, informed and meaningful consent of users; requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on challenges and risks with regard to discrimination and unequal enjoyment of the right to privacy associated with the collection and processing of data, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; requests the Office of the High Commissioner, when preparing the above-mentioned report, to seek input from and to take into account the work already done by relevant stakeholders from diverse geographical regions.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.23) on Promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities,adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council encourages all States to implement relevant Council resolutions on economic, social and cultural rights, and States that have not yet signed, ratified or acceded to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to consider doing so; requests the Secretary-General to scale up the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner through additional regular budget funded posts to enhance the work of the Office at headquarters, with gender balance and equitable geographical representation; decides to convene a panel discussion, with gender balance and equitable geographical representation, on the reinforcement of the work to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities, at the fifty-seventh session of the Council, and to invite relevant stakeholders to share the achievements, challenges and best practices, and to identify ways in which the Office can best contribute to the efforts of States to respect, promote and fulfil economic, social and cultural rights; requests the Secretary-General to provide the panel discussion with all the resources necessary for services and facilities; requests the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion and to present the report to the Council at its sixtieth session, followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue; also requests the High Commissioner to establish a knowledge hub to consolidate best practices and know-how in promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities, and to make the knowledge hub available to Member States and relevant stakeholders in a user-friendly manner; and decides to remain seized of the matter and to consider taking further action in order to implement the present resolution.

Action on Resolution Under Agenda Item Four on Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.21) on the Situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, adopted by a vote of 18 in favour, 7 against, and 22 abstentions, the Council strongly urges the Russian authorities to comply with all its obligations under international human rights law; calls upon the Russian authorities to uphold the fundamental freedoms of thought, conscience, religion or belief, opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association, to put an immediate end to the misuse of the judicial system to suppress the rights of journalists and other media workers, cultural figures, lawyers, researchers, historians, civil society and human rights defenders, and peaceful anti-war protesters, to release immediately all those arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared, and to ensure the safe return of deported individuals, especially children; decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation for a period of one year, and requests the mandate holder to hold consultations with all stakeholders and to present a comprehensive report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session and to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session; calls upon the Russian authorities to establish full and non-selective engagement with all United Nations human rights mechanisms, to allow the mandate holder unhindered access to visit the country and to meet freely with relevant stakeholders, and to provide the Special Rapporteur with the information necessary to properly fulfil the mandate, and also calls upon the Russian authorities to cooperate fully with all stakeholders in the context of the Universal Periodic Review; and requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all necessary assistance and adequate resources to effectively fulfil the mandate.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (18): Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Paraguay, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Against (7): Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Viet Nam.

Abstentions (22): Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Honduras, India, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

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

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.30/Rev.1) on Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council urges all States to prevent and refrain from all acts of intimidation or reprisal, both online and offline; calls upon States to combat impunity by conducting prompt, impartial and independent investigations and ensuring accountability for all acts of intimidation or reprisal by State and non-State actors against any individual or group that seeks to cooperate, cooperates or has cooperated with the United Nations, to provide access to effective remedies for victims, and to prevent any recurrence; urges States to ensure that legislation, policies and practices do not hinder the access of individuals and groups to international bodies, in particular the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights; invites the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with adequate resources to prevent and address allegations of acts of intimidation or reprisal in the most effective and gender-responsive manner; encourages the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights to strengthen efforts to develop and implement at the United Nations level a more comprehensive system for preventing and addressing allegations of acts of intimidation or reprisal; encourages the United Nations human rights mechanisms to continue to include in their reports to the Council and to the General Assembly a regularly updated reference to credible allegations of acts of intimidation or reprisal against those who seek to cooperate, cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights; and invites the Secretary-General to submit the report he or she presents annually to the Council on cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights also to the General Assembly, starting from its seventy-seventh session.

Action on Resolutions 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/54/L.8/Rev.1) on A world of sports free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States, in partnership with national, regional and international sports federations and organizations to develop and finance awareness-raising campaigns for preventing and combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in sport; invites States to consider including in their national reports, to be submitted to the Council under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism, information on measures to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in sports; requests the High Commissioner and other relevant parts of the United Nations Organization to support the development and implementation of practical measures and policies with international sporting bodies aimed at combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in sport; requests the High Commissioner to organise regional consultations with States, sport associations, federations and civil society organizations, including organizations of persons with disabilities, with a view to identifying ways to strengthen national and local actions to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance in and through sport; and also requests the High Commissioner to present to the Council at its fifty-seventh session an oral update on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution, and a report thereon to the Council at its sixtieth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.14/Rev.1) on the Mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent for a further period of three years; also decides that one of the two annual sessions of the Working Group may be held in New York or another location of relevance to the mandate, to facilitate the wide participation of people of African descent; further decides that the Working Group should hold two virtual consultations annually, with interpretation, to study the situation of people of African descent and to make recommendations thereon; decides that the Working Group shall undertake a minimum of two country visits per year; requests the Working Group to submit an annual report to the Council on all activities relating to its mandate, and to the General Assembly in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent; further requests the Working Group to contribute to the review of the International Decade for People of African Descent; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to strengthen the substantive and administrative support provided to the Working Group in order for it to effectively fulfil its mandate; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner to provide the Working Group with all the human, technical and financial assistance necessary for the sustainable and effective fulfilment of its mandate; decides that all public meetings of the Working Group will be held in a hybrid format and webcast; and decides to remain seized of this important issue.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.31) on From rhetoric to reality: a global call for concrete action against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, adopted by a vote of 33 in favour, 7 against, and 7 abstentions, the Council requests the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement to present its annual report to the General Assembly, and in this regard requests the Chair of the Expert Mechanism to engage in an interactive dialogue with the Assembly under the agenda item entitled “Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”; requests the Expert Mechanism to submit reports on its country visits as addenda to its annual report to the Council; requests the High Commissioner to facilitate the participation of the group of legal experts in the fourteenth session of the Ad Hoc Committee, and to task them with providing advice with a view to contributing to discussions on the elaboration of a draft additional protocol criminalising acts of a racist and xenophobic nature, in order to implement the Committee’s mandate; requests the Chair-Rapporteur of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to present in person a progress report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, to participate in the interactive dialogue and carry out consultations with New York-based delegations and stakeholders; requests the Chair-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to continue her research and to present to the Working Group at its next session a document compiling existing language to issues pertaining to the draft declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent; requests the Intergovernmental Working Group to invite the Chairs of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent and the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to all its sessions devoted the discussions of the draft United Nations declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent; decides that the Group of Independent Eminent Experts will meet annually in Geneva for a four-day session; also decides that the annual session will continue to be webcast and will be, in future, held in a hybrid format; requests the Group of Independent Eminent Experts to conduct two annual advocacy visits of two working days each to raise awareness about the need to enhance the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and to increase political support for the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action; decides that the Group of Independent Eminent Experts will report annually on its session and activities to the Council, and that its report will be also transmitted and presented to the General Assembly, and in this regard requests the Chair of the Group to engage in an interactive dialogue with the Assembly under the agenda item entitled “Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the resources for the Group of Independent Eminent Experts to fulfil its mandate; requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare an expert study that takes stock of how the work of the different treaty bodies has contributed to the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and to present the study to the Council at its fifty-seventh session; decides that the annual session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will be held in a hybrid format and will be webcast; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to extend the two-year comprehensive communications strategy requested by the Council until the end of 2025, to continue to mobilise public support for the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and requests the Secretary-General to provide the resources necessary for the communication strategy; requests the High Commissioner to continue to provide the resources necessary for the effective functioning of Durban follow-up mechanisms and to transform these mandates and mechanisms from the current old-order mandates to the new-order mandates; and decides to remain seized of this important issue.

The results of the vote were as follows:

In favour (33): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Against(7): Czechia, France, Germany, Montenegro, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Abstentions (7): Belgium, Finland, Georgia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nepal and Romania.

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item 10 on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.9) on Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building in the field of human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council encourages all States to contribute to the follow-up on and implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations by States under review by, inter alia, showcasing best practices, sharing experiences and expertise and offering technical assistance, on the basis of requests and the consent of the States concerned; calls for the Office of the High Commissioner and other relevant United Nations agencies to continue to provide timely and quality support for States’ requests in their efforts to implement recommendations accepted in the context of the Universal Periodic Review and to prepare their national reports for the review, and encourages greater coordination in this regard; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to establish and maintain, through additional dedicated capacity, an online repository of technical cooperation and capacity building activities in the implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations, with voluntary submissions made by States, as well as relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, international and regional organizations, upon the consent of the States concerned, and to update the Council, from its fifty-sixth session under the annual report on technical cooperation and capacity building in the field of human rights, on the information gathered there on a yearly basis; decides that the theme of the annual thematic panel discussion under agenda item 10, to be held at its fifty-sixth session, will be “Enhancing technical cooperation and capacity building in the implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations”; and requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a report, to be submitted to the Council at its fifty-sixth session, to serve as a basis for the panel discussion, on enhancing coordination among States, the Office and other relevant stakeholders to support States’ efforts to implement Universal Periodic Review recommendations through technical cooperation.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.28) on Technical assistance and capacity building for Yemen in the field of human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all parties to renew the truce and immediately implement all of its provisions, calls for the lifting of the siege that the Houthis have imposed on the city of Ta‘izz, and calls upon all parties to immediately implement the Stockholm Agreement in order to begin negotiations for a comprehensive and inclusive political solution to the current crisis in Yemen; calls upon the Houthis to remove the obstacles that prevent access by relief and humanitarian aid, to release kidnapped humanitarian workers and to end violence and discrimination against women and targeting based on religion or belief; urges the Government of Yemen to take measures to protect civilians and end impunity for all cases involving violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, violence against journalists and the detention of journalists and political activists; requests all parties to fully implement Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), and encourages all parties to reach a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict; calls upon all States to increase their financial support for United Nations relief operations and urges States to fulfil their pledges to the relevant United Nations humanitarian appeal; welcomes the technical assistance provided by the Office of the High Commissioner to the National Commission of Inquiry, and requests the High Commissioner to continue to provide substantive capacity building and technical assistance to the Government of Yemen and all requisite technical and logistical support to the National Commission of Inquiry, and to submit its comprehensive report on alleged human rights violations in all parts of Yemen, as soon as it is available, and encourages all parties to the conflict in Yemen to extend full access and cooperation to the National Commission; and requests the High Commissioner to present a report on the implementation of technical assistance, as stipulated in the present resolution, to the Council at its fifty-seventh session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.29) on the Penitentiary system, security and justice: enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building to protect human rights in Honduras, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide technical assistance and capacity building to national civilian authorities in penitentiary, security and justice matters, for a period of one year, to improve the situation of human rights in Honduras, including ways to mainstream gender that are inclusive of vulnerable and marginalised groups, and to implement all relevant recommendations issued by the human rights monitoring mechanisms; requests the High Commissioner to submit a report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; requests the Secretary-General to provide the Office of the High Commissioner with the resources to deliver such technical assistance and capacity building and to implement the present resolution; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.32) on Technical assistance and capacity building in human rights in the Central African Republic, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend by one year the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic; asks the Independent Expert to pay particular attention to human rights violations, as well as violations of international humanitarian law that may be committed by all parties to the conflict; and decides to hold, at its fifty-fifth session, a high-level dialogue allowing it to evaluate the evolution of the situation of human rights in the field, with a particular focus on the situation of women and girls.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.33) on Assistance to Somalia in the field of human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia for a period of one year, to monitor and report on the situation of human rights with a view to making recommendations on technical assistance and capacity building; requests the Independent Expert to include in her report options on possible adjustments to the scope of the mandate in order to better respond to the technical assistance needs of the Federal Government of Somalia, based on an assessment conducted in collaboration with the Government and all stakeholders, with a view to revising the focus and scope of the mandate and improving its ability to support the country in its efforts to improve the situation of human rights; further requests the Independent Expert to report to the Council at its fifty-seventh session and to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session; requests the Independent Expert to provide an update to the Council in her report on progress on the implementation of the indicators in the transition plan to inform future action by the Council; requests the Office of the High Commissioner and other relevant United Nations agencies to provide the Independent Expert with all the assistance necessary to carry out the mandate fully; and decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.35/Rev.1) on the Establishment of a regional office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Caribbean Community, adopted without a vote, the Council welcomes the initiative of the Government of the Bahamas to host a regional office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Caribbean Community, in particular to undertake technical assistance and capacity building activities in accordance with international human rights obligations and to support efforts to promote, protect and fulfil human rights within the region by the Governments of the Caribbean Community; further welcomes the willingness of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to engage with the Caribbean Community to conclude an agreement with the host country regarding the establishment of a regional office of the Office of the High Commissioner; requests the Secretary-General to provide all the resources necessary to establish and operate the regional office of the Office of the High Commissioner; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/54/L.38) on Technical assistance and capacity building in the field of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to renew for one year the mandate of the International Team of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and requests it to provide the technical support necessary to the Government in the effective implementation of its national transitional justice policy; requests the High Commissioner to continue to provide the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with technical assistance, including the necessary medical-legal expertise to support the judicial authorities of the country in their investigations into the allegations of grave human rights violations; also requests the High Commissioner to deploy complementary experts in transitional justice to the provinces of Tanganyika, North-Kivu, South-Kivu, and Ituri, in order to aid the Government to support the current transitional justice process, fight against impunity, and build durable peace; to provide the Regional Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in Kasai-Central with an increased level of support, notably by making available a team made of specialists in human rights, transitional justice, sexual- and gender-based violence, victim and witness protection, communication, and community engagement; and further asks the High Commissioner to organise, before its fifty-seventh session, a meeting with the goal of evaluating the progress made in the fields of medico-legal and transitional justice.

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