Human Rights Council to hold a special session on the Sudan

The Human Rights Council will hold a special session to address the "implications of the ongoing situation in the Republic of the Sudan" on Friday, 5 November starting at 12:30 p.m. CET.

The meeting will be webcast live (in six UN languages) and take place in a hybrid virtual format at the Palais des Nations in Room 20. Due to COVID-19 measures, most interventions will be delivered online; therefore, the media is encouraged to follow the meeting on the webcast.

The special session is being convened per an official request submitted jointly by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Norway and Germany.

For a special session to be convened, the support of one-third of the 47 members of the Council – 16 or more – is required. The request was supported by the following States Members of the Council: Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uruguay.

The request was also supported by the following observer States: Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United States of America. Subsequently, the Secretariat has been informed that Malawi and Portugal have joined the list of States supporting the session.

The list of signatories remains open up to the holding of the special session, and the above list of States is to be considered provisional.

In connection with this special session, the Council will convene an organizational meeting on Wednesday, 3 November at 5:30 p.m. CET when specific details on the special session and its scenario will be announced. This meeting is also public and will be webcast.