Human Rights Council to Hold its Fifty-Second Regular Session from 27 February to 4 April 2023

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fifty-second regular session from 27 February to 4 April 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, starting with a high-level segment from 27 February to 2 March, when dignitaries representing more than 125 Member States will address the Council. 

The session will open at 9 a.m. on Monday, 27 February under the presidency of Václav Bálek (Czech Republic).  The opening will be addressed by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres; the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi; the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk; and the Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis.  The Council will be meeting in room XX of the Palais des Nations.

During the session, the Council will hold 27 interactive dialogues with Special Procedure mandate holders and investigative mechanisms, nine interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner, three enhanced interactive dialogues and one high-level dialogue. 

The Council will also hold the annual panel on promoting the mainstreaming of human rights throughout the United Nations system on the theme “A reflection on five years of Youth 2030, the United Nations Youth Strategy: mapping a blueprint for the next steps”; the biennial high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty on the theme “Human rights violations relating to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to limiting the death penalty to the most serious crimes”; a full day high-level meeting commemorating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development; a high-level panel on the achievements, good practices and lessons learned by the voluntary funds for the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council; the annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on the theme “Rights of the child and the digital environment”; the annual debate on the rights of persons with disabilities on the theme “Support systems to ensure community inclusion of persons with disabilities, including as a means of building forward better after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”; and a debate in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States will also be considered, namely those of Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Algeria, Philippines, Brazil, Poland, Netherlands, and South Africa. 

A detailed agenda and further information on the fifty-second session can be found on the session’s webpage.  Reports to be presented are available here.

First Week of the Session

The fifty-second regular session will open on Monday, 27 February under the presidency of Václav Bálek.  The opening will be addressed by the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi; the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres; the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk; and the Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis. 

The Council will then start the high-level segment, which will continue through 2 March, and during which it will notably hear addresses by more than 125 dignitaries, including Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Milo Đukanović, President of Montenegro; Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of Colombia; Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji; and Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of Czech Republic.  On Monday afternoon, the Council will hold its annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming, which will focus on the theme “A reflection on five years of Youth 2030, the United Nations Youth Strategy: mapping a blueprint for the next steps.” On Tuesday, 28 February in the morning, the Council will hold its biennial high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty, on the theme “Human rights violations relating to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to limiting the death penalty to the most serious crimes.”  On Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, the Council will hold a full-day high level meeting commemorating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development.  On Wednesday, 1 March in the afternoon, the Council will hold a high-level panel on the achievements, good practices and lessons learned by the voluntary funds for the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council.

After concluding its high-level segment on Thursday, 2 March, the Council will hold a general segment to hear statements from countries that did not send dignitaries to the high-level segment.  On Friday, 3 March, the Council will begin agenda item two, “the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and Secretary-General,” and hold an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s oral update on the human rights situation in Nicaragua.  The High Commissioner’s oral update on the situation of human rights in Sudan will then be heard, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, with the participation of the High Commissioner and the designated Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan.  At the end of the day on Friday, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the occupied Palestinian territory, followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, with the participation of the Special Rapporteur, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, civil society and other stakeholders. 

Second Week of the Session

At the beginning of the second week, on the morning of Monday, 6 March, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, followed an interactive dialogue on the report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, including of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities, in complimentary to the work of the Independent Mechanism for Myanmar and reports of the Special Rapporteur.  In the afternoon, it will hold an interactive dialogue on the report of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. 

On the morning of Tuesday, 7 March, the High Commissioner will deliver a global oral update on the activities of his Office and on recent human rights developments worldwide; this will be followed by a presentation of reports on activities of his Office in Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras, followed by other reports and updates, including Cyprus, and then a general debate under agenda item two. 

The general debate will conclude on the morning of Wednesday, 8 March, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, marking the start of a series of report presentations by thematic human rights experts.  In the afternoon, it will hold separate interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing and the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, which will conclude on Thursday, 9 March.  This will be followed by separate interactive dialogues with the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, and with the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.  On Friday, 10 March, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief followed by the annual discussion on the rights of the child, under the theme of “Rights of the child and the digital environment”.  It will conclude its interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief at the end of the day. 

Third Week of the Session

The Council will start its third week with separate interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.  On Monday, 13 March in the afternoon, it will hold its annual debate on the rights of persons with disabilities with a focus on good practices of support systems enabling community inclusion of persons with disabilities, including as building forward better after the COVID-19 pandemic.  On Tuesday, 14 March, the Council will hold separate interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy; and 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.  Wednesday, 15 March will see interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights.  The last interactive dialogue of the day will be held with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children, which will continue on Thursday, 16 March in the morning.  Following this, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict. 

Thursday will end with interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the human rights implications of and good practices and key challenges in affordable, timely, equitable and universal access to and distribution of quality, safe, efficacious, and affordable COVID-19 vaccines and the impact on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.  Friday, 17 March will begin with the presentation of reports by the intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, on the intersessional meetings held by the High Commissioner on dialogue and cooperation on human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and on other reports by the High Commissioner, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General.  This will be followed by the general debate on agenda item three on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.

Fourth Week of the Session

On Monday, 20 March, the Council will open agenda item four on country situations that require the Council’s attention and hold separate interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar; the Special Rapporteur on the Islamic Republic of Iran; the Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which will present its first written report to the Council.  On Tuesday, 21 March, the Council will hold further separate interactive dialogues with the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic; the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, following its oral briefing; and an interactive dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner on Venezuela.  On Wednesday, 27 March, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on her report on the situation of human rights in Belarus, and with the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, which will deliver an oral update on its activities.  Wednesday afternoon will see a presentation of the report of the High Commissioner on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, followed by a general debate on agenda item four, which will continue on Thursday, 23 March in the morning. 

On Thursday afternoon, there will be an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on minorities.  The Council will then begin its consideration of agenda item five on human rights bodies and mechanisms, hearing the presentation of reports by the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, the Forum on Minority Issues, and the Social Forum, as well as the communication report of the Special Procedures.  This will then be followed by a general debate on agenda item five, which will conclude on the morning of Friday, 24 March.  The Council will end the fourth week by starting its consideration of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Reviews, commencing with Bahrain, Ecuador and Tunisia.

Fifth Week of the Session

The fifth week of the session will begin with the continuation of the consideration of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Reviews of Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Algeria, Philippines, Brazil, Poland, Netherlands and South Africa, to carry over to Tuesday afternoon.  On Tuesday, 28 March in the afternoon, the Council will hold a general debate on agenda item six on the Universal Periodic Review.  On Wednesday, 29 March, it will hear the presentation of reports by the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General under agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, followed by a general debate on item seven on the same issue.  In the afternoon, it will start a general debate on agenda item eight on follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.  This will be followed by a debate in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The general debate on item eight will conclude on Thursday, 30 March, after which the Council will hear the presentation of the report of the intergovernmental Working Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, followed by a general debate on 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

On Thursday afternoon, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following oral updates by the High Commissioner and by the team of international experts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on Mali, to assess changes in the situation of human rights in the country, with a focus on the protection of civic space and respect for the rule of law.  On Friday, 31 March, the Council will open with an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s oral report on Ukraine, regarding the situation of human rights stemming from the Russian aggression, followed by a high-level dialogue on technical assistance and capacity building in the Central African Republic.  The fifth week will conclude with two interactive dialogues on the High Commissioner’s report on technical assistance and capacity building for South Sudan and the report of the Fact-Finding Mission on Libya on the situation of human rights in the State.  

Sixth Week of the Session

The final week of the session will start with the High Commissioner’s annual presentation on technical cooperation, and the presentation of the report of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, followed by a general debate on agenda item 10 on technical assistance and capacity building.

The Council will take action on draft decisions and resolutions on 3 and 4 April, as well as appoint 10 mandate holders of Special Procedures and expert mechanisms of the Council.  It will then adopt the report of the fifty-second session and close the session.

The Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States, which are responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.  The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.

The composition of the Human Rights Council at its fifty-second session is as follows: Algeria (2025); Argentina (2024); Bangladesh (2025); Belgium (2025); Benin (2024); Bolivia (Plurinational State of) (2023); Cameroon (2024); Chile (2025); China (2023); Costa Rica (2025); Côte d’Ivoire (2023); Cuba (2023); Czechia (2023); Eritrea (2024); Finland (2024); France (2023); Gabon (2023); Gambia (2024); Georgia (2025); Germany (2025); Honduras (2024); India (2024); Kazakhstan (2024); Kyrgyzstan (2025); Lithuania (2024); Luxembourg (2024); Malawi (2023); Malaysia (2024); Maldives (2025); Mexico (2023); Montenegro (2024); Morocco (2025); Nepal (2023); Pakistan (2023); Paraguay (2024); Qatar (2024); Romania (2025); Senegal (2023); Somalia (2024); South Africa (2025); Sudan (2025); Ukraine (2023); United Arab Emirates (2024); United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2023); United States of America (2024); Uzbekistan (2023); and Viet Nam (2025).

The term of membership of each State expires in the year indicated in parentheses.

The President of the Human Rights Council in 2023 is Václav Bálek (Czech Republic).  The four Vice-Presidents are Muhammadou M.O. Kah (Gambia), Asim Ahmed (Maldives), Marc Bichler (Luxembourg), and Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez (Bolivia).  Ms. Alvarez will serve as Rapporteur of the Geneva-based body.

The dates of the fifty-second session are subject to change.

Information on the fifty-second session can be found here, including the annotated agenda and the reports to be presented.

For further information, please contact:
Rolando Gómez (rolando.gomez@un.org);
Matthew Brown (matthew.brown@un.org);
and Pascal Sim (simp@un.org).