Human Rights Council Adopts Decision on Remote Participation Modalities for Hybrid Meetings, Appoints 14 Special Procedure Mandate Holders, and Concludes Fifty-Fifth Regular Session

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted a decision on remote participation modalities for its hybrid meetings, appointed 14 Special Procedure mandate holders, adopted the session’s report ad referendum, and concluded its fifty-fifth regular session.

In the decision on remote participation modalities for hybrid meetings of the Human Rights Council, the Council decided to request the General Assembly to consider authorising the Council to continue its practice of using the modalities for remote participation for all its future formal and informal meetings during its sessions, its organizational and intersessional meetings, and the meetings of its subsidiary bodies and mechanisms, in accordance with its previously agreed extraordinary modalities.

The Council appointed the following 14 Special Procedure mandate holders: Astrid Puentes Riaño (Mexico) as the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Elisa Morgera (Italy) as the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change; Ojot Miru Ojulu (Ethiopia, member from Africa) and Sheryl Lightfoot (Canada, member from North America) to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; George Katrougalos (Greece) as the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Eduardo Gonzalez (Peru) as the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali; Bernard Duhaime (Canada) as Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of nonrecurrence; Gina Paola Romero Rodriguez (Colombia) as Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Uche Ewelukwa Ofodile (Nigeria, member for African States), Shalmali Guttal (India, member from Asia-Pacific States), Davit Hakobyan (Armenia, member from Eastern European States), Carlos Duarte (Colombia, member from Latin American and Caribbean States) and Geneviève Savigny (France, member from Western European and other States) to the Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas; and Michelle René Small (South Africa) as the member from Western European and other States for the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination.

Darius Staniulis, Vice-President and Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council, said over the past six weeks, the Council had completed its extensive programme of work. They had held the high-level segment where 126 dignitaries participated; 23 interactive dialogues with Special Procedure mandate holders and expert mechanisms; two interactive dialogues with Special Representatives of the Secretary-General; eight interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner; five dialogues with international investigative mechanisms; five high-level and enhanced interactive dialogues; seven panel discussions; and nine general debates. The Council also adopted 14 outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review. Finally, the Council had just completed the adoption of 32 resolutions and two decisions across a wide range of issues.

The Council then adopted the report of the session ad referendum.

Omar Zniber, President of the Human Rights Council, extended deep thanks to all members of the Bureau, the Secretariat and all other United Nations staff for their cooperation, support and dedication during the session. Mr. Zniber also thanked all the Members and Observers of the Council who had worked closely to achieve the Council’s mandate of the promotion of human rights. This session had been the longest Council session in history.

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-fifth regular session can be found here.

The Council’s fifty-sixth regular session will be held in Geneva from 18 June to 12 July 2024.

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

In a decision (A/HRC/55/L.29) on Remote participation modalities for hybrid meetings of the Human Rights Council, adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council decides to request the General Assembly to consider authorising the Council to continue its practice of using the modalities for remote participation for all its future formal and informal meetings during its sessions, its organizational and intersessional meetings, and the meetings of its subsidiary bodies and mechanisms, in accordance with its previously agreed extraordinary modalities.