AFTERNOON 3 April 2023 The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted 22 resolutions, extending mandates on South Sudan, Nicaragua, human rights defenders, minority issues, torture, freedom of opinion and expression, adequate housing, foreign debt, and migrants. The Council also adopted resolutions on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice; freedom of religion or belief; promoting human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals through transparent, accountable and efficient public service delivery; question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights; mental health and human rights; the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights; the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; cooperation with regional human rights organizations; the right to food; the promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights of everyone and respect for cultural diversity; the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; the negative impact of the non-repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries of origin on the enjoyment of human rights, and the importance of improving international cooperation; and on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. On advancing human rights in South Sudan, the Council adopted a resolution by a vote of 19 in favour, 9 against and 19 abstentions in which it decided to extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, composed of three members, for a further period of one year. Concerning the promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua, the Council adopted a resolution by a vote of 21 in favour, 5 against and 21 abstentions as orally revised in which it decided to renew, for a period of two years, the mandate of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua. As for the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years. With regard to the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, the Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues for a period of three years. On the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment for a further period of three years. Concerning adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to non-discrimination in this context, the Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it decided to extend, for a period of three years, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context. As for the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression for a further period of three years. With regard to the Mandate of 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, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, the Council adopted a resolution by a vote of 32 in favour, 5 against and 10 abstentions in which it decided to extend the mandate of Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, for a period of three years. On the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it decided to extend, for a period of three years, effective from the end of its fifty-third session, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants. 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-second regular session can be found here. The Council will next meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 4 April to continue to take action on draft resolutions and decisions before it concludes its regular fifty-second session. 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/51/L.27) on Advancing human rights in South Sudan, adopted by a vote of 19 in favour, 9 against and 19 abstentions, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, composed of three members, for a further period of one year; requests the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan to present a comprehensive written report on the situation of human rights in South Sudan to the Council at its fifty-fifth session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue, which should also include the participation of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; calls upon South Sudan to make further progress under the Revitalized Agreement and the road map to a peaceful and democratic end to the transition period of the Revitalized Agreement without delay, and to take additional related steps to develop its own capacity to investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuses and related crimes and to hold those responsible accountable; and decides to remain seized of the matter. The results of the vote were as follows: In favour (19): Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, Paraguay, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. Against (9): Algeria, Bolivia, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Senegal, Somalia and Sudan. Abstentions (19): Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Gambia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.38) on the Promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua, adopted by a vote of 21 in favour, 5 against and 21 abstentions as orally revised, the Council decides to renew, for a period of two years, the mandate of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua; requests the Group to submit a report to the Council at its fifty-fifth and fifty-eighth sessions, during an interactive dialogue, and to present oral updates to the Council at its fifty-fourth and fifty-seventh sessions; requests the High Commissioner to strengthen monitoring and engagement, including by preparing comprehensive and gender-responsive reports and to present them to the Council at its fifty-fourth and fifty-seventh sessions, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, and to present an oral update to the Council at its fifty-third, fifty-fifth, fifty sixth and fifty-eighth sessions, and an oral update followed by an interactive dialogue before the end of 2023 and 2024; and decides to remain actively seized of the matter. The results of the vote were as follows: In favour (21): Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Paraguay, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States. Against (5): Algeria, China, Cuba, Eritrea and Viet Nam. Abstentions (21): Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.43) on the Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice, adopted by a vote of 38 in favour, 2 against and 7 abstentions, the Council demands that Israel, the occupying Power, end its occupation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem; urges all States to refrain from transferring arms when they assess that there is a clear risk that such arms might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations or abuses of international human rights law or serious violations of international humanitarian law; urges Member States to continue to provide emergency assistance, including humanitarian relief and development assistance, to the Palestinian people to alleviate the financial crisis and the dire socioeconomic and humanitarian situation, particularly in the Gaza Strip; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Council at its fifty-fifth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; and decides to remain seized of the matter. The results of the vote were as follows: In favour (38): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Against (2): Malawi and United States. Abstentions (7): Cameroon, Czechia, Georgia, India, Nepal, Ukraine and United Kingdom. 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/51/L.1) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years; urges all States to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his or her tasks; and requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of his or her mandate. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.2) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues for a period of three years; calls upon all States to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of their tasks and duties; and requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide all the assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.4) on Freedom of religion or belief, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur on the promotion, protection and universal implementation of the right to freedom of religion or belief with all the assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate; requests the Special Rapporteur to report annually to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly; and decides to continue its consideration of measures to implement the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.5/Rev.1) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment for a further period of three years; urges States to cooperate fully with and to assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his or her tasks and to ensure proper follow-up to the recommendations and conclusions of the Special Rapporteur; and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the provision of an adequate and stable level of staffing and the facilities and resources necessary for the Special Rapporteur. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.6) on Promoting human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals through transparent, accountable and efficient public service delivery, adopted without a vote, the Council encourages States to promote, instil and integrate human rights principles in the national public service; requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on the role of public service delivery in the promotion and protection of human rights and in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to present the report, including in an accessible and easy-to-read format, to the Council at its fifty-sixth session; and decides to remain seized of the matter. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.8) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression for a further period of three years; requests the Secretary-General to provide the assistance necessary to the Special Rapporteur to fulfil the mandate; requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report to the Council and to the General Assembly covering all activities relating to his or her mandate; and decides to continue its consideration of the issue of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in accordance with its programme of work. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.10) on Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to non-discrimination in this context, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend, for a period of three years, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context; requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to engage with States with a view to progressively achieving the full realization of the right to adequate housing as a component of adequate standard of living, and to submit proposals and recommendations thereto; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide all the resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur; and requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report on the implementation of the mandate to the Council and the General Assembly in accordance with their annual programme of work. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.11) on the Question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene at its fifty-fifth session a panel discussion on challenges and good practices to strengthen the fulfilment of the right to social security and for building, financing and implementing public policies and quality public services as key tools for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights; requests the Secretary-General to prepare and submit to the Council, at its fifty-eighth session, a report on the question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights under agenda item 3, with a special focus on challenges and good practices to strengthen the fulfilment of the right to social security, taking into consideration the outcomes of the panel discussion to be convened at the fifty-fifth session; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare, before the fifty-fifth session of the Council, a practical information note compiling best practices on social protection with regard to human rights; and decides to remain seized of this issue and to consider taking further action in order to implement the present resolution. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.15) on Mental health and human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States to take active steps to fully integrate a human rights perspective into mental health and community services, and to adopt, implement, update, strengthen or monitor, as appropriate, all existing laws, policies and practices in line with international human rights obligations; requests the High Commissioner to organize in 2024, and no later than the seventy-seventh session of the World Health Assembly, a one-day consultation on the challenges and best ways to implement at the local, national and regional levels enabling normative and policy measures for the realization of the human rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities and current or potential users of mental health services; also requests the High Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive report, accessible to persons with disabilities, on the outcome of the consultation, with recommendations for States and all other relevant stakeholders, including health professionals, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session; and decides to remain seized of the matter. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.18) on the Negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, adopted by a vote of 33 in favour, 13 against and one abstention, the Council urges all States to stop adopting, maintaining, implementing or complying with unilateral coercive measures not in accordance with international law, international humanitarian law, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations among States; requests the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights to continue her work on identifying and proposing concrete measures to ensure the removal of unilateral coercive measures and to focus on the resources and compensation necessary to promote accountability and reparations for victims in her next report to the Council, at its fifty-fourth session, and to the General Assembly, at its seventy-eighth session; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to organize a biennial panel discussion, to be held at the fifty-fourth session of the Council, on the impact of unilateral coercive measures and overcompliance on the right to development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and requests the Special Rapporteur to act as rapporteur of the panel discussion and to prepare a report thereon, and to submit and present the report to the Council at its fifty-fifth session; and decides to continue its consideration of this issue in accordance with its programme of work. 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, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Against (13): Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. Abstentions (1): Mexico. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.20) on the Promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to organize three full-day intersessional meetings for dialogue and cooperation on human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in advance of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 meetings of the high-level political forum; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to increase the support, technical assistance and capacity building, to Member States, upon their request, to implement approaches that integrate the promotion and protection of human rights and the realization of 2030 Agenda taking into account gender-responsive approaches, and requests the Secretary-General to further strengthen the dedicated capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner at the regional level to provide such increased support; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a report on best practices, challenges and lessons learned concerning integrated approaches to the promotion and protection of human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the global level, and further requests that the report be presented to the Council at its sixtieth session. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.21) on Cooperation with regional human rights organizations, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the High Commissioner to hold, in 2025, a workshop on regional human rights organizations to take stock of developments since the workshop held in 2022, including a thematic discussion on the role of regional organizations in relation to the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; and requests the High Commissioner to present to the Council, at its sixty-first session, a report containing a summary of the discussions held at the above-mentioned workshop and the progress made towards the implementation of the present resolution. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.24) on the Right to food, adopted without a vote, the Council encourages States to promote the conditions for everyone to be free from hunger and, as soon as possible, to enjoy fully the right to food, and to consider establishing appropriate institutional mechanisms and adopting national policies to combat hunger; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide all the human and financial resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food; requests the Special Rapporteur to report annually on the implementation of the mandate to the Council and the General Assembly in accordance with their programmes of work; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item in accordance with its programme of work. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.25) on the Mandate of 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, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 5 against and 10 abstained, the Council decides to extend the mandate of Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights, for a period of three years; requests the Independent Expert to report annually on the implementation of the mandate to the Council and the General Assembly, in accordance with their respective programmes of work; requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide the Independent Expert with all the necessary assistance, in particular all the human and financial resources required for the effective fulfilment of the mandate; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item, in accordance with its programme of work. The results of the vote were as follows: In favour (32): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Against (5): Czechia, France, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. Abstentions (10): Belgium, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco and Romania. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.26) on the Promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights of everyone and respect for cultural diversity, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and to assist the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights and migration in the discharge of the mandate, to provide the mandate holder with all the necessary information requested by her and to give serious consideration to responding favourably to her requests to visit their countries; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the human and financial resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate; requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to work with relevant stakeholders towards the comprehensive promotion and protection of cultural rights, and to report regularly to the Council and the General Assembly, in accordance with their respective programmes of work; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item, in accordance with its programme of work. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.29) on the Commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted without a vote, the Council urges States to redouble their efforts in fulfilling their duty to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to implement the provisions enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; requests the High Commissioner to implement a programme of activities that includes the organization of regional dialogues and a high-level event in December 2023 in commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; and also requests the High Commissioner to submit a report on the above-mentioned year-long activities to the Council at its fifty-sixth session, and to make the report accessible to persons with disabilities. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.34) on the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend, for a period of three years, effective from the end of its fifty-third session, the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to, among other things, examine ways and means to overcome the obstacles existing to the full and effective protection of the human rights of migrants, recognizing their disproportionate impact on migrants in situations of vulnerability, as well as to report regularly to the Human Rights Council, according to its annual programme of work, and to the General Assembly, bearing in mind the utility of maximizing the benefits of the reporting process; further requests the Special Rapporteur, as part of his or her activities, to continue his or her programme of visits and to take into account bilateral, regional and international initiatives that address issues relating to the effective protection of the human rights of migrants; encourages States to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur; requests all relevant mechanisms to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur; and requests the Secretary-General to give the Special Rapporteur all the human and financial assistance necessary for the fulfilment of the mandate. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.37) on the Negative impact of the non-repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries of origin on the enjoyment of human rights, and the importance of improving international cooperation, adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 13 against and 2 abstentions, the Council urges requesting and requested States to cooperate to recover the proceeds of corruption, in particular embezzled public funds, stolen assets and unaccounted-for assets, including those that are found in safe havens, and to demonstrate strong commitment to ensuring the return or disposal of such assets, including their return to the countries of origin; requests the High Commissioner to organize, before the fifty-fifth session of the Council, a one-day intersessional expert meeting, in a hybrid format and fully accessible to persons with disabilities, on the obstacles to the repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries of origin and their impact on the enjoyment of human rights, to discuss challenges and best practices in this regard and to make recommendations … and to present a report on the meeting, including in an accessible and easy-to-read format, to the Council at its fifty-sixth session; and decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item. The results of the vote were as follows: In favour (32): Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Against (13): Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. Abstentions (2): Mexico and Paraguay. In a resolution (A/HRC/51/L.39) on Human rights, democracy and the rule of law, adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council decides that the theme of the fifth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, to be held in 2024, will be “Democracy and climate change: focusing on solutions”; decides that participation in the fifth session of the Forum will be in accordance with the modalities set out by the Human Rights Council in its resolutions 28/14, 34/41, 40/9 and 46/4, so that it also includes youth, environmental human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples and relevant business enterprises and private sector actors; and requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide the Forum, at its fifth session, with all the necessary services and facilities, including interpretation in all official languages of the United Nations.