13 October 2023

Joint Statement

Mr. President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement of behalf of a group of countries [depending of the number, we can name them].

The Human Rights Council is the main intergovernmental body within the UN system responsible for promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind and in a fair and equal manner, and for addressing human rights violations, including gross and systematic violations.

Indeed, throughout its 17 years of existence, the regular sessions of the HRC had served as a forum for dialogue on pressing issues facing the international community.

During these five weeks of the 54th Session of the HRC, many interactive dialogues and panels, alongside with the general debates, took place on different topics. There’s also an increased involvement and meaningful participation from all stakeholders, in particular States, UN agencies and bodies, Indigenous Peoples and civil society organizations, which demonstrate the trust that people around the world continue to put on us.

Despite this positive development, the HRC risks becoming a victim of its own success. The regular sessions are becoming longer and, as a result, the workload has become unsustainable for all delegations, especially for the smallest ones. Just as an example, in this cycle the three regular sessions all together had a total duration of around 14 weeks, and it is expected that next year we would meet for 16 weeks or more.

If all of us wants to ensure that the HRC remains fit for purpose, it will require an urgent action to address this trend. In this regard, we call on all delegations to join us in this collective efforts and commit themselves to explore ways to improving the working methods and efficiency for the sake of the HRC through a comprehensive and inclusive reflection exercise, building upon the work undertaken by the co-facilitators for the rationalization of the programme of work and efficiency measures of the HRC.

I thank you.