Statement by: Ms Greemn Lim, First Secretary, Australian Mission to the United Nations

As delivered

Australia has long advocated for human rights and freedoms for all, consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Human rights are one of the three foundational pillars of the United Nations.

They are essential enablers of sustainable and inclusive development, peace and prosperity.

They are an indispensable element of the global rules-based order.

That’s why Australia strongly supports the Human Rights Council and its mandate to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for everyone, without distinction of any kind and in a fair and equal manner.

“All States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, have the duty to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms”.

Those, Chair, are the words of General Assembly Resolution 60/251. They remain as relevant today as they were almost twenty years ago.

Resolution 60/251 established the Human Rights Council as a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, not of the Third Committee.

We thank the President of the Human Rights Council for his report to the plenary and his interactive engagement today with this Committee.

We should not see this as a manifestation of an obligation on the part of the Council to report to this Committee.

We similarly do not believe that decisions of Human Rights Council should be subject to the approval of this Committee.

Chair, Australia believes that the strength of the Human Rights Council is enhanced by its diversity. We welcome Indigenous Peoples’ increased participation in the work of the Council.

And we congratulate Marshall Islands on their recent election to the Council – Pacific voices in the Human Rights Council are essential to ensure Pacific perspectives are better considered, including on climate change, gender equality and non-discrimination, and social and cultural rights.

The ever-increasing workload of the Council reflects the variety of geographical and thematic human rights challenges of our times.

But it also must be recognised that states, including small and medium-sized nations like Australia, will face increasing challenges to engage meaningfully with an ever-expanding and, at times, duplicating agenda.
We look forward to the upcoming review of the Human Rights Council as an opportunity to make tangible progress on appropriately streamlining the work of the Council.

In the meantime, we ask the President what would be immediate, low cost and feasible changes which could streamline the Council’s agenda and its workload to ensure the Council can focus on what matters, when it matters the most?