53rd session of the Human Rights Council

Reports by High Commissioner for Human Rights 

Oral updates and country reports delivered by the High Commissioner on the work of his Office covered country situations including Venezuela, Myanmar, Ukraine and Georgia. 

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights delivered a statement in response to the High Commissioner’s oral presentation of the findings of his office periodic report and the report of Secretary General on the situation of human rights in temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine. 

Interaction with Special Procedures mandate holders  

The Human Rights Council engaged in interactive dialogues with a variety of Special Procedures mandate holders. Many NHRIs participated in these dialogues via oral and video statements, including: 

• Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, to whom the NHRIs of Burundi and Mexico delivered statements. 
• Working Group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, to whom the NHRIs of Luxembourg and India delivered statements. 
• Special Rapporteur on climate change, to whom the NHRI of Burundi delivered a statement. 
• Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, to whom the NHRI of Armenia delivered a statement.  
• Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian territory, to whom the NHRI of Palestinne delivered a statement. 

Interaction with Human Rights Council–mandated investigative bodies 

The Council also addressed serious country specific human rights situations, including the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Iran, Syria. The NHRI of Palestine delivered a statement before the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel. 

Panels and Annual Discussions 

The 53rd session of the Human Rights Council saw the continuation of panels and discussions taking place on the protection and promotion of human rights. NHRIs engaged in the following discussions: 

• The NHRI of Denmark delivered a statement before the panel on gender-based violence against women and girls in public and political life during the Annual Discussion on women’s rights. 
• The NHRIs of El Salvador and the Philippines delivered statements during the annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights. This year’s panel focused on the adverse impact of climate change on the realization of the right to food.

Adoption of UPR reports 

The Council adopted the UPR outcome reports on Czechia, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan and Sri Lanka. 

The NHRIs of Argentina, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin and Republic of Korea delivered statements upon the adoption of the reports.

GANHRI’s engagement with the Human Rights Council and support to NHRIs 

GANHRI delivered a statement at the 53rd Human Rights Council in response to the report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.  

We expressed concern about at the impact on the enjoyment of human rights due to climate-induced displacement, as documented in the SR report, and in particular on the lack of adequate legal protection afforded to persons displaced across international borders due to climate change.  

We shared the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation to States and UN agencies to develop national and international legal frameworks that effectively protect the human rights of persons displaced across international borders and address the unique challenges they face throughout their journey.  

Moreover, GANHRI stressed the importance of integrating a gender-based approach in all measures addressing climate-induced displacement, as women and girls face unique and exacerbated vulnerabilities.  

Finally, we reaffirmed the vital role of NHRIs in promoting and protecting the rights of persons affected by climate migration recalling the 51st Human Rights Council resolution 51/31 which recognised the critical contributions that NHRIs can offer in addressing the human rights impact of climate change. 

GANHRI and its Caucus on Human Rights and Climate Change will continue to support the mandate, and work with our partners to offer sustainable solutions to climate change, that are people and human rights centered. 

Resolutions adopted by  the Human Rights Council at the 53rd Session  

The Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted 30 resolutions; 10 were adopted by a recorded vote, including “the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights”. 

The remaining resolutions were adopted by consensus, such as “The right to a nationality: equality in nationality rights in law and in practice” and “Business and human rights”. The text of the resolutions and the results of vote are available here.  

In the resolution on human rights and climate change (A/HRC/53/L.9), the HRC underlined that the adverse effects of climate change have a wide range of direct and indirect implications for the effective enjoyment of human rights, affecting especially communities living in vulnerable situations. The HRC highlighted in particular the effects of damage and loss to livelihoods on the rights of women and girls, as well as the inadequate social protection schemes and insurances for workers in the informal economy and vulnerable farming populations. 

The HRC called for deep and rapid cuts in global emissions to avert, minimize and address loss and damage from sudden and slow-onset climate events that have an adverse impact on the enjoyment of human rights. Moreover, the resolution urged States to adopt a country-driven, comprehensive, integrated, gender-responsive, age-inclusive and disability-inclusive approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, consistent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

Lastly, the HRC requested the Secretary General, in consultation with other relevant UN bodies, UN agencies and other relevant stakeholders, to conduct an analytical study on the impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights, exploring equity-based approaches and solutions to addressing the same, and to submit the study to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue. 

The HRC decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities for a further period of three years in the resolution entitled “Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities” (A/HRC/53/L.17). The HRC expressed deep concerns about the barriers that persons with disabilities continue to face in their participation as equal members of society, as well as the violations and abuses of their human rights they experience.  

The HRC called upon all Member States to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur in the performance of his mandate, and encouraged all relevant stakeholders, including national human rights institutions, to do the same.  

In the resolution on civil society space (A/HRC/53/L.13), the HRC recognized the the important and legitimate role played by civil society in the promotion and protection of human rights and the essential contributions they make to regional and international organizations through advocacy and awareness-raising, participation in conferences, the sharing of expertise and knowledge, engagement in decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes. 

In addition, the HRC expressed grave concerns about the frequent threats, harassment, discrimination, attacks and unlawful or arbitrary surveillance, both online and offline, against persons and organizations engaged in promoting and defending human rights, as a result of their activities. The resolution also strongly condemns the acts of intimidation and reprisal intended to hinder and prevent their cooperation with the United Nations and other international and regional bodies in the field of human rights. 

In this regard, the HRC urged States to create and maintain a safe and enabling environment, online and offline, in which civil society can operate free from hindrance, insecurity and reprisals, including by putting in place and, where necessary, reviewing and amending relevant laws, policies, institutions and mechanisms. 

Lastly, the HRC requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a thematic report that identifies challenges and best practices in regularly assessing civic space trends and contains recommendations with a view to enhancing information-gathering on civic space. In the preparation of the report, the HRC also requested that the High Commissioner draws on the views of States, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and other relevant stakeholders, including special procedure mandate holders, and presents the report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-sixth session. 

Watch the HRC53 UN Webcast

Annual discussion on women’s rights

• Denmark: The Danish Institute for Human Rights, Speaker: Ms. Nieves Molina Clemente, Senior Adviser
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