All 2023 outcomes of HRC and Third Committee

Below are selected provisions from resolutions of the Human Rights Council and General Assembly's Third Committee in 2023 that are especially relevant to the Security Council's agenda (both country-specific and thematic). This post aggregates together the content from the previous posts on each HRC session, adding the last Third Committee session, and updating all information on voting to address 2024 Security Council members.

Here are the links to the resolutions:

• All General Assembly resolutions (negotiated in Third Committee) can be found here.

• Human Rights Council resolution can be found under the 52nd session, 53rd session or 54th session.

• Alternatively, all human rights resolutions can be found through Universal Rights Group's platform.

Country-specific

HRC54 Afghanistan

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Afghanistan.

• Adopted without a vote.

• The previous resolution in September 2022 was adopted by a vote of 29-3 with 15 abstentions. China voted No.
  

• Recalls the press statement issued by the Security Council on 24 May 2022 and statements by UN officials and experts, including the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict [PP9].

• Expresses alarm at the findings of UNAMA in its report on extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations, and its report on the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan [PP11].

• Recalls with grave concern the assessment of the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan regarding the historical persecution of Hazaras and persons belonging to other ethnic and religious minorities, as well as his assessment (A/HRC/51/6, para 67) that attacks, frequently claimed by ISIL-Khorasan, appear to be systematic in nature and reflect elements of an organizational policy, thus bearing the hallmarks of international crimes, including crimes against humanity [PP15].

• Notes the concerns about the situation of children, including recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups in hostilities and other violations of international law [PP16].

• Requests the Special Rapporteur to present a report to the HRC at its 55th session (March 2024); a report on the institutionalized discrimination against women at its 56th session (June 2024); an oral update at its 57th session (September 2024); as well as a report to the GA's 79th session (October 2024) [OP22-23].

• Requests the High Commissioner to present a report to the HRC on accountability options [OP27].

HRC53 Belarus

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Belarus.

• Adopted by a vote of 20-6 with 21 abstentions.

• The previous resolution with the same title in June 2022 was adopted by a vote of 23-6 with 18 abstentions (there is another resolution related to the 2020 presidential election).

• China called for a vote.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.
  

• Notes with grave concern that, according to the High Commissioner, some of the human rights violations may amount to crimes against humanity when such acts are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack [OP3].

• Extends the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for one year and requests a report to HRC56 (June 2024) and GA79 [OP21].

• Recalls (inter alia) the report of the Rapporteur of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) published on 11 May 2023 [PP3].

HRC52 Belarus

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Belarus in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath .

• Adopted by a vote of 21-5 with 21 abstentions.

• The previous resolution in March 2022 (similarly focusing on the situation in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath) was adopted by a vote of 22-6 with 19 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.
  

• Extends OHCHR's mandate for one year, with the assistance of the three appointed independent experts and special procedure mandate holders [OP15].

• Recalls the report of the Rapporteur of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) [PP3].

HRC54 Burundi

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Burundi.

• Adopted by a vote of 20-10 with 17 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: Algeria and China.

• The previous resolution was adopted in September 2022 by a vote of 22-12 with 13 abstentions.
  

• Condemns the widespread impunity for all human rights violations and abuses, and urges the Government of Burundi to hold all perpetrators accountable, regardless of their affiliation or status, including members of defence and security forces and of the ruling party’s youth league, the Imbonerakure, and to ensure that victims can seek justice and legal redress, and encourages the Government to reconsider its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC [OP3].

• Requests the Special Rapporteur to present an oral update to the HRC at its 56th session (June 2024) and a comprehensive report to the HRC at its 57th session (September 2024) and to the GA at its 79th session (October 2024).

HRC54 CAR

• Led by the African Group.

• Title: Technical assistance and capacity-building in the field of human rights in the Central African Republic.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Condemns the surge in attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel and on civilian and humanitarian facilities and infrastructure [PP13].

• Recalls obligations of international forces, including respect for human rights [PP17].

• Deplores the numerous cases of sexual abuse and violence committed against civilians [PP18].

• Strongly condemns, inter alia, killings, torture conflict-related, sexual and other gender-based violence [see also OP18], abductions, arbitrary arrests, the recruitment and use of children [see also OP14 and OP34], the occupation of schools and attacks on schools, the denial of humanitarian assistance, and stresses that those responsible for such violations and abuses must be held accountable [OP1].

• Also strongly condemns the targeted attacks launched by armed groups against civilians, humanitarian workers, health workers, humanitarian supplies and UN personnel [OP2].

• Recalls that the Security Council may sanction those who incite others to violence or to hatred, particularly on ethnic or religious grounds, or to sexual or gender-based violence, or who prepare, commit or order the commission of acts that are contrary to human rights and IHL, recruit children for use in armed conflict, or impede the delivery or distribution of or access to humanitarian assistance [OP6].

• Calls upon troop-contributing countries and international forces acting under the mandate of the Security Council to take the necessary measures to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse and other forms of sexual violence [OP12].

• Calls to revitalize the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process [OP13].

• Encourages the authorities to fully implement security sector reform [OP26].

• Invites the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic to continue to exercise due diligence and publication of reports in the field of human rights [OP27].

• Decides to convene a high-level dialogue at the HRC's 55th session (March 2024), with a special emphasis on women and girls [OP42].

• Requests the Independent Expert to provide an oral update to the HRC at its 56th session (June 2024) and a report at its 57th session (September 2024) and the GA's 79the session (October 2024) [OP46].

HRC53 Colombia

• Led by Colombia.

• Title: Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the field of human rights in Colombia to implement the recommendations of the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition.

• Adopted by a vote of 28-0 with 19 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. Abstain: Algeria, China and the UAE.

• The vote was called by the OIC (except Albania), which also presented an oral amendment to remove a reference to sexual orientation and gender identity. That amendment was rejected by a vote of 20-22 with 4 abstentions.
  

• Acknowledges the important work carried out by the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, whose mandate was established by the Security Council in its resolution 2366 (2017) of 10 July 2017, and extended by resolution 2673 (2023) of 11 January 2023, and duly notes the reference to obstacles to the implementation of the peace agreement contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the Verification Mission [PP11].

• Requests the High Commissioner to appoint without delay an international human rights expert tasked with identifying and verifying the obstacles to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement, in particular those announced publicly by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in March 2023 and mentioned in the quarterly report of the Secretary-General on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia presented to the Security Council on 13 April 2023, and identifying the consequences of these obstacles for the full enjoyment of human rights under international law, as well as the domestic right to peace as enshrined in the Political Constitution of Colombia, and making recommendations that would help to overcome them [OP3].

HRC52 DPRK

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

• Adopted without a vote (as with all previous resolutions on topic since 2016).
  

• Extends Special Rapporteur's mandate by one year [OP17].

• Continues to strengthen OHCHR capacity, including its field-based structure in Seoul, for two years [OP15].

• Stresses its grave concern at the finding of the Commission of Inquiry regarding reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed; and stresses that the authorities continue to fail to hold accountable those responsible [OP7-OP8].

• Welcomes General Assembly resolution 77/226, which encouraged the Security Council to continue its consideration of the relevant conclusions and recommendations of the commission of inquiry and to take appropriate action to ensure accountability, including through consideration of referral of the situation to the ICC and consideration of the further development of sanctions in order to target effectively those who appear to be most responsible for human rights violations, which the commission has indicated may constitute crimes against humanity [OP9].

• Encourages the consideration of the grave human rights situation, including through the Security Council [OP32].

• Stresses the importance of following up on recommendations in the COI report (A/HRC/25/63), which was transmitted to the Security Council [PP5].

• Condemns the increasing diversion of national resources into pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles over the welfare of the DPRK's people and their access to food, as referred to in Security Council resolutions 2321 (2016), 2371 (2017), 2375 (2017) and 2397 (2017) [PP11].

GA78 DPRK

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Stresses that the human rights situation in the DPRK, including with respect to gender equality and the rights of all women and girls, including adolescent girls, is intrinsically linked to international peace and security, since the Government of the DPRK funds its illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes through human rights violations and abuse, such as forced labour, and notes with concern that a disproportionate amount of the State budget is allocated to military spending, resulting in failure to fully respect, protect and fulfil human rights, such as the right to adequate food as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health [PP on page 5].

• Encourages the Security Council to continue its consideration of the relevant conclusions and recommendations of the commission of inquiry and take appropriate action to ensure accountability, including through consideration of referral of the situation in the DPRK to the International Criminal Court and consideration of further sanctions in order to target effectively those who appear to be most responsible for human rights violations that the commission has said may constitute crimes against humanity [OP12].

• Welcomes the resumption of the Security Council discussion on the situation in the DPRK and reiterates its appreciation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK for briefing the Council on the country’s human rights situation, in the light of the serious concerns expressed in the present resolution, and looks forward to its continued and more active engagement on this matter [OP13].

HRC54 DRC

• Led by the African Group.

• Title: Technical assistance and capacity-building in the field of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Notes the progress made by the Armed Forces of the DRC in preventing and ending the recruitment and use of children [PP9].

• Also notes the progress made in combating impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence, including through the promulgation by the President of Act No. 22/065 of 26 December 2022, which establishes the basic principles on protection and reparations for victims of conflict-related sexual violence and victims of crimes against the peace and security of mankind [PP16].

• Calls on the Government of the DRC to find a durable solution to the problem of SGBV against children by implementing the 2012 plan of action and by prioritizing the provision of services to child survivors [PP18].

• Encourages the Government to take all necessary measures to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that all the alleged perpetrators are brought to justice [OP7].

• Takes note of the establishment of the monitoring committee for the implementation of Security Council resolution 2250 (2015) on youth, peace and security, and the adherence of the DRC to the initiative on the voluntary principles on security and human rights in the extractive industries [OP20].

• Takes note of the report of the team of international experts on the DRC and of its conclusions and recommendations, in particular that the Nairobi and Luanda processes should take account of the cross-border nature of conflict and insecurity, identify the causes of conflict and prevent their recurrence, and design and implement mechanisms for transitional justice and the fight against impunity [OP35].

• Requests the team of international experts to present an oral update to the HRC at its 55th session (March 2024) and submit a report at its 57th session (September 2024) [OP43].

• Requests the High Commissioner to present an oral update to the HRC at its 55th session (March 2024) and a comprehensive report at its 57th session (September 2024) [OP44].

HRC53 Eritrea

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Eritrea.

• Adopted by a vote of 18-7 with 21 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.
  

• Extends the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for a further period of one year and requests a report to HRC56 (June 2024) and GA78 [OP3-OP4].

HRC52 Georgia

• Led by Georgia.

• Title: Cooperation with Georgia.

• Adopted by a vote of 22-4 with 21 abstentions.

• The previous resolution in March 2022 was adopted by a vote of 19-6 with 20 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.
  

• Requests the High Commissioner to continue to provide technical assistance and report to the Human Rights Council [OP1 and OP3].

• Demands OHCHR's access to Abkhazia and South Ossetia [OP2].

• Acknowledges the conclusion of the ICC's investigation in 2022, which resulted in the issuance of arrest warrants for war crimes committed against civilians perceived to be ethnically Georgian from 1 July to 10 October 2008, including during the war between the Russian Federation and Georgia in August 2008 [PP6].

HRC52 Haiti

• Led by Haiti.

• Title: Technical assistance and capacity-building to improve the human rights situation in Haiti, in connection with a request from the authorities of Haiti for coordinated and targeted international action.

• Adopted without a vote.

• This was the first time the Council addressed Haiti since its adoption of Presidential Statements up to 2017.
  

• Requests the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to appoint, without delay, for a renewable period of one year, a human rights expert tasked with monitoring, and in collaboration with the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the development of the human rights situation in Haiti [OP8].

• Requests OHCHR to cooperate with the Government by providing technical assistance and support for capacity-building for the Haitian judiciary, security forces and prison administration, to enable it to pursue its strategy for combating the action of the armed gangs and restoring the rule of law and to promote the implementation of the recommendations made and accepted during the last universal periodic review cycle [OP7].

HRC54 Honduras

• Led by Honduras.

• Title: Penitentiary system, security and justice: enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building to protect human rights in Honduras.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a report to the HRC at its 57th session (September 2024) [OP2].

HRC52 Iran

• Led by Iceland, North Macedonia, Moldova and the UK.

• Title: Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

• Adopted by a vote of 23-8 with 16 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.

• The previous resolution in March 2022 was adopted by a vote of 19-12 with 16 abstentions.
  

• Extends Special Rapporteur's mandate by one year [OP4].

• Encourages the Special Rapporteur to cooperate with the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran [OP6].

HRC53 Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories

• Led by the OIC.

• Title: Implementation of Human Rights Council Resolution 31/36.

• Adopted by a vote of 31-3 with 13 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: Algeria, China and the UAE. No: The UK and the US. Abstain: France.
  

• Requests the Secretary-General to allocate the financial and human resources and expertise necessary to enhance the capacity of OHCHR to ensure that the mandate given by the HRC in its resolution 31/36 is fully implemented, and requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that the yearly updates of the database [of all business enterprises involved in certain activities in Israeli settlements] include addition and removal of companies, and to present the database on an annual basis to the Council starting from its 57th session [OP1].

HRC52 Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories

• Led by the OIC except Albania.

• The Council adopted 4 resolutions:

  • 52/33 on the occupied Syrian Golan by 31-14 with 2 abstentions. The previous resolution on the topic in March 2022 was adopted by a vote of 29-15 with 3 abstentions. Yes: Algeria, China and the UAE. No: France, the UK and the US.

  • 52/34 on the Palestinian people's right to self-determination by 41-3 with 3 abstentions. The previous resolution on the topic in March 2022 was adopted by the same voting result. Yes: Algeria, China, France and the UAE. No: The UK and the US.

  • 52/35 on Israeli settlements by 38-4 with 5 abstentions. The previous resolution on the topic in March 2022 was adopted by the same voting result. Yes: Algeria, China, France and the UAE. No: The UK and the US.

  • 52/3 on the human rights situation in the OPT and accountability by 38-2 with 7 abstentions. The previous resolution on the topic in March 2022 was adopted by a vote of 37-7 with 3 abstentions. Yes: Algeria, China, France and the UAE. No: The US. Abstain: The UK.
    

• The Council demands that Israel, the occupying Power, cease immediately its imposition of prolonged closures and economic and movement restrictions, including those amounting to a blockade on the Gaza Strip [L.43, OP14].

• Condemns all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction [L.43, OP15].

• Condemns the firing of rockets against Israeli civilian areas [L.43, OP16].

• Calls upon Israel to revoke any unsubstantiated designations of Palestinian human rights and humanitarian organizations as terrorist or unlawful organizations [L.43, OP22].

• Expresses grave concern at the calls made by Israeli officials for the annexation of Palestinian territory [L.42, PP13]

• Gravely concerned about all acts of terror, violence, destruction, harassment, provocation and incitement by extremist Israeli settlers and groups of armed settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem [L.42, PP19].

• Condemns the continuing settlement and related activities by Israel, including the transfer of its nationals into the occupied territory, the construction and expansion of settlements, the expropriation and de facto annexation of land, the demolition of homes and community infrastructure, disruptions to the livelihood of protected persons, the confiscation and destruction of property, including humanitarian relief consignments, the forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians or the threat thereof, including of entire communities, and the construction of bypass roads, which change the physical character and demographic composition of the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan [L.42, OP5].

HRC52 Libya

• Led by the African Group, joined by Iceland, Italy, Malta, Türkiye and Yemen. Adopted without a vote, as with the previous resolution in June 2022.

• Title: Technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Human rights NGOs strongly criticized the Human Rights Council for not renewing the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission at a time when crimes against humanity are being perpetrated, with no sign of abating. The adoption of a capacity-building resolution, with no ongoing monitoring and investigative component, was shameful, they said.

• The Council requests OHCHR to report to the Human Rights Council and provide technical assistance, including to strengthen the national transitional justice institutions and the judiciary's capacity to investigate and prosecute human rights violations and improve accountability [OP1(b) and OP2].

HRC52 Mali

• Led by the African Group.

• Title: echnical assistance and capacity-building for Mali in the field of human rights.

• Adopted without a vote, as with the previous resolution in March 2022.
  

• Extends the mandate of the Independent Expert [OP27].

• Requests all parties to allow humanitarian access and to ensure the safety and protection of the civilians receiving it and of the humanitarian and health personnel [OP9].

• Encourages continued support to ensure greater participation of women in the national reconciliation process and in all decision-making bodies of the peace process, and their political empowerment at all levels [OP11]

• Calls upon all signatories of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali to implement all its provisions, including those relating to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former fighters, the redeployment of Malian armed forces throughout the territory, decentralization, the fight against impunity and the functioning of the interim administrations in the north and the participation of women [OP12].

• Encourages the Malian transitional authorities to end the recruitment and use of children and implement sustainable reintegration and rehabilitation programmes [OP13].

• Encourages the Malian transitional authorities to put in place appropriate measures to comply with the Optional Protocol to the CRC on CAAC and further implement the Protocol on the Release and Handover of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Groups signed by the UN and the Government of Mali in 2013, and to strengthen the training programmes of the Malian Defence and Security Forces in this regard, and calls on partners to support the Malian transitional authorities in order to ensure better access to justice and to social, medical and psychosocial services for all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence [OP14].

• Notes that the Prosecutor of the ICC, in January 2013, initiated an investigation into crimes committed on the territory of Mali since January 2012 [OP15].

• Recalls the report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Mali, a body established by the Secretary-General, and urges the Malian transitional authorities to establish a national mechanism to follow-up on the Commission's recommendations [OP19].

• Encourages the Malian transitional authorities to accelerate the establishment of the bodies that will succeed the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, in particular the body responsible for compensating victims and the body responsible for preserving the memory of the crises, and the implementation of Act No. 2022–041 setting out the general rules on reparation for harm caused by serious human rights violations [OP20].

HRC53 Myanmar

• Led by the OIC.

• Title: Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.

• Adopted without a vote. China disassociated.

• Civil society organizations expressed regret that the resolution failed to reflect the reality of the situation on the ground in Myanmar, especially following the 1 February 2021 military coup. It calls for immediate commencement of repatriation of Rohingya refugees in direct contrast to conclusions and recommendations of the Special Rapporteur, the High Commissioner as well as Rohingya themselves that conditions for safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return for Rohingya do not exist in Myanmar, and that their return under the current circumstances could lead to the recurrence of violence that led to their displacement.
  

• Reiterates the urgent need to ensure that all those responsible for violations and abuses of international law throughout Myanmar, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, are held to account through credible and independent national, regional or international justice mechanisms, while recalling the authority of the Security Council to refer cases to the International Criminal Court [PP15].

• Notes that the ICC has authorized its Prosecutor to investigate alleged crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction relating to the investigation Situation in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh/Republic of the Union of Myanmar [PP19].

• Welcomes the order of the International Court of Justice of 23 January 2020 that indicated provisional measures, and urges Myanmar, in accordance with the Court’s order in relation to members of the Rohingya in its territory [which appears to constitute a "protected group"], to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to ensure that its military and any irregular armed units that may be directed or supported by it and any organizations and persons that may be subject to its control, direction or influence do not commit, inter alia, any such acts, to prevent the destruction and to ensure the preservation of evidence, and to report to the Court as ordered on all measures taken to give effect to the order [OP6].

• Welcomes also the order of the International Court of Justice on 22 July 2022, in which the preliminary objections of Myanmar challenging the court’s jurisdiction in the case brought by the Gambia under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide were rejected and the applications of the Gambia were found to be admissible [OP7].

• Expresses deep concern that, despite the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice on 23 January 2020, Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, including women and children, continue to suffer from targeted killings, indiscriminate violence and serious injuries, including by indiscriminate fire, airstrikes, shelling, landmines or unexploded ordnance [OP8].

• Stresses the importance of strict enforcement of the ceasefire, the cessation of violence and restraint by Myanmar security and armed forces and other armed groups with a view to ensuring the safety, security and protection of civilians, including those who are displaced and willing to return [OP9].

HRC52 Myanmar

• Led by the EU.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Myanmar.

• Adopted without a vote, as with the previous resolution in June 2022.

• Human rights NGOs regretted that despite calls by the Special Rapporteur and civil society, the Human Rights Council failed to call for a comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar to prevent the ongoing violations, especially indiscriminate airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
  

• Extends the mandate of the Special Rapporteur by one year [OP41].

• Recommends that the General Assembly submit the reports of the High Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur to the relevant UN bodies, including the Security Council [OP47].

• Reiterates the need to establish a country office of OHCHR [OP48].

• Calls upon the High Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur to continue to inform the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, the Human Rights Council and other other UN bodies, including on heightened risks of a human rights emergency [OP50].

• Requests the Secretary-General to call the continued attention of the Security Council to the situation in Myanmar [OP52].

• Recalls the authority of the Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the ICC [PP21]

• Recognizes that the ICC has authorized an investigation into alleged crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction related to the situation in Bangladesh and Myanmar [PP22].

• Recalls the order of the International Court of Justice of 23 January 2020 in the case lodged by the Gambia against Myanmar on the application of the Genocide Convention, concluding that it had jurisdiction to deal with the case and that the Rohingya appeared to constitute a “protected group” within the meaning of article 2 of the Convention and that it indicated provisional measures [PP23].

• Alarmed by the findings of the Fact-Finding Mission of evidence of gross, widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses which undoubtedly amount to the gravest crimes under international law [PP25].

• Welcomes Security Council resolution 2669 (2022), in which the Council demanded an immediate end to all forms of violence, the protection of civilians and the respect for human rights [OP2].

• Calls upon all parties to the conflict in Myanmar, in particular the Myanmar armed and security forces, to cease all attacks on schools, universities, students, teachers and education administrators [OP14].

• Calls upon the Myanmar armed forces to cease the arbitrary and unlawful arrest and detention of children [OP15].

• Urges action to address and document conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence in Myanmar, with the full participation of civil society, particularly women’s rights organizations and women from conflict-affected communities [OP37].

GA78 Myanmar

• Led by the EU and OIC.

• Title: Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Reiterates its deep concern at the widespread, deliberate, indiscriminate and excessive use of force by Myanmar security and armed forces across the country, including abductions, arbitrary detentions, mass killings, torture and maiming, aerial attacks against and burning of villages and civilian objects, attacks on schools, hospitals, internally displaced persons camps and places of worship and civilian gatherings, the unlawful recruitment and use of children and the use of facilities functioning as hospitals and schools for military purposes and for committing crimes, as well as reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those involving the use of landmines, leading to continued forced displacement and making conditions in Rakhine State and other parts of the country unsuitable for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of all refugees and forcibly displaced persons, including Rohingya [PP on page 6].

• Alarmed at the increase in grave violations against children in Myanmar, as identified by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict [See A/77/895-S/2023/363] including the dramatic increase in child abduction and recruitment and use of children by Myanmar security forces and other armed groups, and alarmed also at the high number of unaccompanied children in Rakhine State after Cyclone Mocha [PP on page 9]

• Condemns in the strongest terms all violations and abuses of human rights against civilians in Myanmar, including Rohingya Muslims and other minorities, before and after the unjustified declaration of the state of emergency on 1 February 2021 and its later extensions, and emphasizes the importance of conducting international, independent, fair and transparent investigations into the most serious human rights violations in Myanmar, including sexual and gender-based violence and violations and abuses against women and children, and of holding accountable all those responsible for brutal acts and crimes against all persons, including Rohingya Muslims, in order to deliver justice to victims using all legal instruments and domestic, regional and international judicial mechanisms, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, as applicable [OP2 and see also a PP on page 6 recalling the authority of the Security Council in this regard].

• Requests the Secretary-General to call the continued attention of the Security Council to the situation in Myanmar with concrete recommendations for action to restore peace, end the state of emergency, promote fully inclusive and representative dialogue aimed at supporting the democratic path in Myanmar and resolve the humanitarian crisis, promoting the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and forcibly displaced persons and ensuring accountability for those responsible for mass atrocities and human rights violations and abuses [OP30(f)].

HRC52 Nicaragua

• Led by Costa Rica, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.

• Title: Promotion and protection of human rights in Nicaragua.

• Adopted by a vote of 21-5 with 21 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: Algeria and China. Abstain: The UAE.

• The previous resolution in March 2022 was adopted by a vote of 20-7 with 20 abstentions.

• Human rights NGOs welcomed the new emphasis on violence against Indigenous Peoples and Afrodescendants, those forcibly displaced and striped of nationality, and reprisals, including against Anexa Cuningham, member of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
  

• Extends the mandate of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua for two years [OP15].

• Requests OHCHR to strengthen monitoring and engagement [OP18].

• Expresses profound alarm that the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua found reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Nicaragua since 2018 [PP6].

• Expresses serious concern at the continued disregard of Nicaragua for its international human rights obligations, including its failure to engage with and submit periodic reports to the relevant treaty bodies [PP9].

• Condemns in the strongest terms the decision of Nicaragua to arbitrarily revoke the Nicaraguan nationality of more than 316 persons [PP18].

HRC54 Somalia

• Led by the UK and Somalia.

• Title: Assistance to Somalia in the field of human rights.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recognizes the role that women have played and will continue to play in community mobilization and peacebuilding in Somali society [PP12].

• Welcomes a number of developments, including in relation to women, peace and security [OP1-2].

• Calls to hold accountable those responsible for violations and abuses, including the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers, killing, maiming and rape, and other forms of SGBV, including child, early and forced marriage and all forms of female genital mutilation and harmful practices, and emphasizes the importance of children formerly associated with armed groups being recognized as victims and the need to establish and implement rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and to strengthen existing ones [OP3, OP15(n) and OP15(y)].

• Expresses deep concern at the increasing risk of civilian protection issues resulting from continued counter-al-Shabaab operations [OP5].

• Expresses concern at any attack against, illegal restrictions imposed on or harassment of human rights defenders, civil society actors, opposition political actors, journalists and media workers [OP6].

• Further expresses concern about the large number of instances of the six types of grave violations committed against children in armed conflict as identified by the Secretary-General [OP11].

• Calls to make urgent progress towards finalizing a new constitution through inclusive and regular high-level dialogue at all levels, including the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and members of minorities [OP15(a)].

• Calls to realize Somalia's commitments to security sector reform [detailed in OP15(g)].

• Calls to implement the safe schools declaration [OP15(i)].

• Calls to implement the recommendations and activities envisaged under the national action plan on WPS [OP15(j-k)].

• Calls to treat former combatants in accordance with applicable obligations under national and international law [OP15(u)].

• Calls to promote the well-being and protection of all internally displaced persons, including from SGBV and also from exploitation and abuse [OP15(w)].

• Requests the Independent Expert to report to the HRC at its 57th session (September 2024) and to the General Assembly at its 79th session (October 2024) [OP24].

HRC52 South Sudan (advancing human rights)

• Led by the UK, Albania, Norway and the US.

• Title: Advancing human rights in South Sudan .

• Adopted by a vote of 19-9 with 19 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: Algeria and China. Abstain: The UAE.

• The previous resolution in March 2022 (led by the same States) was adopted by a vote of 19-11 with 17 abstentions.
  

• Extends the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS) by one year [OP12].

• Highlights that, while the transitional justice mechanisms envisioned by Chapter V of the Revitalized Agreement, namely the commission for truth, reconciliation and healing, the compensation and reparation authority and the hybrid court for South Sudan, are yet to be established, there is a need for continued monitoring of and reporting on human rights violations and abuses, as well as for ongoing investigations and the collection and preservation of evidence to support the future work of these institutions [PP12].

• Expresses alarm at the reports documented by the CHRSS of ongoing human rights violations and abuses by both State and non-State actors, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, pervasive SGBV, including conflict-related sexual violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, excessive restrictions on freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly in South Sudan, and in particular at reports of a continuing culture of impunity and lack of justice or accountability for alleged violations and abuses, even when supported by clear and verifiable evidence [PP15].

• Welcomes the convening of the first International Conference on Women’s Transformational Leadership in Juba from 13 to 15 February 2023, while noting that the 35% quota for women in executive positions mandated by the Revitalized Agreement has not yet been met [PP17].

• Notes with concern that attacks on humanitarian workers continue unabated in South Sudan [PP27].

• Welcomes the Government's continued cooperation with OHCHR, the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council and the CHRSS [OP2].

HRC52 South Sudan (technical assistance)

• Led by the African Group.

• Title: Technical assistance and capacity-building for South Sudan.

• Adopted without a vote, as with the previous resolution in March 2022 which was led by the African Group.
  

• Requests OHCHR to provide technical assistance, for the establishment of the transitional justice institutions under chapter V of the Revitalized Agreement, and building the capacity of local courts to investigate and prosecute alleged violations of human rights, with a view to improving accountability and promoting reconciliation and healing in South Sudan [OP8(b)].

• [Seemingly contradicting L.27, in particular its PP15 and PP27:] Welcomes the efforts made by the Government of South Sudan to maintain peace and for the cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and for humanitarian access to the civilians [PP12].

HRC54 Sudan

• Led by the UK, Germany, Norway and the US.

• Title: Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan.

• Adopted by a vote of 19-16 with 12 abstentions.

• Voting among 2024 Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: Algeria, China.
  

• Recalls Security Council resolutions and statements, including resolutions 1564 (2004) and 1593 (2005), as well as relevant statements by the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, among others [PP10-11].

• Expresses its grave concern at reported acts of SGBV, the indiscriminate use of force against civilians by both parties to the conflict, reported acts of indiscriminate aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces resulting in civilian deaths and the destruction of civilian homes and critical infrastructure, the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, principally by the Rapid Support Forces, and reported acts of mistreatment and life-threatening conditions faced by detainees held by both parties [OP4].

• Condemns the attacks on and looting of humanitarian convoys and aid agencies across several areas of the Sudan, including by the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum, and the continued undue restrictions imposed by the parties to the conflict on humanitarian access, with their dire consequences for people in need, including bureaucratic and administrative impediments, such as visa and travel permit delays, and cumbersome customs procedures imposed by the Sudanese authorities and Sudanese Armed Forces, and the presence of armed forces in hospitals [OP5].

• Urges all parties to the conflict in the Sudan to respect and protect civilians, including those who are humanitarian workers and health workers, and civilian infrastructure, and to allow civilians to move freely to access the basic services and humanitarian assistance they need [OP10].

• Strongly urges all parties to take immediate and specific measures to put an end to and prevent further acts of SGBV, including rape, sexual slavery and sexual exploitation and abuse, by members of their respective forces or allied groups, and to ensure access to services for survivors, and stresses the importance of ensuring accountability for those who commit acts of SGBV, and also of ensuring a survivor-centred approach when responding to such acts [OP11].

• Welcomes resolution 563 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, adopted on 4 August 2023, which inter alia called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire by the warring parties and for talks to bring a definitive end to the current armed conflict, and also condemned the atrocities being committed in Darfur, including killings and rape, and the destruction of properties and livelihoods targeting in particular people on the basis of their ethnicity, affecting mostly members of the Masalit ethnic group [OP14].

• Decides to urgently establish an independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan, to provide an oral update to the HRC at its 56th session (June 2024) and present a comprehensive report to the HRC at its 57th session (September 2024) and GA at its 79th session (October 2024) [OP18].

HRC53 Syria

• Led by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Qatar, Türkiye and the US.

• Title: Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic. The resolution focused on women and girls.

• Adopted by a vote of 24-4 with 18 abstentions.

• The previous resolution in March 2023 was adopted by a vote of 26-5 with 16 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.
  

• Reaffirming that parties to the armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take appropriate measures to account for persons reported missing as a result of hostilities and to put in place appropriate channels enabling response and communication with families on the search process, and recalling Security Council resolution 2474 (2019), in which the Council called upon parties to armed conflict to take appropriate measures to prevent persons from going missing as a result of armed conflict [PP13].

• Reaffirms the need for sustainable, safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian assistance through all modalities, including the extension of cross-border assistance, for which there is no alternative that can match its scope and scale, beyond the six months authorized by the Security Council in its resolution 2672 (2023) of 9 January 2023 [OP4].

• Calls upon all parties to the conflict, first and foremost the Syrian authorities, to release immediately all persons subjected to enforced disappearance in the Syrian Arab Republic and to provide accurate information to the families of those who are missing regarding their fate and whereabouts [OP9].

• Reiterates the demand that all parties to the conflict, but particularly the Syrian authorities, cease all forms of abuse of detainees, including but not limited to torture of detainees in Syrian military intelligence facilities, physical abuses, mistreatment and sexual and gender-based violence, and grant appropriate international monitoring bodies and medical services immediate access, without undue restrictions, to detainees and detention facilities, including all Syrian military facilities referred to by the Commission of Inquiry in its reports [OP11].

• Reaffirms the need to end impunity through the prosecution of perpetrators of crimes under national and international law, including sexual and gender-based violence, stresses the need for the perpetrators of these crimes to be held accountable by national justice systems or, where applicable, international courts and tribunals, and acknowledges in this regard the role of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 and that of the International Criminal Court [OP13].

• Expresses its strong support for the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria to make progress in the political process and the work of the Constitutional Committee to advance further aspects of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) of 18 December 2015, and reaffirms the importance of the full implementation of the women and peace and security agenda pursuant to Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) in this regard, in particular the crucial role of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board and women-led Syrian civil society groups in their work to enhance the safe, full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the peace process [OP18].

HRC52 Syria

• Led by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Qatar, Türkiye and the US.

• Adopted by a vote of 26-5 with 16 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: Algeria and China. Abstain: The UAE.

• The previous resolution in September 2022 was adopted by a vote of 25-6 with 16 abstentions.

• Human rights NGOs welcomed the resolution's support for the establishment of an international mechanism for the missing in Syria, and called to create such a mechanism at the General Assembly.
  

• Extends the COI's mandate by one year [OP20].

• Reaffirms its recommendation that the GA submit the COI's reports to the Security Council for appropriate action and recommends that it continue to brief members of the Council and Assembly [OP22].

• Notes with great concern that the Security Council-authorized cross-border access was reduced in January and July 2020, at the request of the regime and its allies, to a sole remaining UN-authorized border crossing at Bab al-Hawa, and noting that since the devastating earthquakes of February 2023 all parties have acknowledged the need for additional border crossings, such as at Bab al-Salam and Ra‘i [PP8].

• Reiterates its deep concern at the situation of the tens of thousands of individuals forcibly disappeared and those missing and detained in Syria, first and foremost by the Syrian regime, demanding that all parties immediately cease the practices of involuntary or enforced disappearance and kidnapping, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2474 (2019) [PP12].

• Recalls Security Council resolution 2474 (2019), in which the Council called upon parties to armed conflict to take steps to prevent persons from going missing as a result of armed conflict [PP14].

• Recalls the authority of the Security Council to refer the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic to the ICC [OP3].

• Calls for sustainable, safe, rapid and unhindered cross-border humanitarian assistance, for which there is no alternative that can match its scope and scale, beyond the six months authorized by the Security Council in its resolution 2672 (2023) of 9 January 2023 [OP4].

• Strongly supports the efforts of the Special Envoy to make progress in the political process and to advance further aspects of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) [OP10].

GA78 Syria

• Led by the US and Qatar.

• Title: Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic.

• Adopted by a vote of 85-15 with 73 abstentions (in the Third Committee).

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, ROK, Slovenia, Switzerland, the UK and the US. No: Algeria, China and Russia. Abstain: Guyana, Mozambique and the UAE. Absent: Sierra Leone.
  

• Reiterates its decision to transmit the reports of the Commission of Inquiry to the Security Council, expresses its appreciation to the COI for its briefings to members of the Security Council, and requests that the COI continue to brief the General Assembly and members of the Security Council [PP on page 5].

• Notes the repeated encouragement by the High Commissioner for the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court, and regrets that a draft resolution [S/2014/348] was not adopted notwithstanding broad support from Member States[PP on page 6].

• Deplores the non-renewal of the Security Council authorization of crossborder humanitarian assistance to the Syrian Arab Republic, and in particular the veto cast on 11 July 2023 by the Russian Federation, and takes note of the resumption of United Nations life-saving humanitarian deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing as from 19 September, as announced in a statement by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General [OP14].

• ...Encourages the Security Council to take appropriate action to ensure full accountability, noting the important role that the International Criminal Court can play in this regard in accordance with complementarity... [OP33]

HRC53 Ukraine

• Led by Ukraine.

• Title: Cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights.

• Adopted by a vote of 28-3 with 16 abstentions.

• Eritrea called for a vote, supported by China.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria and the UAE.
  

• Requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to brief the Human Rights Council periodically [approximately every three months for the next two years].

HRC52 Ukraine

• Led by Ukraine.

• Title: Situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression.

• Adopted by a vote of 28-2 with 17 abstentions.

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: France, the UAE, the UK and the US. No: China. Abstain: Algeria.

• The previous resolution in March 2022 was adopted by a vote of 32-2 with 13 abstentions.
  

• Extends the COI's mandate by one year, to work in close coordination with the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine and OHCHR [OP18].

• Expresses grave concern at the conclusions of the COI (see report A/HRC/52/62) noting the commission of a wide range of violations of IHRL and violations of IHL, many of which amount to war crimes [PP15].

• Notes with concern that the COI also found that Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy-related infrastructure and the use of torture by Russian authorities may amount to crimes against humanity [PP16].

• In relation to children in Ukraine:

  • Expresses grave concern at the COI's conclusions that Russian authorities have been responsible for the unlawful transfer and deportation of civilians and of other protected persons, in particular children, within Ukraine or to the Russian Federation, respectively, which are war crimes [PP19].

  • Welcomes the investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC into the situation in Ukraine, and notes the issuance by its Pre-Trial Chamber of arrest warrants for two individuals on 17 March 2023 for the alleged war crimes of “unlawful deportation of population (children)” and “unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation” [PP31].

  • Demands that all parties to the armed conflict treat all prisoners of war in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, of 12 August 1949, and the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), and calls for the complete exchange of prisoners of war, the release of all unlawfully detained persons and the return of all internees and of civilians forcibly transferred and deported, including children [OP5].

  • Urges the Russian Federation to cease the unlawful forced transfer and deportation of civilians and other protected persons within Ukraine or to the Russian Federation, respectively, in particular of children, including those from institutional care, unaccompanied children and separated children, and demands that the Russian Federation grant representatives and staff of established international human rights and humanitarian mechanisms unhindered, immediate, sustained and safe access, provide reliable and comprehensive information about the number and the whereabouts of these civilians, and ensure their dignified treatment and their safe return [OP7].

GA78 Ukraine (occupied territories including Crimea)

• Led by Ukraine.

• Title: Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

• Adopted by a vote of 77-14 with 79 abstentions (in the Third Committee).

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: Ecuador, France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, ROK, Slovenia, Switzerland, the UK and the US. No: China and Russia. Abstain: Algeria, Mozambique and the UAE. Absent: Sierra Leone.
  

• Notes the inclusion of the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups in the annex to the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, for killings of children and attacks on schools and hospitals in Ukraine [PP on page 8].

• Commends the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict on the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine [PP on page 8].

GA78 Ukraine (amendment to resolution on Neo-Nazism)

• Amendment led by Albania, Australia, Guatemala, Japan, Liberia, Marshall Islands and North Macedonia.

• Resolution led by Russia.

• Resolution's title: Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

• Amendment adopted by a vote of 66-26 with 67 abstentions (in the Third Committee).

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, ROK, Slovenia, Switzerland, the UK and the US. No: China and Russia. Abstain: Algeria, Guyana and the UAE. Absent: Mozambique and Sierra Leone.
  

• Notes with alarm that the Russian Federation has sought to justify its territorial aggression against Ukraine on the purported basis of eliminating neo-Nazism, and underlines that the pretextual use of neo-Nazism to justify territorial aggression seriously undermines genuine attempts to combat neo-Nazism [OP4].

HRC54 Yemen

• Led by Ukraine.

• Title: Technical assistance and capacity-building for Yemen in the field of human rights.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recalls and emphasizes several Security Council resolutions and calls to implement resolution 2216(2015) [PP3-4 and OP13].

• Expresses deep concern at the serious human rights abuses and violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Yemen committed by all parties to the conflict, including those involving SGBV, the continued recruitment of children, contrary to international treaties, the abduction of political activists, the human rights violations against journalists and the killing of civilians [OP8].

• Calls upon the Houthis to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid and release kidnapped humanitarian workers [OP9].

• Calls upon all parties to immediately cease attacks on civilians, including on those delivering medical supplies and on aid workers, and to facilitate humanitarian access [OP10].

• Expresses deep concern at all attacks against civilian objects, recalls the obligations of all parties to the conflict to take all precautions necessary to avoid and minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects, and the prohibition on attacking or destroying infrastructure and provisions that are indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, and strongly condemns the launching of ballistic and other missiles targeting the territory of neighbouring countries and posing a major threat to regional peace and stability and the security of international trade in Red Sea shipping lanes [OP11].

• Requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a report to the HRC at its 57th session (September 2024) [OP20].

Thematic

HRC53 Arms transfers

• Led by Ecuador and Peru.

• Title: Impact of arms transfers on human rights.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, in particular the recommendation contained therein that States should ensure respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including through political dialogue, training and dissemination, joint operational planning, and conditioning arms exports on compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law [PP15].

• Urges all States to refrain from transferring arms when they assess, in accordance with applicable domestic laws, regulations and procedures, and international obligations and other commitments, including exercising due diligence, 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 [OP3].

• Requests OHCHR to prepare [...] an analytical report on the impact of arms transfers, including the diversion of arms and unregulated or illicit arms transfers, on the enjoyment of human rights, with a focus on the role of access to information in preventing mitigating and responding to the negative human rights impact thereof, and to present the report to the HRC at its 56th session [OP6].

GA78 Children (rights of the child)

• Led by the EU and GRULAC.

• Title: Rights of the child.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Decides to request the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, in carrying out her mandate for the protection of children in situations of armed conflict, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, to continue to engage proactively with relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, Member States, regional and subregional organizations and non-State armed groups, including by negotiating action plans, securing commitments, advocating for appropriate response mechanisms and ensuring attention and follow-up to the conclusions and recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, and reaffirms the important role that the Special Representative can play in contributing to conflict prevention [OP66(d)].

GA78 Children (the girl child)

• Led by SADC.

• Title: The girl child.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Calls upon States to ensure that the perspectives and priorities of girls, including those living in rural and remote areas, as well as in poverty are taken into account in armed conflict and post-conflict situations and in humanitarian emergencies and that they fully, equally and meaningfully participate, in accordance with the age and maturity of the child, in the design, implementation, follow-up and evaluation of policies and programmes related to conflict prevention, peace mediation, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, recognizing the contributions of all members of society to raise awareness and advocate combating the stigmatization of children, including girls affected by armed conflict [OP37].

• Deplores all acts of sexual exploitation and abuse of and trafficking in women and children, including in humanitarian crises and by humanitarian workers and peacekeepers, including military, police and civilian personnel involved in United Nations operations, takes note of the voluntary compact on preventing and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse introduced by the Secretary-General, welcomes the efforts undertaken by United Nations agencies and peacekeeping operations to implement a zero-tolerance policy in this regard, and requests the Secretary-General or the Member States from which those humanitarian workers originate and personnel-contributing countries to continue to take all appropriate action necessary to combat such abuses and exploitation by such personnel, including through the full implementation without delay of those measures adopted in the relevant General Assembly resolutions based on recommendations of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations [OP38].

HRC53 Children (child, early and forced marriage (CEFM))

• Led by the Netherlands, Argentina, Canada, Honduras, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Thailand, the UK and Uruguay.

• Title: Child, early and forced marriage: ending and preventing forced marriage.

• Adopted without a vote, while 5 amendments related to gender were rejected by a vote. Russia and China were among those expressing reservations.
  

• Calls upon States to promote and protect the right of all women and girls to education, including in situations of armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies, and to ensure equal access [OP4, including detailed provisions].

GA78 Civil society (human rights defenders)

• Led by Norway.

• Title: Implementing the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms through providing a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders and ensuring their protection.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recognizes the substantial role that human rights defenders can play in supporting efforts to strengthen conflict prevention and peace through dialogue, openness, participation and justice, including by monitoring, reporting on and contributing to the promotion and protection of all human rights [based on PP13].

HRC54 Civil society (reprisals for cooperation with the UN)

• Led by Hungary, Fiji, Ghana, Ireland and Uruguay.

• Title: Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Notes with concern reports of the gender dimension and the specificity and severity of acts of reprisal against women, in particular for cooperation with the Security Council and peace operations mandated by the Council, as well as the targeting of representatives of Indigenous Peoples during their participation in UN meetings or when interacting with the UN at the country level [PP7].

HRC53 Disabilities

• Led by New Zealand and Mexico.

• Title: Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recalling Security Council resolution 2475 (2019) of 20 June 2019, in which the Council addressed the disproportionate impact of armed conflict and related humanitarian crises on persons with disabilities, and recognized the critical contributions of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations to conflict prevention, resolution, reconciliation, reconstruction, peacebuilding and addressing the root causes of conflict [PP5].

GA78 Disabilities

• Led by New Zealand and Mexico.

• Title: Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto: situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• The whole resolution is relevant to armed conflict, including inter alia the following references:

• Recognizes that the rights and needs of persons with disabilities are often overlooked in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict... [PP on page 4].

• Urges States to enable the full, equal, effective and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities, including their representative organizations, in humanitarian assistance action, as well as in conflict prevention, resolution, reconciliation, reconstruction and peacebuilding, and to ensure that a disability-inclusive approach is prioritized [OP26].

• Encourages States to integrate the rights of persons with disabilities into national policies and action plans for the implementation of relevant international instruments addressing situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of disasters caused by natural or manmade hazards [OP35].

HRC53 Education

• Led by Portugal.

• Title: The right to education.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Calls upon States to continue to strengthen the protection of preschools, schools, universities and other education institutions against attacks and threats of attack, making them free from all forms of violence, taking into account Security Council resolution 2601 (2021) of 29 October 2021, including by taking measures to deter the military use of schools and universities, such as by considering endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration and implementing the Guidelines for Protecting schools and universities from military use during armed conflict, and encourages efforts to provide safe, non-violent inclusive, effective and enabling learning environments and quality education for all within an appropriate time frame, including all levels of education in the context of humanitarian emergencies and conflict situations [OP8].

HRC54 Education for peace and tolerance

• Led by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

• Title: Ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Strongly condemns the recurring attacks on students, teachers, schools and universities and the military use of educational facilities, as such actions expose students and education personnel to harm and deny large numbers of children and students their right to quality education, and so deprive communities of the foundations on which to build their future [PP9].

• Strongly condemns the recruitment and use of children in hostilities by non-State armed groups, including terrorist groups, and all violations and abuses committed by States and armed groups, including terrorist groups, against children in all circumstances, including those involving killing, maiming, abduction and rape, and all other forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, and noting that such violations and abuses may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity [PP11].

• Urges States and the international community, and encourages civil society and other relevant stakeholders, to take measures, as appropriate, including through education, such as human rights education and training, awareness-raising initiatives and the media, to promote peace, justice and human development, ethnic, national and religious tolerance and respect for all religions, religious values, beliefs and cultures and to effectively address conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism and that make children more vulnerable to the effects of terrorism and to recruitment by terrorists; [OP6].

GA78 Elections

• Led by the US.

• Title: Strengthening the role of the United Nations in the promotion of democratization and enhancing periodic and genuine elections.

• Adopted by a vote of 146-1 with 25 abstentions (in the Third Committee).

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: Algeria, Ecuador, France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, ROK, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Abstain: Algeria, China, Russia and the UAE.
  

• Notes that women's inclusion will further contribute to the prevention and resolution of armed conflict, the success of peace mediation, peacebuilding processes, post-conflict reconstruction and sustainable global security while simultaneously advancing Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and the women, peace and security agenda [PP on page 4].

• Requests the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, in her role as United Nations focal point for electoral assistance matters, to continue to regularly inform Member States about the requests received and the nature of any assistance provided [OP4].

• Encourages the Secretary-General, through the United Nations focal point for electoral assistance matters and with the support of the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs of the Secretariat, to continue to respond to the evolving nature of requests for assistance and the growing need for specific types of medium-term expert assistance aimed at supporting and strengthening the existing capacity of the requesting Government, in particular by enhancing the capacity of national electoral institutions [OP17].

• Reiterates the role of civil society, human rights defenders, peacebuilders, as well as journalists and media workers, and the importance of their active engagement in the promotion of democratization, and invites Member States to facilitate the full, effective, equal and meaningful participation of civil society in electoral processes [OP21].

HRC52 Environment

• Led by Switzerland, Costa Rica, Maldives Morocco and Slovenia.

• Title: The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

• The resolution was adopted without a vote.

• The previous resolution in September 2021 was adopted by a vote of 43-0 with 4 abstentions.

• 20 amendments were tabled, more than any other resolution, mostly by Russia. However, ultimately most of the were not considered or withdrawn.
  

• Requests to convene, before the end of 2023, a seminar on the responsibility of business enterprises to respect the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment [OP9].

GA78 Food

• Led by Cuba.

• Title: The right to food.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recognizes that armed conflict impacts on food security can be direct, such as displacement from land, livestock grazing areas and fishing grounds or destruction of food stocks and agricultural assets, or indirect, such as disruptions to food systems and markets, leading to increased food prices or decreased household purchasing power, or decreased access to supplies that are necessary for food preparation, including water and fuel [PP on page 4].

• Reaffirms that starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited under international humanitarian law and that it is therefore prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless, for that purpose, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works [PP on page 4].

GA78 Indigenous Peoples

• Led by Bolivia.

• Title: Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Underscores the need to ensure equal protection of the law and equality before the courts for Indigenous women and girls at all levels and, to that end, the importance of providing systematic gender-sensitivity training, as appropriate, for police and security forces, prosecutors, judges and lawyers, integrating gender considerations into security sector reform initiatives, developing protocols and guidelines and enhancing or putting in place appropriate accountability measures for adjudicators [OP45].

GA78 Internally displaced persons

• Led by Norway.

• Title: Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recognizes that internal displacement is not only a humanitarian but also a development challenge, and in some cases can also be a peacebuilding challenge, and calls upon States to provide durable solutions and address possible obstacles in this regard and to include the needs, vulnerabilities and capacities of internally displaced persons and host communities in their national development plans [OP32].

• Notes the importance of taking the human rights and the specific protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons into consideration, when appropriate, in peace processes, and emphasizes that durable solutions for internally displaced persons, including through voluntary return, sustainable reintegration, rehabilitation and reconciliation processes and their active participation, as appropriate, in the peace process are necessary elements of effective peacebuilding [OP39].

GA78 Journalists

• Led by Argentina, Austria, Costa Rica, France, Greece and Tunisia.

• Title: The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Urges States to do their utmost to prevent violence, intimidation, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers, including by supporting capacity-building, training and awareness-raising in the judiciary and among law enforcement officers and military and security personnel, as well as among media organizations, journalists and civil society, regarding States’ international human rights and international humanitarian law obligations and commitments relating to the safety of journalists [PP on page 4].

• Expresses serious concern at attacks and violence against journalists and media workers in situations of armed conflict, including the specific risks faced by women journalists and media workers in this context, and recalls in this regard that journalists, media professionals and associated personnel engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered civilians and shall be respected and protected as such, provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians [PP on page 4].

• Calls upon States to ensure that measures to combat terrorism and preserve national security or public order are in compliance with their obligations under international law and do not arbitrarily or unduly hinder the work and safety of journalists, including through arbitrary arrest or detention or the threat thereof [OP15].

GA78 Mercenaries

• Led by Cuba.

• Title: Use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination.

• Adopted by a vote of 126-52 with 6 abstentions (in the Third Committee).

• Voting among Security Council members: Yes: Algeria, China, Ecuador, Guyana, Mozambique, Russia, Sierra Leone and the UAE. No: France, Japan, Malta, ROK, Slovenia, the UK and the US. Abstain: Switzerland.
  

• Emphasizes its utmost concern about the impact of the activities of private military and security companies on the enjoyment of human rights, in particular when operating in armed conflicts, and notes that private military and security companies and their personnel are rarely held accountable for violations of human rights [OP7].

GA78 Minorities

• Led by Austria.

• Title: Effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recalls also Human Rights Council resolutions 52/5, which extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, as well as 49/14, in which the Council considered the recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues at its fourteenth session, held in December 2021 on the theme “Conflict prevention and the protection of the human rights of minorities” (see A/HRC/49/81) [PP7].

• Reaffirms that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and dialogue between these minorities and the rest of society, as well as the constructive and inclusive development of practices and institutional arrangements to accommodate diversity within societies, contribute to political and social stability and the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts involving the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities [PP9].

• Noting with concern that disregard for the identity of, and discrimination against, persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as their political and socioeconomic marginalization, hate speech and the denial of the enjoyment of their human rights often precede violence and should therefore serve as early warning signs of a risk of serious crimes and conflict [PP11].

GA78 Terrorism

• Led by Egypt and Mexico.

• Title: Terrorism and human rights.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism to continue to contribute to the work of the Office of Counter-Terrorism through, inter alia, participation in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact [OP34].

• Encourages the Security Council, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate to strengthen, within their mandates, the links, cooperation and dialogue with relevant human rights bodies, giving due regard to the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law in their ongoing work relating to counter-terrorism [OP35].

• Encourages relevant United Nations bodies and entities, in particular those participating in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact and international, regional and subregional organizations, which provide technical assistance upon request, to step up their efforts to ensure respect for international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as well as the rule of law, as an element of technical assistance, including in the adoption and implementation of legislative and other measures by States [OP36].

HRC53 Trafficking in persons (cross-regional)

• Led by the Philippines, Argentina, Germany and Jordan.

• Title: Trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Urges States to protect, respect and fulfill the human rights of victims of trafficking through enhanced protection and empowerment of and support and assistance for victims, including survivors..., by [inter alia]:

• Promoting greater synergy between anti-trafficking efforts and those made under the women, peace and security agenda, especially by addressing the issue of trafficking in persons and its link with conflict-related sexual violence, and by stressing the key role of women’s agency and participation [OP1(h)].

• Addressing the heightened risk of trafficking in humanitarian crisis situations, including in armed conflict, and in post-conflict environments, natural disasters and other emergency environments, and calling upon States and the United Nations to take measures to prevent and combat trafficking in persons and to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers [OP1(i)].

GA78 Trafficking in persons (led by Belarus)

• Led by Belarus.

• Title: Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recognizes that in armed conflicts trafficking in persons can be prevalent, and in this regard calls upon Member States to ensure the comprehensive application of international humanitarian law, international criminal law, international human rights law and international refugee law, in accordance with respective obligations, to trafficking in persons in conflict situations for all purposes of exploitation, and to both internal and cross-border trafficking in persons, in order to ensure accountability, prevent impunity and provide effective access to justice for trafficked persons [OP20].

• Expresses deep concern about the increasing links between armed groups, including terrorist groups, and trafficking in persons, involving the coercion of victims, in particular women and girls, into forced marriages, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, forced labour, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, and subjecting men and boys to forced labour or act as combatants [OP21].

HRC54 Truth, justice and reparation

• Led by Switzerland, Argentina and Morocco.

• Title: Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recalls General Assembly resolution 70/262 of 27 April 2016 on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, and Security Council resolution 2282 (2016) of 27 April 2016, in which the Assembly and the Council, inter alia, stressed that a comprehensive approach to transitional justice, including the promotion of healing and reconciliation, a professional, accountable and effective security sector, including through its reform, and inclusive and effective demobilization, disarmament and reintegration programmes, including the transition from demobilization and disarmament to reintegration, are critical to the consolidation of peace and stability, promoting poverty reduction, the rule of law, access to justice and good governance, further extending legitimate State authority and preventing countries from lapsing or relapsing into conflict [PP11].

GA78 Water and sanitation

• Led by Germany and Spain.

• Title: The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation .

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Calls upon States to take measures to empower all women and girls for preparedness in humanitarian emergencies and crises, including in times of armed conflict or natural disaster, by ensuring access to water and sanitation services and implementing gender-responsive policies, plans and programmes that address, inter alia, effective menstrual health and hygiene management and adequate disposal options for menstrual products, without compromising their rights, safety and dignity [OP4(g)].

• Calls upon States to promote safe public spaces and improve the security and safety of women and girls through gender-responsive rural and urban planning and infrastructure when accessing sanitation facilities outside their homes or practising open defecation and urination [OP4(k)].

• Calls upon States to protect women and girls from being physically threatened or assaulted, including from sexual violence, while collecting household water and when accessing sanitation facilities outside their home or when practising open defecation and urination, including through promoting safe public spaces and improving the security [OP4(l)].

GA78 Women (rural women)

• Led by Mongolia.

• Title: Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Urges Member States to ensure that the perspectives of rural women and girls are taken into account and that rural women fully, meaningfully and equally participate in the design, implementation, follow-up and evaluation of policies and activities related to conflict prevention, the mitigation of post-conflict situations, peace mediation, the impacts of climate change and emergencies, including natural disasters, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, and take appropriate measures to eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against rural women and girls in this regard [OP2(g)].

GA78 Women (follow-up to Beijing)

• Chair's text.

• Title: Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Recalls Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), 2242 (2015), 2467 (2019) and 2493 (2019) on women and peace and security and resolutions 1882 (2009), 2225 (2015) and 2427 (2018) on children and armed conflict [PP11].

• Reaffirms the important role of all women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding efforts, stressing the need for their full, equal and meaningful participation therein, including at decision-making levels, and notes in this regard that 2025 will mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on WPS [PP12].

• Expresses serious concern that the urgent goal of 50/50 gender balance in the UN system, especially at higher professional grade levels and in non-headquarters locations, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in conformity with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the UN Charter, remains unmet, that the representation of women decreases progressively at higher professional grade levels and that the gap in representation is greatest and the rate of change slowest at non-headquarters locations, including in peacekeeping missions, as reflected in the report of the Secretary-General on improvement in the status of women in the UN system [PP34].

• Requests the Secretary-General to further accelerate his efforts to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender balance at all levels throughout the UN system, including in the field and in peacekeeping missions... [OP39].

• Strongly encourages Member States to identify and regularly submit more women candidates for appointment to positions in the UN system, especially at more senior, decision-making and policymaking levels, including in peacekeeping operations [OP43].

GA78 Youth

• Led by Cabo Verde, Kazakhstan and Portugal.

• Title: Policies and programmes involving youth.

• Adopted without a vote.
  

• Encourages Member States and relevant UN organs and entities to take concrete measures to assist and protect young people in situations of armed conflict, and to increase the full, meaningful and effective participation of youth, especially young women, in conflict prevention and resolution, in peacebuilding and in humanitarian action, while ensuring that young people continue to enjoy their rights to education and health even in situations of conflict, and recognizing the importance of protecting schools, universities, hospitals and medical facilities from attacks and military use, in contravention of international humanitarian law [OP23].