HRC57 - Item 5: Human rights bodies and mechanisms

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

57^th session

Item 5

Human rights bodies and mechanisms

EU Statement

Mr. President,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania*, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Georgia, the EFTA country Liechtenstein, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

The EU is firmly committed to the support of the multilateral human rights system, with the UN and its bodies and mechanisms at the core. Treaty Bodies andSpecial procedures play a crucial role in the human rights ecosystem and contribute significantly to strengthening the mainstreaming of human rights. Their efforts in the fields of early-warning alerting, information sharing, technical assistance and capacity building and monitoring are invaluable. All 27 EU Member States engage fully with the Treaty Bodies and have extended a standing invitation to the special procedures and we encourage all remaining States to do the same.

In the year of the Summit of the Future, the EU reaffirms its commitment to effective multilateralism, with a further strengthening of the United Nations human rights system, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The EU calls upon all states to respect and support the independence and integrity of the OHCHR and rejects any attempts to discredit them.

We are deeply concerned about the lack of adequate, predictable and sustainable funding of the UN's human rights bodies and mechanisms and the impact of the liquidity crisis on the work of the Human Rights Council. We call upon the UN Secretary-General to ensure sufficient funding from the regular budget for the Human Rights pillar. At the same time, we call on all UN Member States to fulfil their financial obligations.

A diverse and independent civil society is a cornerstone of a democratic society. The EU actively supports cooperation between civil society and human rights bodies and mechanisms. We are alarmed by the severity and increasing number of reported acts of intimidation and reprisal by State and non-State actors against individuals or groups seeking to cooperate or having cooperated with the United Nations, particularly by the attacks against women peacebuilders, as pointed out in the SG's report. The EU strongly condemns any form of intimidation, harassment, and reprisals, both offline and online, and calls on all states to respect and protect groups and persons, in particular civil society organisations and human rights defenders, who cooperate or seek to cooperate with the UN System.

Last week, in his opening address to the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General highlighted that from day one, the United Nations has been the place for multilateral solutions. We strongly believe that these solutions should be anchored in the promotion and protection of human rights. Based on the human rights elements of the Pact for the Future, we urge all to ensure a strong human rights dimension in the follow-up of the Summit of the Future.

I thank you.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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