Source: United Nations – Geneva

The Human Rights Council today concluded its fifty-ninth regular session after adopting 25 resolutions and one decision. In these texts, among other things, the Council voted to extend six country-specific and thematic mandates.

The Council extended one country mandate during the session, that of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, whose mandate was extended for one year.

The Council decided to extend, for a period of three years, the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.

In a decision on the Implementation of activities mandated by the Human Rights Council in the context of the United Nations liquidity and financial crisis, the Council expressed its concern about the letter from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed to the President of the Human Rights Council, which indicated that certain activities mandated by the Council had been assessed by the Office of the High Commissioner as not deliverable in 2025 or 2026, owing to the liquidity and financial crisis affecting the United Nations.

Further resolutions adopted concerned the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, access to medicines, vaccines and other health products in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, human rights and international solidarity, the right to education, civil society space, new and emerging digital technologies and human rights, the impact of arms transfers on human rights, the safety of journalists, the elimination of female genital mutilation, empowering women and girls in and through sport, the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights, accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, human rights and climate change, cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights, enhancing international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity-building to strengthen national frameworks for the protection and empowerment of children in the digital space, and 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.

The Council appointed Hee-Seok Shin (Republic of Korea) as a member of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and Juana María Ibáñez Rivas (Peru) to the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, as the member from Latin American and Caribbean States.

The Council also adopted, ad referendum, the draft report of the fifth-ninth session.

Paul Empole Efambe, Rapporteur and Vice President of the Human Rights Council, presenting the session report, said during the fifty-ninth session, the Council had held 32 interactive dialogues; adopted 25 resolutions and one decision; had reviewed and adopted the results of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 countries; and had appointed two Special Procedures mandate holders.

Jürg Lauber, President of the Human Rights Council, said the transparent sharing of figures ahead of the adoption of resolutions had allowed States to make well-informed decisions. Delegations in Geneva were therefore encouraged to follow up with counterparts in New York to ensure the Council’s decisions received the full budget for their implementation. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was also invited to continue to keep the Council updated on the status of its activities. The President and the Council were committed to finding solutions to the budget issues. In closing remarks, Mr. Lauber thanked all those who had made the session possible, including the members of the Bureau, the Secretariat, Conference Services and the Member States.

The sixtieth regular session of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to be held from 8 September to 3 October 2025.

Action on Resolutions

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item One on Organizational and Procedural Matters 

In a decision (A/HRC/59/L.37) on the Implementation of activities mandated by the Human Rights Council in the context of the United Nations liquidity and financial crisis , adopted without a vote, the Council expresses its concern about the letter dated 16 June 2025 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed to the President of the Human Rights Council, indicating that certain activities mandated by the Council have currently been assessed by the Office of the High Commissioner as not deliverable in 2025 or 2026, owing to the liquidity and financial crisis affecting the United Nations; and invites the Office of the High Commissioner to provide, at the Organizational Meeting of the sixtieth session of the Council on 25 August 2025 and at the Organizational Session of the Council, on 8 December 2025, an updated and comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of implementing the above-mentioned activities, as well as any other activities mandated by the Council in the 2025-2026 period that might be affected by the liquidity and financial crisis.

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item Two on the Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General 

A resolution (A/HRC/59/L.1/Rev.1) on the Discontinuation of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea , was rejected by a vote of 4 in favour, 25 against and 18 abstentions.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.7) on the Situation of human rights in Eritrea, adopted by a vote of 23 in favour, 4 against and 20 abstentions, the Council decides to extend the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for a further period of one year; and requests the Special Rapporteur to submit and present a report to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-second session to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Eritrea with the participation of, inter alia, the Special Rapporteur, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, victims and survivors and other relevant stakeholders, and to the General Assembly at its eightieth session.

An oral amendment to L.7 presented on the floor was rejected by a vote of 1 in favour, 24 against, and 19 abstentions.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.21) on the Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar (as orally revised), adopted without a vote, the Council requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a report at its sixty-third session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue with the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar; requests the High Commissioner to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made by the independent international fact-finding mission on Myanmar, and to present an oral update to the Council at its sixty-fourth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, and a report at its sixty-sixth session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue with the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, and a report to the General Assembly at its eighty-first session.

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item Three on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, including the Right to Development. 

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.4) on Enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights , adopted by a vote of 30 in favour, 16 against and 1 abstention, the Council reiterates its request to the High Commissioner to organize a series of regional seminars, one for each of the five geographical regions, on the contribution of North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation to the enjoyment of all human rights, including the right to development, in order to allow States, relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, international and regional organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to augment their activities in identifying challenges and gaps and sharing good practices and experiences in this regard before the sixty-fifth session of the Council; requests the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the discussions held at the seminars and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-fifth session; and requests the High Commissioner to prepare a new report on the work of the Office of the High Commissioner in the implementation and enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, proposing possible ways to face the challenges to the promotion and protection of human rights, including the right to development, and to submit the report to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-second session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.5) on The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association , adopted without a vote, the Council decides to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association for a period of three years; and requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to report annually to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.2) on theMandate of Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, adopted by a vote of 29 in favour, 15 against and 3 abstentions, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for a period of three years to enable the mandate holder to continue to work in accordance with the mandate established by the Human Rights Council; and requests the Independent Expert to continue to report annually on the implementation of the mandate to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in accordance with their respective programmes of work.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.6) on The negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights , adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council to prepare a comprehensive study that develops concrete guidelines on implementing the existing procedural and substantive human rights obligations of States in the context of preventing and combatting corruption, and to present it to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-fourth session; requests that the above-mentioned study be developed in close cooperation and coordination with the Office of the High Commissioner, with a view to building on its existing work, supporting technical assistance, capacity building efforts and providing a strong foundation for policy development, information sharing and awareness raising at national, regional and international levels; and requests OHCHR to share the study with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.8) on Access to medicines, vaccines and other health products in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health , adopted by a vote of 32 in favour, 0 against and 15 abstentions, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to continue its work, within its mandate, to provide technical assistance to States throughout the next three years on the human rights dimension of access to medicines and vaccines in the context of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and to present an analytical study on protection gaps of vulnerable segments of the population to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-second session, with a view to presenting to the Council, at its sixty-eighth session, a comprehensive report, including on the measures necessary to bridge protection gaps to ensure the accessibility and availability of medicines, vaccines and other health products.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.9) on Human rights and international solidarity, adopted by a vote of 27 in favour, 16 against and 4 abstentions, the Council requests the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity to continue to participate in relevant international forums and major events with a view to promoting the importance of international solidarity in the realization of all human rights, including the right to development and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially those goals relating to economic, social and climate issues; and further requests the Independent Expert to hold two hybrid consultations between September and December 2025 and two in-person consultations between January and April 2026, in Geneva on the revised draft declaration on the right to international solidarity.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.11) on The right to education, adopted without a vote, the Council urges all States to give full effect to the right to education for all, including children, in all contexts, including in humanitarian emergencies and post-disaster phases, as well as in conflict situations and situations of occupation, by, inter alia, complying with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education, and recognizing the right of every individual to be safe in education, understood as the right to be protected from any violation of their integrity, and to expand quality educational opportunities for all, by all appropriate means and without discrimination of any kind; recognizing the significant importance of investment in free, inclusive and equitable quality public education, at all levels; increasing and improving financing for education, including in humanitarian emergencies and conflict situations; ensuring that education policies and measures are consistent with human rights obligations, including those laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international human rights instruments; and strengthening engagement with all relevant stakeholders.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.13) on Civil society space, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a thematic report in follow-up to the report containing practical recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society, based on good practices and lessons learned, submitted to the Council at its thirty-second session, and to review progress against the recommendations contained therein, identify new and emerging trends concerning civil society space, and provide an updated set of recommendations in the light of those trends, and to present the report to the Council at its sixty-third session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.14) on New and emerging digital technologies and human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare an analytical study, building on its previous report mapping the existing work of the Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies, outlining and clarifying States’ obligations under international human rights law, as well as relevant norms and commitments, and the human rights responsibilities of business enterprises in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, across the life cycle of new and emerging digital technologies, identifying developments, gaps and recommendations on application and implementation, and to present the report to the Council at its sixty-second session; and further requests the Office of the High Commissioner to convene a multi-stakeholder intersessional meeting, ahead of the sixty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council, and to submit a summary report thereon to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-fourth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.15) on the Mandate of Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons , adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons for a period of three years, to work towards strengthening the international response to the complex problem of internal displacement; and requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to submit an annual report on the implementation of the mandate to the Council and to the General Assembly.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.16) on the Impact of arms transfers on human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a study on the role of States and the private sector in preventing, addressing and mitigating the negative human rights impact of arms transfers, and to present the study to the Council at its sixty-sixth session; also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to organise a full-day intersessional workshop to inform the preparation of the aforementioned study, to be held before the sixty-fourth session of the Council and open to the participation of relevant stakeholders.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.18/Rev.1) on the Mandate of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls , adopted without a vote, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls for a period of three years, and requests the Working Group to mainstream, across all its work, age and disability perspectives in the fulfilment of its mandate, and to examine the specific forms of discrimination that girls face; requests the Working Group to continue to present an oral report annually to the Commission on the Status of Women and the General Assembly; and decides to continue its consideration of the issue of the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls as a matter of high priority, in conformity with its programme of work, at its sixty-second session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.20) on The safety of journalists, adopted without a vote, the Council invites States and all other relevant stakeholders to follow up on the recommendations and outcomes from the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a comprehensive study to assess the effectiveness of national frameworks for the protection of journalists, identify lessons learned, and make recommendations on how they should be adapted to respond to new threats, and to present the outcomes of the study in a report to be presented to the Council at its sixty-fifth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.22) on the Elimination of female genital mutilation, adopted without a vote, the Council decides to convene a high-level panel discussion, fully accessible for persons with disabilities, during the high-level segment of its sixty-first session on the role of new and emerging digital technologies in preventing and eliminating female genital mutilation, inviting relevant stakeholders to share good practices and lessons learned for the continuous improvement of digital approaches to end female genital mutilation, and invites the President of the Council to propose that the above-mentioned panel discussion be the high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming to be held at the sixty-first session; and requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion, and to submit the report to the Council at its sixty-fourth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.23/Rev.1) on Empowering women and girls in and through sport, adopted without a vote, the Council encourages States and national, regional and international sport organizations and federations to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of women and girls and to promote their empowerment in and through sport; decides to convene at its sixty-second session a panel discussion on the intensification of efforts to empower women and girls in and through sport; and requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on empowering women and girls in and through sport, based on the contributions of relevant stakeholders and taking into account the outcome of the above-mentioned panel discussion, and to present the report to the Council at its sixty-fifth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.25/Rev.1) on Accelerating efforts to achieving women’s economic empowerment , adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon States to accelerate efforts to achieve women’s economic empowerment; requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on trade agreements, including their gender equality provisions, and their impact on women’s economic empowerment, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including women’s and children’s rights organizations, and to present the report to the Council at its sixty-fifth session.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.12) on The contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights , adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council calls upon all States to promote inclusive and sustainable development; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive report on the impact of economic policy conditionalities by international financial institutions on human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, and to submit the report to the Council at its sixty-fourth session; and also requests the Office of the High Commissioner, when preparing the above-mentioned report, to seek input from experts from diverse geographic regions.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.24/Rev.1) on Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: prevention through the fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights , adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequence, as set out by the Council in its resolution 50/7, for a period of three years; requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a summary report, in accessible formats, including easy-to-read and plain language formats, on the annual discussions held at the present and sixty-second sessions, to present each report to the Council at its sixty-second and sixty-fifth sessions, respectively, and to make the annual discussion on the human rights of women fully accessible to persons with disabilities; and decides to continue its consideration of the issue as a matter of high priority at its sixty-second session.

The following proposed amendments to L.24/Rev.1 were rejected: Amendment L.27, following a vote of 13 in favour, 27 against and 6 abstentions; Amendment L.28, following a vote of 13 in favour, 27 against and 5 abstentions, and Amendment L.29, following a vote of 13 in favour, 26 against and 7 abstentions.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.17) on Human rights and climate change, adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council decides that the annual panel discussion to be held at the sixty-second session shall be focused on facilitating actionable pathways for gaining momentum in climate financing in the context of addressing the adverse impacts of climate change on the full realisation of human rights for all people, and also decides that the panel discussion will have International Sign interpretation and captioning; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to submit a summary report on the panel discussion held at the sixty-second session to the Council at its sixty-fourth session; and requests the Secretary-General to prepare a synthesis report on actionable pathways in mobilising sufficient climate financing and associated challenges and opportunities in the pursuit of the full realisation of human rights for all people, and to submit the report to the Council at its sixty-third session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item Five on Human Rights Bodies and Mechanisms 

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.10) on The Social Forum, adopted without a vote, the Council decides that the Social Forum will meet for two working days in 2026, in Geneva, and should be focused on the contribution of international cooperation and solidarity to the realisation of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; requests the President of the Council to appoint, as early as possible, from candidates nominated by regional groups, the Chair-Rapporteur for the 2026 Social Forum, bearing in mind the principle of regional rotation; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to facilitate the participation in the 2026 Social Forum of no fewer than 10 experts; and requests the 2026 Social Forum to submit a report containing its conclusions and recommendations to the Council at its sixty-fifth session.

Action on Resolutions Under Agenda Item 10 on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.3) on Cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights , adopted by a vote of 28 in favour, 2 against and 17 abstentions, the Council welcomes the oral presentations by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the States members and non-members of the Human Rights Council and observers of the findings of the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, held in accordance with Council resolutions 29/23, 32/29, 35/31, 41/25, 47/22 and 53/30; and requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to present an oral update on the findings of each of the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Ukraine to the Human Rights Council at each of its sessions, until its sixty-fifth session, and before the end of 2025 and 2026, each to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.19/Rev.1) on Enhancing international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity-building to strengthen national frameworks for the protection and empowerment of children in the digital space , adopted without a vote, the Council encourages States members and observers of the Council to use the general debate under agenda item 10 as a platform to share experiences, achievements and good practices in the area of international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity-building for the protection of children in the digital space; and encourages the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide technical assistance, capacity-building and support to develop and implement national measures to protect children in digital settings, and requests the Office to mobilise resources, including private sector funding, to that end.

In a resolution (A/HRC/59/L.26) on 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 without a vote, the Council requests, for a renewable period of two years, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to enhance its technical assistance and capacity building for national and local authorities and other relevant actors, to assist Colombia in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition; and requests the High Commissioner to provide an oral update to the Council at its sixty-second session, and to submit a report to the Council at its sixty-fifth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue

Other Matters

The Council appointed Hee-Seok Shin (Republic of Korea) as a member of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

The Council also appointed Juana María Ibáñez Rivas (Peru) to the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, as the member from Latin American and Caribbean States.

The Council also adopted its draft report ad referendum for the fifty-ninth session.

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