The United Nations Human Rights Council will convene its 58th regular session from February 24 to April 4 in Geneva, under the presidency of Switzerland.
The session, chaired by Swiss Ambassador Jürg Lauber, will open on Monday with statements from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
Over six weeks, the Council will review more than 80 reports submitted by the UN Secretariat, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and various human rights experts and investigative bodies, addressing human rights conditions in around 40 countries. It will also hold 20 interactive discussions with special procedure mandate holders.
A high-level segment from February 24 to 26 will feature representatives from over 100 countries, including Morocco, discussing pressing human rights concerns. Key topics include the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Ukraine.
On March 3, the High Commissioner will present an update on the global human rights situation. He will also deliver a comprehensive report on Sudan on February 27, along with an oral briefing on Myanmar.
The session will also cover reports on issues such as torture, the protection of human rights defenders, cultural rights, adequate housing, the impact of external debt, the right to food, counterterrorism, privacy, and the intersection of human rights and environmental concerns.
Regarding children’s rights, the Council will review reports from the UN Secretary-General’s special representatives on violence against children and children in armed conflicts. It will hold its annual full-day discussion on children’s rights, focusing on early childhood development, and examine a report on the sale and sexual exploitation of children.
On March 5, the Council will discuss a report on transitional justice. On March 10, it will review a report on the rights of persons with disabilities, alongside a discussion on digital and assistive technologies, online harassment, and digital inclusion.
As part of the Universal Periodic Review, the Council will evaluate reports from 14 countries between March 24 and 26, including Norway, Albania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal, Bhutan, Dominica, North Korea, Brunei, Costa Rica, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Qatar, and Nicaragua.
The session will also feature discussions on key topics such as the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (February 24), the role of the judiciary in promoting human rights and the death penalty (February 25), early warning and genocide prevention (March 5), sustaining progress in HIV response and ensuring inclusivity (March 6), and the right to work and social security in the informal sector (March 7).
The UN Human Rights Council, established in 2006, is an intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide. It currently comprises 47 member states, including Morocco, which held the Council’s presidency in 2024.
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