The mandate of Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russiaestablished by the 47-member Council in October 2022, was extended last October. The Special Rapporteur is responsible for monitoring, assessing and reporting on the rights situation in the country.
The current mandate holder, Mariana Katzarova, is not a UN staff member and functions independently of the UN Secretariat.
Call for ‘full involvement’
Taking one solution immediately registered voice Voting 20 in favor to 8 against, with 19 abstentions, the Council also urged Russian authorities to participate “fully and non-selectively” in all UN human rights mechanisms.
This includes “constructive communication and full cooperation” with the Special Rapporteur, as well as providing unhindered access to visit Russia and meet freely with relevant stakeholders.
The Council also welcomed the recent report of the Special Rapporteur, presented in September.
In her report, Ms. Katzarova expressed deep concern about the rights situation in the country, which she said was characterized by “state-driven violations of human rights, legalized by new or amended legislation,” which have closed independent civil and political arenas in Russia . .
Extension for Sudan researchers
Likewise, the Council extended its position on Wednesday investigation into alleged human rights violations and abuses in Sudanwhere rival armies have been at war since April 2023.
Twenty-three members of the Council voted for extension the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to Sudan for one year, while 12 voted against and 12 abstained.
The Council also condemned the escalation of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks in El Fasher as their siege of the government-held city continued, and called for an immediate withdrawal and protection of civilians in accordance with international law.
The three-member independent fact-finding mission was established by the Council for Human Rights in October 2023 for an initial period of one year to investigate and determine the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
Its members, Mohamed Chande Othman (Chair), Joy Ngozi Ezeilo and Mona Rishmawi, serve in their individual capacities independently of the United Nations. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary.
New members elected
Also on Wednesday, the UN General Assembly in New York was elected new member states to be a member of the Human Rights Council for a term of three years from 1 January 2025.
The newly elected members are Benin (re-elected), Bolivia, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia (re-elected), Iceland, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, North Macedonia, Qatar (re-elected), Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand .
They will join Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi , Maldives, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Sudan and Vietnam, whose terms end end of 2025 and 2026.
Membership of the Council is based on fair geographical distribution.
Council for Human Rights
The UN Human Rights Council is the highest intergovernmental body for the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide.
It was established in 2006, replacing the UN Commission on Human Rights, and consists of 47 member states elected for three-year terms.
The Council holds regular sessions in Geneva three times a year and may convene special sessions at the request of one-third of its members.
