15th Meeting - 62nd Session of Human Rights Council

Ellen.
Excellencies, distinguished participants, a very good morning to all of you.
I hereby declare open the 15th meeting of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
We will now begin the first panel of the annual full day discussion on the Human Rights of women, which was mandated in Human Rights Council resolutions six stroke 30 and 59 stroke 20.
The theme of this morning's panel will be domestic violence against women and girls.
This debate is accessible to persons with disabilities through the provision of international sign interpretation and real time captioning, together with other accessibility measures.
I encourage those who may need reasonable accommodation to inform the Secretariat if they haven't done so already.
It is my honor to welcome miss Awada, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, who will deliver the opening statement.
I would also like to welcome our distinguished panelists, miss Betsy Toledo Vasquez, member of the committee on elimination of Discrimination against women.
Miss Ivana Kritik, Vice Chair of the working group on discrimination against women and Girls.
Miss Zulfia Bysakova, Chair of the Board of the Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan and miss Hisyahain, campaign manager of global campaign for Equality and Family Law.
Excellencies, dear participants, the list of speakers will close in 15 minutes.
I encourage all speakers to intervene in an interactive way, present comments, and ask questions that reflect the panelists' interventions and the discussion.
The speaking time limit will, as usual, be 1 minute and 30 seconds for all and a maximum of 40 speakers will be accommodated.
Delegates inscribed on the list of speakers who cannot take the floor because of time constraints can upload their statements to the online system to be posted on the extranet.
I would now like to give the floor to miss A Dabo.
Madam, you have the floor.
Mr.
Vice President, Excellencies, distinguished participants, good morning.
Today, somewhere in the world, a woman is afraid to go home after work.
Another fear is that if she flees abuse, she won't be able to provide for her children.
A has been made to believe that she and her needs are worthless.
For hundreds of millions of women around the world, home has become a cage.
Its bars can take many forms, physical, psychological, economic, and no country, no society or income group is immune.
The figures are well known, but they bear repeating.
Nearly one in three women globally has experienced intimate partner and sexual violence in her lifetime with almost no progress made in two decades.
60% of killings of women and girls are committed by partners or family members.
This is approximately 137 mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters killed every single day.
Women already pushed to the margins, those living in poverty and conflict, women from racial and ethnic and sexual minorities, women with disabilities and migrant women are disproportionately represented in these figures.
Many cases never come to light and those do often go unpunished.
Staggering four in five women and girls in countries without robust legal protections against violence or where data is not available.
Fewer than 40% of victims fewer than 40% of victims seek help of any kind and less than 10% go to the police fearing retaliation and stigma.
Your Excellency domestic violence against women may unfold in the darkness of bedrooms and kitchens, but it is not a private matter.
It is one of the world's most pervasive and accepted human rights violations.
It reflects deeply entrenched systems of patriarchy, domination and discrimination that have oppressed women for centuries.
Today, an organized backlash against gender equality is reinforcing those patterns.
And as technology, including AI is increasingly misused to spread hatred, anonymously, we're heading down a very dangerous path.
Misogynistic content creeps into the phones of young men in every corner of the world, feeding their grievances.
In the face of unemployment and uncertainty, solitude and frustration, toxic masculinity offers women and girls as a convenient scapegoat for society's ills.
An estimated 99% of those targeted by AI def fakes are women.
Earlier this year, a shocking investigation uncovered a large online community where men shared tips on how to drug and rape their wives and get away with it.
We are dealing with inventive, high tech oppression.
In my travels, I often talk to women and girls and I realize just how much social media has been weaponized against them.
Who knows how many women have decided not to run for office or to apply for senior public roles because they know it will make them a target.
Unless we act now, online violence against women and girls has the potential to destroy entire societies and take women's hard won social, economic, and political power away from them.
Mr.
Vice President, gender based violence against women takes deeply disturbing forms, and it must not be treated as an unfortunate reality to be met with a shrug.
It is an unacceptable injustice, and it must be met with outrage and action, and we know what works.
We need comprehensive, coordinated, and well funded systems to reach and protect women and girls trapped in a cycle of violence.
The evidence is clear, law matters.
When governments adopt legal protections against domestic violence, its prevalence nearly halves.
Beyond laws, we need police that come, that listen and that help.
Shelters that are well resourced, support services that are accessible, and justice that is approachable and effective.
It is critical that all mechanisms are created in consultation with survivors and instill trust.
Recent high profile cases, including those of Dominique Pelko and Jeffrey Epstein and others, reignited public attention to the appalling scale of abuse that women endure.
We need to ensure justice spares no perpetrator, including the most privileged and those hiding behind screens.
The same applies to technology companies that allow violence to thrive.
Together with you and women, our office has developed the model protocol for the investigation of femicides in Latin America.
The protocol places women's rights at the core of proceedings and can provide guidance for regional and national courts.
Mr.
Vice President, Your Excellencies, we need to stand firm on the path to gender equality, defending progress, and advancing it.
Education and advocacy targeting women and girls and boys and men are tried and tested tools of prevention.
So too is women's economic empowerment.
We need to keep talking about domestic violence and we need to keep challenging it.
Together, we can build a world where no woman fears going home.
Thank you.
I thank the Deputy High Commissioner for her statement and I would now like to give the floor to the panelists for their initial presentations.
I have the honor of giving the floor to miss Bzi Toledo Vasquez.
You have 7 minutes, madam.
Thank you very much, distinguished panelists, Excellencies, thank you for inviting me to this important discussion.
Under the Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and other International Human Rights treaties, gender based violence against women constitutes a form of discrimination against women.
This understanding, affirmed by the CEO Committee and International Human Rights courts, has been reflected in the practice of states parties for more than three decades too.
Domestic violence is one of the most pervasive and devastating manifestations of gender based violence against women and girls.
It is neither a private matter nor an isolated phenomenon.
Its impacts extend far beyond the individual victim and affects families, communities, and often multiple generations.
One of the most extreme manifestations is the gender related killing of women, also known as femicide.
Across regions, women are most often killed by their intimate partners, former partners, or family members and in many cases, femicide is the final stage of an escalating pattern of violence that could potentially have been identified and addressed earlier.
These deaths are not inevitable, they are often preventable.
The CER Committee, through its general recommendation number 35 and its recommendations to states parties, has consistently underscored that responses to domestic violence must involve all sectors of government.
Effective action requires engagement not just by the judiciary, but also by health and educational systems, housing, child protection, and social services.
Educational institutions play a fundamental role in challenging gender stereotypes and promoting relationships based on equality and respect.
Health systems must recognize that domestic violence is often an underlying cause of multiple physical and mental health conditions and should provide safe and accessible pathways for disclosure and support.
Working with men and boys at all levels of society is also essential in order to address domestic violence.
This includes educational initiatives, community based programs, and collaboration of traditional and religious leaders in order to try and prevent repeat offending and promote accountability.
For all that legislation is a crucial starting point.
Studies show that countries with specific domestic violence legislation report lower levels of intimate partner violence than those without such legislation.
But legislation must be comprehensive and reflect the diversity of women's experiences.
Domestic violence is not just physical assaults, it can also be coercion and control patterns aimed at depriving women of their autonomy and support networks, controlling their economic resources, inducing fear and dependency, psychological violence, economic violence, coercive control, stalking, intimidation and threats can be as devastating as physical violence and frequently preceded.
Research from countries has shown that when domestic violence homicides are reviewed, more than half involve evidence of prior economic abuse.
Legislation must also eliminate discriminatory provisions that continue to justify domestic violence.
We have repeatedly called within CEDA for the repeal of the so called defense of honor or the alleged victim provocation to be treated as mitigating circumstances.
Legislative responses, of course, cannot be limited to criminal law.
Domestic violence is increasingly facilitated through digital technologies.
Perpetrators may use online platforms and states should therefore adopt comprehensive legal and regulatory frameworks that include civil and administrative measures and ensure that digital intermediaries act responsibly when unlawful content is identified.
Legislation is not enough.
Institutions and systems designed to address domestic violence must function effectively in practice.
Full commitment of all states agents and institutions is a central aspect of states due diligence obligations.
CDO has emphasized that professionals across all sectors should receive specialized and continuous training in order to respond adequately to domestic violence.
Such training should include understanding trauma and its effects, the dynamics of domestic violence, and the diverse circumstances faced by women experiencing violence, including for those subjected to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.
Such as indigenous women, migrant women, women with disabilities, and older women.
This also includes cases where women with a history of domestic abuse and trauma come into contact with the criminal justice system and are accused of crimes.
Gender stereotypes continue to shape institutional responses and often prevent victims from receiving adequate protection, particularly those from marginalized groups.
Stereotypes about what constitutes domestic violence and how victims should behave, including that they should initiate legal actions to access protection, lead to secondary victimization.
It also weakens confidence in institutions and ultimately compromises access to justice and protection.
Attacks against children are not separate from domestic violence against women.
They are often part of the same continuum of coercion and control.
Perpetrators frequently use children as instruments of control and abuse and violence against them may be inflicted specifically to punish, intimidate or cause suffering to their mothers.
In its most extreme forms, children themselves may become victims of lethal violence in the context of violence against women.
Accordingly, custody, visit rights, and family law arrangements should never expose women and children to further harm.
Coordination among institutions is also essential.
Often, deficiencies in coordination between authorities reflect broader structural inequalities, failures that often undermine women from marginalized groups in terms of their access to protection and justice.
Finally, learning from past failures is essential to preventing future violence.
In depth reviews of femicides and other domestic violence deaths constitutes a promising practice in many jurisdictions.
By looking at the circumstances surrounding these deaths and involving families and communities and relevant institutions, these reviews help pinpoint systemic gaps, improve risk assessment, strengthen interagency coordination, and promote institutional learning.
Domestic violence is not an individual problem.
It is a social problem that requires social responses involving all sectors and all of society.
Let's work together to ensure that domestic violence is no longer tolerated and that all women and children can live lives free from fear and violence.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I now have the honor to give the floor to miss Ivana Christi.
It's okay.
Thank you so much.
Mr.
Vice President, Excellencies, it is an honor to address you today on behalf of the working group on discrimination against women and girls.
At the heart of this discussion, it's not only how to respond to domestic violence, but also to understand it as a manifestation of discrimination, inequality, and control in the lives of women and girls.
Domestic violence is not a private matter.
It is not an isolated family conflict.
It is not merely individual misconduct.
It is violence rooted in unequal public relations, harmful stereotypes, and the belief that women and girls may be controlled, disciplined, silenced, and subordinated within intimate and family relationships.
It is one of the ways in which discrimination is enforced in everyday life.
It restricts women's and girls' choices.
It limits their education, work, health, mobility, autonomy, and participation.
It undermines economic independence and isolates survivors from support.
For girls, violence in the family may mean interrupted schooling, early pregnancy, child marriage, sexual abuse, and lifelong trauma.
For women, it may mean loss of employment, housing, custody, bodily autonomy, social networking, and trust in institutions.
Domestic violence therefore not only harms individual women and girls, it holds them back, reproduces inequality across generations, and weakens society as a whole.
Throughout its mandate, the working group has seen in all regions that discrimination against women and girls often begins in the family.
The family can and should be a place of care, affection, and support.
Yet, it may also be the first place where women and girls learn that their bodies, choices, sexuality, movements, and voices are subjected to control.
This is why domestic violence is so deeply connected to women's unequal status in family life, economic dependence, harmful practices, discriminatory norms, backlash against women's rights, and the persistent failure to achieve substantive equality.
It is also why domestic violence is so difficult to combat.
Women and girls are often trapped not only by violence itself, but by the structures surrounding it.
They may depend economically on the perpetrator.
They may fear losing their children, their home, their resistant status, their livelihood or their community.
They may face stigma, threats of retaliation, pressure to preserve the family, or pressure to reconcile.
They may also know that reporting violence will not necessarily bring protection.
The barriers are legal, institutional, social, and economic.
In some states, there is still no specific legislation on domestic violence.
Where legislation exists, definitions may be too narrow.
Laws may fail to cover all forms of violence.
They may not recognize violence by former partners, siblings, extended family members, or persons who do not live in the same household.
They may not reflect diverse family forms or relationships that are not formally recognized by law.
As a result, many women and girls remain outside the protection of the legal framework.
Even when laws are strong, implementation often remains weak.
Survivors may still encounter disbelief, stigma, victim blaming, and pressure to reconcile.
Police may fail to assess risk or provide immediate protection.
Prosecutors may minimize harm.
Judges may rely on stereotypes about marriage, motherhood, sexuality, or proper female behavior.
Shelters may be unavailable, inaccessible, or unsafe.
Legal aid may be limited.
Services may be fragmented, and perpetrators may act with impunity.
When this happens, the law exists, but protection does not.
Equality is proclaimed but not experienced.
Many states have also adopted strategies, action plans, and policy documents on domestic violence.
These are important, but they are not enough if they are not based on proper assessment, reliable data, adequate funding, and independent monitoring.
Too often policies are adopted without a clear understanding of who is affected, where protection fails, which groups face the greatest barriers, and whether measures actually work in practice.
This is particularly important from an intersectional perspective as the risks are not the same for all women and girls.
Those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are often more exposed to violence and less able to access protection.
For many of them, violence is intensified by isolation, inaccessible services, language barriers, economic dependence, fear of deportation, discriminatory policy, lack of responsible accommodation, community stigma, or mistrust in institutions.
Domestic violence is also no longer confined to physical space.
Digital technologies are increasingly used to extend coercive control beyond the home and beyond separation.
Perpetrators may track phones, monitor accounts, steal passwords, misuse location data, install spyware, control digital communications, impersonate survivors online, threaten to share intimate images, or use children's devices and online accounts to continue harassment.
This is not a secondary or less serious form of harm.
Digital violence can deepen fear, isolation, and dependency.
It can prevent women from seeking help, maintaining employment, continuing education, participating in public life, or rebuilding their lives after violence.
It can expose virus to stigma, reputational harm, blackmail, economic loss, and renewed physical danger.
Digital violence is therefore not separate from domestic violence.
Women and girls do not ask for safety as a privilege.
They are entitled to live free from violence in the family, in society, and in digital space.
Our task is to dismantle the discrimination that makes such violence possible, tolerated, and repeated.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I now give the floor to miss Sulfa Bakova.
Distinguished Deputy President and distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to take part in this discussion on one of the most serious and widespread human rights violations, namely domestic violence against women and girls.
As a chairperson of the Board of the Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan, which brings together organizations providing assistance to survivors of violence, I'd like to share with you the experience of our country and practical insights that are based on many years of work.
Today, Kazakhstan has 50 crisis enters, including 37 licensed centers, which have the right to provide rehabilitation and social reintegration services to victims of domestic violence with financial support from the state.
In 2024, Kazakhstan took a significant step to improve its legislation for combating domestic violence.
These reforms increased accountability for violence, expanded protection measures for survivors and reaffirmed the state's commitment to the principle that violence cannot be justified by any traditions, cultural practices, or family circumstances.
However, Kazakhstan's experience, like that of many other countries, shows that adopting legislation is only the first step.
Achieving meaningful results requires effective implementation of mechanisms and sustainable financing of social services and strong interagency cooperation.
Over more than 30 years of our crisis centers operating, we have learned that women seek help not only because of the violence itself.
Often they simultaneously face economic dependence, lack of housing, psychological trauma, and the responsibility of caring for children.
For this reason, support for survivors must be comprehensive.
Every year, crisis centers across Kazakhstan provide tens of thousands of services to people affected by violence.
In fact, there have been more than 130,000 cases of services provided and more than 9,000 people each year receive temporary accommodation and safe shelter.
These figures confirm the need for the continued development of support systems for survivors.
Special attention must also be paid to children who witnessed violence within the family.
According to a study conducted by the Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan in 2024, One in six children is a witness of domestic violence.
Even if the child itself does not suffer domestic violence themselves, just being within a context where there is violence deals a severe blow to their psychological and often physical development.
Therefore, we need to not only address the primary causes of harm, but also create the conditions in which a child will not be forced to witness domestic violence within their own family.
For many years, the primary focus has been on protection and rehabilitation of survivors.
However, Sustainable reductions in violence cannot be achieved without changing the behavior of perpetrators.
Over the past two years, Kazakhstan has introduced a risk assessment system for identifying the risks of repeated violence on the basis of the Odorat system.
The next step is the development of programs aimed at changing perpetrators behavior and fostering a sense of responsibility towards their family members.
Since April 2026, the City of Almati has been implementing a pilot project entitled Intervention Center for Work with Perpetrators.
Perpetrators are sent on the basis of a court referral.
There are police inspectors involved and specialists from the healthcare system and the crisis centers network, and they provide support to the victim as well.
I'd like to underscore that there are 26 participants currently going through this program supported by 19 experts working on the principle of co therapy.
Practice has shown that many women would want to preserve their family if the violence ended and their safety was ensured.
Therefore, the perpetrator behaviors Adré program is part of our state policy aimed at preventing repeat violence.
Despite the progress achieved, Kazakhstan is facing a number of major challenges.
First of all, we need to discuss the adoption of law on preventing domestic violence, which would ensure a comprehensive response to the issue of protecting the victims through interagency cooperation.
Secondly, there is another issue regarding the fact that we need to address the crimes committed in the context of domestic violence.
Distinguished colleagues.
International standards, including the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, and CETA recommendations provide states with clear guidance for action.
However, in order to achieve sustainable responses, you don't just need laws and a strategy, but a constant exchange of experience between countries, experts and civil society organizations.
That is why the Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan annually organizes activities within the framework of the international campaign called 16 Days of Activism against gender based Violence.
On the 25th of November this year, the next Central Asian Conference will be held in Al Marti.
This is an annual regional platform of great significance and I'd like to invite representatives of organizations and experts and civil society organizations from Central Asia who attend and I invite all participants here to join the conference.
It's important for us that these platforms become a place for open dialogue where we can raise the most complex issues and discuss practical solutions and form recommendations which can then be implemented both at the national and at the international levels.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I now give the floor to miss Mihamin.
Good morning, Excellencies and delegates.
Thank you for this opportunity.
I speak on behalf of the global campaign for equality and Family Laws, a coalition of women's rights, human rights, and faith based organizations with the Secretariat of Equality now, working across religions and cultures towards one goal, equality in family law policies and practices.
Today, I want to share a case from my home country, Sri Lanka that exposes how discriminatory family laws directly exacerbate domestic violence.
Salma, a 16-year-old Sri Lankan girl, was removed from school and forced into child marriage to a 27-year-old man.
Under the current Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, there is no minimum age of marriage and the law requires neither the bride's written consent nor her physical presence at the ceremony.
Salma's husband was violent from the start.
She endured it believing her religion required her to bear the abuse.
His violence led her to be hospitalized at least twice, the second time while she was nine months pregnant, she lost her baby.
Five months after the second baby was born, her husband abandoned her.
When Selma went to the Kazi or community judge to apply for child maintenance, she was met with little sympathy.
The judge ordered her husband to pay just rupees 10,500 or $4 a month in child support on the basis that he had remarried and had another family to support.
But her suffering did not end there.
Under the law, divorce processes remain highly unequal.
Women have the additional burden of bringing witnesses and evidence to corroborate harm, while men can obtain divorce quickly without any reasons given.
The divorce took over two years to complete.
Women's rights groups have been advocating for reform of the family law for 40 years now, and there are ongoing efforts by the Sri Lankan government and we hope these reforms will be prioritized soon.
But this is not an isolated story.
Behind every act of violence lies a system of inequality, a web of discriminatory laws, practices and policies governing family life.
The World Bank Women Business and Law 2026 report tells us that 144 countries lack adequate legislation on child marriage, 19 countries legally require women to obey their husbands and 45 discriminate against women in divorce.
Discriminatory marital property and inheritance rights further entrench inequality, leaving women economically vulnerable and unable to leave abusive marriages and unions.
But 29 countries still prevent women from being recognized as heads of household and 42 deny daughters equal inheritance rights.
This is a global pattern.
In Africa, overlapping civil, customary and religious legal systems leave women navigating contradicting frameworks that deny them equality.
In Arab states, male guardianship system legally requires women to obtain a man's permission to marry, to travel, and work.
In Latin America, women reporting abuse to family courts find themselves counteracused of parental alienation, punished for seeking protection and denied custody of children on false claims.
Across Asia Pacific, unequal laws embed inequality within the family itself.
What is clear from these examples is that where the law subordinates women in the family, violence often follows.
In a world of poly crisis, climate shocks, conflict, humanitarian emergencies, these gaps widen further.
But we know what works.
The most effective responses to domestic violence are those that address the power imbalance directly.
Studies have shown in India, for example, Hindu Succession Amendment Act, which gave women equal right to inherit land, had measurable impacts on the reduction of violence against women.
In Egypt, the introduction of the cool right, allowing women to file for unilateral no fault divorce under Islamic law led to measurable decrease in domestic abuse.
The evidence is clear, legal reforms that give women rights and autonomy within family do not simply reduce violence, they dismantle the power structure and norms that make violence possible in the first place.
In that spirit, I would like to offer three key recommendations.
First, addressing domestic violence begins with reforming discriminatory laws.
States must ensure equal protection for all citizens under family law, regardless of sex, religion, ethnicity, or tradition, an absolute ban on child and forced marriage, free and full consent in marriage, equal rights within marriage and unions to work, own assets, and maintain financial autonomy, and equal grounds for divorce and dissolution of marriage and unions as required under international law.
Second, domestic violence laws and family laws must advance together.
A strong domestic violence law sitting alongside a discriminatory family law creates contradiction, not protection.
Court systems must be reformed in tandem, trauma informed, accessible, and survivor centered so that every person who enters the justice system, whether fleeing violence, seeking divorce, or child custody is met with fairness and care.
Third, the international community must make egalitarian family laws a non negotiable pillar of the global gender equality agenda, not a footnote, not a regional or religious exception, a core strategy.
Behind every survivor like Salma is a system that failed her.
Behind that system is a law that a government chose not to reform or implement.
You cannot build equality, dignity, and safety on the foundation of inequality.
Equality in the family means equality in society.
Excellency, the floor is yours as is the responsibility.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I would like to thank all panelists for their contributions.
Excellent, dear participants.
We will now proceed with the first segment of the list of speakers.
All interventions from the floor are limited to 1 minute and 30 seconds.
The list of speakers is now closed.
I give the floor first to the distinguished ambassador of the European Union.
Mr.
Vice President, the European Union remains deeply concerned by the persistence of domestic and intimate partner violence against women and girls, constituting some of the most widespread forms of gender based violence and a serious violation of human rights.
The EU supports women's equal full, effective, and meaningful participation in all their diversity in all spheres of public and political life.
Violence against women and girls is rooted in structural inequalities, unequal power relations, and discriminatory social norms.
The EU is working to prevent violence, protect survivors, and strengthen accountability.
Within the EU, a landmark directive adopted in 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence establishes a framework to strengthen prevention, protection of victims and survivors, and access to justice.
Moreover, the EU's accession to the Istanbul Convention in 2023 strengthened our commitment to eliminate sexual and gender based violence.
Beyond our borders, the Commission's Gender Action Plan three places ending sexual and gender based violence at the heart of the EU's external action.
The EU also partners with the UN through the Spotlight Initiative in the world's largest effort to eliminate violence against women and girls by strengthening legislation, services, and prevention efforts.
Mr.
Vice President, how can states translate international standards as outlined in CAF and General Comment number 35 into survivor centered responses? Thank you.
Thank you.
Now I'd like to take a look at the distinguished ambassador of the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
He will speak on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you, Vice President.
The UK delivers this joint statement on behalf of Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Morocco, Spain, and South Africa.
Across the world, violence against women and girls persists with one in three experiencing physical and or sexual violence over their lifetime.
We must address this global and national emergency.
The UK, together with Australia, Brazil, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Jamaica, Morocco, Spain, and South Africa, have launched an international coalition to end violence against women and girls.
We will collaborate to prevent all forms of gender based violence, including online and offline so that women and girls can live free from fear no matter who or where they are.
Through this coalition, we will accelerate action by strengthening national responses, sharing expertise, and enhancing global leadership to prevent violence, protect victims and survivors, and hold perpetrators to account.
Moreover, as the world faces increasing conflict, we will look to strengthen global efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict and other forms of violence in humanitarian crises.
Progress requires sustained political leadership and a multi stakeholder approach.
We call on all states to step up efforts to end gender based violence, including by scaling up evidence based prevention and response activities and ensuring accountability for all perpetrators.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The distinguished ambassador of Estonia, speaking of the Vergub countries has the floor.
Mr.
Vice President, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic states.
We thank all panelists for their insightful contributions.
For far too many people, the home remains the most dangerous place.
Domestic and intimate partner violence represents severe and pervasive violations of human rights, undermining the dignity, security, and well being of those affected with no region immune to its devastating impact.
While anybody can be a victim of intimate partner violence and sexual and gender based violence, women and girls are overwhelmingly represented among victims and survivors, both online and offline.
Intimate partner violence is by far the most prevalent form of violence against women and girls.
Every 10 minutes one woman or girl is killed by their intimate partner or family member.
For the Nordic Baltic states, combating domestic and gender biased violence are our key priorities.
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable.
We can change this.
We need robust legislation, improved data collection, greater government accountability, and a zero tolerance culture.
Survivors must have access to comprehensive survivor centered support services, including health care, sexual and reproductive health services, psychological support, legal assistance, and safe shelters.
Distinguished panelists, how can the Human Rights Council further accelerate the global effort to prevent and eliminate domestic violence? I thank you.
A Thank you, the distinguished representative of Kenya, speaking on behalf of a group of African states has the floor.
Vice President.
The African group welcomes this discussion and thanks the panelists for the quality of their contributions.
Sorry.
The African group is concerned about the persistence of domestic violence against women and girls, one of the most prevalent forms of gender based violence.
This violence has devastating consequences for victims who face significant barriers to accessing protection and justice.
In Africa, the victims of this violence continue to face this obstacle despite the efforts undertaken by many states.
We recognize the need for an integrated approach to address these types of violence.
In this regard, we welcome the African Union's adoption of the convention on the elimination of violence against women and girls in February 2025.
This landmark instrument complements the measures already undertaken by Africa to eradicate violence against women and girls, including domestic violence.
Among other obligations, it requires states to provide appropriate responses to these types of violence by adopting integrated approaches that combine prevention, protection, access to justice, accountability, and support services for victims.
Finally, the African group calls for the strengthened international cooperation to prevent this violence and to support survivors by adopting a victim centered approach.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The distinguished ambassador of Afghanistan on behalf of a group of countries as the floor.
Thank you, Mr.
Vice President.
On behalf of Afghanistan and a cross regional group of 37 states, we bring to this council's attention the deteriorating situation of women and girls in Afghanistan who continue to be subjected to a system of oppression, exclusion, gender based discrimination in clear violation of international human rights law.
Women are being excluded from education for the fifth consecutive academic year, as well as from employment, essential services, public life, and humanitarian space.
Their rights and freedoms are further curtailed through restriction on movements, censorship, surveillance, morality, policing and detention.
These abuses are further entrenched by discriminatory legal frameworks.
Decree number 12 of the Taliban normalizes domestic violence by permitting corporal punishment, while Dee number 18 enables child marriage.
Mr.
Vice President, the crisis is structural, systematic and gender and intend and effect.
With generational and already irreversible consequences, undermining the autonomy and the dignity of women and girls in Afghanistan and institutionalizing a systemic and multi sectoral campaign of gender prosecution as understood in international law.
We urge the Council and the international community to act with urgency, sustained support for a special rapporteur, and IIM, Afghanistan advancing accountability, strengthening support for women led and civil society and women most full statement and Thank you.
The distinguished representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo speaking on behalf of the group of countries has the floor.
Mischel Luis, please.
Vice President, I take the floor today on behalf of Ivor cost of the Dominican Republic, Tick Barbita Ser Leon and Burkina Faso, Switzerland, Romania and my own country, the DRC, along with a few other countries to draw the attention of the Council on the fact that it's still not fully taken into account in peace and security efforts into the promotion of human rights to wit domestic violence against women and girls in the context of conflict and post conflict.
Domestic violence does not end with a cease fire.
Much information shows that often in cases of conflict, these violence continues.
It brings violence from the battlefield to the household.
We welcome General Recommendation 35 of CETA to prevent and provide reparation to gender based violence victims as well as General recommendation 30 on the link between women's rights, the prevention of conflict, and peace building.
We call on states and the council to reiterate the full implementation of these recommendations in the context of conflict and post conflict, to provide financing, this is second for peace building and programs for the prevention of domestic violence, and three, to support mechanisms for gathering desegregated data on violence against women and girls in conflict situations, and we should make combating gender violence a priority for a free, peaceful and resilient society.
The full statement will be published on the Extranet.
Thank you.
Ambassador of Kaag speaking on behalf of a group of countries has the floor.
Then Kazakhstan has the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the 32 states.
We welcome today's discussion on preventing and eliminating domestic violence against women and girls convened pursuant to the Human Rights Council resolution 57 slash 18, initiated in 2024 by Kazakstan, Kygzstan and Uzbekistan.
We thank the panelists for their valuable contributions.
Domestic violence remains a serious concern undermining their rights to life, security, health, dignity, equality, and non discrimination with lasting consequences for victims, families, and communities.
An effective response requires a comprehensive, coordinated and survivor centered approach.
This includes prevention, early identification of risks, timely protection of victims, access to justice, accountability of perpetrators, and support and recovery services.
We underline the essential role of crisis centers, hotlines, temporary shelters, and one stop services, as well as access to legal, medical, psychological and social assistance.
Such services must be accessible, safe, confidential, adequately resourced, and responsive to the needs of women and girls, including those in vulnerable situations.
We further stress the importance of effective coordination among law enforcement, social services, healthcare institutions, local authorities, and civil society organizations.
In conclusion, we asked the panelists what the model of interagency coordination have proven most effective.
Thank you, Distinguished representative of Switzerland has the floor.
Thank you, Vice President.
Switzerland would like to thank you for organizing this debate.
Domestic violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights and remains one of the most severe and widespread expressions of gender based violence when experiencing violence within the household, a place where they're supposed to be safe and protected.
It is mainly their autonomy and their ability to participate in both private and public life that is deeply curtailed.
Switzerland remains quite concerned by the extent of this phenomenon, including in its own territory.
Infractions related to domestic violence, including feminicides has led us to take urgent measures.
We have stepped up our prevention and awareness raising efforts by improving our legal framework in criminal law and for the protection of victims by setting up a national hotline for help.
Early detection of violence remains the weakest link in the protection chain.
Switzerland is convinced that structured training of professionals who are on the front line with victims is essential for the efficiency of protection mechanisms.
Dear panelists, how do you think that human rights mechanisms can contribute to better highlighted domestic violence that is still invisible due to the low number of reported cases or difficult access to justice in order to ensure that national responses are better tailored to the realities experienced by victims? Thank you.
Distinguished representative of Belgium, has.
Mr.
President, Belgium aligned itself with the statement of the European Union and we would like to add the following elements.
Femicide, the, the intentional killing of a woman or girl because of a gender is the most extreme manifestation of gender based violence.
It is not an isolated act, but happens in the context of structural gender inequality, discrimination, and systemic failures.
In 2023, Belgium adopted a genocide law on top of sending a clear political signal, the law strengthen visibility, improves data collection, and reinforce accountability.
It is a clear sign of Belgium's unwavering commitment to end gender based violence.
For more than two decades, Belgium has pursued and strengthened integrated approach through successive national action plans.
These are firmly grounded in the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence with an approach structured around prevention, protection, prosecution, and coordinated policies.
Implementing the Istanbul Convention has strengthened Belgium response to gender based violence and we call on other countries to the same as the convention is also open for countries outside of E.
The panelists, every femicide represents a collective failure to act in time.
How to mature better collaboration between governments, civil society, academia, independent expert mechanism, and international organization.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The distinguished ambassador for female foreign policy of Spain is recognized.
Thank you, Vice President of Spain would like to endorse the statement made by the European Union.
24 women have been murdered in Spain since January 1st, 2026, in only 25 weeks of 2026 and along with them, three minors have been victims of vicarious violence.
These are not just figures, these are human beings.
But putting together statistics allows us to understand the extent of the phenomenon and to combat this social scourge.
These statistics show that violence against women continues to be one of the most widespread and persistent human rights violations of the present time.
Combating it calls for comprehensive, sustained, and well tailored responses to the reality faced by women and girls.
Spain upholds a strong commitment to the eradication of gender violence.
This commitment has allowed us to renew the compact against gender violence with the support of all parliamentary groups, except for the extreme right, which is the denialist.
This is accompanied by greater commitment by providing public resources to ensure the effective enforcement of the agreed measures and to improve the care services and the protection offered to victims.
This new agreement has fundamental priorities to address current challenges, combating Violence in the digital realm, for example, vicarious struggle, which is the violence exerted against children and on children in order to continue to exert damage to the mothers.
Violence against women is not unavoidable.
It is a result of inequality.
Thank you very much.
The ambassador of Mexico was recognized.
Thank you, Vice President.
We would like to thank the panelists for their presentations.
In Mexico, the eradication of all forms of gender violence is a state priority.
In order to face domestic violence, we continue to work towards bringing about a cultural change where young men, boys and men can be allies.
At the same time, we have a preventive care and access to justice approach with a human rights perspective.
And cross cutting nature.
The women's department promotes initiatives with a community approach, such as the strategy for women who weave peace.
This creates local networks for supporting the social fabric and providing assistance.
We also have centers where we provide services to women victims of violence, including domestic violence.
In 2025, we had 678 such centers.
In this year, we plan on having 323 additional ones.
As we combat domestic violence, we realize that it is an ineectable obligation to guarantee equality and dignity for all women and girls.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The distinguished representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has the floor.
Thank you, Vice President.
As a territory of peace, the Boivarian Republic of Venezuela maintains strong commitment with the protection of women and girls.
Our country has a strong legal and institutional framework, beginning with the organic law on women's rights to a life free from violence, which sets forth prevention, protection, comprehensive care, and punishing mechanisms for various types of gender based violence.
These efforts are complemented with specialized courts and public policies aimed at empowering women and make them autonomous.
In spite of these great efforts, we cannot ignore external factors that have an impact on the human rights of women.
We're thinking about the illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed against developing countries that limit access to essential resources for health, for social protection, and for the full enjoyment of human rights.
We issue an appeal to the international community to redouble its efforts in order to prevent and eradicate gender based violence, to combat impunity, and to guarantee effective reparation for victims, in addition to rejecting the use of unilateral coercive measures which run against the principles of international law and which violate the UN charter.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
Thank you, and now I'd like to recognize the representative of UN Women.
Mr.
Vice President.
As we heard from the panel, international human rights frameworks provide concrete and actionable guidance to end violence against women and girls.
CETO and particularly its general recommendations 19 and 35, together with key Human Rights Council resolutions, set out standards requiring states to address root causes, protect survivors, ensure access to justice and effective remedies, and guarantee accountability.
These frameworks also affirm states due diligence obligations for acts by public and private actors, including in the world of work, and call for coordinated multi sectoral and survivor centered systems that uphold safety, dignity, and agency.
The Beijing plus 30 review underscored the urgency of accelerating implementation.
Yet prevention is under prioritized.
Services are fragmented, barriers to justice persist and evolving technologies are reshaping patterns of violence.
Only zero 2% of global aid is directed to addressing violence against women, leaving women's rights organizations central to prevention, service delivery and accountability.
Severely underfunded.
A shift from commitment to implementation is needed to strengthen accountability, scale prevention, and coordinate survivor centered national systems that address both online and offline violence.
UN Women stands ready to contribute from the global, local, regional levels, and from its normative coordination and operational mandate.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I'd like to recognize the representative of UNICEF.
President, UNICEF and WHO welcome this opportunity to draw attention to the unacceptable levels of violence women and girls experience in the home, a place that should be safe.
600 and ninetyy 2 million women and girls 15 and older have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime, a number that has remained largely unchanged for two decades.
Intimate partner violence is the fourth leading risk factor for women's health.
Children are also harmed.
One in four children globally live with the mother of female caregiver experiencing partner violence with risk to their health, well being and safety.
In households where women experience violence, children are more likely to experience abuse and vice versa.
At the time of pushback on women's and children's rights, UNICEF and WHO call on states to rely on evidence based program to scale up efforts to prevent domestic violence, applying the multi agency respect to women and inspire prevention frameworks.
We also call on states to comply with the obligations under international human rights law to strengthen health and child protection systems as key entry points for victim survivor centered care and to increase the coordination of efforts to address violence against women and violence against children.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Now, the representative of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions has the floor.
Mr.
President, Canary thanks the candidates for their valuable contributions.
Domestic violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread and persistent human rights violations worldwide despite existing legal frameworks and international standards.
Women and girls also face intersecting forms of discrimination, including women with disabilities, indigenous women, migrant women and women living in poverty, which often engender additional obstacles in seeking protection and redress.
Canary 2025 outcome statement reaffirms this reality and stresses on the importance of upholding related international human rights commitments to ensure the full realization of women and girls rights.
Various principles, compliant NTIs play an important role in addressing these challenges through monitoring investigation, complaints handling, reporting, advocacy and awareness raising, NTIs help and identify protection gaps, strengthen accountability, and promote survivor centered responses.
G calls on states to ensure that NTIs have the mandate, resources to fulfill this role, during their participation in CSW proceedings and strengthen cooperation with them and civil society organizations in the design, implementation, and monitoring of laws and policies addressing domestic violence.
Finally, measures have proven most effective in ensuring meaningful cooperation between states, enters and survivor organizations to improve prevention, protection, and accountability in cases of domestic violence.
Thank you.
G.
Thank you.
Now we will have a video statement from the Independent Commission for Human Rights for the State of Palestine.
President, ladies and gentlemen, ICHR welcomes this discussion on gender based violence against women and girls in conflict, post conflict, and the humanitarian settings.
The report rightly stresses that such violence is not inevitable.
It is enabled by inequality, militarization, the collapse of protection systems, and persistent impunity.
In the occupied Valestinian territory, particularly in Gaza, women and girls face extreme vulnerability amid mass displacement and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Displaced women and children live in overcrowded shelters where safety, privacy, dignity, and protection are severely compromised.
The collapse of the healthcare system has also deprived survivors and women at risk access to reproductive health care, psychosocial support, legal assistance, and essential protection services.
We are also deeply concerned by reports regarding the treatment of Palestinian women and girls in Israeli detention and conditions marked by limited oversight and lack of effective accountability the West Bank, military operations, set up terrorism and movement restrictions further limit women's access to protection, justice, and remedies.
ICHR urges states to ensure prompt, independent and impartial investigations into all documented incidents of conflict related gender based violence and support Palestinian women and the organizations working on the front lines.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to for a joint statement.
President President, I'm speaking on behalf of the Francophone Feminist Alliance, which is striving to make the voice of francophone activists heard within multilateral fora.
Far from being an isolated issue, domestic violence is a serious human rights violation and is part of a continuum of gender based violence that goes from forced marriage to domestic violence, from incest to intramarriage violence.
The autonomy of women and girls are undermined and the consequences of such violence is great.
There is a physical and psychological trauma, school dropout, issues affecting their health and their future.
Women and women with disabilities face specific obstacles in terms of accessing justice and health care and support mechanisms, while we are celebrating the month of the child in several African countries.
I'd like to recall that when girls grow up in fear, it's an entire society that is depriving itself of their potential.
Backlash The backlash is such that no society can then make a claim on development and justice if their girls and women are living in fear.
We call for the criminal justice system to be properly leveraged and to ensure that girls and women benefit from quality services, including in terms of reproductive and sexual health.
We need to also address stereotypes and structural issues and address issues in the digital sphere.
Women and girls rights are essential for building a just and inclusive and equal society.
Thank you.
I give the floor to equality now.
Your Excellencies and fellow advocates.
I speak on behalf of equality now and the Hala Coalition, a growing movement of 18 women's rights organizations across nine Arab states, confronting discriminatory family law and the violence it sustains.
Domestic violence does not happen in a legal vacuum.
Discriminatory family laws such as unequal guardianship, custody, and divorce rules and child marriage reinforces the power imbalances that lets abuse persist.
In Gaza, at least 400 girls aged 14 to 16 were granted marriage permits on only four months in 2025, likely only a fraction of the true number.
Over two years of war and humanitarian crisis have turned the unreformed discriminatory family law into a direct gateway to child marriage, exposing children, especially girls to the sexual and physical violence it conceals.
Across all regions, women have lost their lives protecting survivors of the same violence.
Our fellow advocate Janar Mohammed from Iraq.
Who was assassinated earlier this year and no one has been held accountable.
Her killing is a warning sign of the rise of anti rights movements.
Reforming inequality in family law and gender based violence as intertwined issues is a priority, especially in times of crisis and instability.
We call on this council and member states to protect women human rights defenders, prioritize family law reform, including within humanitarian and reconstruction plans, and allocate resources to frontline women's rights organizations.
Accountability and reparation for the violations of women's and girls' rights cannot wait for peace.
Thank you.
Thank you.
We will now hear a video from advocates for Human Rights.
The Advocates for Human Rights welcomes the Human Rights Council's attention to the elimination of domestic violence, including through resolution 57 18.
Domestic violence is a pattern of abuse used to exert power and control within an intimate family or household relationship.
Preventing domestic violence requires a comprehensive approach, including public education, victim services, training for frontline responders and measures to address harmful social norms.
A strong legal framework is essential.
States should enact and effectively implement laws that prioritize victim safety and ensure accountability for perpetrators.
At minimum, survivors should have access to civil protection orders that provide meaningful remedies, including no contact orders, removal of the perpetrator from a shared residence, temporary child custody arrangements, financial support and protection for other family members.
Importantly, the law should grant survivors the choice whether and when to seek such protections.
Criminal justice systems should provide appropriate accountability measures, including sanctions proportionate to the offense and restrictions on access to firearms.
At times, an appropriate criminal response may call for options beyond carceral approaches such as court ordered domestic abuse programming.
Throughout all proceedings, justice systems should adopt survivor centered trauma informed approaches that respect the autonomy, dignity, and safety of those affected by domestic violence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the Representative Somebody Trust.
As raised by misses Prestige, domestic violence is not only a private family matter.
It is a human rights concern that affects safety, health, education, livelihood, and the dignity of women and children.
In many communities, women remain silent because they fear blame, financial insecurity, family pressure or lack of support.
Sambali Trust works in Northern India with marginalized asylum seeking and deprived women and girls through the Nearya Project, an emergency helpline, and empowerment centers in which counseling, legal guidance, rights awareness, and livelihood training is provided.
India has legal frameworks, women's helplines, protection systems, legal services and public institutions to respond to violence which support our work.
Civil society organizations play a breach role by offering trust, follow up and culturally sensitive support.
Vice President, Sobi Trust also believes prevention must begin early.
Our work with adolescent girls and children, including safe touch awareness and life skills education, help Young people understand boundaries, consent, and respect.
We applaud the United Nations for keeping women's rights at the forefront of the global agenda.
We look forward to a world where every girl is born into freedom.
No one should fear going back home.
Tania Vad.
Thank you.
That has concluded the first segment of the list of speakers, and we will now go back to the list of states and I give the floor to Australia.
Thank you, Vice President.
Australia thanks the panelists for their important contributions.
Domestic violence against women and girls, including intimate partner violence, remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally.
It denies women and girls their rights to safety, dignity, and participation.
High rates of gender based violence in all countries highlight the urgent need for more effective action at both national and regional levels.
Through its national plan 2022 to 2032, Australia's approach to ending violence against women and children spans prevention, early intervention, response, recovery, and healing.
Ending gender based violence is the first priority under our national gender equality strategy.
Since 2022, Australia has invested $4.4 billion to take action to end family, domestic and sexual violence.
Internationally, we're working with partners to drive progress, including with increased funding for frontline services in the Pacific and through the International Coalition to end violence against women and girls.
Together, we must accelerate prevention, shift harmful norms, and ensure accountability.
We ask, how can international partnerships accelerate and scale domestic violence prevention and response? Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to Canada.
Mercy Monsieur.
Thank you, Vice President.
Canada welcomes this panel, which is an important one.
This discussion is about domestic violence, but Canada would like to underscore the importance of addressing the notion of violence among intimate partners which better reflects in current or past intimate relations.
Anchored in gender inequalities and perpetuated by nefarious social norms, intimate partner violence remains one of the most widespread forms of human rights violations and it has serious and lasting consequences on health, on safety, and on access to justice.
It has a disproportionate impact on women and girls.
Canada is implementing a pan governmental approach aimed at strengthening support services provided to survivors and to address the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that exacerbate risks.
In this context, Canada is proud of having announced yesterday the ratification of the Inter American Convention on the prevention and punishment and elimination of violence against women.
Canada would like to encourage all states parties to adopt comprehensive, integrated, and appropriately financed or funded strategies in order to effectively address intimate partner violence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam.
Mr.
Vice President, Vietnam welcomes the timely discussion on this topic and thanks the panelists for their insightful presentations.
Domestic violence remains one of the most pervasive issues of the human rights globally.
It undermines the promotion of gender equality, security, and development of societies, while also creating profound consequences for families and communities.
Vietnam attach great importance to preventing and combating domestic violence as part of our broader commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment, guided by our Constitution, the law on gender equality and revised law on domestic violence prevention and control.
We have enhanced the public awareness, strengthened prevention measures, legal protection, and expanded support for victims of domestic violence.
The same time, we recognize that prevention of domestic violence requires addressing the root causes of this issue, including discriminatory social norms and inequity while ensuring full equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in policy making and implementation.
In conclusion, we reiterate our firm commitment in eliminating domestic violence and advancing the full enjoyment of human rights by all women and girls.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of France.
Vice President, distinguished panelists, France would like to thank you for this annual discussion on domestic violence against women and girls.
Such violence is not just a matter of the private realm.
Such violence represents a manifestation of the structural inequalities between men and women and an obstacle to women's empowerment, but it is possible to act against such violences.
France is working to address discrimination and gender stereotypes within schools in order to foster a culture of equality from a very early age.
We also act to help the victims by providing temporary shelters and we also address the perpetrators by taking measures to counter the commission of such reprehensible acts.
Support for programs for combating sexual violence and gender based violence.
Or run by UN women and the United Nations Population Fund alongside partner countries is a contribution to this effort.
France calls on states to never trivialize violence committed within the domestic or intimate sphere because of the dramatic consequences and long term consequences for families.
How can we take concerted action to eradicate domestic violence? I thank you.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ireland.
Mr.
Vice President, Ireland aligns with the EU statement and welcomes the focus of today's panel.
Preventing and countering violence against women and girls is a domestic and foreign policy priority for Ireland.
Without eradicating gender based violence, we cannot achieve full gender equality or our shared objective of a more peaceful and inclusive world.
Ireland is currently implementing a zero tolerance strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender based violence.
Our third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender based violence recognizes that violence against women and girls must be addressed by identifying the root causes of inequality, including the social and cultural norms that underpin violence against women and girls.
Under the strategy, Ireland has established a dedicated statutory agency to tackle and reduce domestic sexual and gender based violence.
Ireland also recognizes that women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are at a heightened risk of gender based violence, including those experiencing poverty, women and girls with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and members of the LGBTIQ plus community.
We therefore support an intersectional and inclusive approach to addressing domestic violence against women and girls.
Panelists, how can states better measure the impact of domestic violence prevention strategies, including those aimed at addressing the deep rooted cultural and social norms that underpin domestic violence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to Uruguay.
Thank you, Vice President.
Uruguay welcomes this panel and the very valuable input from the panelists.
Domestic violence against women and girls.
It's not a private matter, rather, it is a serious human rights violation that is anchored in unequal power relations and social norms that perpetuate inequality and structural gender based discrimination.
At the national level, Uruguay has made progress through law number 19.580, which established a comprehensive framework for preventing and responding to gender based violence.
Similarly, the creation of an observatory on gender based violence against women has strengthened the production and systemmization of data.
However, domestic violence remains a very widespread reality, one that is often under recorded.
We'd like to ask the panelists, what measures do you think are priority measures that we should take in order to ensure that available data lead to more timely, coordinated and victim centered responses.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the distinguished Deputy ambassador of China.
Today is the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, marking women's outstanding contribution.
We extend festive greetings to all female diplomats.
China welcomes the panel's focus on domestic violence against women and girls.
China firmly opposes and strictly combats all forms of violence against women and has formed a relatively complete monitoring system to eliminate such violence.
Anti domestic violence law has established personal safety protection orders, allowing victims to apply for judicial protection without having to file for divorce.
On June 11th, China issued the National Human Rights Action Plan until 2030, setting for the next five years milestones, objectives, and concrete measures for respecting, protecting, and promoting human rights with women and children's rights as a key component.
China will continue to improve protection system for women and girls.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo trials, marking the trials of the crimes against comfort women.
China urges Japan to reflect on these crimes and to resolve the legacy of these issues.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to Senegal.
Thank you, Vice President.
Domestic violence remains one of the most widespread and persistent forms of human rights violations around the world.
It transcends borders and cultures and levels of development and it has a disproportionate impact on girls and women.
This kind of violence is not limited to physical aggression.
It can also take psychological, sexual, or economic forms which undermine the autonomy and self esteem of victims and deprives them of the exercise of their fundamental rights.
In keeping with our international obligations, in particular under the CEO Convention, Senegal is continuing its efforts aimed at strengthening prevention and victim protection, as well as access to justice and the fight against impunity.
It is in this context that the law that criminalizes rape and pedophiliia should be seen as well as any act of aggression against a woman and judges may no longer hand down suspended sentences for such offenses.
Eliminating domestic violence requires collective action in a way that gives priority to human rights, education, the countering of discriminatory social norms, women and girls' empowerment, and ruthless justice because no society can fully exercise its aspiration.
The chairperson interrupts and gives the floor to Columbia.
Good.
Thank you, Vice President.
We welcome this panel and the opportunity to reflect about one of the most widespread and persistent forms of human rights violations around the world.
Violence against girls and women in the domestic sphere continues to affect millions of people regardless of their age, economic status, origin, or nationality.
This is a manifestation of structural inequalities and historically imbalanced power relations which limit the autonomy and freedom of women and their exercise of their human rights.
The recurrence of domestic violence calls for a comprehensive response, which combines prevention, protection, access to justice and reparation for victims.
At the same time, we need to strengthen care systems and ensure accessible and specialized support services and promote cultural change that questions discriminatory norms and other standards that perpetuate domestic violence.
Colombia is committed to combating all forms of gender based violence and we call on states to share best practices and help us all move together towards societies in which women and girls can live lives in freedom and free from fear.
Thank you.
I give the floor to Sierra Leone.
President.
My delegation aligns with the African group statements and thanks commission and panelists for their insightful and thoughtful presentations on states obligations under international human rights law, best practices, ongoing challenges, and how this council can help eliminate this form of violence.
Se is appalled at the commitments it made at the 2024 Global Ministerial Conference on ending violence against children in Bogota.
The commitments include strengthening legal and policy frameworks as well as financing support services for child victims and survivors, significant steps towards fulfilling our international and legal obligations to protect women and girls have since taken domestic progress.
This includes the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act of 2022, the Child Rights Act 2025, and the Child Rights Act provides key safeguards against abuse, violence, harmful practices, and exploitation of all children under 18, while promoting their physical and mental well being.
We call for an integrated approach that combines prevention, protection, access to justice accountability, and support services.
This approach requires coordinated action from the Justice health, social services, education, and housing sectors.
These efforts must also ensure the meaningful participation of civil society and survivors in addressing domestic violence against women and girls.
I thank you, Vice President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to UNFPA.
Thank you, Vice President.
Domestic violence is a challenge for human rights that requires an urgent and coordinated and holistic response.
Such violence is committed in the private realm behind closed doors, which makes it difficult to detect.
This kind of violence is also exacerbated by intersecting forms of discrimination, women and girls who suffer from exclusion, in particular, those living in rural areas and indigenous women, migrant women and women with disabilities are even more vulnerable UNFPA is striving to address gender based violence in more than 150 countries in order to help survivors.
Our response is built around social services, health care services, justice, and implementation of the law.
We also apply prevention programs.
UNFPA believes that domestic violence cannot be explained by a particular context.
That is why efforts must also encompass humanitarian situations and peace efforts and digital platforms and we support national authorities in their efforts to consolidate their institutional and legal framework and to criminalize domestic violence and address its I give the floor to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Thank you, Vice President, the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, the IPHRC expresses deep concern over the continued prevalence of domestic violence against women and girls across all societies and cultures.
Domestic violence constitutes a serious violation of human rights and an assault on human dignity, family stability, and social cohesion.
Islamic teachings categorically reject violence, abuse, and injustice within the family and emphasize mutual respect, compassion, and protection.
The commission stresses that effective responses require comprehensive legal, institutional, educational and social measures, including prevention, protection and accountability.
The IPHRC particularly underscores the importance of awareness raising, access to justice, psychosocial support, economic empowerment, and community engagement in combating domestic violence.
The commission also highlights the growing challenges posed by online abuse and technology facilitated violence targeting women and girls.
Requires strengthened legal safeguards and digital literacy initiatives.
The IP HRC calls upon states and relevant stakeholders to strengthen cooperation, exchange best practices, and adopt victim centered approaches that preserve human dignity, family well being, and social harmony.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zimbabwe.
Thank you, Mr.
Vice President.
Zimbwe welcomes the discussion on domestic violence against women and girls.
We thank the panelists for their insightful discussions.
Domestic violence remains a complex social problem affecting many women around the world.
Not only does domestic violence inflict physical, sexual, and psychological harm to the victim, it deprives them of their freedom.
Zimbabwe has strengthened legal and policy frameworks to prevent and respond to domestic violence against women and girls in alignment with the Constitution and the international human rights standards.
Practical administrative measures and multi sectoral institutional mechanisms are in place, including victim friendly services, such as toll free lines, specialized codes, enhanced traditional leaders codes, policy victim Police, victim friendly units, legal aid, and static and mobile one stop centers that deliver survivor centered services even in remote areas.
Engagement with communities alongside awareness campaigns is being intensified to address harmful social norms and root causes of domestic violence with economic and social empowerment of women and girls being accelerated to build resilience.
Zimbabwe remains committed to ending domestic violence against women and girls.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Moldova.
Thank you, Mr.
Vice President.
Despite progress made in the area of gender equality worldwide, violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations, with domestic violence being one of the most common and least visible forms.
There is no doubt that more efforts are needed to combat this form of violence, both domestically and at the international level.
Improving prevention, response, and protection of victims as well as sharing of best practices shall be at the heart of our joint efforts.
The Republic of Moldova is making constant efforts to implement the provisions of the Istanbul Convention.
Structural reforms have been carried out, including in the area of integrated data collection and monitoring, ongoing training of justice system professionals, and the implementation of modern risk assessment tools.
Recent efforts have been made to amend legislation regarding digital violence, forced marriage, the introduction of the crime of femicide, and the strengthening of victim protection mechanisms.
The same time, the Republic of Moldova continues to pay close attention to preventing and changing social norms that perpetrate violence.
While we are able to see improvements, we continue to recognize the challenges that still persist and reiterate our commitment to make stated efforts toward the elimination and prevention of domestic violence against women and girls.
I thank you.
R.
Thank you very much.
We will now move on to the second block of the list of speakers from National Human Rights institutions and non governmental organizations.
I'd like to begin by giving the floor to the National Human Rights Committee Qatar.
Mr.
President State of Qatar reaffirms the importance of continuing international efforts to promote and protect the rights of women and to advance the principles of equality and non discrimination, ensuring that women and girls fully enjoy their human rights and participate actively in the sphere of lives.
The committee commends the legislative and institutional progress achieved in the state of Qatary in support of women's rights and empowerment, including promoting equal opportunities in education, employment, and participation in cultural life, alongside the continuous development of legal framework and national policies aimed at protecting women and strengthening their role in society.
At the same time, the committee recognizes that certain challenges remain, particularly with regard to increasing women's representation in the legislative council and elected local councils, as well as in decision making positions.
Committee also emphasizes the importance of strengthening protection against domestic violence, enhancing prevention and response and legal protection measures, and improving the collection of relevant data and statics to support informed policy making and decision making.
Furthermore, the committee remains committed to promoting the development of national legislative and policies in line with international human rights standards, raising awareness of women's rights, supporting women's access to justice, and effective remedies, and continuing cooperation.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the so our global vision bear hut.
A global vision.
Musaa global vision.
Thank you, Chair.
I speak on behalf of Musawa, a global movement working towards equality and justice in Muslim family laws and practices.
Every day women, girls are harmed, controlled, silenced, and killed by those who are supposed to love and protect them.
Child marriage, FGMC, marital rape, domestic violence, and femicides are not separate problems.
They are connected manifestation of the same discrimination and inequality.
This is a continuum of violence.
Discriminatory family laws and practices can entrench these inequalities by women equal rights in marriage and family relations, restricting their choices and making it harder for them to escape violence and seek justice.
States have a duty not only to respond to violence but to transform the condition that allows it to flourish.
This means eliminating harmful practices, reforming discriminatory family laws, and ensuring that culture, tradition, or religion are never used to justify violence against women and girls.
States must take steps to address the continuum of violence by addressing equality within the family and ensuring that legal and religious frameworks becomes ensurement of justice rather than barriers to it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Plan International Inc is recognized.
Thank you, Mr.
Vice President.
Today I deliver these statements on behalf of Plan International, go by its ambassadors.
Domestic violence continues to affect safety, dignity, health, education, and economic opportunities of women and girls across our communities.
It takes many forms, including physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse.
Despite its existing laws and policies, many survivors remain trapped by fear, stigma, victim learning, and economic dependence.
Around the world, we witnessed how harmful social norms, gender inequality, poverty, and weak access to justice contribute to persistence of violence.
In many communities, abuse is still threatened as private family matters rather than a serious violation of human rights.
As young people and community advocates, we know prevention requires collective responsibilities and stronger community engagement and youth led awareness initiative.
Therefore, urge member states and relevant stakeholders to once strengthen protection system, including mental health and psychosocial support services as well as confidential counseling, safe spaces hosline and referral mechanism.
Strengthen implementation and enforcement of laws addressing domestic violence and gender based violence and engage men and wise community leaders, schools, and youth organization in challenging harmful social norms and promoting respectful relationship and last ensure the meaningful participation of women and girls in shaping policies prevention, strategies, and community response.
Domestic violence is not a private matter, it is a human rights violation.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Now we will hear a video statement from the Chinese Association for International Understanding.
A grassroots women's representative from Hong Kong.
I'm Vice President of Hong Kong Federation of Women and the chairperson of Hong Kong Island Women's Association.
For years, I have wholeheartedly served community and strive to advance local women's rights.
As the UN affirms, gender equality and women's empowerment are indispensable to global peace and sustainable development.
From frontline practice, we see real and steady improvements in Hong Kong's women's rights protection.
We provide annual free legal consultation, serving over 2000 grassroots women, resolving family and asset disputes.
Our yearly vocational training benefits over 1,000 mothers, empowering them with practical skills, stable employment, and true financial independence.
We also hold monthly mental health workshops, easing their dual stress from work and family and safeguarding their physical and mental well being.
Based on our experiences, I put forward three appeals, uphold inclusive targeted policies for grassroots women's practical demands, boost female empowerment training for equal development opportunities.
We call on the international community to acknowledge Hong Kong's real advances in women's rights.
Thank you.
Now, United Nations watch has the floor.
Our civil Commission's report, Silence Snow More was recently presented to you.
Drawing on an extensive historical archive, we assembled the most comprehensive evidentiary record of the sexual crimes of October 7th and in captivity.
For two years, we immersed ourselves in testimonies of unimaginable violence.
We revealed 13 patterns of abuse, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture, and the deliberate mutilation of women's faces in genitalia.
Victims were filmed while being tortured, families were forced to see the suffering of their loved ones.
We had to coin a new term, genocidal sexual violence to describe the deliberate sexual torture of family members.
This was terror made for visibility.
Women's bodies became spectacles of war.
This was also a calculated strategy repeated again and again.
The truth is that Hamas created a blueprint for others to follow, putting women at risk worldwide.
Finally, the question is no longer whether these crimes occurred, but what is the world going to do about it? Speaking for so many Israeli women who care about women's rights, we were heartbroken by your response.
Where is the compassion? Will the UN rapporteurs who doubted or deny these crimes acknowledge the truth? Israeli victims were not merely abandoned, they were singled out, dehumanized, delegitimized.
We are now left to face a world consumed by hatred and with Thank you.
The International Federation for Human Rights Leagues has the floor.
Mr.
Vice President, FIDA welcomed this panel discussion on domestic violence against women and girls, a grave and perversive form of gender based violence that continues to require international attention.
However, domestic violence does not occur in a vacuum and this must be at the core of the response.
This violence is the direct consequence of structural inequalities, discrimination, unequal power relations, and harmful social norms that continue to deny women and girls autonomy, dignity and equality.
In addressing domestic violence, we must therefore be careful not to isolate it from the struggle against gender based violence.
Treating it as separate risk returning to a time when domestic meant private and when violence within the home was left at the discretion of those in authority.
The risk is particularly acute today across regions, anti rights and an transgender movements increasingly invoke family values and the protection of the family to undermine women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, and gender equality.
Behind this rhetoric lies a dangerous attempt to legitimize control of a woman and girls, in particular within the household.
We call on states and on the council to firmly reject this narratives, keep the broader picture in mind, and address the root causes.
The response must be focused on prevention, accountability, and reparation for all forms of structural and systematic gender based violence, including domestic violence, while ensuring holistic and survivor centered services.
Thank you.
Thank you.
That is the last statement that we can include on our schedule.
I would like to remind you that the delegation signed up on the list of speakers who are unable to take the floor due to lack of time will be able to upload their statements to be published on the extranet.
Now, I'd like to give the once again to our panelists who can now make concluding observations.
You have about 4.5 minutes each.
I will begin with miss Psiliovasquez.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
To thank all interventions that show the wealth of responses to domestic violence by state members from legislation, support services, protection measures, et cetera.
However, I will take one of the questions that was reiterated among some of your interventions, how to ensure better coordination among agencies and even beyond with civil society, academia, and other sectors.
Because we talk about the whole of a state approach to gender based violence and including all sectors, justice, health, social services, et cetera, or even a whole of a society approach because we know that it's not only state actors who should intervene, but also society as a whole.
But what are the tools that we have to really make this domestic violence that is a social problem, how to make adequate social responses that go beyond the individual cases? I believe that one of the models that I would like to emphasize today is also because I think that is a promising practice by some members and some territories is the use of in depth reviews of domestic homicide cases or intimate partner femicide.
This type of in depth reviews are an example from my perspective of how we can focus after a killing already happened and that is a tragedy that we cannot avoid.
That happened, but we still can learn lessons from that.
Because in every case a woman is killed, we can identify what could have been done better.
What were the opportunities that maybe were missed before? Not just in relation to providing protection for that woman, but also what were the missed opportunities to intervene with that man.
In many cases, a woman is killed after other previous intimate partner were also abused by the same perpetrator.
The previous experiences led to a final fatal victim, but the previous ones probably also have something to say in terms of their experiences.
For me, these opportunities of sitting together, all sectors, justice sector, law enforcement, education, schools, very often teachers are aware of dynamics of violence at the school gates and they need to share what were the views and what they would like to have in order to prevent that from happening again.
So I believe somehow these pieces of intervention.
When we are joining together state agencies, including justice sectors, but not limited to that, healthcare, et cetera, and communities and families.
Very often, as I say, families and social networks or even perpetrators, coworkers of perpetrators who might be aware that he was obsessed about his previous girlfriend.
And they didn't know what were the resources, those voices and those perspectives need to be heard in order to improve what we really understand by coordination.
A coordinated response is not something that we can simply design.
It's something that we need to test every time we face those serious cases because very often when a woman is killed, the only response we hear or the only explanation that is not an explanation is she didn't report the violence before.
And that is like washing our hands and saying nothing could have been done, and that is not an adequate response.
We need to know that in every case in every case, something could have been done better.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
First, I would like to thank you all the delegates for coming today and making very important interventions and contributions to our discussion.
Delegates mentioned important international standards in this field, the importance of survivor centered responses.
They shared with us some examples of good practice, and I would also underline that I also found that a good practice is a coalition against violence.
Um, as the UN Women representative said, we have clear international standards and commitments, but we need to work on implementing those standards and recommendations at a national level.
The next step is really to focus on a national level and states should rely on existing international standards, review their laws and policies, and work on their implementation, particularly on recommendations given by UN human rights mechanisms.
And here data is really essential.
States need reliable, deaggregated, and regularly updated data on domestic violence, on protection orders, breaches of protection orders, prosecutions, convictions, service availability, and also famide that was mentioned.
A due diligence response requires states to prevent, investigate, punish, and provide preparation for domestic violence.
But it is not only prosecution after harm.
It requires an integrated system, meaning, trained police, prosecutors, judges, health professionals, social workers, and we also mentioned educators as a very important puzzle in this.
It means also that women and girls need to have safe shelters, psychological support, legal aid, child sensitive procedures, and survivor centers approach, accessible services and economic support that allow survivors to rebuild their lives.
This segment is usually neglected in many policy areas throughout the world.
One of the questions was how to contribute to the UN human rights system in cases and obviously we do not have all cases that can reach UN treaty bodies.
Here, I would like to underline that what is visible from cases decided by the CETA Committee on domestic violence that insisting on visitation rights, not doing risk assessment, victim blaming and negatively assessing the credibility of women in criminal cases usually lead to impunity and sometimes it can also have tragical consequence.
But it is also true that not all of them, even on a national level cannot reach the legal system, and in that regard, I would like to underline the complementarity of work with special procedures.
Working group identifies cases of gender based discrimination during state visits and consultations with organizations and individuals, and this section of our mandate is very important.
We have also other tools at our disposal, such as providing technical assistance to states, and we invited delegates to engage further with working group.
Finally, when it comes to how to better collaborate or when it comes to femicide, I would underline that every femicide represents a collective failure to act in time.
It is an isolated or unpredictable event, and in many cases, there were warning gaps, previous reports, threats, patterns of coercive control, institutional gaps or moments when protection could and should have been activated.
This is why I absolutely agree that having better collaboration and also establishing permanent multi sectoral coordination on a national level is extremely important.
But we also have other mechanisms and actors and I would like to underline the importance of civil society organizations and crisis centers that are often the first to hear survivors to understand patterns of abuse and to identify where institutions fails.
So using their knowledge assessment, in shaping policies is something that I would like to underline as especially important.
And of course, the role of academia in doing research is extremely important.
But at the same time, independent expert mechanisms, including UN and regional human rights mechanisms are also extremely important and then can provide normative guidance assess compliance with international standards and keep pressure on states to act with due diligence.
Thank you once again for this opportunity, and I wish you all the best in your professional endeavors and especially in this area.
Thank you.
Madam Vic possible, thank you very much.
For all the ideas that were mentioned in this room today and the issues that were raised with a view to better organizing our efforts to combat domestic violence.
I would like to try and respond to a few points that were raised during the questions.
We're talking about interdepartmental activity, and of course, that is a condition that is necessary in order to build an effective strategy for combating domestic violence.
Kazakhstan today views this cooperation to be a carefully built system in which different state bodies and organization work along the same rules, timelines, and responsibilities.
Connection with this, we are currently developing a number of inter ministerial decrees which will order the algorithm for action on a specific issue when it comes to providing support to the aggressor who's undergoing a psychological correction program when it comes to providing support to the victims according to certain standards.
All of this happens with the active participation of civil society, of course.
I would also like to say once again that every year we hold the Central Asian Conference and on the 25th of November this year, it'll take place in Almati and one of the sessions will be focused on inter ministerial cooperation.
If any of you would like to take part, then please, you are very welcome.
One other point I'd like to respond to is the role of international organizations.
Of course, it is essential to broaden support for creating inter ministerial prevention mechanisms including the development of crisis centers, programs for aggressors, and systems for protecting the victims, but this has to be done in close coordination with representatives of civil society.
We have to move forward together.
The role of non governmental organizations today is essential and thank you very much.
I wish us all luck in our efforts to combat domestic violence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Madam Pam, has a floor.
Thank you.
I want to return to Salma, the 16-year-old girl from Sri Lanka.
She's not here with us today, but I ask you to hold her in your minds, not as a victim, but as evidence, evidence that the law failed her even before the violence began, that the system failed her when she wanted an exit route, that we failed her when we accepted for decades that certain laws and practices were too sacred, too complicated, or too sensitive to change.
She survived, many do not.
It's not just within marriage and unions.
Let's not forget elderly women, especially widows who face additional harms.
Um, we cannot protect women and girls from violence without denying them the conditions that make safety possible.
I think that's the key idea that I want to bring today.
Dignity is not possible if she cannot leave, autonomy is not enough, if she has nowhere to go.
In responding to the questions from the floor about strategies as already also highlighted by NGO colleagues, what the evidence demands is an approach that addresses the full architecture of a woman's life, from the family she's born into to the laws and practices that govern her relationships to the rights that protect her in the old age.
Root causes, not symptoms, systems change, not isolated interventions.
Nationally, this means reforming discriminatory family laws and discriminatory laws in general and policies that recognize women as equal rights holders.
Without a strong foundation of equal rights within the family, women and girls cannot break the cycle of abuse.
When law and by proxy practices and norms treat women as equal autonomous individuals within the family, it sends a clear message for every household, every community, and every generation that follows.
It means reforming our court systems and procedures so that justice is accessible and fair, not another obstacle.
Even small reforms can change everything.
In, in 2005, a reform that made divorce faster and cheaper, spousal violence fell by 30%, not just among women who left, but also among those who stayed married.
The law changed, the procedure changed.
The power imbalance inside the marriage changed with it.
It also means resourcing, amplifying, and collaborating with feminist movements, indigenous women's rights organizations, disability and migrant rights advocates, and SRHR and SOGI networks that work directly with the communities most affected.
Those who are most affected by violence and the organizations and groups that work closely with them need to be at the center of a solution to address domestic violence.
The question before this council is not what to do.
The question is whether there is the will to do it.
We call for coordinated action and urgent action at every level.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
With that, we have wrapped up our debate with the panel.
I would like to thank the Deputy High Commissioner for the statements and for all the distinguished panelists.
Thank you for your contributions and for the work you carry out every day.
To all those who spoke during the debate.
Thank you also.
We will now have a short technical break and then have the oral report on the UN strategy for inclusion of disability.
Thank you.
We will now resume our meeting.
Please return to your seats.
Thank you.
Thank you for toning it down, keeping silence.
We will now hear the presentation of the oral report on United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy pursuant to Council resolution 55 slash eight.
It is my honor to welcome miss Peggy Hicks, Director of the thematic Engagement Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, who will present the reports.
You have a floor, miss Hicks.
Gracias, Excellency, Distinguished delegates.
I'm pleased to present our annual oral report on the implementation of the United Nations Disability Inclusion strategy as mandated under Human Rights Council resolution 558.
UDS remains an essential framework for supporting implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, advancing the sustainable development goals, and ensuring that the United Nations leads by example in promoting the rights, participation, and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Our office remains firmly committed to those objectives as disability inclusion is central to our efforts to leave no one behind.
Building on our previous reports, UN Human Rights continued its efforts in 2025 to strengthen performance across the UDS accountability framework.
This year, we recorded progress in two indicators.
With these changes overall, OHCHR now exceeds requirements on seven out of the 15 UDS indicators, reflecting sustained institutional commitment and progress across leadership, planning, policy, institutional setup.
Reasonable accommodation, evaluation, and joint initiatives.
The two areas of progress for our office in 2025 included, first, indicator four, an institutional setup where our rating improved from meets requirements to exceeds requirements.
This progress reflects strengthened institutional arrangements and coordination mechanisms dedicated to disability inclusion.
The human rights and disability advisor in our office continues to provide leadership across the office, supported by dedicated personnel and a growing network of disability focal points.
In May 2025, OHCHR convened its first global meeting of the disability focal points from headquarters and field presences, creating an important platform for peer learning, coordination, exchange of good practices, and identification of actions to strengthen future performance.
The second indicator in which we made progress is Indicator 15 on communications, where our rating improved from approaches requirements to meets requirements.
During 2025, we undertook a comprehensive assessment of both internal and external communications, examining their accessibility, quality, and reach.
This work enabled us to better align our communication practices with the convention and strengthen exclusive communication across the office, inclusive communication across the office.
These two areas build on strong performance across six other indicators where United Nations Human Rights Office continues to demonstrate strong performance through receiving exceeding requirements ratings.
These areas with exceeding requirements ratings include, first, indicator one on leadership.
Since the adoption of the UN rights disability strategy in 2020, Disability inclusion has remained firmly anchored within the leadership structures of our office.
The implementation of the strategy is reviewed annually by senior management and includes a clear accountability framework.
In 2025, the strategy underwent a participatory assessment involving all responsible entities across the office.
Senior management actively participated in the review process, ensuring that the findings informed remedial actions and future priorities.
The High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner have continued to champion disability rights publicly and internally.
During the reporting period, the Deputy High Commissioner engaged directly with representatives and organizations of persons with disabilities and with youth disability advocates, reinforcing our commitment to meaningful participation.
From my own personal experience, I want to attest that leadership is important not only at the organizational level, but also with dedicated managers and staff.
OHCHRs progress in this area frankly could not have happened had it not been for the extraordinary commitment and vision of Facundo Chavez Penils, our Human Rights and disability advisor.
The second area exceeds requirements is Indicator two on strategic planning and management.
Our organizational management plan for 2024, 2027 embeds disability inclusion across all six pillars of our work and identifies persons with disabilities among the groups facing heightened risks of exclusion and discrimination.
Disability inclusion is reflected both as a specific area of focus and as a cross cutting objective throughout our planning and programming frameworks.
The third indicator is disability specific policy and strategy.
The UN Human Rights Disability Rights strategy remains the principal framework guiding our implementation of UDS.
Its annual review process ensures continuous monitoring, learning, and adaptation.
The fourth indicator where we exceed expectations is Indicator seven on reasonable accommodation.
The office has established policies, procedures, accountability mechanisms, and a dedicated budget to ensure the provision of reasonable accommodation for staff, experts, and participants engaging in our work.
An evaluation conducted in 2025 confirmed the effectiveness of these arrangements and supports continued improvement.
The next is Indicator ten on evaluation.
Disability inclusion is systematically integrated throughout the evaluation cycle from terms of reference and stakeholder engagement to reporting and recommendations.
A comprehensive meta analysis of evaluation findings from the previous planning cycles inform the development of our current organizational management plan and supports evidence based improvements.
The final and the sixth indicator that indicates exceeds requirements is Indicator 12 on joint initiatives.
Office remains actively engaged in interagency cooperation mechanisms such as the interagency Support Group for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Global Disability Fund, and the UDS focal point Network.
During 2025, OHCHR participated in several joint programs addressing support and care systems alongside UN partners, including UNICEF, ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women.
Colleagues.
In addition to these areas of strong performance, OHCHR maintains its ratings under a number of indicators where further progress remains necessary.
We continue to meet requirements under Indicator 14 on capacity development.
Mandatory disability inclusion training has now been institutionalized across the office.
As of 2025, 848 staff members representing 59% of our workforce had completed this training.
Continued follow up is underway to increase participation and move towards full compliance.
The same time, several indicators for the office remain at the level of approaches requirements.
These include indicators on consultation with persons with disabilities, accessibility, procurement, programs and projects, country program documents, and employment.
While progress has been made in each of these areas, further work is needed to establish more systematic approaches, strengthen monitoring and accountability mechanisms, and ensure consistent implementation across the office.
For example, OHCHR continues to engage regularly with organizations of persons with disabilities through a variety of mechanisms, including our partnership with the International Disability Alliance.
However, we recognize the need for a more systematic and institution wide consultation framework that enables more consistent engagement and stronger tracking of participation.
Similarly, we have advanced accessibility assessments across our premises and operations, yet additional investments are required to complete accessibility improvements across all locations and systems.
In programming, country level planning and procurement, we have strengthened guidance and mainstreaming efforts.
However, further work is necessary to translate policy commitments into measurable and consistent outcomes across all contexts.
Indeed, I would add even in areas where we have been rated as exceeding requirements, ongoing attention and improvement continues to be needed, as is the case with reasonable accommodation, where the available solutions for persons with disabilities on our staff are not always sufficient to meet the need and further thinking and changes may still be needed.
To that end, to support continued progress, OHCHR updated its annual action plan in 2025, identifying concrete measures to strengthen implementation of all applicable indicators.
The action plan remains a key tool for translating commitments into operational results and ensuring sustained attention across the office.
At the same time, it's important to acknowledge that maintaining and accelerating progress requires adequate resources and dedicated capacity.
While OHCHR remains fully committed to implementing strategy, the pace of improvement is constrained by limited human and financial resources.
Our ability to build systematic consultation mechanisms and strengthen operational support depend on sustained investments and specialized expertise.
In this regard, the support of member states and partners would be instrumental in enabling OHCHR to accelerate progress and strengthen implementation across all areas of the UN disability inclusion strategy.
Additional resources and strengthen cooperation would significantly enhance our ability to accelerate progress and fully realize the ambitions of US.
This is, of course, a challenge across the entire UN system during this time of constrained budgets.
It is essential, though, that OHCHR lead by example in implementation.
We also welcome the launch of the revised United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy 2.0.
The updated framework represents an important opportunity to build on lessons learned, strengthen the accountability, and further advance disability inclusion across the United Nations system.
OHCHR looks forward to engaging actively in the implementation of the revised framework.
Remain committed both to maintaining the areas where strong performance has been achieved and to improving results in areas where further efforts are needed.
Our objective is clear to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully included in all aspects of the United Nations work, not as beneficiaries of our efforts, but as rights holders, partners, and leaders.
Only through such inclusion can the United Nations or any organization achieve its true potential, drawing fully on the expertise, insights, and skills of persons with disabilities within our workforce.
For these reasons, disability inclusion remains a strategic priority for OHCHR.
Progress has been made, but our work is far from complete.
Guided by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, and the Voices of Persons with Disabilities themselves, we will continue working towards a United Nations that is fully inclusive, accessible, and accountable.
The full report, together with its easy to read version is now available on the OHCHR website.
We encourage member states, organizations of persons with disabilities, and all interested stakeholders to consult these documents for further information on our performance and ongoing efforts.
I thank you.
W.
Thank you, miss Hicks, for the presentation of this relevant report.
We will now take a short break, 2 minutes, so please don't leave your seats before resuming the interactive dialogue with the working group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
This is work that was left over from yesterday's session and that we will resume once we have reshuffled the podium.
I Thank you for your patience.
Distinguished participants, we will now continue the pending works at the end of our dialogue with the working group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
We'll continue with the list of speakers for national human rights institutions and non governmental organizations.
I'd like to give the floor, first of all, to minority rights group.
This will be a video intervention.
Mr.
President, on behalf of minority rights group, welcome the working groups report containing its guidance on the right of indigenous peoples to free prior and informed consent in the context of business activities.
As your report highlights, current implementation of free prior and informed consent in the business context is both inconsistent and insufficient.
Indigenous communities have reported to MRG that their traditional governance structures are ignored or that they're excluded from dialogue with businesses entirely.
These issues become even more apparent when considering intersectional impacts.
The ongoing denials of indigenous people's rights illustrate the need for a more robust approach that directly integrates free prior and informed consent in national legislation, including due diligence laws that explicitly mandate that businesses respect indigenous people's rights throughout all stages of their activities, irrespective of state recognition of indigenous peoples.
We additionally want to highlight your observation that consultation should be in good faith and respect customary decision making processes, which requires that indigenous communities are provided with comprehensive, culturally appropriate, and accessible information.
Corporate actors can no longer operate in an atmosphere of impunity.
Free prior and informed consent is not a suggestion, but a requirement under international law.
States, businesses, investors, and civil society must work together to institute strict processes to safeguard indigenous people's rights and business activities.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The next speaker is the representative of the Cocionigenista Missionario.
Mr.
President, Simu welcomes the working groups guidance, indigenous peoples FP in the context of business activities.
The obligation to conduct consultations and obtain the consent remains on the state and cannot be privatized and there is the right to say no.
Violations in FP in Brazil are manifested in bill 191 of 20 and La 1470123, both imposing the mau temporal and flexibilizing the right to consent.
In the context of mega projects such as Belus tas ***.
Communities alleged interference and fragmentation of indigenous representation process, inappropriate meetings, the absence of the actual consent, and the imposition of cumulative impacts over people whose rights have been consistently violated.
Those cases reinforce the state obligation to protect the rights of indigenous peoples in each and every step of the consultation process.
It is imperative that the Brazilian Judiciary, including the National Council of Justice, takes into account this guidance and apply it throughout the country in the different jurisdictions.
We also call on the executive to adopt its guidance into the elaboration of its national action plan, our solidarity to the Mura people and the peoples in the large and Singu area.
I thank you.
Thank you.
We will now hear a video from Shani Patriotic Volunteer.
Go.
Hi.
I mean the BC banding mean symbol.
The lead.
We need to interrupt the video because there is no interpretation.
There seems to have been an issue with the microphone in the Chinese booth.
We can wait until the technical problem is resolved, and then we will play the video.
So we will now listen to the next speaker, which is Fn International.
Mr.
Vice President, Special Rapporteur.
I carefully read the report of the working group as the founder of a social organization in China named patriotic volunteers.
I must express our views regarding the content concerning China in the report.
The working groups commentary inquiries and reporting on China's enterprises overseas projects show clear buyers.
They rely excessively on unilateral materials with ideological prejudices.
These claims like cross verification are based on fragmented complaints.
Furthermore, the working group's work has been frequently disrupted by geological, geopolitical interference and external pressure from certain Western countries by simplistically categorizing local governance disputes and community interests diverges as human rights issues, the working group has formed one sided and stereotyped judgments which deviate from original intention of independent mandate, the lifeline special procedures lies in neutrality, objectivity, fairness, and prudence.
We urge working group not to harbor prejudice against South South corporation to avoid being misled by false information and to resist external political pressure and geopolitical interference.
We call on the working group to abandon preconceived positions and practice prejudicing and prejudging issues so as to promote sound development.
Thank you.
Hoping that such technical issues will not reoccur, we will hear another video from Fn International.
President, I read statement on behalf of F International and CORE a Serbian civil society organization working on the environment.
In Eastern Serbia, in Born Kyiv, as we speak, residents report demolitions and pressure to accept individual resettlement instead of a collective solution, preserving the village and cultural identity.
Blasting has damaged even the local cemetery and ancestors graves.
The working groups report shows how Serbia leading co operations without state oversight, valid permits and independent monitoring could lead to the displacement of 400 households disproportionately affecting the Balkian minority.
We call involved states to implement the recommendations of the working group, according to which mining operation shall not continue or expand without valid permits, independent monitoring.
Meaningful participation of residents and accountability.
The situation in B shows that voluntary standards are not effective for human rights protection.
We urge Serbia to adopt a law requiring all businesses to conduct mandatory human rights due diligence, including provisions for corporate liability and effective remedies and support the adoptation of a UN treaty ensuring liability across value chains for corporation and effective remedies.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the Center for International Environmental Law.
As working group for their report on agribusinesses and their guidance on the right of indigenous people to fly prior and informed consent in the context of business activities.
The guidance on FPC importantly eplieses that the exercise of this should be free from coercion or undue influence or reprisal.
FP is indeed inadimately linked to indigenous people's right to defend human rights.
The report on agribusinesses recommends that state must promote agro ecological alternatives to fossil foods and agrochemicals.
Decarbonization of food system must include p of fossil agrochemicals and transition to agricultural debt, restor, food and energy sovereignty of farmers and communities, the consolidation of power of agri food companies and landholders and the geopolitical priority of food system depend on a global supply chains and fosshs are interrelated crisis.
It is not enough to simply engage indigenous peoples and other relevant group in crafting food security programs and laws around food fraud.
Rather, they must be at the center of the path forward with clear decision making power.
Thank you.
Yes.
Thank you very much.
We will now hear another video from Just Atonement.
Chairperson and distinguished members of the working group.
Just Atonement, Inc welcomes the working group's efforts to strengthen implementation of the right of indigenous peoples to free, prior, and informed consent in the context of business activities.
Much of the guidance appropriately emphasizes respect for indigenous people's inherent right to self determination.
In that context, we have grave concerns and expressed deep disappointment regarding paragraph 11 and respectfully urge the working group to strike it from the final text.
The statement that the requirement to seek and obtain FPIC should not be interpreted as conferring a static or unconditional right to permanently block projects is not an accurate reflection of international law and is itself contradicted by the documents later sections.
The right to self determination includes the right to refuse.
When the Sami people categorically rejected a proposed solar geo engineering project affecting their territories in 2021, their decision was respected as an exercise of self determination.
Paragraph 11 would inexpcably defy that precedent.
We therefore strongly urge the working group to remove paragraph 11 through a corrective addendum and reaffirm clearly and unequivocally that respect for FPC requires unqualified respect for indigenous people's decisions.
Thank you.
We will now have another video from Out.
We welcome the recent adoption by Colombia of the decree on Business and Human Rights, which marks a strengthening of the institutional framework.
However, its implementation must contribute to ensuring that investment and business activities take place in full compliance with international human rights obligations.
The report by the working group is particularly relevant for Colombia, where communities continue to report impacts by agro industrial forestry and mining products on their territories, their lifestyles, and their ability to produce food against a backdrop of armed conflict and territorial disputes.
Campesina organizations and indigenous and Afro descendant organizations have sounded the alarm about activities by multinationals such as Smurfit WestRock or Mineros with problems affecting water sources, soil degradation, land concentration, and rising territorial tensions.
This is undermining their livelihoods and healthcare and food security.
We would therefore reiterate the need to move towards international mechanisms that are effective for accountability, and we urge states to step up their efforts to achieve a legally binding international instrument on transnational businesses and human rights, which will ensure the prevention of abuse.
Accountability, corporate accountability and effective access to justice for victims, justice, comprehensive reparation and non repetition.
We now give the floor to the Center for Legal Studies.
Thank you.
We have the opportunity to present the working group along with organizations from Brazil, Bolivia, Paragua, and Germany.
In recent years, we have documented the impacts that the agricultural production model linked to the use of agrochemicals and genetically modified seeds is having Communities report consequences on healthcare, water contamination, deforestation and indigenous peoples and rural communities being affected.
Many companies concentrate their due diligence processes in direct operations or through their immediate providers, but they leave out of that the impacts of the use of their products on areas where there are lots of land conflicts and deforestation issues.
However, that is where we see the most serious human rights and environmental rights violations.
Two years ago before six organizations presented a joint complaint before the focal point of the OECD in Germany calling for the accountability of buyer.
However, the asymmetry in resources, complexity, and opacity of transnational business structures and limitations of mechanisms are real obstacles in terms of effective access to justice and reparation.
We'd like to ask the working group, what measures should states adopt in order to prevent communities from having to deal with the human and environmental costs of agribusiness.
Thank you.
We now give the floor to the Belgrade Center for Human Rights.
We will listen to the representative of China Foundation for Human Rights Development.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I've taken note of the relevant reports of working group.
We all agree on the importance of promoting the implementation of UN guiding principles on business and human rights worldwide.
We also know that two weeks ago, China released its fifth National Human Rights action plan, which set forth further requirements for enterprise to conduct human rights and environmental due due diligence in their own investments and trade cooperation.
This shows that the issue is receiving greater attention in the police level in China.
At the same time, we strongly urge the relevant parties to stop politicizing and weaponzing economic and trade issues and to stop using human rights as a tool for trade protectionism.
We hope that the UN Human Rights body will value the firsthand update provided by the concert enterprises as well as the reports from NGOs of more countries so as to obtain information in a more comprehensive manner.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the representative of them Dment Vice President SSD would like to thank the working group for its comprehensive and enlightening reports.
Our organization, which is committed to rural development and the defense of smallholders, would like to commend the work done which strengthens the normative framework of global food justice.
However, we are alarmed by the persistence of food insecurity affecting near 2 billion people and the practice of food fraud, which generates some $50 billion of illicit profit to the detriment of public health.
Also regret that free, prior and informed consent is all too often treated as a mere administrative formality, facilitating land grabbing to the detriment of customary governance.
In Sudan, the use of famine as a weapon of war and deliberate attacks against the World Food Program staff are violations that look like war crimes.
It is also regrettable that agro industrial expansion goes hand in hand with forced displacement, which isolates small scale farmers.
SSD would like to support the calls from the working group in favor of a reasonable due diligence obligation for a businesses and the implementation of national action plans that will ensure effective remedy for victims.
We also encourage states to include the right to food in their legislative frameworks in order to achieve sustainable development goal number two.
Finally, we would like to invite all actors to privilege to give priority to sustainable production models which ensure the dignity for rural populations and global food justice.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This was the last statement that we could accommodate for this dialogue.
I will now give the floor to miss Olawi Mr.
Olawi for his concluding remarks and for that, you have 6 minutes.
You have the floor.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Vice President.
I want to thank representatives of states for the very enlightening and detailed comments and feedback on our reports.
I want to start by addressing some of the questions relating to what states should do to address food fraud and promote right based food systems.
We recommend in the report the need for clarity, clarity of requirements.
Most times stakeholders in the business sector may say they really do not know the standards, but they really do not know what is expected of them.
Clarity will be key.
Also note that before now, there's been efforts to address issues of food safety through consumer protection laws, but we note a lack of coherence and a lack of a right based approach.
It is one of the key responses we often see is that regulators may confiscate products that have been made that have been adulterated, for example, but those confiscations often ignore the human rights issues that led to this problem in the first place.
For example, failure to integrate small scale farmers into the failure to integrate land owners into the economy affecting their land rights, which may then lead them to take measures to be involved in food ad attrition, which is not excusable.
But we emphasized in the report the need for coherence, ensuring that responses should not just go beyond confiscation and fines, but rather to integrate a right based approach across the entire food value chain.
Coherence is also key to answer one of the questions posed about how to ensure that we have a one society approach.
Another thing we flagged in the report is the fact that times food security programs is within the purview of maybe the Ministry of Agriculture or other similar bodies, while human rights is within the purview of the Justice Ministry.
So lack of coherence and coordination may be a problem.
So we call for a nexus approach that fosters cooperation amongst the key actors and ministries and agencies that are involved in the implementation of food security programs.
There was a question asked about a capacity, how to promote capacity, and of course, we encourage that in the report, we mentioned that states should indeed provide more resources to universities and higher education institutions to lead research on food security and to be at the forefront of promoting or integrating right based approaches in the teaching and in their research.
Of course, we also call for the need for national action plans.
There can be clarity with national action plans.
So note that close to 40 countries across the world have adopted national action plans and some of the representatives of states mentioned efforts ongoing to even update their existing national action plan.
We welcome such efforts and we take the opportunity to call on states that are yet to adopt national action plans to do so because having a national action plan that specifies the responsibilities of businesses, especially with respect to food security will be a strong starting point and will show the interest of the state to address these issues.
There's been questions from just atonement about paragraph 11 of our FP report.
I just want to clarify that that paragraph is indeed saying that from the perspective of some states, they may think that FP may give a right to indigenous peoples to perpetually block projects.
But we are emphasizing in that paragraph that there is a need to think of FP as part the requirements to advance human rights rather than see it as an obstruction or economic sabotage.
We do hope you can read this report in that informative manner, and of course, we welcome further discussions in that regard.
I should also address the question about the methodology of the working group.
Normally, in preparing our reports, we issue call for imputes and we welcome feedback, comments from all stakeholders.
We are an independent working group, so we do not have any issue of maybe prejudice or trying to disadvantage any stakeholder.
We welcome all contributions, normally when we issue a call for imputes.
We hope stakeholders can take the opportunity to be in touch with us.
Of course, I should also mention the need Um, from the interests shown in the discussions, it is clear that this is a topic that we will need to continue to discuss.
So I will express the willingness of the working group and our invitation to all stakeholders to continue to create opportunities to discuss this important issue.
The working group stands ready to support such initiatives.
And on that note, I should also mention that, of course, our annual forum on Business and Human Rights is coming up in November, and that is another opportunity.
There will be a session on agribusiness food security, and we welcome all stakeholders to join us so that we can continue to highlight the importance of food security for a sustainable future and the need for a right based approach that leaves no one behind.
Mr.
President, I thank you very much for the opportunity.
Thank you.
And thank you very much for expressing your willingness to continue the dialogue.
So with that, we have concluded the session.
I would like to thank Mr.
Olawuyi for his participation.
And now we will move on with our interactive dialogue with the working group on discrimination against women and girls, which means that we're going to have to have a very short technical break.
Thank you.
Well, thank you, everyone for bearing with us.
Now we will have the interactive dialogue with the working group on discrimination against women and girls.
I would like to welcome the members of the working group here to the podium.
The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes.
I will now give the chair of the working group, the floor, miss Claudia Flores, to present the report.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
President and Excellencies, it is an honor to address the Human Rights Council as the chair of the working group on discrimination against women and girls.
Today, I am pleased to introduce our latest thematic report, Women's and Girls' rights, Digital Technologies, and our Official Intelligence, as well as our report on our visit to Zimbabwe.
I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the governments of Armenia, Guatemala, and Ecuador for their invitation to visit their countries this year and note with regret that the visits to Guatemala and Ecuador had to be postponed due to the liquidity crisis.
Mr.
Vice President, we are living through a historic technological transformation.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future prospect.
It is already reshaping how we work, learn, communicate, and govern.
This technology holds real promise for women and girls, expanding access to education, health care, and economic opportunity, opening new channels for expression and participation.
Yet, without meaningful governance, its rapid expansion risks entrenching and amplifying gender inequality, discrimination, and violence invisibly, at scale, and beyond accountability.
The risks fall hardest on women and girls who are already facing intersecting forms of discrimination.
For them, the cost of inaction is highest.
International and domestic regulation have not kept pace with the expansion of AI, and corporate self regulatory measures have largely ignored the experiences and needs of women and girls.
Our report addresses this deficit directly, presenting a vision for AI grounded in substantive gender equality and universal human dignity.
Today, AI is already being adopted in environments that disadvantage and exclude women and girls.
Realizing its potential requires more than removing obstacles, it requires actively establishing the preconditions for a gender equal digital future.
One of the most overlooked preconditions is equal access to devices, connectivity, digital literacy, economic security, and the public goods that make meaningful engagement with technology possible.
Millions of women and girls in rural and low income settings remain entirely excluded from the benefits of technology, including AI, simply because they cannot get online.
Where access exists, it is too often undermined by privacy violations and safety risks.
Compounding this, few women are employed in the design, development, and leadership of AI.
This imbalance shapes not only the technology itself, but the world that it is creating.
Adré bias within AI systems is also a precondition for a gender equal future.
AI tools are already producing discriminatory outcomes in hiring, education, health care, and justice.
These are not technical glitches.
They are existing inequalities encoded into systems and sustained by market incentives that normalize discrimination and misogyny.
In fact, the exclusion of women and girls in access, leadership, development, and from the very datasets AI relies on is structural As participants in our consultations made clear, misogyny is not a design flaw.
It is a feature of systems engineered to capture attention in societies where alarmingly, women's subordination is increasingly being mischaracterized as inevitable and reframed as a biological fact or reality.
Mr.
Vice President, the working group recognizes the potential of AI designed and deployed in ways that are gender responsive and grounded in human rights.
Built differently and governed accountably, these technologies could be deployed to dismantle bias and expand women's and girls' access to opportunity, resources, and development.
Our consultations surfaced many meaningful initiatives in this direction.
Among them efforts led empowered by women, girls, and civil society, including tools that expand financial inclusion, support women with disabilities to navigate employment processes, and connect women to new markets, that improve diagnoses and address barriers to women and girls health, and that preserve indigenous languages and build capacity for their integration into the digital world.
Our research and consultations also surfaced, however, applications of AI tools that are deeply incompatible with human rights and must be treated as such.
Our report identifies four gendered harms that belong at the center of any serious AI governance framework or within current efforts to establish AI red lines.
First, lethal autonomous weapons, systems that select and engage targets without meaningful human control pose a profound threat to international humanitarian law, human rights, and to human dignity.
History teaches us that when accountability erodes an armed conflict, women and girls pay a high price.
Removing human control from lethal force does not reduce atrocity, it guarantees impunity.
Second, gendered environmental costs of AI infrastructure cannot be ignored.
Data centers and the water extraction they require are already depleting resources and compromising rights felt most acutely by women and girls in the global majority and in climate vulnerable settings.
The digital economy cannot be built on their dispossession.
Third, technology facilitated gender based violence.
Deep fake abuses, non consensual intimate imagery, and AI powered harassment are pervasive, systemic, and presently uncontained.
They cannot continue expanding in a governance vacuum that tolerates the systemic expulsion of women and girls from public life, which increasingly is taking place online.
Fourth, AI must not be used for mass surveillance and in ways that shatter women's and girls' rights, including to privacy and bodily autonomy.
In this report, the working group is unequivocal.
There is no justification for the use of technology for mass surveillance, and any such use of AI is a detrimental impact on women's and girls' rights.
The working group underscores that all multilateral efforts to develop red lines must embed a gender responsive understanding of harm and center the rights of women and girls.
International law exists precisely for harms that cross borders and outpace national frameworks.
AI is exactly such a challenge.
Let us meet it with urgency and the solidarity it demands and that women and girls deserve.
Mr.
Vice President and Excellencies, drawing from our extensive consultations, including with affected women and girls, we call on states to commit to and create a gender equal digital future grounded in human dignity.
States bear the primary responsibility to regulate and shape AI governance towards that shared goal.
Human rights obligations must be our guide.
This responsibility cannot be delegated to private actors or market forces motivated by profit that too often entrench rather than challenge existing inequalities.
Our response must be bold in investment, in governance, in standards, and it must be participatory.
Frameworks that exclude marginalized women and girls will fail them.
We also call for stronger partnerships between the United Nations, member states, and the private sector.
Companies that design, deploy, and profit from AI must abide by human rights standards.
We are all waiting, in fact, for the technology sector to show us that they understand that the advancement of women and girls is good for business and the communities they serve.
But where they do not, states have both the authority and the obligation to hold them to account.
We have all heard the argument that these technologies are too complex and too fast moving to regulate property.
They are not.
AI is merely the latest step in human innovation and humanity has faced such moments before and found the capacity and the will to direct transformative technology towards the common good.
The future of AI is being written and the choice of who it serves is ours to make.
Let us make it wisely, let us make it together, and let us make it in the service of the one goal that has always united this body, a life of human rights, equality, and dignity for all.
Mr.
Vice President, Excellencies, allow me to turn to some observations relating to the country visit that the working group undertook.
The working group visited the Republic of Zimbabwe from the 28th of July to the 8th of August in 2025.
We would like to reiterate our gratitude to Zimbabwe for its invitation and cooperation.
The working group commended several promising practices.
Zimbabwe's 2013 constitution provides a strong and impressive foundation for gender equality, including explicit guarantees of non discrimination, affirmative measures, and women's participation in governance and public life.
The adoption of policies such as the National gender policy, the national strategy to prevent and address gender based violence, and initiatives such as gender responsive budgeting and women's microfinance Bank demonstrate a clear commitment to advancing women's rights.
Increased representation in the judiciary through electoral quotas also reflect important progress.
We were inspired by women and girls who claimed their rights and are making meaningful efforts to improve their society for everyone.
We call on the government to support those efforts in a sustained and meaningful manner.
Despite these promising practices, however, significant challenges remain.
Implementation gaps persist due to allocation of resources, weak enforcement, and historically entrenched patriarchal norms.
Women continue to face high levels of gender based violence, economic inequality, and barriers to education and political participation.
Restrictions on civic space and increasing pressure on women human rights defenders are of great concern to the working group.
We call on the government to ensure that women human rights defenders and women in leadership, both in public and private sector positions can fully enjoy their right to freedom of expression.
We remain committed to supporting Zimbabwe in strengthening implementation, ensuring adequate resourcing, and fostering an enabling environment where all women and girls can fully enjoy their human rights.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, miss Flores.
According to our practice, we'll start by hearing the delegation of the country concerned, which means that I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zimbabwe.
You have 5 minutes.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Vice President.
Zimbabwe greatly appreciate the visit of the working group on discrimination against women and girls.
We commend the professionalism of the working group and we welcome the group's balanced report, which recognizes both the progress made by Zimbabwe and the challenges that remain.
Zimbabwe remains committed to the promotion, protection, and fulfillment of the rights of women and girls.
This committee is this commitment is anchored in our constitution, which guarantees equality, prohibits discrimination, and mandates the state to advance the full participation of women in all spheres of life.
The recently launched national development strategy to places gender equality at the center of national development through its social development, gender, and social protection pillar.
The strategy incorporates measurable indicators, gender disaggregated data and accountability mechanisms to monitor progress.
Government has established gender mainstreaming inclusivity and wellness directories to strengthen implementation and support gender mainstreaming, gender responsive budgeting, and results based management.
Zimbabwe recognized that equal participation of women in leadership and decision making is fundamental in sustainable development.
Women today occupy some of the highest offices in Zimbabwe.
The Chief Justice, the judge president, the chief magistrate, the Attorney General, and the prosecutor General are all women.
Women constitute approximately 39.7% of judges and 59.6% of magistrates.
We continue to invest in mentorship, leadership development, and economic empowerment programs for women and girls.
Through Chiefs endeavors and other community dialogue platforms, the government is actively engaging in traditional and religious leaders to challenge harmful stereotypes and advance positive social norms.
Mr.
Vice President Zimbabwe wishes to reiterate it position and clarify on some issues raised by the working group.
We unequivocally condemn all forms of violence against women and girls, child marriage, trafficking, sexual harassment, coerced wife inheritance, virginity testing, and other harmful practices will always remain our priority areas of intervention.
However, we must accept that the cultural practices such as lobola or dowry remain lawful.
They do not diminish the rights, dignity, or autonomy of women and girls in our society.
The Constitution and the Marriages Act criminalize child marriage and set the minimum age of marriage at 18 years.
The Domestic Violence Act and the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act provide additional protection against gender based violence and harmful practices.
To strengthen access to justice Zimbabwe continues to expand victim friendly courts, victim friendly units, specialized services, toll free reporting mechanisms, and one stop centers for survivors.
Virtual courts are being introduced to improve accessibility, particularly for women in remote communities.
Sexual harassment, including sextortion and coercive sexual bribery addressed through labor legislation, institutional disciplinary mechanisms, and criminal law provisions where criminal conduct is established.
Any isolated violations do not reflect state policy, law or accepted national practice.
Zimbabwe remains committed to improving outcomes for women and girls in education, health, social protection, and economic empowerment.
We are enhancing domestic resource mobilization and gender responsive budgeting to address funding challenges and strengthen sustainability.
A gender based violence course study and investment case are currently being developed to establish a sustainable financing framework for prevention and response services.
In conclusion, while challenges remain, including resource constraints and climate related shocks, we reject any assertion that there is a lack of political will to advance gender equality.
We have implemented sustainable constitutional legislative and policy reforms, as well as strengthened our institutions that continue to progressively improve the lives of women and girls.
Zimbabwe values the recommendations of the working group and remains committed to constructive engagement in advancing the rights of girls and women.
We look forward to continued cooperation with the working group and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
I thank you.
Thank you very much.
The list of speakers is now closed, and I now invite interested delegations to ask questions to the working group and make comments on the reports.
The speaking time is 1 minute and 30 seconds for all, and I would like to recall that the duration of interactive dialogues is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
However, if time permits, additional delegations will be able to speak.
To begin, I give the floor to the distinguished ambassador of Australia speaking on behalf of a group of countries.
Vice President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
We thank the working group for its timely report on gender equality in the digital space and age of artificial intelligence.
AI offers opportunities to advance gender equality.
Yet without safeguards, it can accelerate gender based harm.
We are particularly concerned by the rapid proliferation of people using AI to generate deep fake abuse.
This overwhelmingly targets women and girls and constitutes a growing form of technology facilitated gender based violence.
These harms have distinctly gendered consequences.
Deep fake abuse is used to shame, intimidate, and control women and girls, silencing them for deterring and determining participation in political, professional, and civic life, reinforcing harmful norms and undermining equality and human rights.
AI systems must be deployed with adequate safeguards and must not enable the amplification of misogyny and abuse at scale.
Addressing this requires coordinated gender responsive action, including safety by design, stronger accountability for tech companies, and survivor centered approaches.
How can states and technology companies ensure AI prevents these gendered harms, including deep fake abuse and protect women's and girls full equal and meaningful participation in public life.
Thank you, the distinguished ambassador of Iceland is recognized.
Mr.
Vice President, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Noric Baltic States.
We thank the working group for shining a light on how artificial intelligence and is reshaping the conditions under which women and girls exercise their human rights.
While technological development creates new opportunities, existing patterns of discrimination are often reproduced and amplified, creating unequal access to technology, exclusion from decision making and new forms of online abuse for women and girls.
We are particularly concerned by the report's finding that technology facilitated gender based violence is driving women and girls out of digital spaces with direct consequences for the participation in public and civil life.
Yet, less than 40% of states currently provide protection against such violence.
This gap must be closed.
As the report makes clear, states cannot outsource their human rights obligations to private actors.
AI governance must be human rights based and gender responsive.
Ensuring full equal and meaningful participation of women and girls throughout the design and deployment of these technologies is vital.
We remain committed to ensuring that digital development strengthens rather than undermines the rights of women and girls.
Distinguish experts, what gender responsive measures should be adopted to mitigate the impact of online harassment, particularly against women and girls.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The last speaker we'll have time for this morning is the distinguished representative of the European Union.
Mr.
Vice President, this chair of the working group.
The European Union welcomes the report presented.
We shared your assessment on both the potential and the risks of AI for the realization of human rights for all women and girls and their empowerment, as well as your call for gender responsive and human rights based AI governance and state responsibility in upholding those rights and advancing towards substantive gender equality.
Stress the need for an ambitious and transformative approach to address the root causes and risk factors of gender inequality, gender stereotypes, discrimination, including multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and sexual and gender based violence, including technology facilitated gender based violence, gender bias embedded in algorithms, and to ensure accountability for human rights violations and abuses.
The full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women at all levels of decision making is key, as you mentioned in the report.
The EU has been at the forefront of developing and enforcing ethical and gender responsive regulatory systems, introducing algorithmic accountability and the obligation to counter illegal content through adequate measures, criminalizing serious forms of cyber violence and strengthening protection and justice for victims and survivors.
Distinguished working group, the report expresses concern about AI facilitated surveillance.
What measures should states and companies take to ensure data protection and privacy for women and girls? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Excellencies, dear participants.
This brings this morning's meeting to an end.
We will meet again this afternoon at 1,500 hours to wrap up the interactive dialogue with the working group.
After that, we'll have our annual debate on the human rights of women.
Without any further business, I would like to close this session of the Human Rights Council.
Thank you.