18th Meeting - 62nd Session of Human Rights Council

Excellencies, distinguished participants.
I hereby declare open the 18th meeting of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
Before we start, I recognize that the delegation of Dominican Republic is requesting the floor.
You have the floor, please.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
Yesterday, the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela was impacted by two devastating earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes, which led to the loss of many human lives and left others disappeared, as well as triggering a large amount of material damage.
In the face of this tragedy, the delegation of the Dominican Republic would like to convey its condolences to the people and government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The same time as expressing our profound solidarity to all of those families affected.
In this spirit of solidarity and respect for victims, we would respectfully request that the presidency invite all Member States and observers of this Council to hold a minute of silence in memory of the victims and in the light of the situation we are seeing unfold in the Republic of Venezuela.
Thank you.
Thank you for your intervention and at the request of the delegation of Dominican Republic, the Council will observe a minute of silence.
All right.
Thank you.
We will now continue the interactive dialogue with the special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
I now invite interested delegations to ask questions to the special Rapporteur and make comments on her reports.
The speaking time is 1 minute and 30 outcomes for all.
I would also 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.
And first, I have the honor to give the floor to Iceland on behalf of the group of countries.
Madam Vice President, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Noric Baltic States.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her report and her dedicated efforts throughout her term within the mandate.
Comprehensive and rights based approaches are integral to effectively reducing poverty.
When addressing the human rights challenges presented by extreme poverty, it is necessary to address contributing factors such as inequality and exclusion and not solely income.
In this context, we welcome the report's reflections on multidimensional approaches to measuring and addressing poverty and inequality.
The Northic Baltic States attach great importance to strengthening social protection systems and ensuring equal access to quality public services.
As highlighted by the report, these are important elements in the context of reducing poverty.
Moreover, we share the report's recognition of the links between poverty and climate differencellens, which disproportionately affect those in vulnerable situations and call for inclusive policy responses.
Madam Special Rapporteur, throughout your experience as mandate holder, what methods have proven most effective in ensuring that policy outcomes draw on meaningful participation of people with lived experiences.
I thank you.
I thank you.
The list of speakers is now closed.
Next, I give the floor to Venezuela on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you very much, Madam Vice President.
With your forbearance on behalf of the Venezuelan government, we would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks for the support and solidarity expressed during the minute of silence towards the victims of the earthquake.
It's my honor to take the floor on behalf of the group of friends in defense of the UN Charter.
Poverty and extreme poverty continue to be one of the most urgent challenges for humanity with greatest impact on countries of the Global South who are having their ability to manage this scourge undermined.
Economic growth must be supported by public policies fostering well being and social inclusion.
At a time when we need a new international economic order which is universally beneficial, inclusive, and based on sovereign equality, interdependence, and shared interests as well as cooperation between all states.
The illegal application of unilateral coercive measures against civilian populations constitutes a deliberate attack against development and lead to extreme poverty and more inequality.
We reaffirmed that Agenda 2030 continues to be our internationally agreed roadmap not only towards more peaceful, fair and inclusive societies, but also to reach this through shared and concerted actions and on the basis of a greater sense of unity, cooperation, and solidarity.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to European Union.
Merci Madam President.
Thank you very much, President, the European Union is grateful to the Special Rapporteur for the presentation made and congratulates her for her nomination.
We welcome the analysis laid out in this report and particularly the key levers which states have at their disposal to draft public policies to combat effectively poverty from a human rights perspective.
We also greet the roadmap to eliminate poverty beyond growth, which was produced by your predecessor contributing to a renewal of the debate on combating inequalities as well as the effective implementation of the 2030 agenda.
The European Union, as illustrated by its European strategy to combat poverty, published its thoughts last year in terms of how to break the vicious circle of child poverty and combat exclusion in the area of housing, as well as improving accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities.
Madam Special Rapporteur, your mandate, including field visits, contributes to this debate.
We support the renewal of your mandates on the basis of the resolution that's been presented by a group of trans regional authors of the eight countries.
Thank you, the chair.
Sudan has the floor.
Perhaps states.
Madam Vice President, it gives me pleasure to deliver the statement on behalf of the Arab Group.
The Arab Group would like to thank the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
We highly value her efforts to put together her report.
The Arab group expresses concern over the constant increase of the world population that are suffering from extreme poverty and the gaping disparities between states and within societies.
We also concur with the special rapporteur with her opinion on adopting coherent public policies aimed at supporting social protection systems.
As well as policy of integration in the labor market and mechanisms for the protection of children that are based on a comprehensive and inclusive diagnosis of all dimensions of poverty.
Our region has been suffering from compounded challenges because of climate change that have direct impact on poverty, including desertification, scarcity of water and rising temperatures in this respect, despite the challenges the Arab countries have managed to make long strides towards sustainable development goals, particularly the first goal of the SDGs through national strategies, as well as the leading initiatives in partnership with ESCA in through the strategic framework for extermination of extreme poverty.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Kenya on behalf of Group of African states.
Madam Vice President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the African group.
The African Group thanks the Special Rapporteur for her comprehensive report and takes note of the proposed roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
Poverty remains one of the greatest obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights and sustainable development.
While acknowledging the importance of national action, we stress that poverty is often reinforced by structural inequalities in the global economic and financial system.
Continue to constrain development efforts in many developing countries.
The African Union placed poverty eradication at the center of its development agenda through Agenda 2063, which envisions an inclusive, prosperous and people centered Africa.
Across the continent, states are expanding social protection systems, strengthening access to healthcare and education, investing in youth employment and skills development, and advancing food security and climate resilience programs to address the multidimensional nature of poverty.
The African continental free trade area also presents a unique opportunity to promote inclusive economic growth, create decent jobs and strengthen economic resilience, particularly for women and young people.
The group further underscores the importance of the protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's rights on the rights of citizens to social protection and Social Security, which reinforces efforts to ensure that no one is left behind.
The same time, achieving progress requires a more equitable international environment, including enhanced development financing, sustainable debt solutions, and greater support for national owned poverty eradication strategies.
Madam Vice President, the African Group remains committed to advancing people centered development and working with all partners to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions in line with the Agenda 2063 and 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Albania on behalf of a group of countries.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the core group composed of Belgium, Chile, France, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Romania, and my country, Albania.
The core group thanks the former Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Mr.
Olivier De Schutter for his final report and for his unwavering commitment throughout his mandate to advancing the understanding of poverty as a profound human rights challenges.
We welcome the report presented to this council and express our strong support for its key findings and conclusions.
The report reminds us despite commitments and progress achieved in some areas, extreme poverty continues to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, especially women, children, and other vulnerable groups including people with disabilities.
It remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.
We further welcome the annex of the report, the roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
The core group reiterates its strong support for the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and welcomes misses Elena Diaz Galan in her new role.
In this regard, we reaffirm our support for the renewal of the mandate for a further three years period.
We hope that the draft resolution will continue to enjoy the broad support and consensus of this council.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Cuba on behalf of the group of countries.
Vice President.
It's my honor to make this joint statement on behalf of countries that are beneficiaries for the fund for LDCs and CTS, participating in the 62nd session of the HRC.
Eliminating extreme poverty for all the world over is a key aim of the sustainable development goal for 20 31 of the most urgent challenges for developing countries.
It's essential for the full enjoyment of all human rights.
Unfortunately, it won't be possible to reach this goal in the agreed time frame.
Currently, one of every ten people the world over lives in extreme poverty.
Nearly 600 million people have persistent hunger and 60% of the global population, approximately 590 million people continue to live in extreme poverty, that's 6% and only a third of countries have managed to significantly reduce their levels of extreme poverty by 2030.
These alarming figures require immediate action.
Like to call for a strengthening and broadening of international cooperation and access to funding to confront problems contributing to extreme poverty, including the financial and economic crisis, food insecurity, food prices, and the challenges represented by climate change.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to China on behalf of a group of countries.
F.
Madam Vice President, we thank the Special Rapporteur.
I have the honor to deliver the joint statement on behalf of 17 countries.
Eradication of poverty hinges on safeguard everyone's right to work and right to development.
We firmly oppose forced labor.
At the same time, we are also seriously concerned about and firmly opposed move to impose additional duties on other economies on the basis of unilateral accquisition, alleging a failure to curb imports of goods produced with so called forced labor.
Tariff abuses under the guise of so called anti forced labor measures will only infringe upon the right to development and the right to decent work of hardworking workers.
Such practices can only destabilize global industrial supply chains and deride collective efforts to eradicate poverty.
We urge countries concerned to respect facts, refrain from politicizing trade issues and webizing human rights, uphold the international economic and trading order, and contribute to the global development through tangible actions.
And thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to South Africa.
Thank you, Madam Vice President, South Africa, thanks to the special Rapporteur for the report presented here earlier.
South Africa notes the Special Rapporteur's recognition of South Africa's efforts to address extreme poverty and inequality in the present report, among other countries cited.
We concur with the maxim that entrenched inequality worsens poverty.
We remain committed to our national Bill of Rights, which stipulates, among other issues that every citizen has a right to health care, food, water, and social security.
It is indeed concerning that more than a tenth of the world's population or 845 million people, 388 million people in East and Southern Africa alone still lived in extreme poverty in 2025 and 8.9% of people will still live in extreme poverty by 2030, unless a dramatic change, of course, occurs.
For this reason, we reiterate our call on the international community to renew its commitment to this ambitious agenda to end poverty and hunger, to protect the planet, to achieve gender equality, universal education and health coverage, and to protect decent work and sustainable economic growth by 2030.
South Africa fully supports the Special Rapporteurs road map for eradicating poverty beyond growth and in the same vein encourages states and other key stakeholders to do the same.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Morocco.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
My delegation is grateful to the Special Rapporteur for her report and get the ambition of the roadmap for eliminating poverty borne growth.
As a country focused on human centered development, Morocco addresses poverty through a global human rights based approach.
Our National System for Human Development agreed in 2005 represents the global framework for reducing poverty and it targets the particularly vulnerable sectors of the population, including participatory governments and inclusive core infrastructure education and health growth.
We have also got an initiative aimed at rolling out social protection to millions of people previously not protected, including informal sector workers.
In 2026, we further broaden this program Underscoring Morocco's commitment to reducing structural inequalities, Morocco also recognizes the key importance of reducing social and territorial inequalities and we've adopted a global strategy aimed at strengthening local democracy and liberating the potential of each region as a function of its specific characteristics.
Special Rapporteur, my delegation would like to put the following question to you.
Which specific mechanism would you recommend to ensure that reform in social protection can really be of benefit to people in the informal sector without creating obstacles in the formal sector.
Thank you.
Mercy Boko, next I give the floor to Cambodia.
Su Madam Vice President, Kbilla sent the S Reporter for the presentation of the report.
Cambria recognied that poverty remains a major challenge to the full realization on human rights and reaffirmed its support for effort to address its root cause through inclusive and sustainable development.
According to Ministry of Economic and Finance, GDP growth, it projected to moderate to 5.2.
Percent in 2025.
Nevertheless, Cambodia continue to strong economy resilient and steady progress toward its long term development objective.
The royal government of Cambodia remain firmly committed to advancing structural reform, particularly economic diversification, human capital development, and social protection, which are essential to sustaining inclusive growth and securing durable development gain over time.
We underscore the importance of social protection system, quality, public service and investment in human capital as key Driver in reducing poverty and equality, while noting that sustained economic growth remains essential for many developing country to generate unemployment, employment, strengthen infrastructure and improve living standards.
Co remain committed to achievement of the sustainable development goal, including the eradication of poverty.
I think now by President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to India.
Madam Vice President, we thank the Special Repi for presentation of the report.
India's experience demonstrates what sustained program anchored action can achieve.
Nearly 250 million people in India have exited multidimensional poverty over the past decade.
More than 800 million people receive free food greens under the National Food Security Act and PM Qian provides direct income support to over 93 million farmers.
India's social protection coverage has more than tripled over the past decade to 64.3%, extending toward 940 million people, the second highest number worldwide.
In India, we recognize that inequality must be addressed alongside poverty reduction and our programs are designed accordingly.
Direct benefit transfers that reach beneficiary without leakage, targeted support for historically disadvantaged communities, and sustained public investment in housing, health and education that ensures the gain of development reach those at the bottom of the income ladder.
We note the special port beyond growth framing.
For developing countries, growth generates the fiscal space that makes social protection flows possible and that space is increasingly constrained by debt service burdens that domestic policy choices alone cannot resolve.
We would request the special Rapporteur views on how the global trade and financial architecture can better preserve the fiscal space available to developing countries to address these challenges related to extreme poverty.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Soto.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Desoto welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
As mentioned in the report, the fundamental role of the anti poverty strategies in the fight against poverty and inequalities must be at the top of governments agenda.
It follows therefore that states need to commit to implementing policies that foster gender equality and economic inclusion, among others.
These efforts demand alignment with the global efforts to end poverty in line with sustainable development goals.
Admittedly, efforts to eradicate extreme poverty should include investing more in human capital, building resilient social safety nets and promoting inclusive economic growth among others.
In countries hit hard by poverty, these efforts necessitate support by development partners and the vigorous empowerment of women and marginalized groups.
In conclusion, Loto acknowledges that highly effective states capacities and robust governance are critical drivers for swift development strategies aimed at achieving poverty reduction goals.
I thank you, Madam Vice President.
Hi, thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
FAO welcomes the attention given in the report to the structural factors that drive deprivation and exclusion, including persistent inequalities that limit access to resources, services, and opportunities.
FAO technical expertise shows that vulnerability and food insecurity are concentrated in rural areas where livelihoods depend largely on agri food systems.
Adré these challenges requires integrated rights based approaches that strengthen livelihoods, resilience, and access to opportunities, and that contribute to coherent poverty eradication strategies across rural and agri food systems.
In this context, social protection is a key enable.
When well designed and inclusive, it helps reduce exposure to shocks, supports productive investments, and contributes to food security, nutrition, gender equality, and youth empowerment.
FAO assist governments in integrating rights based policies and programs and in scaling up social protection in rural communities as part of the broader efforts to address inequalities and reduce the structural drivers of deprivation.
We remain committed to supporting evidence based, inclusive solutions that advance sustainable agri food systems and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.
Okay.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to United Nations Environment Program.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
UEP welcomed the final report to the council by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivia Dicha.
Up also welcomed the appointment of the new Special Rapporteur, Elena Carolina Diaz Galan and looks forward to supporting the mandate, particularly in relation to the environmental dimension of poverty.
The report, the manufacturer of Povert points to an important nexus between povert and the triple planetary crisis of climate change nature and biodiversity loss and pollution in waste.
Environmental crisis affect everyone, but not equally.
People living in poverty, no matter which country they live in are among those who have contributed least to environmental crisis, yet they bear the burden of environmental harm disproportionately.
Poverty is at the core of environmental injustice.
When we combat povert, we also combat environmental injustice.
UNP remains committed to supporting states and other stakeholders to eradicate poverty and achieve environmental justice for all.
In this regard, UNP will continue to support rules, policies, and action plans that address the environmental dimension of poverty, strengthen environmental governance and promoting clean health and sustainable environment.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Timor-Leste.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Timor-Leste.
Thank you, the Special Rapporteur for the report.
We strongly support the reports central message.
Poverty is not inevitable, but the result of policy choices and structural inequalities.
This framing is particularly relevant for developing countries where historical legacies, limited fiscal space and external shocks continue to constrain inclusive development.
For the moleste, it is essential to emphasize the importance of addressing inequality in all its dimensions, including unequal access to education, health care, and decent work, which perpetuate intergenerational poverty.
At the same time, national es must be matched by strengthened international cooperation.
Many developing country require greater access to finance and policy space to invest in social protection and sustainable development.
The moles also underlines the importance of combining redistribution with structural reforms that make economics more inclusive, resilient rather than relying solely on growth approach.
We affirm our commitment to eradicating poverty in all its forms and to working collectively toward a more just and equitable global order.
I thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Uganda.
Thank you, Vice President.
We align with the statement of the African group and thank the Special Report for the elaborate report.
My delegation takes note of the roadmap proposed to end extreme poverty.
My government has prioritized in investing in addressing the root causes of poverty by ensuring equality of opportunities for all and enforcing universal education at both primary and secondary education.
Additionally, the Ugandan government has designed national programs that are anchored in our national development plan, programs like the Parish Development model, where household income is being boosted by government availing financial and literacy opportunities to support families, to invest and boost and introduce them to the money economy.
We are also investing in our key sectors like there industrialization, tourism, mineral sector with a target to multiply our GDP by ten fold in the next ten years, probably to $500 billion.
This is possible and we are committed to do this.
Vice President, we remain committed to alleviating up our people from poverty.
However, the international community and indeed this council should join efforts in combating the inequality and inequity between states.
The existing and fair international economic order, the entrenched systematic inequalities, and the growing debt burden exacerbated by the climate change effects need to be addressed.
A wealthy world is possible if all states commit to meaningful international cooperation and end exploitation of other states in the pretext of enriching themselves.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Sheila.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Chile welcomes the presentation of the report by the Special Rapporteur, as well as the proposal for a roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
As is clearly set out in the report, the measurements of poverty that are based solely on income can be misleading.
Poverty is a dynamic process of exclusion which limits opportunities and people's autonomy.
Chile has fully integrated this View as we have been a pioneer in our region about the implementation of official multidimensional measurements integrating housing, education, and environment dimensions.
Also, in recent years, we have updated the criteria used to measure poverty in our country.
This is not just a trivial difference, it is the starting point for building relevant social policy.
An effective and efficient social policy is a policy that really tackles the genuine needs of society.
The report and the roadmap invite us to continue along these lines and to It underscores that in order to break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage, states need to avail themselves of national strategies against poverty which are legally binding, and this is essential.
In light of this, we would like to ask, based on the experiences from long term planning that are reflected in the roadmap, what is the most effective institutional mechanism for open economies to translate multidimensional indicators into budgetary targets that citizens can hold us accountable to.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Zambia.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Zambia thanks the social Rapporteur for the presentation of the report and notes the visit to Rwanda undertaken by her predecessor.
We commend the government of Rwanda for the efforts made in accelerating the socioeconomic development of its citizens.
Structural factors that perpetuate poverty hinder the realization of human rights.
While national policies remain important, poverty cannot be viewed solely through the domestic lens.
Persistent poverty remains both the cause and a consequence of human rights deprivation, limiting access to fundamental rights.
Many developing countries continue to face interconnected challenges, including constrained fiscal space, debt vulnerabilities, and external economic pressures, which limit investments in poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Adré these challenges requires greater policy coherence and coordination across the multilateral system, strengthening the interlinkages between human rights development, climate resilience, and economic inclusion.
For Zambia, undertaking poverty requires not only social protection measures, but also investments that expand economic opportunities, strengthen resilience, and support sustainable livelihoods, especially in rural communities.
We therefore underscore the importance of international cooperation and enhanced support for climate adaptation and resilience building efforts.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to University for peace.
Thank you, Madam Vice President, the University for Peace thanks the special Reporter for the important reports and welcome the continued attention given to the structural causes of poverty and their impact on the enjoyment of human rights.
UP shares the view that poverty should not be considered merely as a lack of income, but as a condition that limit human dignity, participation, opportunity, and the full realization of human potential.
Persistent poverty often reflects deeper inequalities and exclusion that undermine social cohesion and sustainable development.
As an institution established by the United Nations General Assembly to promote peace through education, training, and research, UP recognize this close relationship between poverty, social justice, and peace.
Efforts to eradicate poverty should therefore go beyond economic indicators alone and place human well being, inclusion, and equal opportunities at the center of policymaking.
Education plays a particularly important role in this regard.
Accessible and quality education can empower individuals and communities, strengthen resilience, and help address some of the root causes of poverty and marginalization.
UP encourages continued international cooperation and knowledge sharing to support human rights based approaches to poverty eradication and inclusive development.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Botswana.
Madam Vice President, Botswana welcomes the report of the Special Rapportur and agrees that the entrenched inequalities worsens poverty.
This insight resonates deeply with Botswa's longstanding commitment to social justice, inclusive development, and protection of human dignity.
Botswana underscores the value of Special Rapport's three layer approach to reducing poverty, which entails post market compensation in market inclusion, and pre market social investment.
At the national level, Botswana continues to implement targeted social protection programs, expanding access to education and health care and promote economic diversification to create sustainable livelihoods.
We also recognize the need to improve data systems to better capture multidimensional poverty and ensure that no vulnerable group is left behind.
Furthermore, Botswana supports the call for the enhanced international cooperation, including predictable financing for social protection floors and fairer global economic arrangements that enable developing countries to meet their human rights obligations.
In conclusion, Botswana reaffirms its commitment to working with all member states to eradicate poverty in all its forms and to advance a more just equitable and sustainable world.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Vietnam.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Vietnam thanks the Special Rapporteur for the report and for sharing the experiences during his country visit to Rwanda.
Vietnam considers poverty eradication both a fundamental human rights objective and a key driver of sustainable development at a time when geopolitical tensions, trade related issues, and non traditional security challenges threatened to reverse decades of hard won progress, international solidarity and people centered policies are more important than ever.
Following the 14th National Party Congress, Vietnam is going through a new stage of development aimed at achieving rapid and sustainable growth while ensuring social progress and equity.
As the country strives to attain high economic growth and become a high income developed nation by 2045, poverty reduction and human development remain among our top priorities, guided by the principle of leaving no one behind.
Our multidimensional poverty rate fell from 44.4% in 2021 to 1.3% in 2025, and we are striving to bring this rate below 1% in the coming years.
In conclusion, Vietnam will continue to work with international partners to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Tibuti.
Thank you, Vice President.
Dibututi would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of his report, which highlights the structural causes of poverty and the growing impact of economic and social inequalities around the world.
Dibututi agrees that poverty cannot be reduced to a mere lack of income, but that it is a multidimensional assault on human dignity because it limits access to fundamental rights.
Dibuti attaches great importance to social investments as a key lever for sustainably reducing poverty.
We consider investment in school, health, and water infrastructure or energy infrastructure to be the main way for improving living conditions for the entire population, including in remote rural areas.
Dibbouti also believes that the fight against poverty and inequalities is a collective responsibility which requires enhanced international cooperation and a fairer global economic governance.
Special Rapporteur, in order to break the cycle vulnerability, what specific measures could be established in order to support in the long term developing countries, in particular, the least developed countries in creating inclusive social protection systems while preventing dependence or over indebtedness.
Thank you.
Mercy, next, I give the floor to Supernr of Malta.
Madam Vice President, the Sovereign Order of Malta would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for his insightful final report.
We welcome the central finding that poverty is not merely the result of individual circumstances, rather it is often the result of structural inequalities, inadequate social protection systems, unequal access to essential services, and policy choices that leave the most vulnerable behind.
This also confirms the importance of adopting a human rights based approach for eradicating poverty.
Through our humanitarian, medical and social activities in more than 120 countries, we are witnessing these realities daily.
From providing healthcare and food assistance and to supporting migrants, displaced persons, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities.
Our initiatives seek not only to alleviate immediate suffering, but also to address barriers and in a sustainable way.
We welcome the emphasis placed on comprehensive anti poverty strategies and the roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
These approaches remind us that development should not be measured, should be measured in terms of dignity and human rights.
Special Rapporteur, what, in your view, role can faith based and humanitarian organizations play in supporting the local implementation of the roadmap and in fostering inclusive and community driven approaches to poverty eradication.
Thank you.
Portugal.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Portugal welcome miss Elena Galan and congratulates her on her appointment.
We also thank the former Special Rapporteur, Mr.
Olivier De Schutter, for his valuable contribution throughout his mandate.
This report invites us to rethink how we measure progress in the fight against poverty, reminding us it cannot be reduced to insufficient income alone, but must be viewed from a human rights perspective.
It is important to invest in education, social protection, and quality public services to promote social mobility and break cycles of disadvantage.
Welcome the report's recognition of the importance of adopting integrated and participatory approaches to poverty eradication.
As highlighted in the report, Portugal's national strategy to fight against poverty applies this concept by combining whole of government coordination with the participation of civil society based on the understanding that poverty is a multidimensional challenge that cannot be addressed by any single policy sector alone.
Madam Special Rapporteur, building on the previous mandate holders work on non take up of rights, how can states move from a logic in which individuals bear the burden of claiming their rights to one in which institutions ensure their rights effectively reach those who need them most? I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Jordan.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Jordan takes note of the report of the Special Rapporteur and its review on the importance of comprehensive national policies to put an end to poverty and inequality.
We stress that combating poverty is a national priority that is not only confined to direct support, but also to expanding job opportunities, improving access to basic services, and enhancing social protection in order to break intergenerational poverty cycles.
In this respect, Jordan carries out integrated national tracks, including the national strategy for social Protection, the national Assistance fund projects, as well as the economic modernization vision that focuses on improving job opportunities, the empowerment of women and youth, and the improvement of the quality of life.
We also stressed on the importance of addressing the specific needs of developing countries, which are requires an increase of national and international support in order to build more sustainable and effective social protection systems.
Our question to the Special Rapporteur, how could the countries design a gradual track that links between fiscal support, training, employment, and basic services so that interventions are not only confined to support and the transition to work is not only a temporary measure.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Indonesia.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Indonesia notes the report asking the world to move beyond growth, but we must be honest about who is asked to do what.
For high income economies that consume the most, moving beyond growth makes sense.
But for developing countries, growth remains the later out of poverty and the means to fund the very rights we defend in this room.
Yet we understand that growth alone is not enough, as the report rightly notes, growth that ignores fair distribution and the planetary limits will only leave the poorest behind and expose them first to the environmental harm.
Today, a single individual holds more wealth than the poorest half of humanity combined.
When so few hold and consume so much, justice begins with them, not with developing countries holding back their own development.
Indonesia affirms its sovereign right to industrialize and to add value to its own resources while advancing efforts to protect the environment.
This balance is a common but differentiated responsibility put into practice and it cannot end at climate finance.
CBDR also means not kicking away the ladder that developing countries still need to climb.
In this regard, Indonesia would welcome future work by the new mandate holder on guiding principle 19 of the roadmap, which grounds CBDR and international solidarity as a moral and legal obligation.
I thank you.
Okay.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Albania.
President.
Thank you, Vice President.
Albania would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of a report and we support her mandate.
We commend the innovative approach that places human dignity, social justice, and environmental sustainability at the heart of public policy.
We agree that economic growth alone is not sufficient for eradicating poverty.
Social and environmental crises as well as persistent inequalities call for structural responses.
Albania is committed to an approach to development that is focused on human rights, equal opportunities, and environmental protection.
We have already launched a number of reforms in order to strengthen social protection, improve access to essential services, and promote the inclusion of vulnerable groups.
We do acknowledge, however, that challenges remain, especially in the face of climate change impacts and in light of the need to create decent jobs or better manage public debt.
We would like to include by commending the participatory approach of the roadmap and encourage continuation of the dialog with all stakeholders, including civil society and people living in poverty.
Albania remains committed to actively contributing to human rights for all and to building a more just inclusive and sustainable economy.
I thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Senegal.
Madam Madam Vice President, thank you.
Senegal aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the Africa group and we would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of her report, the topic of which is of particular significance.
For Senegal, the struggle against extreme poverty remains indissociable from the full realization of economic, social, and cultural rights.
It calls for coherent public policies that are based on equity, solidarity, and inclusion.
It is with this in mind that my country has been undertaking social reforms in particular through the consolidation of the measures for the beneficiaries of those who receive family benefits and also the operationalization of the autonomous fund for social protection with an improved and in terms of access for vulnerable households through a single window mechanism.
These initiatives go hand in hand with a structured approach which seeks to universalize access to healthcare and decent housing at affordable prices, measures to tackle flood risks, and also measures to address agricultural pests and other such measures.
We remain convinced that addressing extreme poverty requires enhanced international cooperation, sustainable financing.
Thank you.
Mercy, next, I give the floor to Brazil.
Madam Vice President, Brazil thanks the Special Rapporteur for her report.
As highlighted, poverty is not inevitable, but is produced by policy choices and unequal economic structures.
Brazil agrees that combating poverty and inequality must remain at the center of development policies.
Brazil welcomes the report's recognition of countries, including Brazil that understand the gravity of inequality and have assumed the leading role in the global fight against it.
At the national level, Brazil combines social protection, food security, decent work and inclusion.
We welcome the reference to Brazil's inter ministerial working group tasked with repairing a national care policy, reflecting our understanding that care is central to combating poverty and gender inequality.
Internationally, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty launched under Brazil's G 20 presidency reflects a conviction in a world with sufficient resources and knowledge, hunger and extreme poverty are unacceptable.
Modern Special Rapporteur, would welcome your views on how the human rights system can support efforts to reduce inequality, strengthen care systems, and advance cooperation against hunger and poverty.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Fiji.
Fiji.
Fiji is not present.
Next, I give the floor to Saudi Arabia.
Madam Vice President, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the special aportur and thanks for the report.
It stresses that combating poverty in all its forms is essential to enhance human dignity and the enjoyment of economic, social, and developmental rights.
Out of this commitment, The kingdom has adopted a comprehensive approach to enhance social protection under Division of Saudi Arabia 2030 in order to provide sustainable development and to provide also economic and social services to everyone.
In this respect, we have improved an integrated social protection system through a Variety of systems and programs, including the developed social security system that provides support to beneficiaries and empowers them economically is through the training, rehabilitation and employment projects from which 1,200,000 families benefit.
It has also launched a number of developmental initiatives to empower women and productive families and entrepreneurship.
In conclusion, we stress the importance of pursuing efforts in order to improve social protection and economic empowerment in order that everyone enjoys social and economic rights and to achieve sustainable development goals.
Thank you, to Cameron.
Thank you, Vice President.
Cameroon aligns itself with the statements made by the groups to which it belongs and we thank the special aportur for the presentation of her report.
We note with interest the analysis of extreme poverty and inequalities which remain major obstacles for the full enjoyment of human rights and sustainable development.
My country agrees with the view that poverty cannot be seen solely through the lens of income.
A multidimensional approach that takes into account access to education, to healthcare, to employment, to energy, and to social protection remains paramount in order to shape effective and inclusive public policies.
This vision is at the very heart of our national development strategy 2020 2030, which gives pride of place to poverty reduction and reduction of inequalities and territorial differences.
My government is working to improve access to basic social services, to strengthen social protection, to promote agricultural transformation and industrial transformation, and to foster better access to energy.
Moreover, the special plan for the promotion of the integration to the labor market and self employment of young persons, which was launched in 2025 seeks to strengthen economic opportunities and prevent vulnerability.
In the same spirit, presidential plans for reconstruction and development at the regional level contribute to reducing the effects of crises.
Thank you.
Mercy, next, I give the floor to Libya.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur and the report that aims to combat poverty.
We are concerned regarding the increase in poverty that puts millions of individuals under the line of poverty and we stress the importance of addressing the root causes of poverty in quality education and We agree with the Special Rapporteur that there should be social protection programs in order to prevent poverty, to invest socially in the human being, to improve the quality of training and education and to improve salaries for individuals to get out of the cycle of poverty.
We have taken a number of steps to enhance social protection, including social grants to children and students and investing in improving the quality of education and training and to enable everyone to enjoy social and economic services and rights.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Mexico.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Mexico would like to thank Rapporteur De Shuo for his work and we welcome Special Rapporteur Madam Diaz and wish her every success in her mandate.
We agree that poverty is a human rights violation, the eradication of which requires addressing its structural causes.
We are also in favor of measuring it through a multidimensional approach in order to identify the most impactful areas.
Mexico has shown that reducing poverty is not the result of economic cycles or growth inertia, but rather it stems from a social policy decision to protect those who historically have been marginalized.
Through a combination of sustained increases to minimum wages and reforms to the labor market and social programs, Mexico has managed to stem the progress of poverty and to turn the tide on it.
In 2018-2024, the multidimensional poverty rate fell with 13.4 million people coming out of poverty and 1.7 million people coming out of extreme poverty.
This result confirms that when a state focuses its efforts, then helping the poorest is the most effective way towards collective well being.
Results are possible.
Thank you.
Welcome.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Cyprus.
Thank you, Vice President.
Cyprus aligns itself with the EU statement and thanks to Special Rapporteur for the presentation of this report.
Poverty remains one of the greatest challenges to human dignity, social justice, and the full realization of all human rights.
As highlighted in the report, the world is facing an inequality emergency with nine in ten people globally living in countries that meet the threshold for high inequality.
This figure underscores the urgent need for targeted impact oriented policies that address poverty and exclusion.
Cyprus remain committed to eradicating poverty through social policies grounded in human rights, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Through the social policy strategy 2022 to 2027, particular emphasis is placed on supporting individuals and groups in vulnerable situations.
Namely Cyprus is advancing measures against the socioeconomic exclusion of persons with disabilities through the Revised National Disability Strategy and Action Plan 2024 to 2028.
Recognizing the heightened risk of poverty and social exclusion faced by persons with disabilities, the strategy reaches 10,000 beneficiaries through comprehensive disability support schemes, while a dedicated entrepreneurship grant for persons with disabilities helps strengthen economic independence.
Furthermore, the neighborhood social worker program supports identification of community needs and strengthens the responsiveness of social services at the local level.
Madam Special Rapporteur, which strategies or policies have you identified as particularly effective in ensuring that multiple intersecting inequalities are duly considered in formulating anti poverty responses.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Egypt.
Thank you, Mr.
Madam Vice President.
We have taken note of the report of the Special Rapportur.
We reaffirmed that all forms and manifestations of poverty, including extreme poverty is a barrier to the enjoyment of human rights.
It is the greatest challenge before humanity.
We would like to reaffirm that poverty is multidimensional and it cannot be addressed addressing the global economic context by generated by the rising debt as well as the gaping digital divide and climate change.
Measuring progress in addressing poverty must be predicated on a number of indicators that addresses poverty in all its dimensions, particularly progress in addressing structural economic imbalances.
Our question is, how the rising debt burdens and the rising debt service costs impact the extreme poverty and how the situation translate into the enjoyment of persons with human rights.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Romania.
Vice President, Romania welcome the Special Rapporteur.
Thanks for the presentation of the report and reiterates his strong mandate, support for the mandate.
We align ourselves with your statement and concur with special Rapporteur's view that poverty and inequalities are not natural events.
They are not inevitable and can be overcome by collective and decisive action.
While significant progress has been made in Romania since joining the European Union, our country still struggles with its own economic challenges, inequalities, and regional disparities.
To overcome them, various policies and measures has been initiated.
Their ultimate goal aims at combating discrimination, ensuring that the gap between legal entitlements and real access is closed and that the social protection and public services reach all who need them.
The specific and strategic measures put forward are meant to stimulate investments and economic development and create a more stable and predictable fiscal framework, including through lower taxes and simpler rules for business environment, financially support the employees with low salaries and reduce social pressures generated by inflation and to reduce budget expenditure and strengthen financial discipline.
The proposed roadmap is highly relevant for Romania as for other states across the globe, in times of historic economic and financial difficulties that hit firstly on the hardest people in the most vulnerable situations and disadvantaged communities.
Strong political will is needed to implement systemic change and transform our economy and society so that no one is left behind.
Madam Special Raporteur, in your view, how could states be incentivized? Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Uruguay.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
Uruguay welcomes Madam Rapporteur Diaz Glen and wishes her the very best in her role.
We appreciate the fact that the report reaffirms the importance of a multidimensional perspective on poverty which goes beyond just income and considers also access to effective rights, essential services, social protection, employment, care, and participation.
In this vein, Uruguay presented its multidimensional poverty indicator.
This is a tool that complements traditional monetary measures and allows the better identification of debt provision being confronted by homes, thus contributing to designing public policies that are more precise and effective.
We would like to understand the vision of the Special Rapporteur concerning how we can continue to promote an a comprehensive approach to poverty which combines social protection, investments in childhood, the early years, decent work, participation of those effective, affected and mechanisms for accountability.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Eritrea.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
For Eritrea, poverty eradication is fundamentally an issue of dignity and national sovereignty.
True emancipation cannot be outsourced to fluctuating donor charity or market driven mechanisms.
Driven by a guiding philosophy of social justice, Eritrea has institutionalized targeted social safety nets to protect the most vulnerable from structural marginalization.
Our approach is designed to counter the manufacturing of vulnerability by ensuring equitable distribution of domestic resources.
Through our national social protection programs, the state provides consistent institutionalized material support to thousands of war disabled veterans, martyr, families, and female headed households, ensuring their socioeconomic inclusion.
We must emphasize that the intentional manufacturing of poverty is not limited to domestic choices.
It has a devastating international dimension.
The systematic enforcement of illegal unilateral cursive measures represents the literal global manufacturing of poverty.
These punitive sanctions deliberately cripple national industrial capacities, freeze developmental investments, and sabotage trade functioning as an artificial chock hold on the right to development for millions in the global South.
Eritrea calls for fundamental overhaul of the global economic architecture.
If we are to stop the manufacturing of poverty, the international community must dismantle illegal economic blockades and invest in an equitable multilateral system that prioritizes social justice and structural human dignity over corporate growth matrix.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Paraguay.
Vds.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
We're grateful to the Special Rapporteur for the report she's presented, and we appreciate the analysis carried out concerning the need to address poverty and inequality from a comprehensive framework which is rooted in human rights.
We recognize that access to work represents a key element to break poverty cycles.
In that connection, it's important to promote more inclusive labor markets and progress towards formal sector work as well as capacity build among informal workers and broaden social protection, particularly for those in a particular situation of vulnerability.
In line with this goal, we'd like to mention that in Paraguay, the National Poverty Reduction Plan 2023 to 2030, is the key instrument to reduce multidimensional monetary poverty, prioritizing women, older people, persons with disabilities, and indigenous people to ensure effective access to income core services and opportunities.
We also highlight that the National Employment Plan 2022 to 2026 is the guideline for work poverties targeting decent work and progressive formalization, as well as capacity building with particular focus on those in a situation of vulnerability.
Finally, we want to ask how can states, particularly developing countries, progress towards national strategies to combat poverty, which combine social protection, economic inclusion, and social investment, also ensuring fiscal sustainability.
The chair interrupts Zimbwe has the floor.
Madam Vice President, Zimbabwe welcomes the report of the special rapporteur.
We concur that the fight against poverty and inequalities should be at the heart of the new generation of developmental goals, recognizing that poverty is not inevitable.
Zimbabwe has made significant progress in addressing extreme poverty through ratification of international and regional human rights instruments, including those related to food, water, and shelter.
We are committed to achieving sustainable development goal one, ending extreme poverty by 2030.
The Constitution recognizes fundamental economic and social rights, including those relating to education, health, and basic needs.
The government has mobilized resources to implement programs aimed at improving livelihoods.
Key initiatives include the presidential input scheme supporting farmers, presidential boho drilling program for water access and irrigation and the food deficit mitigation scheme for the vulnerable communities.
In addition, the basic education assistance module beam supports learners in primary and secondary schools while healthcare assistance covers medical costs for children under five in public health facilities.
We reaffirm our commitment to eradicating extreme poverty, promoting and protecting human rights.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I get the floor to Ecuador.
Thank you, Vice President.
My delegation welcomes the Special Rapporteur and is grateful to her predecessor, Mr.
Desta, for the report and roadmap to progress towards a human rights based economy.
Ecuador believes that extreme poverty constitutes one of the key challenges for the attainment of human rights and in that context, it has fostered policies, programs, and mechanisms to strengthen social inclusion, reduce vulnerability, and promote the well being of the population.
These include the comprehensive social protection systems, which ensures access to homes in situations of poverty and extreme poverty as well as vulnerability to benefit services and monetary transfers, such as the human development subsidy, the all life pension, and the Pension for Persons with Disabilities.
We also have support services for the early years with family support programs, home visits, and care spaces, as well as a national strategy entitled Ector Growth Without Child Without Child malnutrition.
We finally have also fostered capital development programs and seed capital programs for productive development and strengthening schools as well as learning and business management and entrepreneurship.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Spain.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
Spain aligns itself with the EU statement and is extremely grateful for the inform the roadmap presented in the name of the former Rapporteur recognizing the important work done in recent years.
Spain reaffirms its firm commitment to this road towards eliminating poverty and conveys its undying support to the new Special Rapporteur.
Poverty is a challenge which concerns all of us.
It's a challenge that, as the roadmap says, is not resolved with mere growth.
It requires multidimensional measures, inclusivity in our economies and guaranteed access to core services as well as protection for those working in the informal sector and international cooperation.
These are all key pillars to combat poverty and inequality.
We agree that there is a vicious circle connecting inequality, pollution, and the growth of poverty caused by climate change.
It's essential that a human rights focused is firmly anchored at the heart of all international negotiations in this council and in the cops and other economic and political forum forums with the contribution of the Special Rapporteur in line with this multidimensional and multi for vision of the Combat against poverty, Spain will continue to call for a global approach to tackling this, which is connected through the Seville platform and working to ensure that the first SDG is attained both within and without our borders.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, take the floor to Georgia.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
At the outset, I would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for this report.
In recent years, Georgia has undertaken measures aimed at strengthening social protection, reducing poverty.
Here are some of them.
State pensions and social packages for targeted groups are increased annually.
Assessment of socioeconomic conditions of households and provision of tailored support to those most in need through targeted social assistance Program.
Preventing institutionalization of older and disabled persons and promoting their independent living through further development of personal assistance and home care services.
With the support of international partners, Georgia is transitioning from medical to a biopsychosocial model of disability assessment in light with international standards.
Georgia is also developing mechanisms to facilitate the integration of able bodied individuals from vulnerable households into the labor market.
While emphasizing the importance of eradicating poverty and hunger in all their forms and reducing inequalities, let me stress that people in the Russia occupied Akzi and Skinvali regions are left behind the above mentioned development processes and continue to be deprived of their rights and fundamental freedoms.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ireland.
Ireland aligns with the statement of the EU and welcomes the Special Rapporteur in her new role.
We thank the previous mandate Elder for the reports before the council today and welcome his roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
We agree with the report's finding that economic growth often fails to translate into commensurate improvements in economic, social, and cultural rights.
Ireland's international development policy, a Better World, there focuses on the concept of inclusive economic growth.
Reaching the furthest behind first is the overarching frame of Ireland's development policy, and this principle should remain at the heart of international development cooperation.
We welcome the report's message that the challenge is not to dispense with growth, but to focus on the social, distributive, and ecological character of development and ensure that growth is truly employment rich, inclusive, oriented towards local needs, and sustainable.
The subsequent conclusion that an overly narrow focus on gross domestic product can distort decision making in favor of forms of development that interala deepen inequalities and intensify insecurity is important.
Special Rapporteur, we agree with the report's finding that the international poverty line is an extremely low and insufficient minimum threshold.
However, the poverty line illustrates the increased concentration of extreme poverty in more fragile contexts.
What can the international community do to refocus its resources and attention to addressing the unique challenges of these contexts? Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Kuwait.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
At the outset, my delegation wishes to welcome the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and Human Rights.
We thank her for her efforts to prepare the report which contained the important recommendations on addressing poverty and the full enjoyment of human rights.
The state of Kuwait reaffirms that the elimination of poverty is a main priority for sustainable development and the promoting human dignity.
Adré the root causes of poverty requires further international cooperation and furthering the local and national efforts aimed at providing healthcare, education, and decent work for all.
The Euait believes that sustainable that the developing countries and least developed countries must be supported to address poverty and inequality.
This is an approach that has been taken by the Kuwaiti Development and International Cooperation Fund through providing help and assistance to friendly countries in this respect.
And in light of the proposal of the International Committee on economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as the International Panel on inequality, don't you think that there must be a legal framework to crystallize the cooperation between the international committees and the other stakeholders to realize the aspired goal.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, give the floor to Gambia.
Gambia is absent.
Next I give the floor to Malawi.
Madam Vice President, Malawi thanks the Special Apportur for the comprehensive report and agrees with the central finding that poverty is not a natural disaster.
It is manufactured by political choices and structural injustices and can therefore be dismantled by deliberate action.
Malawi aligns with the reports score for lies based national anti poverty strategies that move beyond the post market composition to address in market exclusion and chronical intergenerational disadvantage.
We note with deep concern that over 90 90% of sub Saharan African population live in extreme poverty using an 8.2 purchasing power po measure, a figure unchallenged for three decades.
For Malawi, this is not a statistic, it is a daily reality.
Malawi has developed a national social protection policy aimed at reducing poverty and vulnerability and ensuring protection throughout the life cycle, yet domestic effort alone cannot achieve the eradication of extreme poverty where the international coercion order remains unreformed.
Debt burdens continue to force developing states to prioritize servicing external creditors over financial social protection.
In conclusion, Malawi calls for state and international partners to honor their commitments to social protection and increase long term financing through a global fund for social protection.
I think you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to State of Palestine.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her important reports.
Her central finding that poverty is not accidental, it's manufactured through political, economic, and institutional arrangements that deprive people from their rights, opportunities, and dignity.
The occupied Palestinian territory stands as a stark example of this reality.
As the Special Rapporteur reminds us, poverty cannot be separated from questions of power.
Governance and access to resources.
Yet, the Palestinian people continue to be deprived of the very conditions necessary for development.
The continued withholding and deduction of the Palestinian clearance revenues by the illegal occupying power undermines the Palestinian government ability to provide healthcare, education, and social protection, deepening poverty and economic insecurity.
The same time, the genocideal war on Raza has erased decades of development gains and devastated the foundations of the Palestinian economy.
As documented by Oktad, the destruction of homes, infrastructure, productive sectors, public institutions, and livelihoods has pushed Gaza from development to total economic collapse, leaving most of the population dependent on humanitarian assistance and without the means to sustain their livelihoods.
The Palestinian experience demonstrates that poverty is not inevitable.
It is the foreseeable outcome of structural policies and conditions that deprive people of their resources, development, and dignity.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Algeria.
Madam Vice President Algeria, I would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for her report.
We share her the analysis that poverty is not inevitable, rather, it is a result of uneven economic and policy options.
There must be a structural intervention in the market and priority must be given to the advance and proactive social investment.
This multidimensional approach is embodied by Algeria by constitutionalizing the right to education and free comprehensive health care.
Algeriia has also a promoted the redistribution mechanism as a robust system to subsidize basic resources, accompanied by a full social coverage towards decent works.
Algeria is committed to supporting regional cooperation through implementing vital projects through the International Cooperation and Development Organization so that African countries would be empowered as a main driver to eradicate poverty and inequality.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This was the last speaker we could accommodate for this dialogue.
We shall now go to the list of speakers for national Human Rights institutions and non governmental organizations.
And first, I give the floor to Scottish Human Rights Commission.
Mr.
President, the Scottish Human Rights Commission thanks the former Special Rapporteur, Professor DeSter, for his work on this important report and welcome, M D Galan to this vital mandate.
As many have warned, including the special rapporteurs and the High Commissioner, poverty and the failures of states to realize the right to an adequate standard of living should concern us all.
As Scotland's NHRI, we are seeing the implications of these failures in our communities.
People are struggling.
In some cases, that can lead to the erosion of trust in public institutions and paves the way for those who wish to blame minority groups or the human rights framework itself for these state failures.
Scotland's national mission to eliminate child poverty provides an example of a national cross portfolio strategy underpinned by statutory targets.
This is welcome, and yet official statistics show a stubborn resistance to meaningful reduction.
Without more ambitious efforts to progressively realize economic, social, and cultural rights, the SHRC is gravely concerned for the future of the wider human rights frameworks and how their ability to protect each and every one of us is operationalized.
That's why we have prioritized our own work on ESC rights in local communities and a strategic focus on poverty.
I look forward to hearing how the Special Rapporteur will work with NHRIs in her mission.
I thank the council.
Thank you.
Next I give the floor to Sb Develop Society for a joint statement.
Madam Vice President, extreme poverty remains one of the gravest challenges confronting humanity and a fundamental barrier to the realization of universal human rights.
We would like to congratulate the mandate for its comprehensive work in preparing the roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
Is the roadmap an antidote to pessimism? Not sure.
A human rights economy looks like a great concept.
However, going forward, we might need more clarity on the concept, including the practical indicators to measure the success of it.
Several other concepts have been introduced.
A further crystallization of these concepts will help make it a truly practical roadmap.
Countries at different levels of development have different needs and they face different challenges.
Yes, for LDCs and emerging economies, the challenge is inclusive and sustainable growth.
However, blueprinting economic growth is a complex exercise.
The growing impact of climate change, terrorism, and economic instability are accerbating existing inequalities and pushing vulnerable populations deeper into poverty.
In this context, social protection, decent work opportunities, and stability and peace are indispensable for reduction in extreme poverty.
Madam Vice President, adequate development financing, technology transfer and support for locally led development initiatives are absolutely critical to achieve the ambitions of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to your right livelihood, the Foundation.
Vice President, we're grateful to the Special Rapporteur for this important report, which recalls that poverty isn't inevitable.
It's produced and perpetuated through structural inequality, social exclusion, and the lack of investment in human rights.
This reality is clear and visible in the indigenous communities and those of African descent in the North Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.
Where poverty isn't a lack of income, it's the result of evictions, conflicts in tenancy, a lack of basic services, and systematic and colonial exclusion.
The situation is exacerbated because of limited access to public services and social protection mechanisms.
Women are most affected because they shoulder the burden disproportionately of care and they also maintain cultural belongings and possession systems.
As is emphasized in the report, a lack of recognition and support for this care work deepens and exacerbates poverty for women.
The lack of access to land also threatens cultural survival among indigenous people and those of African descent where women should a disproportionate role in ensuring collective memory in the face of eviction.
Agree with the porter that combating poverty means strengthening public services, broadening social protection, and recognizing care as shared public responsibility.
It requires that we guarantee territorial rights and self determination of indigenous peoples as well as effective participation of women in decisions affecting their communities.
Poverty cannot be eliminated through care work that continues to be invisibilized, and a persistent lack of recognition of the indigenous forms of social organization and community organization for indigenous peoples and those of African descent.
Thank you.
Microphone.
Madam Vice President, we have noted the special or in the report, the manufacturing of poverty pointed out that taking economic growth as a precondition for social progress is not necessarily conductive to eliminating poverty and equality and may even be counterproductive.
We believe that development is the foundation and key to eliminating poverty and inequality.
This refer to high quality development, which does not simply pursue growth in economic data, but it's people centered with efforts to strengthen innovation capacity, promote balanced development, improve the ecological environment, raise the level of openness, and advance shared development with the aim of better meeting the ever growing needs of all people for the better life.
Eliminating absolute poverty through targeted poverty alleviation is a landmark achievement in China's high quality development process.
This demonstrate development is the most effective way to eliminating poverty and the most stable path to creating a happy life.
Online development can better achieve equality and safeguard human rights.
We expect all countries can abandon the politicization of human rights, work together to promote high quality development and jointly address the challenge of poverty.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Caritas Internationalis President.
Caritas welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur.
Serving the most vulnerable people in more than 160 countries, Caritas witnesses every day how fundamental human rights are being undermined, not by accident, but by economic systems that prioritize growth, profit, and the concentration of wealth over human dignity.
These injustices are further reinforced by an international financial architecture that has never been adequately reformed.
The contradictions of our growth driven economic system are clear.
About 40% of the world's livelihoods depend on a healthy natural environment.
The consumption patterns of the global North cannot be universalized.
If left unaddressed, climate change impacts will cost 4% of annual global GDP by 2050.
Calling growth green, inclusive, or sustainable is not sufficient.
In his recent encyclical, magnifica mannitas, the Pope calls on us to look beyond GDP and measure progress through the dignity of work, shared prosperity, and environmental stewardship.
Madam Vice President, the roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth offers a practical path forward, grounded in robust evidence and lived experiences.
We urge governments to engage with its recommendations and to redesign our economies to move away from a mere focus on growth and profit.
Reducing poverty and inequality should always be the starting point for people to allow to live in dignity.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Vilage U.
Thank you Chair.
The United Nations affirmed link between sustainable development, human rights, and peace.
In Indian administer Jamir in Kashmir, post fifth August 2019, development has have raised concerns about the socioeconomic stability and the protection of rights.
Independent estimates indicate economic conditions with youth unemployment between 18% and 22% in several districts and educated unemployment rising due to the market disruption.
A report suggests that over 60,000 government and semi government positions were terminated, restructured leading to household income loss and insecurity.
Furthermore, one in four households remain near or below the poverty line, reflecting persistent economic fragility.
Closure and restriction of civil society educational institutions have disrupted access to education for thousands of cts in rural areas.
These challenges are intensified by agriculture and informal labor, making communities vulnerable to policy shift.
We stress importance of India's Waters Treaties 1960, which supports livelihood of millions dependent on him and Chenob River system.
Any disruption by India would risk humanitarian consequences, including threat to agriculture, for security, and hydropower generation.
In line with the International Covenant on economic and social cultural rights, right to work, education, and educate living standards must be protected.
First, I give the floor to International movement ATD fourth World.
Vice President, ATD fourth World would like to thank the Special Rapportur for presenting the last and most forward looking report prepared by the former Special Rapporteur, Mr.
Oli de Sutter.
The great contribution of the report is that it presents a comprehensive toolbox of policy options that can not only achieve the eradication of poverty, but also improve the quality of life for all.
Transcending the entire roadmap is the principle of participation.
As expressed in the UN guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights adopted in 2012, genuine participation implies much more than a simple survey.
Anti poverty policies are often not effective because they are designed, implemented, and evaluated without people living in poverty, and yet they are the ones who know better than anyone else how systems can fail in practice.
In order to ensure the most effective use available resources, their expertise must guide the design, implementation, and monitoring of anti poverty strategies from local councils to parliament and international forums.
Therefore, we would like to ask whether the special reporter has examples of the participation of people in poverty in the elaboration and implementation of anti poverty strategies.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Hi.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.
Madam Vice President, we thank the Special Rapporteur for this important report.
We welcome the recognition that poverty is often the result of policy choices rather than personal failure.
In New Zealand, women continue to bear the greatest burden of economic insecurity, leading them into poverty.
Rising housing costs, inadequate incomes, and unequal caregiving responsibilities are pushing many women and sole parent households deeper into hardship.
We are particularly concerned by recent changes to pay equity legislation that have created new barriers to achieving equal pay and risk further undervaluing women's work.
At the same time, welfare incomes remain inadequate, punitive sanctions have been reintroduced and funding cuts to community services have reduced support for those most in need.
These measures disproportionately affect women, including Maori and Pacifica women, older women, and single mothers.
Madam Vice President, economic recovery and fiscal sustainability must not come at the expense of human rights.
We urge the government of New Zealand to strengthen pay equity protections, ensure adequate social protection, and punitive welfare sanctions, and invest in services that help prevent poverty and exclusion.
Welcome the special rapporteurs reflections on how states can ensure that fiscal reforms do not institutionalize poverty among women and other marginalized groups.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Make Mother's Matter.
This President, Make Mother's Matter thanks, former Sci Rapporteur, Mr.
Desta, for his outstanding work and unwavering commitment to poverty eradication and constructive engagement with NGOs throughout this mandate.
We look forward to working with miss Diaz Galla.
MMM fully supports the map for EDGM eradicating poverty beyond growth with challenges, traditional reliance on GDP growth as a primary pathway to poverty reduction and proposes concrete alternatives.
Roadmap outlines a necessary transition to a human rights economy, one that prioritizes well being and human rights and places care, social reproduction, and intergenerational solidarity at the heart of economic governance.
It recognizes a fundamental reality.
Economies depend not only on markets and paid labor, but also on the vast amount of unpaid care work performed every day, predominantly by women.
Yet this life sustaining work remains largely invisible and undervalued.
It's unequal distribution limits women's labor force participation, earnings, and social protection, increasing the risk of poverty, particularly for mothers.
Therefore call on member states to recognize that poverty and inequality are the result of policy choices and to embrace the roadmap as a guide towards a care centered human rights economy.
Placing care and caregivers, including mothers at the heart of public policy is not only a matter of gender equality.
It is essential to eradicating poverty, advancing social justice, and achieving sustainable development.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Association Kita Papa Giovanni.
APG 23 welcomes the reports of the Special Rapporteur.
Being committed to removing the root causes of poverty and injustice at community and advocacy levels.
We ensure our constructive engagement with miss Diaz Galan.
We also thank Mr.
De Shooter for the passionate commitment and the constant search for putting persons in poverty and concrete struggle at the center.
We witness and strongly share the report's key point.
Poverty is not inevitable but manufactured by norms, choices, and structural injustices.
They need to be finally reversed by dismantling the neocolonial dependencies, power concentration, and systemic drivers of oppression and inequalities rooted in the prevailing economic model and in the global financial and governance architectures.
Therefore, we endorsed the remarkable policy framework designed in the roadmap to reconcile social and economic justice with planetary boundaries.
We especially support its appeal to international solidarity, a legal and moral obligation, and to adjust international order and reaffirm the need for a right to development approach.
People in poverty are the only ones entitled to choose and forge their own development, vision, and paths through democratic and participatory processes.
It's really the time to reshape economy by exploring new ways to pursue people's well being and overcoming growths and unsustainable production and consumption patterns.
Let's support the different realities on the ground already transitioning from profit driven to social solidarity and human rights economies and the service of people and the planet.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ana.
Madam La President.
President, our organization would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for her report and for her commitment to people living in poverty.
We'd like to draw the council's attention to the situation of many rural communities who face the consequences of conflicts linked to transhumans in Togo.
For many families, agriculture is the main source of income.
When crops are destroyed or severely damaged, households don't only lose their harvests, they lose the resources they need to feed their families.
Frequently tensions that stem from these situations lead to clashes, which can also end up in massacres.
Some people end up with having limbs chopped off, which can then further exacerbate the economic and social vulnerability of the populations concerned.
This is a recurring problem in several communities in Togo.
People affected face a deterioration of their living conditions and a heightened risk of poverty.
This reality gives rise to concerns about the right to food, the right to labor, the right to sufficient living conditions, and the right to development rural communities.
Madam Special Rapporteur, the last speaker we could accommodate for this dialogue.
I will now give the floor back to miss Diaz Galan for her concluding remarks.
You have 7 minutes and 45 seconds.
Thank you very much, Madam Vice President.
At the outset, I'd like to express my gratitude for all the questions, comments, and observations made by states and organizations as well as various stakeholders.
They are very relevant and I will take them into account always with the goal of ending poverty in all its forms.
In order to achieve my mandates goals, as you know, it is necessary to cooperate with all states Including as regards country visits, which are absolutely essential for the proper exercise of my mandate, and of course, cooperation with society.
Okay.
As there were many comments and questions, I would like to cluster them around three main blocks of questions which pick up on the key trend highlighted both by the initial report by Special Rapporteur Ovid Suter and also the main thread in the roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth.
Public policies which are developed by states and by the various stakeholders of the international community need, of course, to take into account not only economic growth when striving to eradicate poverty.
The previous Special Rapporteur placed an emphasis in this regard on the necessary distinction between situations that occur in different countries and both within and between states and the importance of taking into account the various characteristics of sustainability.
Many of you have shared your concern, which my mandate and myself share with the environmental dimension that is linked to poverty and we see a very clear link between environmental issues and poverty, but there's also the social dimension and that has been highlighted not only here.
It's not only highlighted in the reports by the previous special rapporteur, but it's also a concern that has been highlighted in various instruments adopted at the international level in recent years, such as Agenda 2030, the Pact for the Future, the guiding principles on businesses and human rights and so on.
This tendency of the international community, which as I said, has been reflected in various international instruments, is being picked up by my work again and this struggle against poverty is being approached not only through the economic perspective, but also through the environmental dimension.
Of course, there's the social dimension.
First of all, struggling against social exclusion, which is something that you mentioned and I have taken note of your comments, but you also highlighted informal work, which affects certain groups in particular, such as women, for instance.
I will look at how to encourage programs for formalization and decent work with state policies to buttress that and also local employment in order to foster social development.
The second central idea that I'd like to highlight from the comments I've received is the necessary participation by various stakeholders in terms of launching public policies which seek to eradicate or which eradicate extreme poverty and which in any case, fight against it.
Need to take into account participation of people who not only live in poverty, but unfortunately suffer from poverty as well.
This is an approach that is really central to the report of the former rapporteur, Mr.
Olo Shutter, and also in the addendum.
I would therefore like to cover three issues that I think to be extremely important for my mandate.
First of all, the adoption of national strategies for combating poverty, which factor in the experiences of various stakeholders and of people living in poverty in particular.
Secondly, When launching these national strategies, it's important to take into account the experience of people living and suffering from poverty at at least three points, as is said in the report.
First of all, at the design stage of these policies and strategies, then at the implementation stage of the policies and strategies, and finally, at the stage of assessment of the strategies.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to commend the work done by civil society.
Which in this field in particular has been absolutely instrumental.
There is genuine participation.
There must be genuine participation by the various stakeholders and people who can contribute to eradicating poverty, and in fact, as the Ng at def which participated with the former special rapporteur in the establishment of policies that factor in the views of people who are grappling with poverty in their daily lives.
Also, we need inclusive and participatory policies, and of course, we need to draft a document called Hidden Dimensions of Poverty Study.
Well, it was actually developed between Ada World Four and Oxford University.
That's a really important document.
It recalls the importance of ensuring that people living in poverty actually participate in these initiatives.
There are some specific examples of states who have taken positive measures.
Just to mention a few, Belgium, with the participation of people living in poverty, strengthening step by step, their strategies for fighting against poverty.
France established a consultative body in 1988, if I'm not mistaken, which brings together different stakeholders from civil society in particular, as well as social interlocutors, experts, and people with direct experiences of poverty.
Morocco established a special committee to study the new design of the development process and this enabled many people to some 10,000 people, that is, to determine the priorities and the development of the national policy for Human Development, which was launched in 2005.
Portugal, the national strategy, which was implemented through a consultative forum in which the government and civil society are both involved and the Center for Planning of organizations that fight against poverty.
There are many other examples.
Of course, I can't go through them all right now, but they are all relevant here.
I would also like to say that institutional mechanisms lead to multidimensional indicators in which there is transparency, active participation, and dialogue at the level of the design.
Dialogue involving all stakeholders.
My mandate essentially seeks to keep the focus on the fight against poverty from the perspective of human rights protection, especially the social dimension, and I also intend to address aspects which combine the future and current situation of poverty, digitalization and poverty, gender and poverty, conflict and poverty.
Thank you very much.
Hi, thank you.
This brings us to the end of this interactive dialogue, and I wish to thank miss Helena Carolina Diaz Can for her participation.
We will now take a short technical break before holding the interactive dialogue with a special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced people.
Excellencies, chair participants.
We shall now begin the interactive dialogue with the special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.
Let me welcome the mandate holder, miss Paola Gaviria Petankur.
The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes and without further ado, I will give the floor to miss Petankur to present her report.
Madam Vice President, Excellency's Distinguished delegates.
It is an honor to address the Human Rights Council and to present my latest report on the human rights of internally displaced persons focusing on internal displacement in the context of contemporary armed conflicts and the application of international humanitarian law, as well as the addendum containing the findings and conclusions on my country visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2025.
I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the government of Syria for accepting a country visit which I look forward to conduct the next month.
Today, internally displaced persons continue to stand at the forefront of civilian suffering.
In 2025, 82.2 million people were living in internal displacement, including 68.6 displaced by conflict and violence, double the number of only seven years ago.
These figures point to a profound gap between the protections guaranteed under international law and the reality faced by civilians on the ground, who are compelled to flee sometimes in response to attacks and sometimes in anticipation of harm.
International humanitarian law and international human rights law clearly prohibit forced displacement, indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance.
Yet, these rules are too often ignored, circumvented, violated, contributing to cycles of repeated and protracted displacement with serious humanitarian and human rights consequences.
Madam President.
Madam Vice President, I carried out an official visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the 19th to the 30th of May 2025.
I would like to thank the government of the DRC for its cooperation both prior to and during the visit.
Allow me to take this opportunity to express my solidarity to the people of the DRC given the public health emergency they are currently facing.
The DRC is currently home to one of the worst displacement crisis in the world.
It is fueled by the joint effects of armed conflicts, inter ethnic violence, catast disasters and challenges linked to land governance and governance of natural resources as well as to the occupation of part of the country's territory.
Climate change and disasters are increasingly important drivers of displacement and armed conflicts are the main engine of displacement, especially in the Kivu and Ituri areas where civilians continue to suffer from repeated and serious displacements and protection risks.
The governance of natural resources is also a major dimension of the crisis.
The huge mineral wealth of the DRC constitutes both a source of opportunities and a driver of displacement.
Competition for control over the resources fuels conflicts, whereas some mining activities have led to forced expulsions.
All too often, it is the communities that bear the costs or the consequences of the exploitation of these resources without ever getting enjoying the benefits.
In terms of this combination of trends, land governance plays a central role.
Although there have been some major legislative reforms which have strengthened recognition for customer rights and community participation, their implementation remains uneven and the safeguards that are foreseen are not always applied in a consistent way.
In this context, millions of displaced persons continue to face serious protection risks and extremely precarious living conditions exacerbated by a drop in humanitarian resources.
Wherever I went, displaced persons all expressed the same desire to rekindle their autonomy, to rebuild their lives, and to look to the future with dignity.
As the report underscores, responding in a sustainable way to this crisis requires addressing its deep rooted causes.
This involves strengthening implementation and oversight of existing legal frameworks, ensuring effective participation by displaced persons, addressing competing demands related to land and resources, and to ensuring accountability for violations of human rights abuses.
A sustainable response will require strong national ownership, inclusive governance, and sustained international commitment in order to simultaneously address the deep rooted causes of displacement and including the end of the occupation of land in the DRC.
I encourage the DRC, the Republic of Rwanda, and states that have some influence over the situation regarding the peace agreement signed in June 2025 to facilitate the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and IDPs.
Other patterns visible across contemporary conflicts.
Internal displacement in situations of armed conflict continues to affect millions of people, often with devastating and long lasting consequences.
My report examines how international humanitarian law and international human rights law apply to situations of displacement and armed conflict, including guiding principles.
It also analyzes how evolving patterns of warfare are reshaping displacement risks and sets out recommendations to strengthen compliance with international law, enhance protection, and improve accountability.
Civilians are not a target.
Children should never be starved to death.
Internally displaced persons must be afforded protection, not attacked while searching for shelter.
Humanitarian organizations must be able to provide assistance safely.
Yet from Gaza to Sudan and elsewhere, we continue to witness conduct that leaves civilians with no option but to flee.
In this report, I underscore that respect for international humanitarian law is not only a legal obligation.
It is one of the most effective tools available to prevent displacement, reduce its scale, and create conditions for solutions.
This requires greater compliance in the conduct of hostilities, stronger protection of civilians and civilian objects, and integration of these obligations into national legislation, military doctrine, and operational practice alongside systematic training of armed forces and more visible engagement with non state armed groups.
Contemporary conflicts are increasingly fought in densely populated urban areas, often involving fragmented command structures or non state armed groups, resulting in extensive damage to essential civilian infrastructure.
Violations of the principles of disial proportionality and precaution place civilians at acute risk.
Damage to housing, health facilities, water systems, energy infrastructure can render entire areas uninhabitable, forcing people to flee and preventing safe voluntary and dignified return.
These patterns of warfare often lead to repeated displacement, particularly where armed conflicts intersects with environmental degradation, disasters, and climate related risks and competition over resources.
Madam Visa President, placement is often linked to patterns of conduct that place civilians at risk and undermine the protection afforded to them by international law.
Displacement does not require an explicit order.
When violence or the denial of essential services leaves people with no genuine choice but to flee, Displacement becomes a foreseeable and often avoidable consequence.
The report also highlights the persistent impact of sexual and gender based violence in situations of displacement and such violence can both drive displacement and be exacerbated by it, with women and girls facing heightened risks in insecure, overcrowded and poorly serviced settings.
Ultimately, preventing displacement, protecting those affected and supporting durable solutions does not necessarily require new norms, but renewed commitment to implementing the ones we already have.
If we are to close the gap between legal protection and the lived realities, we must place respect for those norms at the center of our collective efforts.
The lives, the dignities and the futures of millions depend on it.
I stand ready to continue working with member states and stakeholders in advancing these objectives, and I thank you for the attention and your continued support to my mandate.
I look forward to our interactive dialogue.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
According to our practice, we shall start by hearing from the delegation of the country concerned.
I will now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
You have 5 minutes, Excellency Madame La Vice President, my delegation is taking the floor as a concerned country.
Pursuant to Madame Paola Gravia Betancours report, Special Rapportur on Human Rights of IDPs.
My government's grateful to the Special Rapporteur for her mesion to the DRC.
The formal invitation and the facilitation of this visit by the highest authorities in our country demonstrates my country's commitment to cooperate transparently with the Human Rights Council.
The DRC takes good note of the conclusions and concerns outlined by the Special Rapporteur.
Situation around IDPs is a key priority and a national concern as well as a source of profound worry for us.
The statistics that you share cash, a large number of tragedies, broken lives and generations of children deprived of their future.
Nonetheless, to sustainably resolve this humanitarian crisis, we need to get to the bottom of the key cause.
That is that the DRC has around 7.5 million displaced persons deprived of their right to education, health and safety.
This isn't the product really of a climate crisis or a spontaneous internal crisis.
This is principally the direct and ongoing result of unfair and illegal armed aggression suffered by my country in its eastern portion.
Even health and humanitarian assistance in the context of the response to the Ebola virus, which is currently being experienced in the east of the country is encountering security challenges.
And this war, which is motivated by pillaging the natural resources of the DRC, has now been waged for more than 30 years by the regular Rwandan Army in complicity with the rebel movements that it fosters, in particular, the terrorist movements M 23, the undiscriminate bombing and attacks against civilians and the tragic massacres of camps such as the Mgedic camp and the threats to the lives in Gamma in particular represent a threat on a daily basis to our citizens forcing them to abandon their homes in extreme vulnerability.
Vice President, despite this context of war that has been imposed on us and drains our resources, our government is sparing no effort to shoulder its responsibilities to protect its people, stepping up security measures, particularly around those sites vulnerable to terrorist intrusion and facilitating with UN agencies and NGOs, the efforts necessary to combat humanitarian violence, particularly sexual violence targeting displaced women and children.
We reaffirm our full collaboration with the independent commission set up by this council perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity must answer for their acts before justice.
My government therefore is lobbying for sufficient resources to be allocated to this commission so that it might carry out its role fully.
Vice President.
Dealing with displaced people cannot be eliminated to open ended humanitarian response, which is simply a sticking past.
The only sustainable solution is a definitive safety for the populations return to their places of origin so that they can return to their traditional life cycles.
In order to facilitate this, the international community must step beyond simple compassion for my government, there must be an unequivocal condemnation of those aggressors perpetrating this, particularly the Rwandan militia and their accomplices.
The The total departure of these forces from the DRC is essential and we must also see strengthening of funding for the humanitarian response plan, which is dangerously underfnanced at the moment.
To conclude, my government reiterates its firm desire to implement the recommendations made in the reports in line with our legislation and our budgetary abilities.
Congolese IDPs are not second tier citizens.
They have an inalienable right to peace, justice, safety, and dignity.
Thank you very much.
Cell.
Thank you, Your Excellency.
Speakers is now closed, and I now invite interested delegations to ask questions to the special porteur and make comments on her report.
The speaking time is 1 minute and 30 seconds for all, and I would like to recall that the duration of interactive dialogue is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
However, if time permits, additional delegations will be able to speak.
And first, I give the floor to Norway on behalf of the group of countries.
Microphone.
Vice President, Special Rapporteur, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Nordic Baltic countries.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for the report and for continued engagement on the protection of internally displaced persons.
Internally displaced persons are disproportionately affected by violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Respect for the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution is essential to prevent displacement and protect civilians.
We remain concerned about impediments to humanitarian access, risk to critical infrastructure, and protracted displacement.
Adré internal displacement requires coherent humanitarian human rights and development efforts with national ownership and inclusive locally grounded responses.
Meaningful participation of IDPs and decision making and operational responses is essential.
Accountability for violations leading to displacement remains critical alongside efforts to support safe, voluntary and dignified returns.
We support the Special Rapporteur's recommendation to strengthen disaggregated data on internal displacement.
We also remain concerned about sexual and gender based violence as both a driver and a consequence of internal displacement.
It's in the Special Rapporteur's view, what practical measures should states prioritize to prevent, investigate, and prosecute such violence? I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Austria on behalf of a group of countries.
I thank you.
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the core group of IDPs at the Human Rights Council of Uganda, Honduras, and my own country, Austria.
Madam Special Rapporteur, your report sends a powerful message.
Internal displacement is not simply an inevitable consequence of conflict.
Too often, it is the foreseeable or deliberate result of violence and coercive conditions that leave civilians with no real option but to flee.
Rules are clear, the challenge is their implementation.
National legislation and practice must comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Violations that cause displacement must be documented, investigated and prosecuted.
Protection cannot end once people have fled.
IDPs must have access to assistance, documentation, and effective remedies.
Returns must never be premature or forced.
They must be voluntary, safe, and dignified.
We particularly welcome the report's emphasis on the practical community based application of IHL.
And the meaningful participation of IDPs.
What specific safeguards are needed to ensure that evacuation protect civilians rather than lead to unlawful, prolonged or repeated displacement, Madam Sash Reportur.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to European Union.
Madam Vice President.
The European Union thanks the Special Rapporteur for the presentation of her report.
With nearly 83 million persons internally displaced worldwide, the gap between the protections guaranteed under international law and the reality on the ground continues to grow.
We share your concern that serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are driving repeated and protic displacement.
All parties to armed conflict must comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Non derogable rights such as the right to life, the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment, the prohibition of slavery and the right to recognition as a person before the law must be upheld in all cases, including in situations of emergency.
Civilians and civilian objects must be protected, humanitarian personnel respected and rapid and unimpended humanitarian access ensured.
Violations must be independently investigated and those responsible must be held accountable.
The UU strongly supports a human rights based approach to internal displacement.
The UU and its member states also remain the largest providers of global humanitarian funding.
We urge states to fully implement the guiding principles on internal displacement and the action agenda of the Secretary-General.
Madam Special Rapporteur, how can states promote durable solutions for IDPs and ensure that returns are genuinely voluntary, safe, and sustainable? I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Kenya on behalf of Group of African States.
Madam Vice President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the African group.
The African Group thanks the Special Rapporteur for her report and welcomes its focus on the relationship between internal displacement and international humanitarian law.
The African group shares the concern that violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks against civilians, civilian infrastructure, and humanitarian personnel continue to drive displacement and exacerbate the suffering of affected populations.
We therefore reiterate the importance of full compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties to armed conflict and stress the protection of civilians must remain paramount.
The group further underscores the importance of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law that result in displacement and supports efforts aimed at strengthening national capacities to prevent displacement and protect affected populations.
The African group recalls that the Kampala Convention remains a landmark framework for the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons in Africa and reaffirms the commitment of African states to its effective implementation.
The African group also emphasizes the importance of creating safe, voluntary and dignified durable solutions for internally displaced persons.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Georgia.
Vice President, and we thank the Special Rapporteur for the report and share concerns expressed there.
Regrettably, as we speak, hundreds of thousands of IDPs expelled from Russian occupied Arazi and Vali regions of Georgia through several waves of ethnic cleansing, continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights to return to their homes in safety and dignity.
Unfortunately, every year the UN Secretary-General reiterates in his reports on status of IDPs and refugees from both occupied regions that no major changes were observed during the reporting period with regard to IDPs and refugees exercising their right to return.
Regrettably, within the Geneva international discussions, the only format addressing Russia's international obligations under the EU mediated cease fire agreement of 12 August 2008, Russian side repeatedly avoids meaningful engagement on the return of internally displaced persons and refugees.
The government of Georgia will continue efforts to protect the rights of IDPs.
I would like to once again emphasize that until IDPs are able to return to their homes, providing them with adequate housing and necessary social protection will remain one of the state's key priorities and efforts in this regard will continue steadfastedly.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Azerbaijan.
Madam Vice President, we thank the Special Rapportur for her timely report.
For nearly three decades, Azerbijan faced one of the largest situations of internal displacement with hundreds of thousands of people forcibly displaced from their homes.
Following the libération of its territories, Azerbaijan has prioritized the creation of conditions for safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return.
We welcome the report's emphasis on durable solutions, national implementation, protection of housing, land, and property rights, and the responsibility of states to establish conditions conducive to return and reintegration.
In this regard, Azerbijan's Creative Ren Program represents a practical example of implementing these principles.
Significant investments have been made in demining, reconstruction of cities and villages, restoration of essential infrastructure and public services, and the creation of livelihood opportunities.
To date, thousands of former IDPs have returned to dozens of cities, towns and villages, while comprehensive social protection, employment, education, and health care support measures continue to be provided.
At the same time, Azerbijan is rebuilding communities destroyed during the occupation and creating conditions for long term resilience and sustainable development.
We would be interested in hearing the special rapporteurs views on how successful return and reintegration programs can be further reflected as good practices within the international framework on durable solutions for internally displaced persons.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Lebanon.
Thank you, miss Vice President.
Following Israeli attacks against Lebanon, more than 1 million persons were forced to flee within hours across large parts of the country, while shelters and whose communities struggled to mobilize the capacity needed to meet urgent humanitarian needs.
Repeated evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces triggered successive waves of displacement, generating uncertainty and profound distress for entire families compelled to leave their homes sometimes in the middle of the night with nowhere to seek refuge.
Many of these families had already endured similar displacement less than two years earlier.
Today, large numbers of civilians remain unable to return to their areas of origin due to widespread destruction of homes and essential infrastructure.
In South Lebanon, civilians who chose to remain in their villages continue to face hostilities, threats to their safety, and constraints on humanitarian access.
Lebanon's case underscores many of the concerns highlighted in the special Rapporteur's timely report, particularly the extent to which civilians continue to bear devastating consequences of forced displacement and other IHL violations when armed conflict escalates.
The challenge before us all, therefore is no longer to recall legal norms which are widely endorsed, but to ensure that effective implementation.
In this regard, how can we strengthen compliance with IHL, ensure that protections enshrined in these norms translate into meaningful safeguards for civilians affected by armed conflict and address persistent accountability gaps.
I thank you, miss Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the to Burkina Faso.
Madam Vice President, my delegation aligns itself with a statement made by the African group.
In its national capacity, it wants to add the following.
Bukina Faso is confronting now for more than a decade, a complex security crisis characterized by terrorist attack.
These attacks are perpetrated in their majority against civilians.
They've caused loss of human life and forced displacement in line with its responsibility to protect and lend assistance to those displaced by force, steps have been taken by Burkina Faso to free zones and render them safe in order to protect IDPs and return them to their places of origin.
We also have military operations to render zones more secure and 1,600,000 displaced persons have been re inserted to their places of origin by the end of 2025.
The government strengthened actions to collect data and support resilience and deploy specialized equipment to the disposal of the displaced population.
More than 30,000 people have benefited in this way.
More than 39,000 homes which have been displaced by force have now returned and been given essential support.
More than 18,000 homes have received emergency shelters.
To conclude, we'd like to wish every success to the Special Rapporteur.
Thank you.
Mercy, next, I give the floor to China.
Madam Vice President, China notes the SRS report focuses on internal displacement in the context of conflict.
At present, the international situation is complex and turbulent with local conflicts occurring frequently, the number of global refugees and displaced persons rising and a human crisis aggravating.
UNHCR reports show that more than 120 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced a new high in a decade.
China is deeply concerned about this.
War and conflict are among the most important reasons for people to flee their homes.
The international community must actively facilitate parties to conflicts to achieve ceasefire and end war, seek political solutions, and avoid greater humanitarian disasters.
The Chinese government and enterprises have provided significant contributions to the UNIC for many years.
China has also engaged in cooperation on multiple livelihood projects with Yun R.
China is ready to continue its assistance to refugees and IDPs and contribute more to responding to the global refugee crisis.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Anwar.
Madam Vice President, distinguished members of the council.
For Palestine refugees, internal displacement has become a recurring and deeply destabilizing reality.
In Gaza, where the vast majority of the population are Palestine refugees, nearly everyone has experienced multiple displacement.
Families have been forced to displace under bombardment and admit the destruction of their homes, often seeking refuge in overcrowded shelters where severe shortages of food and water, coupled with the collapse of essential infrastructure and services have threatened both their dignity and their lives.
In the occupied Wes Bank, large scale displacement caused by Israeli security operations since January 2025, particularly in Janin, Tokam and Nosm's camps, alongside increasing displacement linked to settler attacks, continues to affect thousands of Palestine refugees.
In Syria, Palestine refugee families who attempt to return encounter damage housing, limited access to services, economic hardship, and insecurity complicating sustainable and dignified return.
Throughout these crises, Unwra has continued delivering essential services to displaced Palestine refugees, including shelter support, healthcare, education, protection, psychosocial support, cash assistance, sanitation services, and mobile outreach in hard to reach areas.
However, humanitarian incidents alone cannot resolve prolonged displacement.
Internally, displaced persons require protection, legal certainty, access to services, and conditions that allow for safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable returns.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Vanuatu.
Thank you.
Ranaat thanks to Special Rapporteur for her report and remains deeply concerned by the worsening situation of internally displaced persons in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.
As of ten June 2026, more than 122,000 people remain internally displaced, many living for prolonged periods without adequate access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare and education.
Continued restrictions on humanitarian access prevent affected communities from receiving the resistance and protection they urgently need.
Vanuatu is particularly alarmed by reports of military operations conducted in April 2026 in Kimberp District, Citrpapa, Province.
According to credible reports, the operations involved helicopters, military aircraft, drones and ground forces, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, destruction of homes and property, and further displacement.
Beyond the immediate humanitarian consequences, we stress the devastating psychological and psychosocial impact of prolonged displacement.
Women and children continue to bear the burden of constant fear, insecurity, trauma, and disruption to their daily lives, education, and community support networks.
In this context, we reiterate the call of Pacific leaders for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the government of Indonesia And its ongoing 2026 presidency of the HRC to agree on and publicly announce a firm date for the long awaited visit of the High Commissioner to Papua and West Papua before the conclusion of the council's 63rd session in September 2026.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Next, I give the floor to Uganda.
Madam Vice President, Uganda aligns with the statements delivered on behalf of the African group and by Austria on behalf of the core group of countries.
We welcome the Special Rapporteur's report and reassure her of our continued support.
Internally, displaced persons account for over 68% of the forcibly displaced persons in the world today, driven by conflict and violence.
And it is estimated to hit 130 million by 2027.
This should concern us all.
As a state party to the Kampala Convention, the government of Uganda remains committed to fulfilling our responsibilities and obligations therein.
We invite all states and relevant stakeholders to invest in prevention of often foreseeable conflicts and respect international humanitarian law.
Including enhanced international cooperation to inform timely climate interventions intended to minimize the ravaging impact of climate change.
Madam Rapporteur, please share any good practices of successful returns of internally displaced persons influenced by community based implementation of international humanitarian law.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Syria and Arab Republic.
Thank you very much, Vice President.
Internal displacement in Syria is one of the most pressing humanitarian and development crises following the years of the previous regime, which was characterized by profound human suffering.
Our government has limited capacity to deal with this.
We are trying to prepare a fostering environment to ensure a dignified return for displaced persons.
Nonetheless, the national vision of Syria.
Entitled Syria Without camps is in this context to obtain lasting solutions and to breathe hope back into the affected communities.
We have re established services in affected communities and zones, but to do this, we need an effective international partnership in particular.
In the area of early rehabilitation and in the strengthening of social rehabilitation in particular.
This is going to have an impact on regional stability and in this connection, we're particularly glad to greet the forthcoming visit of the Special Rapporteur to Syria.
We hope this will allow us to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, as well as to reflect an objective and balanced picture of the national challenges we have before us when dealing with the prior historic exodus and ensuring a dignified return.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I keep the floor to feature.
Fiji seems to be absent.
So next, I give the floor to Cambodia.
Thank you, Madam President.
Cambodia support the Special Reporter report and its call for respect for international humanitarian law, civilian protection, and durable solution for internally displaced persons.
The situation along the Cambodia Thailand border continue to demonstrate the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict despite a ceasefire in December 2025.
More than 22,000 Cambodian civilians remain displaced due to the continued occupation of Cambourian territory by Thai armed forces, planting of Thai national flag on Cambodian territory, obstruction of access, demolition of homes, construction of permanent structure, alteration of land, and replacement of cultural and religious symbols by Thai armed force in their illegal occupy area have caused and prolonged displacement and have prevented the safe and dignified return of affected Cambodian civilian.
This action constitute a serious violation of Cambodia' sovereignty and territorial integrity and are inconsistent with international humanitarian and human rights laws with devastating consequences for civilians, particularly women and children.
We call for conditions that enable displaced family to return safely and with dignity of their home.
Cambodia urge Thailand to uphold its obligations under the UN charter the floor to UNDP.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
UNDP thank the Special Rapporteur for her timely report and for her continued leadership as a champion of the Secretary-General action agenda on solutions to internal displacement.
We are grateful for the strong partnership between the Special Rapporteur, UNDP, IOM, UNHCR, and the United Nations through the United Nations Solution Champions Group.
The report reminds us that displacement is not only a humanitarian consequence of conflict, it is often a direct result of attacks on civilians, destruction of essential infrastructure, barriers to legal identity, and the erosion of institutions people depend on for protection and recovery.
UNDP welcomes the report emphasis on government leadership, accountability, and the conditions needed for voluntary, safe, and dignified and sustainable solutions.
Experiences across many countries show that durable solutions require more than humanitarian assistance.
They depend on investments in governance, rule of law, services, social cohesion, and the restoration of public institutions.
Together with governments and donors, progress has been made.
Today, nearly 17 million internally displaced persons are covered by government endorsed national Durable solution strategies, increasingly integrating displacement into the broader development planning.
UNDP remains committed to supporting governments and communities in advancing solutions to internal displacement.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I get the floor to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Thank you, Vice President.
FAO emphasizes that under international humanitarian law, protecting the means of food production and other objects indispenal to survival is critical.
Their destruction or loss can drive displacement, deepen food insecurity and malnutrition, and undermine the realization of the right to aggregate food, including for internally displaced persons and affected host communities.
FAOs interventions combine emergency agricultural assistance with social protection and inclusive rural development, recognizing that agriculture and food systems are central to resolving displacement.
Protecting and restoring rural livelihoods, stabilizing food consumption, and safeguarding productive assets, these approaches help reduce pressures that contribute to displacement.
They also enable displaced people and host communities to establish self reliance, maintaining access to food and income, and push solutions to displacement.
Strengthening resilience is therefore essential to safeguarding agri food systems and enabling durable solution for displaced populations.
FAO remains committed to sustainable agri food systems, the progressive realization of the right to adequate food, food security, nutrition for all, and leaving no one behind.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Mozambique.
Madam Vice President Mozambique aligned itself with statement delivery by the Afghan Group and thanked the special reporter for her report.
We remain firmly committed to the protection and assistance of the internal displaced person, particularly those affected by ros in the Northern District of Kadar Province, as well as by the recurrent semi weather events.
To address this challenge, Mozambique has continued to strengthen its legal and institutional framework on internal displacement.
Not Miso includes the ratification of the Kampala Convention and adoption of the policy and strategy for the management of internal displaced person.
In addition, in December 2024, Mozambique approved the national action plan for the implementation of the policy and strategy for the management of internally displaced persons 2025 2029, which aims to prevent displacement, provide humanitarian assistance, protects human rights, and promote du solution for affected population.
In conclusion, Mozambique believes that addressing the root cause of displacement is essential to achieving DR up solution for internal displaced person.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to University for peace.
Fu in Bong.
Vice President, we would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for her report.
IDPs are displaced because of conflict.
Humanitarian crises have deeply shaken the UN's humanitarian system.
This problem reflects the lack of governance.
It is only through integrated governance that we can address this problem.
The University for Peace advocates for peace, and we believe that the solution lies in a sustainable approach, so we need to pool efforts in favor of dialogue in order to ensure The free expression by affected persons.
We call on all participants to join in their efforts in order to implement the recommendations contained in the report so that all IDPs may go home.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks.
I give the floor to Rwanda.
Madam Vice President, Rwanda expresses compassion for the Congolese women, men, and children suffering displacement, violence, and uncertainty.
The protection must remain at the center of this council's attention.
Rwanda wishes to make four points based on the provided reports.
First, this dialogue must address the full reality across the DRC.
Second, accountability must include armed groups and state affiliated militias.
The DRC has more than 260 armed groups, including the UN sanctioned genocide force, FDR, Warando militia and Codeo, which operate with coordination, financing, and political backing by Kinshasa.
The Congolese Army and affiliated groups are documented drivers of displacement.
Third, Guand rejects the far allegation that it targets who to civilians.
Ganda knows the devastating consequences of ethnic hatred, the weaponization of ethnicity, is a warning sign the world must never ignore wherever it is used and whoever it targets.
Fourth, selective narratives do not protect IDPs.
It covers up responsibility and weakens accountability.
We encourage the special Aperur to ensure that engagement on IDPs in the DRC remains protection centered, addresses all drivers of displacement, and supports safe, voluntary, and dignified solutions.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Ecuador.
Thank you, Vice President.
My delegation would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for her report, and we agree with her call to strengthen the establishment and coordination of national mechanisms on international humanitarian law.
In keeping with the guiding principles in that area, Ecuador underscores the need to approach forced displacement and in particular in context of armed conflicts.
From the perspective of prevention, protection, and sustainable solutions, Ecuador also attaches significance to the protection of the human rights of displaced girls, boys, and adolescents and to the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility in the reception of foreign displaced populations in the region.
Moreover, our country has a national commission for the implementation of international humanitarian law, and we have explicitly incorporated into our criminal legislation categories relevant to humanitarian protection.
Current challenges on displacement require greater international cooperation and a clear articulation of international humanitarian law with the rights of refugees and human rights law in the face of prolonged impacts of armed conflicts.
No state can respond in an isolated way to forced displacement, including cross border ones.
That is why it is necessary to step up protection, the availability of disaggregated data, early warning systems of the roots and protection of sensitive data and participation of affected communities.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I'll give the floor to Marshall Islands.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
The Marshall Islands, thanks the Special Rapporteur for her report.
As the Special Rapporteur pointed out, contemporary forms of conflict now often intersect with external drivers of displacement, including resource extraction, environmental degradation, disasters and climate risks, causing repeated and prolonged displacement.
The case of environmental damage, it has even been deliberately used to displace communities, depriving them of essential resources, security, and their attachment to the land.
As a special rapporteur noted after her country visit to the Marshall Islands in 2024, Marshallese communities were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands as part of the nuclear testing program conducted on our islands 1946-1958.
Communities remain displaced 80 years later as a result of ongoing nuclear contamination and unsafe conditions.
Madam Vice President, our experience illustrates how even during peacetime, lingering environmental hazards from the testing of weapons of mass destruction can also prevent people from returning to their homelands and force them to endure the long term health and environmental consequences.
Environmental rehabilitation is therefore critical to ensure environmental exploitation and degradation do not compound the vulnerability and harm suffered by affected communities and undermine their long term recovery and stability.
We therefore call on all actors to integrate environmental restoration into the planning of solutions to internal displacement, which must be voluntary, informed, safe, sustainable, and dignified.
T, and I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to State of Palestine.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We thank a special rapporteur for the important report.
The occupied Palestinian territory stands as one of the clearest illustrations of the report's findings.
For decades, the illegal occupying power has generated displacement through territorial fragmentation, land confiscation, settlement expansion, and measures designed to alter the demographic composition of the occupied territory.
These are not isolated acts, but part of the settler colonial enterprise aimed at maximizing Israeli control over land while minimizing the Palestinian presence, further advancing their apartheid and ethnic cleansing agenda.
In Razah, the genocideal war has forcibly displaced nearly the entire Palestinian population, many repeatedly under bombardment, siege, starvation, and evacuation orders issued where no safe refuge exists.
Similar patterns are now being witnessed in Lebanon.
As the report recalls, displacement is forcible not only when civilians are physically removed, but also in course of conditions leave them with no genuine choice but to flee.
And the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settlement expansion, demolitions, land confiscation, settler terrorism, movement restrictions, and annexationist measures continue to drive the forcible displacement and transfer of our people and fragment our communities.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Indonesia.
Vice Presidents.
Indonesia shares the special Reporter's concern on the growing number of internally displaced persons.
We are deeply concerned by the deliberate use of displacement as a tactic of warfare through the creation of coercive conditions, including acts intended to spread terror, the use of wide area explosive weapons in urban settings, the weaponization of starvation and systematic demolitions of homes.
In the context of foreign occupations, forced displacement is further used as a tool to seize lands and resources enabled by policies that permit settler violence and legitimize annexations.
Underlying all these patterns is the consistent and international disregard for international humanitarian law by certain parties and selective applications of international law by their allies.
Mr.
Vice Presidents, Iditia shares the Special Rapporteur's convictions that adherence to humanitarian norms must be substantially advanced.
In this period, Indonesia co chairs discussion on Naval warfare under the Global Initiative of IHL, including on ensuring that sea blockades do not obstruct humanitarian aid and foods in ways that induce starvation or other coercive conditions.
Finally, in light of the cycles of impunity documented in this report, Indonesia ask what concrete measure can the international community take to hold occupying power accountable when forced displacement is deliberately used to expand territorial control.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I take the floor to Nigeria.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Nigeria, thanks the Special Rapport for our report and for enlighten the continuing challenges faced by internally displaced persons, particularly in situations of conflict, insecurity, and humanitarian crisis.
Nigeria agrees that internal displacement is not only a humanitarian concern, but also a protection and development challenge.
We recognize that displaced persons, particularly women and children face heightened risk and require sustained support and protection.
Nigeria further agrees that preventing displacement requires addressing both immediate protection concerns and the root causes of conflict, insecurity, and balance.
In this regard, Nigeria continues to implement measures through the national policy on internally displaced persons and the work of the National Commission for Refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons.
We are also guided by obligations under the Kampala Convention and continue to continue efforts towards durable solutions for affected communities.
Underscore the importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensuring humanitarian access, safeguarding women and children, and supporting voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable solutions for displaced persons.
Finally, Madam Spacial Reporter, how can state strengthen cooperation and capacity building efforts to better protect internally displaced persons and support durable solutions in situations of conflict and insecurity.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Hi.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to South Sudan.
Madam Vice President South Sudan aligned itself with the African Group statement and thanks the Special Rapporteur for her report and welcome the recommendation contained therein.
We recognize the profound challenges faced today by IDPs estimated globally to have reached 82.2 million people as indicated in the report, and we share the serious concern of the Special Rapporteur.
South Sudan as a country that continues to host significant numbers of IDPs, nearly 2 million people due to recurring floods intercommunal violence, the impact of internal conflict and economic hardship, remain committed to strengthening national efforts to protect and assist affected populations.
The government in cooperation with humanitarian partners and relevant stakeholders continues to facilitate and impede it access to essential services to IDPs, support, voluntarily, retain, we conditions, permit, and promotes durable solutions that uphold the dignity, safety, and the rights of IDPs.
In conclusion, South Sudan reiterates its commitment to constructive engagement with the special Reporter and other human rights mechanism to advance the protection of internally displaced persons and ensure that no one is left behind.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Egypt.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her report that touches on an extremely pressing challenge that our world today faces, which is the ongoing increase of IDPs and armed conflicts.
The report has showed exacerbating forms of suffering in armed conflicts, loss of shelter, destruction of civilian infrastructure, the collapse of basic services, restriction of access to basic healthcare, education, water, and nutrition, blockades and restrictions that prevented access to humanitarian assistance.
This is clear in the example of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, the unprecedented humanitarian crises and tragedies in this respect, we stress the importance of committing to the international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in order not to change the demographic composition of people in Palestine.
We'd like to ask the Special Rapporteur, how could the international efforts be enhanced in order to prevent forced displacement from happening before it occurs.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Next, say, give the floor to Armenia.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Armenia, thanks to Special Reportur for presenting her important report and for her continued engagement on the rights of internally displaced persons.
We note with concern the growing gap between the protections afforded under international law and the realities faced by civilians affected by armed conflict.
The report underscores several root causes of forced displacement, including conflict violations of international humanitarian law and impediments to humanitarian assistance.
Report also reaffirms the importance of ensuring that responses to displacement are firmly grounded in international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Armenia is convinced that protection and dignity must remain at the center of international efforts.
We concur with the Special Reporteur that stronger respect for international humanitarian law is indispensable to reducing displacement and protecting affected populations.
We also believe that specific measures are needed to prevent violations against women, children, and other protected groups in humanitarian settings.
Armenia remains committed to strengthening the protection of displaced persons and to advancing the implementation of international humanitarian and human rights law through relevant institutional and policy measures.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Next, I give the floor to Germany.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Germany thanks the Special Rapporteur for her important and substantive report.
Of the world's internally displaced persons, the vast majority, around 69 million people have been displaced by conflict and other situations of violence.
We are alarmed by the fact that this number has doubled over the last seven years while protection gaps persist.
We also note the intersection of armed conflict with disasters and climate risks, which can further increase risk for repeated displacement.
Obligation to protect internally displaced persons lies first and foremost with their own government.
The disregard for international humanitarian law by both state and non state actors in many conflicts directly affects internationally displaced persons.
Large scale destruction of civilian infrastructure, indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population or forced displacement are illegal under any circumstances.
Germany is ready to extend a helping hand in improving and solving the situations of internally displaced persons.
First, at the Sudan conference held in Berlin in April, we brought concrete steps to help the Sudanese population in what currently is the largest humanitarian crisis back into the spotlight.
Second, by supporting organizations such as Geneva call.
Germany also actively contributes to IHL being disseminated amongst and ultimately upheld by non state armed actors.
Third and next week, the third Hamburg Sustainability Conference will gather governments, the private sector, and civil society to foster international cooperation on sustainable development goals.
Long term solutions for internally displaced persons should be firmly anchored in national development agendas and in the cooperation with development, finance, actors, and private sector.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Germany.
This was the last speaker we could accommodate today for this dialogue.
Excellence is, dear participants.
I understand that there are certain delegations who have requested to exercise the right of reply.
I will first give the floor to Tunisia.
You have 3 minutes.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
My country has taken the floor to exercise its right of reply in response to an NGO called International Commission of Jurists during the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, which had a number of groundless allegations.
We would like to put forward the following recommendations.
At the outset, we stress that we reject the attempts by this NGOs repeatedly to interfere with our independent jurisdiction that follows the rules appropriately, especially the right of defense.
It is based on a profound evidence and investigations.
We stress that any attempt to exert pressure on the Tunisian a jurisdiction in order to achieve political or other purposes will yield no results and any supervision on the judiciary of Tunisia will not be accepted.
This organization is not qualified to issue groundless allegations that have to do with the judiciary of Tunisia and to consider itself a judge to put forward sentences in the place of the Tunisian judiciary.
The independence has to involve any attempts to manipulate and to deviate the Tunisian judiciary, the lawyer, or the judge does not impose immunity for those who commit crimes punishable by law.
The law applies on everyone without discrimination, including judges and lawyers in full respect of human rights including the right of defense.
Madam Vice President, Tunisia has adopted reforms to achieve the state of law and real reforms in response of the demands of the Tunisian people to put an end to corruption and to reform The law and the judiciary for it to carry out its functions and promote and protect the rights of citizens impartially and in a non politicized manner and to rid it of corruption.
This is the main demand of the Tunisian people and a major priority of the Tunisian government to put an end to crimes that have prevailed in the previous decade.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thank you.
I also understand that Thailand has requested to exercise the right of reply.
You have 3 minutes, Excellency.
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Thailand wishes to exercise its right of reply in response to the statement made earlier by Cambodia during this interactive dialogue.
Thailand did not start this conflict.
The reality is that tensions arose following years of encroachment and repeated provocations.
The area referred to by Cambodia are in ai territory.
In the late 1970s, Thailand designated Bangdan and Banu Gao in Eastern Thailand adjacent to Cambodia as temporary shelters for hundreds of thousands of Cambodians fleeing civil war and conflict.
They were screened by the UNHCR pending return or resettlement in third countries.
Following the end of the Civil War in Cambodia and the subsequent closure of these temporary shelters in the 1980s, many Cambodians remained in the areas and gradually expanded settlements further within Thai territory.
Therefore, the fleeing or movement of Cambodians out of these areas does not correspond with the definition of internally displaced persons within the meaning of the guiding principles on internal displacement.
Despite Thailand's repeated protest, no corrective action was taken.
Instead, during the recent conflict, Cambodia has encouraged civilians to encroach into Thai territory and engage in provocative actions.
Thailand would like to once again reaffirm our commitment to protecting the rights, the right to life, and safety of civilians.
Cambbodia however, should reflect on its own conduct.
We must recall that the reality on the ground that among the very first casualties of this conflict, were Thai civilians including children, when indiscriminate rockets fired by Cambodia struck families in their homes and consumers in a grocery store in Thai border communities.
This is a clear violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as the UN Charter.
Thailand as a responsible duty barrier, has fulfilled its responsibility by providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to more than 160,000 Thai civilians affected by the hostilities.
Likewise, it is the responsibility of Cambodia to ensure the protection of its own national displaced within Cambodia.
In closing, This conflict has never been in Thailand's interest.
We believe that building confidence and trust must be achieved through dialogue.
Thailand stands ready to work with Cambodia through existing bilateral mechanisms to create a conducive environment for peace to prevail.
I thank you.
Thank you.
This was the last speaker on my list.
Is there any other delegation requested to exercise the right of reply in relations to the statements made today? I think this is not the case.
I thank you.
Excellencies, distinguished participants.
This brings us to the end of this meeting.
We will reconvene tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M.
To continue the interactive dialogue with a special Rapporteur on the human rights of the internally displaced persons, followed by the High Commissioner's report on the impact of anti personnel mines on the enjoyment of all human rights.
I hereby close the 18th meeting of the second session of the Human Rights Council.
Thank you.