35th Meeting - 62nd Session of Human Rights Council

Good morning, colleagues.
I think we can start as colleagues start to settle down.
Excellencies, distinguished representatives, colleagues.
I hereby declare open the 35th meeting of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues.
We'll start with the appointment of mandate holders of the Human Rights Council, and we will proceed.
I would like to thank the members of the consultative group for their work in facilitating my effort to identify appropriate candidates for each vacancy.
Following the recommendations of the consultative group and after conducting broad consultations, I wish to propose for appointment the candidates whose names were communicated.
In the president's letters circulated to all delegations on 12th June and sixth July, these letters are available on the Extranet and on the web page dedicated to the selection process.
The final list of candidates proposed for appointment as contained in the annex of my letter of July 6th is now displayed on screen.
We shall now proceed to the endorsement of the proposed candidates in accordance with paragraph 53 of council resolution five slash one.
Are there any comments on the proposed list of mandate holders.
I see none.
It's my understanding, therefore, that all delegations can go along with it and may I consider that the list is approved.
It is so decided.
The list of mandate holders who have just been appointed will be posted on the web page under nomination, selection, and appointment of mandate holders.
I wish to call on all states to cooperate with the newly appointed mandate holders in the implementation of their mandates.
Excellencys distinguished participants.
Return to under agenda item one is the issue of postponement of UPR of Myanmar.
Allow me to recall that last year in its organizational meeting for the 59th session on June 2nd, 2025, the council decided to postpone the fourth cycle UPR of Myanmar to the last working group session of the fourth cycle, which is scheduled to take place in January 2027.
While maintaining the possibility for it to be scheduled on an earlier date if the General Assembly were to decide on the representation of Myanmar and following the council's adoption of the outcome of the third cycle review of Myanmar.
On June, 2026, the Secretariat informed the Bureau that it had begun preparation for the 54th UPR working group session, which is the last working group session of the fourth cycle.
However, pending a change of the status quo in the General Assembly's credential committee concerning the representation of Myanmar at the General Assembly, The Human Rights Council therefore has no basis to change its position or practice, and therefore, the Secretariat cannot process the registration of anyone as part of the delegation of Myanmar in the Human Rights Council in 2026.
Consequently, the Secretariat is unable to proceed with the usual communication with the state under review and coordination of its review.
So basically, it requires time between the UPR working group that will take place in early 2027 and when the Secretariat begins the process.
With that uncertainty of Myanmar status, therefore, the Secretariat cannot also proceed with its preparation.
The Secretariat additionally recalled that the council at its 50th session in June 2022, had decided to postpone the consideration and adoption of the outcome of the third cycle of UPR of Myanmar until the General Assembly takes a decision on the representation of Myanmar.
The Bureau therefore agreed to propose that the council adopt the following decision prior to conclusion of the current session.
And that decision and that proposal reads, The council decides that the next review of Myanmar shall take place as soon as possible following a decision by the General Assembly on the question of the credentials pertaining to the representatives of Myanmar to the General Assembly, taking into account the normal UPR timelines required to prepare the review.
Are there any members of the council wishing to comment on this proposal? See none.
Do the council therefore decide that the next review of Myanmar shall take place as soon as possible following a decision by the General Assembly on the question of the credentials pertaining to the representative of Myanmar to the General Assembly, taking into account the normal UPR timelines required to prepare the review.
I take it that everybody is agreeable to this, and it is so decided.
Excellencies, distinguished representatives, colleagues.
Now, turning to item one, update on non cooperation of Nicaragua and the United States of America with the UPR mechanism.
I would like to recall that in 2025, the council adopted two decisions on non cooperation of a state under review with the UPR mechanism, namely Decision 60 slash 115 concerning Nicaragua and decisions OM slash 19 slash 101 concerning the United States of America.
Each of these decisions called on the state under review to resume cooperation with the UPR mechanism.
They also requested the president of the council to continue to take all appropriate steps and measures.
In accordance with his or her mandate to urge the state under review to resume cooperation with the UPR mechanism and to report on the results of those efforts to the council at its regular sessions.
Pursuant to those council decisions, consideration and adoption of the UPR outcome of Nicaragua has been postponed to the council's 63rd session in September 2026, and the review of the United States of America has been postponed to the 53rd session of the UPR working group in November 2026.
While preserving the possibility of scheduling these reviews at an earlier date.
In this regard, I wish to recall that at the 61st session of the council, I updated members of the efforts that the president had undertaken in his capacity as president of the council to encourage those two countries to resume their cooperation with the UPR mechanism.
Regrettably, those efforts have not yielded positive results.
I remain seized of this matter and will continue to exercise my good offices with a view to reaching a positive outcome.
I take this opportunity to reiterate my appeal, and I think this is done on behalf of all members of the council and observers.
My appeal to Nicaragua and the United States of America to resume their cooperation with the UPR mechanism.
Excellency', distinguished colleagues, now turning to adoption of the draft report of the session.
I propose that the council now adopt the draft report of the 62nd session at the referendum on the understanding that our distinguished vice president and Rapporteur will finalize it with the assistance of the Secretariat.
This draft report has been made available on the HRC extranet.
I invite the vice president and Rapporteur His Excellency, Mr.
Marcos Gomez Martinez, to introduce the draft report of the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
Excellency, you have the floor.
Thank you, Ambassador President.
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, it is my pleasure to present the report of the 67th session of the Human Rights Council.
The draft report was made available yesterday, seventh, July 2026 on the explanet of the council.
It contains as an advance unedited version, it bears the document symbol AHRC 622.
It contains, as is the usual case, a procedural description of our work up to 6:00 P.M.
On Friday, third, July 2026, after the session, the secretary will add the details of the action on draft proposals, finalize the report, and circulate it for comments.
These comments and corrections should be sent within two weeks following the circulation of the final draft of the report, which will also be posted on the HRC extranet.
Following the established practice, the draft report contains ten chapters corresponding to the respective items of the agenda of the council.
The texts of the resolutions that have been adopted during the session will be available in due course on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The list will be subsequently included in part one of the report, Excellencies, Distinguished colleagues.
Over the past four weeks, the council held 35 fully serviced meetings over 18 days during which it conducted 29 interactive dialogues, including three enhanced interactive dialogues, held five panel discussions, and one urgent debate.
Five of the interactive dialogues involved the participation of the High Commissioner or the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.
After dialogues, 21 were held with special procedure mandate holders, including one enhanced interactive dialogue.
Three were held with investigative mechanisms, including two enhanced interactive dialogues, and five were held in relation to reports or oral updates of the High Commissioner, the Office of the High Commissioner or the Secretary-General.
Finally, the council adopted 28 resolutions, considered and adopted the universal periodic review outcomes of 13 countries and appointed four special procedure mandate holders.
Allow me to take this opportunity warmly to thank the Secretariat for its continued and indispensable support in the work of the council, including finalizing the report of the session.
Thank you very much.
I thank our vice president.
May I now propose that the council adopt its report at referendum.
This so decided.
Excellencies, distinguished representatives, colleagues, According to past practice, I will now give the floor to observer states wishing to make comments on any of the resolutions and decisions adopted at the session.
Let me remind you that this segment serves the sole purpose of giving an opportunity to observer states to make comments under resolutions and decisions adopted at this session.
The speaking time is 2 minutes, and I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of North Macedonia speaking on behalf of a group of countries.
Mr.
President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of a group of 44 cross regional states.
The full version of the statement will be uploaded to the HRC Extranet.
As we mark the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Council, we reaffirm the universal periodic review as a unique universal peer review mechanism for monitoring and improving human rights on the ground.
We welcome that more than 90 states have submitted midterm reports and encourage all states to do the same.
While challenges persist in implementing UPR recommendations, we welcome the support provided by OHCHR to assist states in this regard.
Civic space and participation is essential to the effectiveness of the UPR.
Restrictions on civic space can limit the safe and meaningful engagement of civil society with UN human rights mechanisms.
These pressures disproportionately affect those working on women's rights and gender equality, including women human rights defenders, which often face attacks and exclusion, reducing the visibility of gender specific concerns in the UPR.
We therefore encourage states and all relevant stakeholders to strengthen a gender responsive approach throughout the UPR cycle and urge all states to refrain from any kind of intimidation or reprisals online or offline against those cooperating with the UPR.
We also stress the importance of addressing the impact of the digital environment and emerging technologies, including AI on civic space, and participation, while recognizing their potential to strengthen the UPR process.
Finally, we call upon all states to make efforts to uphold, strengthen, and support the UPR mechanism, ensuring it continues to serve as a key feature of the UN human rights system.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Canada.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
On behalf of Canada, I extend our gratitude to delegations that presented resolutions at this session.
We particularly thank members of the council for the consensus adoption of L 12 and L 24.
Given the UN's liquidity crisis, it is more important than ever that states work together to ensure the council remains effective and coherent.
In this regard, Canada wishes to recognize the sponsors of resolutions L 16, L four and L ten for demonstrating pragmatism and discipline and for putting in place rationalization measures such as reducing reporting to New York where feasible and without unduly compromising key normative functions.
We strongly encourage all delegations to make similar efforts in future sessions in line with UN AD reform commitments.
We also wish to thank the sponsors of L 17 for their constructive engagement and flexibility on the key ask included in their resolution.
Mr.
President, we remain concerned by efforts by certain delegations to undermine agreed language on gender equality.
At the council, we share a common commitment to improving the lives of all women and girls worldwide.
This means keeping rights holders at the center of our work and supporting evidence based interventions that are proven to be effective in addressing gender based violence and discrimination.
This includes respect for sexual and reproductive health and rights and ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Argentina.
Yes.
Thank you very much, President.
President, Argentina reaffirms its robust commitment to the protection of the rights of women and girls.
Nonetheless, I want to make it clear that this is not connected to various terms and wordings that do not have or enjoy recognition in binding international treaties and are in conflict with our domestic legal order.
First of all, bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive rights.
Cannot violate the right to life from conception in line with Article 75 of our Constitution, Article 6 0.1 and 6.5 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Articles 4.1 and 4.5 of the American Convention.
We reject any interpretation used to move towards an amendment in our legislation pursuant to recommendations of technical committees which do not have the competence to establish obligations not enshrined in treaties.
Secondly, access to sex education and self care cannot replace the primary responsibility and right of parents protected by Article 6 oh eight in our Civil Code and Article 7 of Law 2661 and La 18.1 under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
Thirdly, terms such as intersectionality, reproductive violence, or patriarchal masculinity have not been defined or agreed in any binding treaty.
Intersectionality cannot operate as a normative category without the consent of states.
Reproductive violence cannot be used to criminalize legal frameworks that protect the right to life.
In terms of the term gender, Argentina notes that it only has a definition enshrined in Article 7 0.3 of the Rome Statute.
Finally, we emphasize that humanitarian finance must be deployed on the basis of impartiality, neutrality, and efficiency without any political agenda or conditions which are not enshrined in the humanitarian principle.
Thank you very much, President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Paraguay.
Presidents, my delegation will make this statement regarding draft resolution L 16 and L 24.
We'd like to thank the core groups for their work and we recognize the importance of both initiatives.
We appreciate L 16 Rev one's focus on raising visibility of the disproportionate burden of care systems on women and girls, as well as the need to progress towards public policies that promote greater equality, social protection, and shared family responsibility.
Equally, we reaffirm our commitment to the prevention and elimination of child early and forced marriage, a damaging practice which seriously jeopardizes the enjoyment of fundamental rights and limits opportunities for development by girls and female teenagers.
We reiterate that all use of the term gender should be in line with our Constitution.
That is to say relating to men and women in line with Article 7 0.3 of the Rome statutes.
We understand that references to sexual and reproductive rights and bodily autonomy It must be interpreted in line with the national legal framework, development priorities, and social and cultural values in each state.
The Paraguay Constitution protects life from conception.
As regards resolution L 241, we think it's important to highlight that the guidelines drawn up by the Office of the High Commissioner High Commission represents a valuable guiding tool, nonetheless.
The application must be done in full respect of national realities, domestic priorities, and the legislative frameworks of each state.
We reaffirm the importance of the role of the family and particularly of parents in supporting children's and teenagers development.
We also reaffirm our commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of women, boys and girls, and we appreciate efforts towards preventing discrimination and eliminating damaging practice.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Eritrea.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
With regard to draft resolution L three Rev R, Eritrea thanks those council members who voted against the resolution or abstained.
To those who supported it, we extend an open and sincere invitation to raise any legitimate concerns directly with Eritrea.
We remain ready to engage in genuine and open dialogues with all.
Eritrea firmly rejects both the resolution and its underlying premise.
The European Union, which maintains a presence in Osmaa is one of the guarantors of the Algs Agreement.
Yet it failed to ensure the implementation of the Eritrea and Ethiopia boundary Commission's final and binding delimitation and demarcation decisions of 2002 and 2007.
And remain silent during the illegal occupation of sovereign Eritrean territory.
At the same time, it has for 14 consecutive years called for reforms to Eritrea National Service Program, a program maintained out of necessity owing to the failure to enforce the boundary Commission's decisions.
Instead, it continues to lead this annual politically motivated exercise based on the same recycled allegations and narratives.
As Eritrea stated earlier this week, after 14 years of engagement under this mandate, it will no longer participate in this process.
Nevertheless, Eritrea remains committed to constructive cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner, the treaty bodies, and the Universal Periodic Review.
Eritrea will continue to engage with all member states committed to dialogue, cooperation, impartiality, and the integrity of this council.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Peru.
Thank you.
Peru respects international rights law in line with its constitution.
It is a party to the universal human rights system and participates actively and on an ongoing basis as a founding member of the Human Rights Council.
It has participated in the 67 second session continuously.
As regards the resolutions adopted, Peru wishes to point out that the non binding nature of these does not impose any obligations on sovereign states.
Thus, its content will be interpreted in line with the Constitution of Peru and the international obligations undertaken by Peru that apply.
We consider that these resolutions, therefore, are useful in policy and program terms primarily, and in particular, they require cooperation with issues relating to national interests and the well being of the international community.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sudan.
Mr.
President, at the outset, we would like to thank all countries that presented initiatives on various rights of high importance during this session and we'd like to express a number of observations.
When it comes to the resolution on the situation in Eritrea, we don't support any decisions or resolutions against the will of the concerned state, and we encourage Eritrea to continue its efforts in promoting and protecting human rights.
As a country that suffers from a complicated humanitarian situation, we appreciate the resolutions that shed light on the challenges related to humanitarian work and humanitarian personnel.
This is why we supported and co sponsored the resolution on protecting humanitarian workers as presented by Qatar and the decision delivered by Qatar, Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia about the rights repercussions on impeding access of humanitarian workers in armed conflict zones.
As we consider the importance of international cooperation in human rights and humanitarian action, we've always supported the resolution on international cooperation in human rights as delivered by Uganda on behalf of Vienam and the resolution delivered by Uganda regarding international cooperation with regard to child marriage and combating all forms of discrimination and other resolutions that contained a number of controversial concepts that are not agreed upon legally and that are not in line with our national legislation, we dissociate with any of those formula or expressions.
We cling to the rights of women, girls, and children and fighting every form of discrimination against them and we work towards the rights of parents to support their children and family association.
Under item ten, we support the African decision on building capacity in Sudan and delivering technical assistance and ensuring that girls and women have access to digital education and cybersecurity capabilities.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the Russian.
President, we are distancing ourselves from consensus and resolutions l3r1, L 20, L nine, L 18 RF one, L 25 RIF, L 26 RF one, and L 48.
We are concerned about the attempts of certain countries to use the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Council to erode its mandate and broaden the interpretation of the provisions for the relevant resolutions of the Council and the UNGA, as well as to anticipate the results of the implementation of the UNAT initiative of the Secretary-General.
We do not consider ourselves bound by the provisions of the document that has nothing to do with the celebration of the anniversary.
We did not support the politicized concept of the so called transnational repressions.
We do not agree with the references to the ambiguous approach the broader information integrity ecosystem.
We distance ourselves from mentioning the discredited International Criminal Court and the Rome statute.
We oppose the mention of a human rights based approach and terms derived from it or related terms.
In the part regarding gender, we remind you that we understand this to be biological sex.
We do not support such ambiguous terms as gender responsive, gender parity, gender based violence, gender based discrimination, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.
Health services, menstrual health, and menstrual poverty.
We reject references to the so called comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive rights.
Sexual reproductive violence, intimate partner violence, technology facilitated gender based violence, conflict related sexual violence, and a so called bodily autonomy, including for children.
We do not share the vague concept of online, offline, as well as the separation of survivors into a separate category.
We continue to interpret references to human rights defenders in the resolutions in line with the relevant declaration adopted by the UNGA.
Reference to the general comments of the treaty bodies in the resolution, do not imply our agreement with its contents.
The full text of our remarks will be posted on the extranet.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Iran.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
My delegation wishes to thank the sponsors of the resolution addressing humanitarian situations, in particular, draft resolutions L 25 and L 26.
Human rights cannot be fully realized where human life is threatened and human dignity is violated by war, aggression, and armed conflict.
My delegation also welcomes the initiatives undertaken by a number of sponsors in response to the liquidity crisis, including efforts to reduce the additional financial and administrative burden on both the Council and OSHR.
At the same time, we regret that this spirit of pragmatism has not been extended to country specific resolutions, many of which continue to be renewed almost automatically without due consideration of the developments on the ground or the effectiveness of such mandates.
Such renewal under item four have distanced the concert countries from the council.
President, with regard to the draft resolution L 16 and L 24, my delegation regrets that the core group did not pursue a sufficiently constructive and inclusive approach capable of achieving genuine consensus.
Concepts such as SCE, SRHR and bodily autonomy remain controversial and do not enjoy universal agreement among member states.
Consequently, they cannot be presented as reflecting an international consensus.
Furthermore, references to such terminology in reports of the Human Rights Council to the General Assembly, including summarys of discussions held within the council should not be interpreted as consensual languages.
At the same time, reservations should be reflected in such reports with due consideration.
Regarding the term gender, we would like to place on the record that the only interpretation on which there is consensus is that it refers to biological women and men.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Democratic Republic of Korea.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
The delegation of the DPRK wishes to express its disappointment regarding resolution 19 RB.
While we support commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Council, we agree that the resolution does not strike an appropriate balance and does not fully reflect the principles enshrined in General Assembly Resolution 60 slash 251 and Human Rights Council resolution five slash one.
We are also concerned that the resolution seeks to address issues that are currently under discussion in New York in the context of the follow up to General Assembly resolution 80 slash 251.
These discussions should not be prejudged through action taken in Geneva.
It is regrettable that the resolution appears to contain elements that were unable to command consensus during the General Assembly negotiations.
For these reasons, my deletion does not support the resolution.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Armenia.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
As the Council concludes its 62nd session, Armenia wishes to express its appreciation to all delegations, the President, the Bureau, the Secretariat, and all stakeholders for their efforts and cooperation throughout our deliberations.
This session has addressed a broad range of human rights issues.
It has provided an opportunity to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Council.
The Council has also reaffirmed the support for the universal periodic review and its voluntary trust funds, which play an instrumental role in enabling the effective participation of states in the UPR process.
Council has further advanced the protection and promotion of human rights in response to both longstanding and emerging challenges.
Notably, this session has highlighted the importance of integrating a gender perspective across a wide range of human rights issues.
Throughout its work, the council has continued to advance the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls across diverse thematic areas.
The discussions have also underscored that the profound transformation brought about by digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, continues to raise complex human rights questions that merit sustained attention from the international community.
This regard, the report of the working group on discrimination against women and girls has made a timely contribution to the council's consideration of gender human rights implications of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies.
Armenia looks forward to further engagement on these issues with a view to advancing council's consideration of the human rights implications of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence from a gender perspective.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Costa Rica.
Thank you very much, President.
Costa Rica reaffirms its commitment to protecting women's and girls' human rights.
Our commitment is to continue to work for their respect, promotion, and protection.
Nonetheless, Costa Rica would like to record the foregoing considerations regarding certain terms that do not enjoy recognition in binding international treaties and could be in conflict with our domestic legal order.
Firstly, the interpretation of the terms bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive rights cannot be allowed to have faced the right to life enshrined in our constitution and in the Inter American Convention on Human Rights.
Costa Rica rejects any interpretation of those terms which may be used to urge states to amend enshrined texts.
Secondly, access to sex education and Self care should not efface the right and responsibility of parents to care for their children as enshrined in our constitution.
Thirdly, terms such as sexuality or patriarch of masculinity have not been enshrined in any court or binding international treaty.
Their progressive use could represent a unauthorized expansion of the mandate of the treaties, which could be in conflict with our legislative assembly and bring us into conflict with the Costa Rican Constitution.
In terms of the term gender, Costa Rican makes it clear that it only accepts the definition in Article 7 0.3 of the Rome statute.
Finally, we insist that humanitarian finance must be governed by necessity, neutrality, and efficiency without ideological or political influence.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates.
Mr.
President, the UAE welcomes the adoption of resolutions L dot 17 on the technical assistance and capacity building for empowering women's access to education and work in digital and cybersecurity fields, and L dot 25 rev one on the human rights implications of the obstruction and denial of humanitarian access and threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel in armed conflict.
We believe both resolutions are vital instruments for the promotion and protection of human rights.
With regards to the adoption of resolution L 48 on the human rights situation in and around Ilbayv, we welcome the strong condemnation and the resolution of all violations committed by both the warring parties, the Sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces.
We also welcome in the resolution the call for a humanitarian truce leading to an immediate ceasefire and the strong condemnation of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
During the urgent debate, the UAE has called for an expansion of the existing arms embargo to the whole territory of Sudan as a necessary measure to halt hostilities and ensure the protection of civilians.
Shortly after, my delegation announced the delivery of $30 million as an emergency humanitarian response to support civilians in Ebayv.
During the adoption of the resolution, however, we also heard the distorted perspective of the delegation concerned, marked by a narrow focus and attempt to divert attention from the realities on the ground, where neither the staff nor the ISF have the interests of the Sudanese people at heart.
These false allegations against the UAE represent a desperate attempt to divert attention from the allegations of war crimes attributed to the staff across Sudan.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
That was the last on my list.
Let's see.
I see no further requests for the floor.
Therefore, we will now turn to I will now open the floor for delegations wishing to make general concluding remarks on the 62nd session as a whole.
Let me remind you that this segment serves the purpose of making general remarks about the session and should not be used to address political issues of that is of bilateral nature.
The speaking time is 2 minutes.
And I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Singapore.
Okay.
Mr.
President, my statement refers to the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on conscientious objection to military service which has been presented to this council.
Singpore does not recognize the universal applicability of the right to conscientious objection to military service.
Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that the exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is subject to limitations to meet the requirements of public order and the general welfare of society.
National defense is a fundamental sovereign right under international law.
As a small city state with limited manpower and resources, Singapore has no choice but to base our defense on citizen armed forces.
Our national service underpins our peace and prosperity and safeguards our independence and sovereignty.
This system is only viable if it's universal.
If every male Singapore citizen and permanent resident, regardless of race or religion, fulfills his obligation to defend our country.
Singapore respects the constitutional right to freedom of religion.
However, allowing individuals to avoid military service or choose alternative forms is unfair to those who serve, and it will also compromise the defense of Singapore.
National service continues to enjoy overwhelming public support with over 90% of Singaporeans polled in 2023, agreeing that it's necessary for defense of the country.
Such strong support exists only because national service in Singapore is universal, equitable, and underpinned by law.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Eritrea.
President, pen holdership does not equate to ownership.
Assuming responsibility for resolution should never be understood as an opportunity to project national priorities onto the broader membership.
Rather, it should be viewed as a responsibility to facilitate an inclusive exchange of experiences and perspectives with the objective of producing tangible outcomes.
It should not become an exercise in determining which side is more successful in inserting preferred language into a text.
This is particularly important when pen holders lead negotiations on issues of direct relevance to developing countries.
In doing so, they have a responsibility to ensure that the drafting process reflects the realities and priorities of those countries.
Developing countries are not homogeneous.
They differ in their legal systems, culture, traditions, levels of development, and national priorities.
This diversity should be respected and reflected throughout the drafting process.
For Eritrea, our priorities are clear.
Safeguarding the security of our people, ensuring access to adequate food, housing, quality education, quality healthcare, clean drinking water, and electricity, and strengthening agricultural production in the face of drought and increasingly unpredictable rainfall.
These are the challenges that demand our immediate attention.
They are not the issues that have increasingly come to dominate our consultations.
The outcomes of this session and the resolutions adopted once again reflect the differing priorities of developed and developing countries as evidenced by the voting patterns.
Respect for national priorities must be reciprocal and informed by each country's legal system, culture, traditions, and national circumstances.
Without this, our consultations risk becoming procedural rather than meaningful, distancing us from shared objective of improving the lives and well being of our peoples, the foremost responsibility of every government represented in this council.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Sudan.
Thank you very much, President.
My country's context has been subject to consultations on the 15th of June and subsequently on the 3rd of July, we also had a discussion about Villa Dbaid and we'd like to thank the countries that have reiterated their solidarity to Sudan and its people and We'd like to reaffirm the historic value in this process, especially in the context of the critical situation in my country.
There is wide ranging awareness of the impact on human rights, which has been mentioned in the context of interventions of certain armed groups who are attempting to overturn the state and the situation in the country.
Those who have sponsored those groups have not taken account of the interventions in my country that have taken place in particular in the Darfur region.
There is arms supply in that region which has been used to destroy the national infrastructure put in place by the state.
There has been a wide range of violations committed by the state sponsors of those groups, and as a result of the arms transfers into our country, armed groups have not observed any of the principles and those states that I'm referring to should stop allegations against Sudan, given that we are obviously in the process of seeing threats to our sovereignty.
We do not support terrorist groups.
Why are you contorting reality? Why are you presenting us as a country that is not prioritizing the promotion of peace? Message to the international communities that this crisis will not be resolved for as long as we have this interference in our country.
Thank you.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation.
Present.
We're concerned that against the backdrop of the UN liquidity crisis and financial crisis, the Human Rights Council established 20 years ago for constructive dialogue has become a place to consider non core issues, impose contradictory concepts, and one sided criticism of undesirable states that promotes deliberately politicized country resolutions, the purpose of which is one, to put pressure on sovereign states pursuing independent domestic and foreign policies.
In our view, the measures mechanically to reduce the time for discussion of pressing human rights issues once introduced to I effectiveness in the council's work have in fact just freed up time for extraneous topics and led to a further inflation of the agenda.
We have to note that the norms of international law continue to be replaced by an expanded interpretation of human rights treaties in the spirit of the notorious rules based order.
An equal and mutually respectful dialogue has long given way to lectures and labeling as far fetched pretexts.
The policy of double standards is widely applied.
It remains a matter of deep concern that many sponsors of resolutions are unwilling to engage in genuine negotiations Instead of seeking on mutually acceptable solutions, they seek only to impose their own vision of the problem on others.
Sometimes they're limited to a single round of consultations, even on obviously problematic documents or a large number of new elements.
The behavior of a number of the main sponsors who were truly engaged in the work on draft resolutions only after written revisions have been introduced was particularly disappointing.
All of this is happening against the backdrop of the aggressive imposition by a certain group of countries on the Human Rights Council platform values and views that are alien to the rest of the world and do not take into account the historical, cultural, religious, and other characteristics of states.
At the same time we hope the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Council will be able to sober up the United States so that it does not repeat the fate of its predecessor, the Commissioner on Human Rights and becomes an effective body for establishing constructive and mutually respectful dialogue and topical issues in the International Human Rights agenda.
I thank you.
Thank you.
I give the floor to distinguished representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
As the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council ends, my delegation wishes to draw attention to two devastating and destructive phenomenon of sanctions and aggressions that deserve more attention of the Council.
These heinous issues had adversely affected the fundamental human rights of the Iranian people.
Despite the regional and global efforts to end the war and its human rights consequences, including signing of a memorandum of understanding to permanently end the war, we are witnessing that the United States, as in the past, is failing to honor its commitment and observes no ethical or legal standards in doing so.
Even last night, it once again committed acts of aggression against Iran's territorial integrity.
These hostile and unlawful actions have taken place despite the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran has remained committed to diplomacy and continued negotiations.
My delegations wishes to underscore a fundamental point.
War and aggression, regardless of the justification invoked or the form they take are among the greatest threat to the realization of human rights.
Armed conflict destroys lives, devastates economic and social infrastructure and sets back development for years, if not decades.
It is therefore imperative that this council devote greater attention to the broader and more fundamental challenges affecting the effective enjoyment of human rights.
Beyond divisive and selective approaches, the Council should give due consideration to the consequences of war, military aggression, unilateral coercive measures, and application of double standards in addressing human rights situation.
I thank you, Mr.
President.
Thank you.
I see no further requests from members and observers.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of International Service for Human Rights for a joint statement.
Thank you, President.
The full version will be posted on the extranet.
We extend our condolences to the Colombian Mission and Human Rights Movement for the passing of Ambassador Gallon, as well as our profound gratitude for his enduring contribution to human rights.
We welcome the initiatives to mark the Council's 20th anniversary and its contributions to developing international law, promoting accountability, promoting cooperation and dialogue, inclusive of civil society and victims, and providing support to states to implement human rights on the ground.
To be successful, the council requires the active, safe, and unhindered participation of civil society free from intimidation and reprisals, including through the reinstatement of hybrid modalities.
It requires the meaningful and constructive cooperation by states with the council and its mechanisms, including the UPR.
It requires that all states apply objective human rights criteria to ensure that all situations are dealt with on their merits without selectivity and double standards.
Liquidity crisis and budget cuts represent a major challenge for the council.
All states should support adequate, predictable, increased, and sustainable funding to the UN Human Rights pillar.
We welcome the decision by the Fifth committee to suspend the return of unspent cash.
While alleviating the impact of the liquidity crisis, it does not exempt states from their obligation to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time, including the United States and China.
Welcome the resolution on women and girls in humanitarian settings, the first UN resolution to explicitly mention reproductive violence as a distinct act or omission aimed at harming reproductive autonomy.
We further welcome that the resolution acknowledges that this form of violence can constitute a genocidal act as an attempt to destroy a group.
We welcome the resolution on human rights and climate change while we regret that once again, it does not mention fossil fuels.
And we welcome the convening of an urgent debate on Suden as well as the resolution demonstrating the council's role in prevention and accountability while regretting the failure of that resolution to identify all of the key actors responsible for atrocities.
Finally, we welcome the resolutions on freedom of expression, business and human rights, independence of judges and lawyers, discrimination against women and girls, child early and forced marriage, Eritrea and Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Excellency' distinguished representatives, colleagues.
We are coming to the end of this meeting, and before I conclude, I would like to recall that eight delegates from STS and LDCs were able to be were able to come to Geneva to participate in this session, thanks to the LDC STS Trust Fund.
It is essential that we sustain support for this trust fund to facilitate universal participation in the council.
I thank those countries that have contributed to the trust fund, and I encourage all of you to consider contributing or continuing to contribute to this vital mechanism of inclusion.
I wish to express my profound gratitude to members of the Bureau, my colleagues in the Bureau, His Excellency Sega Cabebo Dhaka, His Excellency Marcos Gomez Martinez, Her Excellency, Ria Salsa Audi and His Excellency Marcelo Vasquez Bermudez, for their steadfast support and cooperation throughout this session.
Let me also thank the Division for conference management, including the interpreters, who have granted us additional time upon request.
We count on them to continue to do so in our next sessions.
The security officers who throughout the session, we can see are always make themselves available for the security and safety of our meetings, and all other United Nations staff and interns involved in the functioning of the session, not least, of course, to my colleagues that always sit diligently and faithfully next to the presiding officer.
I'd like to thank colleagues in the Secretariat and my team in the Office of the President for their constant and professional support.
And finally, not the least, I would like to thank all of you, the delegations for showing support, flexibility, constructive approach, patience, decorum in all our meetings and towards the presiding officer.
This is This is a forum that is very political and we all come with differences with our national perspective, with interests.
But what matters is what we come out of the meeting.
What do we bring out of the meeting? And what's important is that we come out as one through various decisions of this house.
So thank you very much for that.
And I'd like to also thank the civil society organization, the NGOs.
I think their contribution fills gap in the discourse of states, and we should continue to value their contribution.
And with that, I declare close the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
Thank you.
Thank you.