51st Session Human Rights Council
Item 5 - General Debate. Joint Statement.
Geneva, 29th Septembre 2022
Madam Vice President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the core group of Resolution
45 / 31 on the Contribution of the Human Rights Council to the prevention of human
rights violations, namely Norway, Uruguay, Sierra Leone and Switzerland.
Human rights violations are often a root cause of crisis and of violent conflict. They are reliable signals of early warning. The respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights are therefore an indispensable foundation for a more peaceful world. On that basis, resolution 45 / 31 focused on five key areas in order to enable the HRC to contribute to the prevention of human rights abuses and violations as effectively as possible.
1) the improvement of technical assistance and capacity-building in order to
support States in implementing their international human rights obligations and
commitments;
2) the strengthening of the early warning capabilities of the Office of the High
Commissioner;
3) the importance for the High Commissioner to bring information on patterns of
human rights violations to the attention of the Human Rights Council, including
through briefings;
4) the enhancement of dialogue and cooperation by the HRC in order to address
root causes and prevent human rights violations and respond promptly to
human rights emergencies;
5) Last but not least, the improvement of information sharing between different UN
bodies. This includes an annual briefing of the Chair of the Peacebuilding
Commission to the Human Rights Council.
We welcome the progress that has been achieved since the adoption of the resolution, especially in the area of the office’s early warning capabilities. The High
Commissioners reference to the resolution when briefing between sessions is also
valuable and we encourage further steps to be taken in that regard. However, we regret that not all mandated activities have been implemented. We note in particular that – for a second consecutive year – the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission has not briefed the Human Rights Council. Such a briefing would represent an important opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the two bodies and promote the contribution of both towards effective prevention of human rights violations.
We hence strongly encourage the Peacebuilding Commission to take advantage of this opportunity next year.