The United Nations Human Rights Council held its regular 47th session from June 21 to July 13, 2021, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The hybrid Council met with most statements delivered virtually.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, presented her annual report on the activities of her Office followed by a report on the central role of the State in responding to pandemics and other health emergencies and the socio-economic consequences thereof in advancing sustainable development and the realization of all human rights, followed by an interactive discussion.
During the session, the Council reviewed reports on a wide range of human rights issues and engaged in over 30 interactive dialogues with human rights experts, groups, and mechanisms concerning, among other issues, around 40 countries. It heard the presentation of about 70 thematic and country reports on a wide range of topics, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more about the 47th session of the HRC here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=27171&LangID=E
Read all the reports presented during the 47th session here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session47/Pages/ListReports.aspx
VIVAT International delivered the following statements (most of them were made in collaboration with other NGOs):
- on Trafficking in Persons
- on Extreme Poverty in South Africa
- on Obstetric Fistula
- on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in West Papua
- on Migrants, especially on the Balkan Route
VIVAT International also signed An Open Letter by the Global Civil Society to establish a new UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change.
Read the letter: click here
Andrzej Owca, CSSp – VIVAT International, Geneva