During the 57^th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the United States worked closely with UN Member States to highlight and address pressing human rights concerns and to uphold the universal values, aspirations, and principles that have underpinned the UN system since its founding.  Our statements and positions underscored the U.S. commitment to promoting the universality of human rights and addressing discrimination, inequity, and inequality the world over.  This was our final regular session as a voting member for this term, and it provided numerous opportunities to demonstrate our continued dedication to human rights in the multilateral space.

This session, the United States advanced priorities on a broad range of pressing human rights concerns: 

The United States worked closely with the UK, Germany, and Norway to renew the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Sudan.  As the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, where mass atrocities continue to unfold, Sudan deserves urgent attention at the Human Rights Council, and the FFM’s work is critical to bringing human rights and humanitarian issues in Sudan to light and supporting long-term accountability efforts.  The United States was proud to be in the core group for this resolution, which saw a significant increase in support this year amid serious concerns about deteriorating human rights and humanitarian conditions, particularly around El Fasher, North Darfur.

The United States strongly supported Latin American partners and Canada in renewing the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela.  The work of the FFM is particularly important this year, given Venezuela’s intensified efforts to silence dissent, including arbitrary detentions and political repression in the aftermath of the fraudulent July 28 presidential election.

The United States co-sponsored and worked with EU partners to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Russia.  The resolution maintains attention on the Kremlin’s stifling of dissent and freedom of expression at home.  Regrettably, this mandate remains as important as ever, with Kremlin authorities targeting marginalized communities, including Indigenous peoples, LGBTQIA+ persons, and those who dare to speak out about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

As part of our commitment to advancing human rights in the development and use of digital technologies, the United States was proud to work with core group partners on the resolution on Human Rights on the Internet.  Internet freedom is increasingly under threat around the world, making it imperative that nations recognize the importance of access to information and communications technology for the full enjoyment of human rights, while also addressing violations and abuses committed against individuals exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms online.  We are pleased to see a specific reference to “commercial spyware” in this resolution, a first for the UN Human Rights Council, and hope that it galvanizes efforts to enhance protections for human rights defenders, journalists and others who are at risk of the misuse of technologies.

As members of the resolution core group, the United States brought continued attention to human rights abuses and violations in Syria.  The resolution focused on the impact the conflict has had on children in Syria, including reports of ongoing detention, primarily by Assad regime forces, of more than 5,000 children who have been subjected to horrific conditions and 2.4 million children who are out of education.  The resolution maintains calls for accountability for abuses, particularly those that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.   

The United States strongly supported resolutions promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka, documenting the Taliban’s draconian policies in Afghanistan, and maintaining attention on the human rights situation in Burundi.  The United States also supported resolutions advancing human rights-related technical assistance for Somalia and Georgia.

The United States also co-sponsored resolutions on thematic issues, including the use of Education as a tool to combat racism and xenophobia, the role of Good Governance in the promotion and protection of human rights, and the promotion of rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world.  The United States joined consensus on a resolution marking the upcoming 30^th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, an important milestone for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The United States led a joint statement on Xinjiang calling on China to implement recommendations from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to address its human rights abuses.  We also joined statements on the human rights situations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Iran.  The United States also joined a statement promoting accountability and condemning human rights abuses in temporarily occupied Crimea.

The United States led side events on the impact of commercial spyware on media freedom and journalists and on combatting intolerance, hatred, and islamophobia. 

The event on best practices to combat intolerance, hate crimes, and Islamophobia featured experts from the UN OHCHR, OSCE, EU, academia, civil society, and Member States.  Panelists, including U.S. Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, discussed the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred and described domestic efforts to prevent and address intolerance.  Experts from the European Commission, OSCE, and Sweden described their initiatives and best practices to counter Islamophobia and other forms of intolerance, discrimination, and violence.  The event also included participation by the Missions of the EU, Pakistan, Türkiye, the UK, and civil society. 

The event on commercial spyware and media freedom featured opening remarks by White House Deputy Assistant to the President Maher Bitar.  It featured a panel of journalists, civil society, OHCHR, and a legal expert from the Media Freedom Coalition’s High-Level Panel who discussed the toll the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware has had on journalists, their sources, and media freedom writ large.  The event also included participation by the Missions of the UK, Republic of Korea, and civil society.

The United States co-sponsored several additional side events, including events on the rights of older persons, access to information and justice, political prisoners in Belarus, human rights in Russia, and human rights in Crimea.