At the 57^th session of the Human Rights Council a wide array of human rights issues and country situations will be discussed by the international community.

The EU will continue to be a strong voice within the Council, speaking out against all forms of human rights violations and promoting freedom of expression, gender equality, and the protection of vulnerable groups.

We will remain vigilant about the erosion of human rights and democratic principles, especially in regions where authoritarian regimes threaten these universal values. This is why we are proposing a resolution at this session extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan. The situation on the ground, especially regarding women and girls, warrants the full attention of the Council. The latest decree by the Taliban of August 2024 confirms and extends severe restrictions on the life of Afghans imposed by the Taliban. It is another serious blow undermining the rights of Afghan women and girls, which we cannot tolerate.

Protecting women’s rights globally remains a core objective of the EU, and we will continue to stand up for the full enjoyment of all human rights by women and girls also during HRC57. We will equally continue to speak out on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and support Ukraine in its efforts at this session to shed light on the human rights violations and war crimes Russia is committing.

The EU will furthermore raise at this HRC session the human rights situations in Myanmar, Sudan, Belarus, Syria and Venezuela. The EU will present a resolution renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burundi given that the country continues to be marked by a volatile security context and continued impunity for human rights violations. With the elections of 2025 in sight, monitoring remains relevant.

At HRC57, the EU is also a member of the cross-regional core group presenting a resolution on human rights and climate change led by the Marshall Islands and furthermore composed of the Bahamas, Fiji, Panama, Paraguay and Sudan.

Now is the time for consensus and unity. We need to join forces to help to improve the lives of people around the world. Throughout this session, the EU will be engaging constructively with partners and stakeholders, and we are proud to have nine EU Members of the Human Rights Council continuously supporting its critical work for human rights and dignity. Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva

In a Team Europe approach, EU Member States will also present initiatives on their own behalf or as part of a core group of countries, including on:

• Situation of human rights in the Russian Federation
• Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic
• Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan
• Youth and human rights
• Human Rights of Older Persons
• World Programme for Human Rights Education
• The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
• Countering cyber-bullying
• Local government and human rights
• Equal participation in political and public affairs
• The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet
• National human rights institutions
• The role of good governance in the promotion and protection of human rights
• The social reintegration of people deprived of liberty
• Education as a tool to prevent racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance