HRC61 - EU General Comment - Item 3/ L.6

UN Human Rights Council

61st session – Item 3

Resolution L.6 – Explanation of vote

Mandate of the IGWG on the Effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action 

EU General Comment

Mr President, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU Member States that are members of the Council. This general comment has been agreed by the EU as a whole.

The EU welcomes the renewal of the mandate of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). The EU has engaged constructively and actively in all IGWG sessions, and will continue to do so. 

This mandate renewal comes as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the DDPA. The EU confirms its commitment to the DDPA , as stated in the EU Anti-Racism Strategy, and reiterated by the High Representative of the EU in a statement on behalf of MS. 

This mandate renewal also focuses on the important role that the IGWG is playing in the drafting of the ’Declaration on the protection, promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent’. The EU has constructively contributed to  its development in the last two sessions, and remains committed to this work, cherishing the importance of forging international consensus on this topic. 

The IGWG is therefore entrusted with two of the most important tasks currently in the Item 9 architecture, that is monitoring on the implementation of the DDPA, and drafting this Declaration. However, we note how time is never enough to fulfill both of these tasks. This occurs while many other mechanisms in Item 9, in which the EU has also always been activley present, are allocated numerous meeting days, characterised by very low participation and lack of engagement. 

It is in light of this that the EU welcomes the statements made by the African Group in presenting this resolution in the informal negotiations. We share the need to take a closer look on how to better streamline and organise in a more efficient way the resources available, ever more scarce across the system, so to reach impact and to focus on those mandates that can bring added value within the item 9 architecture. 

We look forward to continuing the constructive engagement reached in IGWG meetings. 

Thank you.