HRC61 - Explanation of Vote - Item 3/ L.3

UN Human Rights Council 
61^st Session – Item 3
Resolution L.3 

Sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenants on Human Rights

Explanation of Vote by the EU Member States that are members of the Council

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU Member States that are members of the Human Rights Council. 

We are all parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and are actively committed to their implementation, including through meaningful participation in reviews conducted by the corresponding treaty bodies.

The resolution before us calls for the strictest compliance by states with their obligations arising from these treaties. In view of that, we recall that the penholder, the Russian Federation, failed to participate in its Human Rights Committee review in 2022 and had its Human Rights Council membership rights suspended by a resolution adopted with resounding support by the 11^th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly on 7^th April 2022 for having committed “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law during its aggression against Ukraine”, with the General Assembly expressing “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine”.

These concerns remain fully present today, with the Commission of Inquiry having concluded that Russian authorities have committed crimes against humanity of torture, enforced disappearances, murder and forcible transfer of population, and war crimes, including deliberate and intensified targeting of civilians. 

Given this very rare decision of the General Assembly, only taken twice in the twenty years of the Council, and in the face of Russia’s blatant disrespect for universally recognized human rights standardswe were not in a position to engage with the initiative at hand. Consequently, the EU member states that are members of this Council will abstain on this resolution, and we call on others to do the same.

Mr President, 

In these times of huge global challenges and extremely scarce resources we believe that the most meaningful way to celebrate the 60^th anniversary is through the sincere respect for, protection and fulfillment of the universal human rights enshrined in the Covenants. 

Thank you.