UN Human Rights Council

During Egypt's UPR adoption at HRC59, Nora Noralla delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR, Cairo 52 and Middle East Democracy Center. Watch and read the full statement below. 

At the Human Rights Council, Belgium delivered a statement on behalf of over 60 States that 'pays tribute to the numerous achievements and meaningful progress made by women and girls human rights defenders, and emphasises the continued need for their voices to be heard and supported'.

At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, during the Interactive Dialogue following on the UN High Commissioner's report on Venezuela, ISHR delivered a statement on the situation faced by human rights defenders and called for the immediate release of all defenders arbitrarily detained in Venezuela.

1,259 NGOs from 157 countries and territories have urged the Human Rights Council to continue the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, up for renewal this session.

In a statement at an interactive dialogue on the annual report of the High Commissioner, ISHR Executive Director Phil Lynch called on States to support the work of defenders and to pay their UN dues.

The 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council (16 June to 9 July 2025) will consider issues including civil society space, climate change, sexual orientation and gender identity, violence and discrimination against women and girls, poverty, peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of expression, among others. It will also present an opportunity to address grave human rights situations including in Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Eritrea, Israel and oPt, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela, among many others. Here’s an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.