Defunding human rights: analysis of votes at the Fifth Committee

This analysis is yearly updated and serves as complementary information to ISHR’s report ‘Budget Battles at the UN: How States try to Defund Human Rights’ launched on 21 October 2025.

During the adoption of the UN’s proposed budget at the Fifth Committee, certain States have attempted to defund mandates established by Human Rights Council resolutions. They do this through introducing hostile draft resolutions (known as ‘L. Docs’) or hostile oral amendments to draft resolutions. States that support human rights funding must then call a vote to defeat these hostile draft resolutions or amendments. States seeking to defund human rights mandates have also called votes on positive oral amendments that seek to ensure funding to HRC-created investigations. ISHR’s analysis looks at votes on these three different attempts of defunding HRC resolutions.*

 ISHR analysed the following attempts at defunding over the period 2018-2024:

• • L Docs targeting a group of HRC resolutions on country investigations, introduced by Russia (on behalf of Belarus, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Venezuela, plus Sudan in 2024 and Syria in 2022-2023), defeated by votes called by the EU:
    • 2024 (UNGA 79^th session): defund HRC resolutions S-35/1 (Iran), 55/19 (Iran), 55/21 (North Korea), 55/23 (Ukraine in the context of Russia’s aggression), 55/27 (Belarus), 56/17 (Eritrea), 57/2 (Sudan), 57/20 (Russia) and 57/36 (Venezuela).
    • 2023 (UNGA 78^th session): defund HRC resolutions 52/29 (Belarus), 52/28 (North Korea), 53/2 (Eritrea), 52/27 (Iran), 52/2 (Nicaragua), 52/32 (Ukraine in the context of Russia’s aggression), 54/23 (Russia) and 52/30 (Syria).
    • 2022 (UNGA 77^th session): defund HRC resolutions S-34/1 and 49/1 (both on Ukraine in the context of Russia’s aggression), S-35/1 (Iran), 45/20 (Venezuela), 49/3 (Nicaragua), 49/22 (North Korea), 49/24 (Iran), 49/26 (Belarus), 49/27 (Syria), 50/2 (Eritrea), 50/20 (Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and association), 51/25 (Russia) and 51/29 (Venezuela).
  • Hostile oral amendments targeting dedicated HRC resolutions on investigations on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), all introduced by Israel, defeated by votes called by the G77+China or the Arab League:
    • 2024 (UNGA 79^th session): defund HRC resolutions 55/28 (Commission of Inquiry) and 55/32 (Israeli settlements)
    • 2023 (UNGA 78^th session): defund HRC resolution 53/25 (database on business enterprises operating in Israeli settlements)
    • 2021 (UNGA 76^th session): defund HRC resolution S-30/1 (Commission of Inquiry)
    • 2019 (UNGA 74^th session): defund HRC resolution 40/13 (Commission of Inquiry)
    • 2018 (UNGA 73^rd session): defund HRC resolution S-28/1 (Commission of Inquiry)
  • L Docs targeting single HRC resolutions on country investigations:
    • 2023 (UNGA 78^th session), introduced by Sudan, defeated by vote called by the EU: defund HRC resolution 54/2 (Sudan)
    • 2022 (UNGA 77^th session), introduced by Ethiopia, defeated by vote called by the EU: defund HRC resolution 51/27 (Ethiopia)

Supporting defunding

Only a minority of 14 States overwhelmingly voted to defund investigative mechanisms established by HRC resolutions, with the exception of those on the OPT:

• • Supported at least 4 out of 5 attempts to defund HRC investigations: Belarus, China, Cuba, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Zimbabwe.
  • Bolivia voted in favour of two of the three attempts to defund a group of HRC investigations, yet abstained on the attempt to defund those on Sudan and Ethiopia.
  • Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea and Sudan are or have been HRC members over the period of analysis.
  • 12 of the 18 members of the so-called Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter (which promotes sovereignty and non-interference over human rights) are among the consistent supporters of defunding: Belarus, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Zimbabwe.
  • 10 of these States, coalesced around Russia, are also the initiators of the three initiatives to defund a group of HRC investigations: Belarus, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Sudan (in 2024), Syria (in 2022-2023), Russia and Venezuela.
  • Venezuela has regularly lost its right to vote at the General Assembly under Article 19 of the UN Charter given its exceeding arrears to the UN. Its political alignment with the Group of Friends of the UN Charter and backing to L.Docs introduced by Russia provide reasonable grounds to believe it would be a consistent supporter of defunding.

7 States (all from the Africa Group) voted once to defund a group of HRC investigations: Botswana and Burundi (in 2024); Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger and South Sudan (in 2023); and Equatorial Guinea (in 2022).

12 States have also voted at least once to defund an HRC investigation on the OPT, while abstaining or opposing attempts to defund all other HRC investigations:

• • More than once: Australia (2018 and 2019), Israel (all 5 times), Nauru (2021 and 2024), Palau (2021 and 2024), Papua New Guinea (2021 and 2023), United States (all 5 times)
  • Once: Argentina (2024), Hungary (2021), Marshall Islands (2021), Micronesia (2021), Paraguay (2024), Tonga (2024).
  • Regressive trend: Argentina and Paraguay shifted from opposing to supporting defunding of OPT investigations since 2024.
  • Progressive trend: Australia and the Marshall Islands shifted from having supported at least once the defunding of OPT mandates in the past, to opposing them in 2024.

Opposing defunding

36 States consistently opposed all attempts to defund investigative mechanisms established by HRC resolutions, including on the OPT:

• • Western Europe and Other Group (19, out of 28 total): Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye.
  • Eastern European Group (6 out of 23): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Moldova, Romania.
  • Latin American and Caribbean Group (9 out of 33): Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru.
  • Asia-Pacific Group (2): Cyprus, Japan.
  • None from the African Group.

In addition, 24 States have overwhelmingly opposed attempts to defund HRC investigations, abstaining three times or less:

• • One abstention (14): Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, UK and Uruguay. All abstained once, in 2021, on the attempt to defund HRC resolution S-30/1 on the creation of the Commission of Inquiry on the OPT. Monaco abstained once, on the attempt to defund HRC resolution S.28/1 on the OPT in 2018.
  • Two abstentions (6): Albania, South Korea and Ukraine (the three both in 2018 and 2021), Dominican Republic (2018, 2019), Ecuador and North Macedonia (both in 2021 and 2024).
  • Three abstentions (4): Brazil and Colombia. Both abstained on the attempts to defund HRC resolutions on the OPT over the period 2018-2021, then shifted to opposing all attempts to defund HRC investigations on the OPT. Honduras used to join other Latin American States in opposing defunding of HRC investigations, yet it would abstain on defunding of OPT investigations until 2024, when it started opposing too. Georgia abstained on three attempts to defund HRC investigations on the OPT, in 2018, 2021 and 2023 (opposing in 2019 and 2024).
  • Botswana is the only African State who voted against all attempts to defund HRC investigations until 2023. Regrettably, Botswana voted in favour of defunding a group of HRC investigations in 2024.
  • Kuwait opposed attempts to defund a group of HRC resolutions in 2022 and 2023, yet shifted to abstaining in 2024.

Abstentions and fluctuating votes

As previously described, 9 States consistently oppose defunding of a group of HRC investigations, yet have supported the defunding of OPT investigations once or more: Argentina, Australia, Czechia, Hungary, Israel, Palau, Paraguay, Marshall Islands, and the US.

Other countries not listed above – the vast majority of African and Asia-Pacific States – overwhelmingly abstain in votes on defunding HRC investigations, with the exception of those on the OPT. Some of these States have shown inconsistent voting patterns:

• • Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya and Senegal voted for the first time against the attempt to defund a group of HRC investigations in 2024, having consistently abstained in the past. Yet, all of them, with the exception of Guinea, supported the defunding of HRC resolution 51/27 on Ethiopia in 2022, as did 17 other African States.
  • Armenia, Congo, Fiji, Ghana, Samoa and Timor Leste opposed once the defunding of a group of HRC investigations, in 2022.

While African States overwhelmingly abstain, half of the African group (25 States) has supported at least once the defunding of an HRC investigation on an African country:

• • On Ethiopia and Sudan: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe
  • On Ethiopia only: Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Djibouti, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Somalia.
  • On Sudan only: Egypt, Libya, Mozambique, South Sudan.

 Inconsistent votes by HRC members

Some States have supported resolutions in the HRC in Geneva and then argued, voted against or failed to support their funding once they reached the Fifth Committee in New York.

In total, at least 19 current or former HRC members voted in favour of at least one HRC resolution establishing country investigations targeted jointly with other HRC resolutions at the Fifth Committee between 2022 and 2024, yet failed to vote against their defunding at the Fifth Committee: Armenia, Bahamas, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Malawi, Morocco, Nepal, Paraguay, Somalia, South Africa and the UAE.

Similarly, at least 11 current or former HRC members voted at least once in support of HRC resolutions on the OPT, yet failed to oppose their defunding at the Fifth Committee: Angola, Armenia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Gambia, Malawi, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam.

*ISHR considered States voting to abstain and not voting both as abstaining.