HRC63: 185 civil society organisations call on States to reaffirm their political and financial commitment to the UN treaty bodies

On 30 September 2026, Child Rights Connect delivered a joint statement on behalf of 185 organisations, including ISHR. It follows repeated warnings from the High Commissioner, including in his opening update to the Council on 7 September, that the work of the treaty bodies, the legal backbone of the UN human rights system, is endangered by chronic underfunding and the liquidity crisis.  

The signatories stressed that this is not only a financial crisis but a political one and, ultimately, a human rights crisis. In 2025, a 40% cut in meeting time led to roughly 30% fewer State reviews, and 2026 has brought further delays to an already backlogged system. Despite concrete proposals from OHCHR and the treaty bodies to improve predictability, harmonisation and digitalisation, the system remains ‘not only at a standstill, but in a downward spiral’.  

The organisations called on States to:  

• ensure sustainable funding through the UN regular budget, to reduce backlogs and schedule reviews well in advance;  

• provide dedicated resources for hybrid participation by civil society and other stakeholders; and  

• invest without delay in accessible digital tools.  

They also urged all parts of the UN to work together to remove administrative obstacles to treaty body strengthening.  

The statement builds on the joint civil society submission ‘At a crossroads: breaking the cycle of crisis‘, published in February 2026 which documents cancelled sessions, sharply reduced civil society participation and proposed cuts to treaty body support staff, and calls for a fixed, fully funded review calendar.  

These calls are central to ISHR’s campaign ‘Stop the rollback: scale up UN human rights‘. As UN80 and other reform processes reshape the UN, the campaign calls on States to strengthen the treaty bodies, not weaken them, through:  

• a fixed calendar of reviews with a budget to match;  

• a mandate for permanent hybrid participation;  

• greater accessibility through digital tools, accessible platforms and regional review clusters; and  

• protection of the treaty bodies’ independence.  

It also insists that treaty body strengthening and UN80 include meaningful consultation with civil society and be assessed against human rights criteria.  

‘For human rights defenders and victims, the treaty bodies are often a critical route to international scrutiny and redress. States must invest now in a predictable, accessible and well-resourced system. Allowing it to stall is a choice, and one that leaves rights-holders without protection’, said ISHR’s Programme Director and Legal Counsel, Tess McEvoy.  

 Statement is available here.