Joint civil society statement on outcomes of the UNGA 80 Third Committee

The undersigned civil society organisations mark the conclusion of the UN General Assembly’s (GA) 80th Third Committee session with the following observations on a number of both thematic and country-specific outcomes. We urge all States to implement the commitments they have made during this session to their full extent.

THEMATIC OUTCOMES 

Statements 

We welcome the joint statement on reprisals, led by Ireland and Uruguay and joined by a cross-regional group of 70 countries, but regret the decrease from 80 States in previous years. The statement recognises the vital role of human rights defenders and civil society in the UN’s work and condemns online and offline intimidation and reprisals by State and non-State actors against those who engage or seek to engage with the UN, including its mechanisms and representatives. This year’s statement notes in particular the increase in the scale and sophistication of transnational targeted repression, attempts to intimidate independent mandate holders and international organisations, and targeting of LGBTIQ+ persons. We urge more States to sign on to the statement in the future. 

We welcome that Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg raised specific cases and situations of intimidation and reprisal of Human Rights Center Viasna (Belarus), Chow Hang Tung (Hong Kong) and Pham Doan Trang (Viet Nam) during an interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General on 16 October 2025. We encourage more States to raise individual cases of reprisals in future sessions to address and end ongoing reprisals. 

We welcome the joint statement on decriminalization delivered by Spain on behalf of 41 members of the UN LGBTI Core Group and 17 additional States, which reaffirmed that all human rights apply equally to all persons without distinction. The statement highlighted ongoing criminalization of consensual same-sex relations in more than 60 countries and its severe human rights consequences, including discrimination, violence, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. It underscored growing global momentum toward decriminalization while noting rising hate speech and regressive laws in some contexts. The statement called on all States to repeal discriminatory legislation and ensure legal protections for LGBTI persons and human rights defenders. 

Resolutions 

We welcome the resolution on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity adopted by consensus and widely co-sponsored by governments from all regions. Led by Greece alongside a core group of Austria, Argentina, Costa Rica, France, and Tunisia, the resolution focused on journalists reporting on climate change and environmental issues. While these journalists play a vital role in informing the public about climate change and holding governments and companies accountable for environmental destruction, they are facing unprecedented forms of violence worldwide. The resolution condemns unequivocally all online and offline attacks, reprisals and violence against journalists and media workers covering climate change and environmental issues and calls upon all responsible actors to cease and refrain from these measures and for governments to ensure accountability through the conduct of impartial, speedy, thorough, independent and effective investigations.

We welcome the resolution on promotion and protection of human rights in the context of digital technologies. This resolution was previously adopted by consensus, but this iteration went to a vote, receiving 169 votes in favor and 3 votes against adoption, with 3 abstentions. The Czech Republic and Mexico, alongside a core group comprising the Maldives, the Netherlands, and South Africa, led this omnibus resolution containing strong language on a wide array of human rights issues stemming from the use of digital technologies from artificial intelligence to encryption. This new iteration contains stronger language on the need for human rights due diligence and human rights impact assessments to be carried out throughout the entire life cycle of digital technologies, including through integrating a disability, gender, and racial equality perspective. It invites businesses to conduct and publicly disclose robust human rights due diligence for all proposed transfers of surveillance technology and to refrain from exporting if there is a significant risk of its usage to commit human rights violations and abuses. While the resolution is strong, we encourage future iterations of the resolution to embed strong standards from relevant Human Rights Council resolutions on issues such as on biometric mass surveillance and internet throttling. 

We welcome the adoption, despite its vote (174 in favour, 2 against and 2 abstentions) of the resolution on human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation (WASH), presented by Germany and Spain, that includes new references to the misconceptions, taboos and discrimination surrounding menstruation and menstrual health, as well as a new standalone reference to menstrual health. Language was maintained on sexual and reproductive health services, menstrual health and hygiene management, gender-responsive services, and sexual and gender-based violence. We regret that, despite significant support, references to publicity and awareness-raising campaigns on menstrual health and human rights defenders working in water and sanitation were omitted from the text. We reaffirm the intersection of menstrual health and hygiene with gender equality and the right to health for all women and girls, and echo the resolution’s call to address these gendered aspects in the creation and implementation of WASH policies. 

We are disappointed that the rights of the child resolution, focusing on early childhood development and typically adopted by consensus, was adopted a vote (172 in favour, 3 against, and 3 abstentions) called by the United States.We commend the co-facilitators (EU and Uruguay on behalf of GRULAC) for their efforts to strengthen child rights language despite strong opposition from certain member states. We welcome references to the Pact for the Future’s recognition of children as a distinct group of rights-holders who can “become agents of change within their communities.” Additionally, we welcome strong language on preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), child,  early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, the heightened vulnerabilities of girls to SGBV, access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and the retention of agreed language affirming States’ responsibilities to provide comprehensive support services to prevent violence against children. We appreciate the recommendations to renew the mandates of the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and on Children and Armed Conflict. We regret deletion of the sole reference to corporal punishment, and the rejection of several proposals to further strengthen references to sexual and reproductive health and rights, comprehensive sexuality education, diverse forms of families, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and the distinct needs of adolescent girls despite significant support from Member States.

We welcome the adoption of the biennial resolution on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), facilitated by Mexico and New Zealand. The resolution recognizes how diverse contexts and a range of social, environmental, political, economic and cultural conditions affect experience and access to rights of persons with disabilities. It calls for strengthened action in line with core CRPD principles of non-discrimination and respect for diversity. Importantly, the resolution acknowledges for the first time that persons with disabilities face discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. During adoption, an amendment to remove this reference, introduced by Egypt on behalf of the OIC, was defeated in a close vote (70 in favor, 74 against). The final text  passed by an overwhelming majority maintains this language acknowledging the amplified barriers that undermine the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society.  

The tri-annual resolution on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment was adopted by a vote of 169 votes in favor, 3 against (Argentina, Israel, the US) and 4 abstentions (Burundi, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea and Russia). We regret this call for a vote by the US, breaking a decades long tradition of consensus, without providing substantial reasons for calling the vote. While Denmark’s efforts to preserve consensus through a transparent and participatory negotiation process were unsuccessful, the near-consensual resolution condemns all torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment—prohibited everywhere and at all times —and calls on all States to uphold this “absolute and non-derogable” prohibition. The adopted text recognizes that conflict-related sexual violence  and unlawful or excessive use of force by law enforcement officials committed against persons exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly may amount to torture and encourages states to respond to and prevent such acts through the use of tools such as Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests.  

Gender related resolutions 

The resolution on policies and programmes involving youth presented by Portugal, Cabo Verde and Kazakhstan was adopted following a call for a vote by the United States. A total of 169 Member States voted in favor, while the United States, Argentina, and Israel voted against. This year the resolution focused on the theme of AI and Digital Skills. We welcome the retention of references to sexual and reproductive health, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and full, equal and meaningful participation of young people. However, the resolution failed to meaningfully acknowledge the potential and the risks of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on young people—particularly the dangers of technology-facilitated gender-based violence and discrimination. It also failed to call upon Member States to ensure an inclusive and human-rights based approach to the development and deployment of technology, including AI. We are particularly disappointed that, despite this year marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the resolution did not include additional references to adequately address the impact of technology on the rights of girls, adolescents, and marginalized groups, particularly in the context of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

We welcome the adoption, despite being adopted by a vote (172 in favour, 3 against and 3 adoptions) of the resolution on violence against women migrant workers, presented by Indonesia and the Philippines. The resolution includes new references to the gender digital divide, the collection, analysis and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data on the situation of violence that occurs through the use of technology, and the recognition of the use of artificial intelligence in trafficking and exploitation of women migrant workers. The resolution also retains critical language on multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, the feminization of migration, gender-responsive migration policies, and gender-based violence. We regret that it did not instead call for gender-disaggregated data, and that,  despite significant support, additional references to sexual and reproductive health and technology-facilitated gender-based violence were omitted in the final text. We echo the resolution’s call to all Member States to protect all migrant women from harassment and violence, regardless of migration status. 

OUTCOMES ON COUNTRY SITUATIONS 

Resolutions  

We welcome the adoption of a resolution on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran by a vote of 79 in favor, 28 against, and 63 abstentions. Facilitated by Canada with 48 co-sponsors, it condemns the alarming rise in the systematic use of the death penalty without due process, including its disproportionate application to ethnic and religious minorities. It denounces torture, cruel punishments, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of women and girls as tools of political repression, and calls for the release of human rights defenders, children, families of protestors, and journalists, as well as the rescission of harsh sentences imposed for exercising fundamental rights. The resolution also expresses deep concern over severe restrictions on freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, including limits on places of worship and burial practices, and the incitement of hatred against religious minorities such as Christians, Jews, Sufi and Sunni Muslims, Yarsanis, and Baha’is. It urges Iran to eliminate systemic discrimination against women, girls, and all religious minorities and highlights ongoing systematic impunity stemming from a lack of accountability for long-standing violations. The resolution notes the worsening human rights situation, the spike in executions, and the scapegoating of minorities since the June conflict, raising concerns about incitement to violence by state-affiliated media echoing the 1988 summary and arbitrary executions. It further underscores continued violations by the judiciary and security agencies, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and the destruction of evidence and grave sites, mentioning for the first time acts of transnational repression targeting dissidents abroad. 

The resolution on the human rights situation in Syria, was adopted by a vote. While the resolution ultimately received support from the Syrian Arab Republic itself who called for all states to join consensus, the Russian Federation still called a vote on the resolution. This is the first Third Committee resolution on Syria adopted since the fall of the Assad regime. The resolution sought to applaud positive developments and highlight ongoing human rights violations, including abuses by government forces, government-aligned armed groups in March and July 2025. The ongoing lack of accountability for the violence, in particular regarding the role of senior military or civilian leaders, risks further fueling the cycle of violence and impunity. We regret the late circulation of the zero draft which led to rushed negotiation and little time for meaningful consultations with stakeholders including relevant UN bodies and civil society. The text emphasizes the need for the transition to be Syria-led and Syrian-owned, including in the context of transitional justice and accountability processes. It also expresses support for civil society, human rights defenders, victims, survivors and their families and the need for their continued role in these processes. It calls for increased cooperation between the Commission of Inquiry (COI), the International, Impartial, Independent Mechanism (IIIM), and the International Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP), but falls short of explicitly calling on the transitional authorities to formally authorize them to start operating in Syria. 

The resolution on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was adopted by consensus for the tenth consecutive year sending a strong message to the North Korean government that UN member countries from all regions are united in condemning its ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations. The resolution stresses the link between its repressive practices, human rights abuses, and international peace and security and highlights the connection between human rights violations and the diversion of North Korea’s resources to pursue nuclear weapons. The resolution urges North Korea to create an environment for the return of international and humanitarian aid personnel and encourages member states and UN agencies to support civil society activities aimed at improving the human rights situation in North Korea.

The resolution on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar presented by the EU and the OIC was again adopted by consensus. This adoption reiterates UN members’ strong condemnation of all human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in the country. This year’s resolution expresses deep concern over the military junta’s attempts to conduct elections that are not set to be free or fair amid intensifying conflict and ongoing human rights violations. It also features stronger language addressing how the escalation of violence severely impacts the civilian population and the violations and abuses occurring in the framework of transnational crimes, including human trafficking, drug trafficking and online scam operations. It once again calls for regular reporting by the UN Special Envoy to Member States. However, we are disappointed that the resolution did not address the ongoing flow of weapons and technology to the junta, in line with Human Rights Council and General Assembly resolutions.

Civil society access 

We regret that severe delays in issuing groundspasses by the UN in October prevented representatives of several accredited NGOs from accessing the UN premises, and participating and contributing to its work including the civil society briefing convened by the Chair of the Third Committee at the beginning of the session. Despite these barriers, we underscore the important contributions of NGO representatives that participated as observers across Third Committee meetings throughout this session. 

SIGNATORIES 

Access Now

Amnesty International

ARTICLE 19

Center for Reproductive Rights 

ChildFund Alliance

Coalition for the UN We Need

Fos Feminista

Human Rights Watch

ILGA World

International Disability Alliance

International Service for Human Rights

Outright International

Plan International

Women Deliver