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A week after the end of Michelle Bachelet’s term, States in New York were notified late last night that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres intends to seek approval for the appointment of Volker Türk of Austria as the next High Commissioner for Human Rights during a meeting today (8 September). In all previous appointments, the Secretary-General's recommended candidate has been approved by consensus (without a vote).

Human rights defenders welcome the adoption of a resolution on a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment by record vote after almost five decades of activism as a ‘promising start’.

After the suspension of Russia’s membership at the HRC, the GA will hold elections for the vacant seat. ISHR publishes today the scorecard for the Czech Republic which declared its candidature for the vacant seat to be filled by the Group of Eastern European States.

On Thursday 7 April, a two-thirds majority of States at the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of suspending Russia's membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

The UN General Assembly has a responsibility to act to suspend Russia's rights of membership of the Human Rights Council, both to uphold the Council's institutional integrity and to avoid entrenching impunity for gross and systematic human rights violations.

In an open letter, almost 50 NGOs from all regions of the world call on the UN General Assembly to suspend Russia's rights of membership of the UN Human Rights Council for committing widespread, gross and systematic human rights violations, some amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The UN Human Rights Council should act urgently to mandate mechanisms to monitor, report on, and promote accountability for Russia's gross human rights violations.

The Chair of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee invited civil society to an informal discussion on the main outcomes of the recent session and the theme equality in the recovery from COVID-19.

Civil society groups call for an independent accountability mechanism in their demand for urgent UN action against impunity for crimes in Yemen.

The passage of a human rights defender resolution by the Third Committee of the GA by consensus, with 85 co-sponsors, is another important step in ongoing work to strengthen the promotion and protection of those who defend rights.