The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fifty-fifth regular session from 26 February to 5 April 2024 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, starting with its high-level segment from 26 February to 28 February, when dignitaries representing more than 110 Member States will address the Council.
The session will open at 9 a.m. on Monday, 26 February under the presidency of Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco. Delivering statements at the opening will be the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres; the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis; the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk; as well as the Chief of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis. The Council will be meeting in room XX of the Palais des Nations.
On Monday, 4 March, the Council is scheduled to hear an oral update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the activities of his office and recent human rights developments around the world. The general debate on his oral update will be held following his presentation of a number of country-specific reports and updates.
During the session, the Council will hold 37 interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner, his Office and designated experts, with Special Procedures mandate holders and investigative mechanisms, and with Special Representatives of the Secretary-General. The Council will also hold three enhanced interactive dialogues and one high-level dialogue, as well as nine general debates.
The Council will also hold the annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming; a panel discussion on countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence; a panel discussion on challenges and good practices to realise the right to social security and to provide quality public services; the annual interactive debate on the rights of persons with disabilities; the annual full day meeting on the rights of the child; and a panel discussion on the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States will also be considered, namely those of Turkmenistan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Tuvalu, Germany, Djibouti, Canada, Bangladesh, the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Cameroon and Cuba.
Towards the end of the session, the Council will appoint 14 mandate holders of Special Procedures and expert mechanisms.
A detailed agenda and further information on the fifty-fifth session can be found on the session’s webpage.
