Human Rights Council holds a meeting on the deterioration of Human Rights in Ukraine

12-05-2022

Manon Picard

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

Today, on the 12th of May 2022, the Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental body within the United Nations system, is holding a meeting in regard to the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine due to the ongoing aggression stemming from the Russian Federation. This meeting, also known as a special session, will commence at 10 a.m. Central European Time and can be livestreamed on the United Nations’ website or by clicking on this link. 

In order for a special session to be convened, “the support of one-third of the 47 members of the Council – 16 or more - is required”. Following Ukraine’s official request for the Human Rights Council to hold a special session, 16 Member States of the Human Rights Council gave their support as well as 37 observer States. The Human Rights Council will therefore hold its first meeting of its 34th special session today.  

The Human Rights Council has already discussed the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine at the beginning of March 2022 during one of its regular sessions. It was during that debate that the Council decided to: 

“establish an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate all alleged violations of human rights in the context of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine”. 

The Human Rights Council’s special session can be watched in six different languages and any summaries of its previous session can also be found on this link.

Sources and further reading:

Human Rights Council. (2022, May 9). Human Rights Council to Hold Special Session to Address the Deteriorating Human Rights Situation in Ukraine Stemming from the Russian Aggression on Thursday, 12 May. Press Release – United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Retrieved on May 12, 2022, from https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/05/human-rights-council-hold-special-session-address-deteriorating-human-rights