Human Rights Council to Hold its Fifty-Ninth Regular Session from 16 June to 9 July 2025
The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fifty-ninth regular session from 16 June to 9 July 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The session will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, 16 June under the presidency of Ambassador Jürg Lauber of Switzerland. The opening will be addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who will present his annual report. The Council will be meeting in room XX of the Palais des Nations.
Over almost four weeks, the Council will consider more than 60 reports presented by the Secretariat of the United Nations and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, human rights experts and other investigative bodies on numerous topics and relevant to the situation of human rights in more than 40 countries. In total, the Council will hold 32 interactive dialogues.
During the session, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner on his annual report under agenda item two; on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under agenda item four; and on Ukraine and Colombia under agenda item 10.
The Council will hold enhanced interactive dialogues under agenda item two with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and on the oral update of the Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Under agenda item four, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, with the participation of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
On climate change, the Council will hold its annual panel on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on climate change. The Council will also hold its annual panel on technical cooperation and capacity-building.
Under agenda item three, the Council will hold its annual panel discussion on women’s rights, and a panel on safe drinking water and sanitation. It will also hold interactive dialogues on summary executions, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, transnational corporations, education, health, leprosy (Hansen’s disease), sexual orientation and gender identity, migrants, internally displaced persons, prevention of genocide, trafficking, extreme poverty, discrimination against women and girls, violence against women and girls, judges and lawyers, and international solidarity.
The Council will also hear the presentation of the Secretary-General’s interim report on the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, under agenda item 10. Further, it will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel, under agenda item two; and with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi under agenda item four. The Council will also hear oral updates from the Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan under agenda item two and from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria under agenda item four.
Additionally, the Council will hold interactive dialogues under agenda item seven with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and under agenda item nine with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Under agenda item 10, it will hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic.
The final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States will also be considered, namely those of Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A detailed agenda and further information on the fifty-ninth session can be found on the session’s web page. Reports to be presented are available here. All meetings of this session are broadcast on UN Web TV.
First Week of the Session
The fifty-ninth regular session will open on Monday, 16 June under the presidency of Ambassador Jürg Lauber. After the opening, the Council will begin considerations under agenda item two, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, will present his annual report. Subsequently, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. This will be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the oral update of the Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On Tuesday, 17 June, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s annual report, followed by an interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel. At the end of the day, it will hear the presentation of an oral update by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan.
On Wednesday, 18 June, the Council will commence discussions under agenda item three on the promotion and protection of all human rights, holding interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, which will conclude on Thursday, 19 June. This will be followed by interactive dialogues with the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
On Friday, 20 June, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and their family members, the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.
Second Week of the Session
In its second week, the Council will conclude its interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons on Monday, 23 June. It will then hold interactive dialogues with the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
The Council will start Tuesday, 24 June, with the first part of its annual discussion on women’s rights, focusing on gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings. This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. In the afternoon, the second part of the annual discussion on women’s rights will be held, focusing on the commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy and on overcoming barriers to women’s leadership in peace processes.
On Wednesday, 25 June, the Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity.
The Council will start Thursday, 26 June, with a panel discussion on the realisation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, followed by the presentation of reports under agenda item three. In the afternoon, it will start its consideration of reports under agenda item four on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, hearing the presentation of an oral update by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, followed by interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, and on the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi.
On Friday, 27 June, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and the oral update of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and the presentation of the High Commissioner’s oral update on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua.
Third Week of the Session
The Council will begin its third week on Monday, 30 June, with its annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, focusing on facilitating just transitions in the context of addressing the impacts of climate change on human rights. This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. It will then hear the presentation of the report of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises on the thirteenth session of the Forum on Business and Human Rights under agenda item five on human rights bodies and mechanisms.
The Council will next start its consideration under item six of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will conclude at the end of the day on Wednesday, 2 July.
On Thursday, 3 July, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, under agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. This will be followed by an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, under agenda item nine on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance.
In the afternoon, the Council will begin discussions under item 10 on technical assistance and capacity-building, with interactive dialogues on the oral presentation of the High Commissioner regarding his Office’s periodic report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, and on the interim report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine. This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the enhancement of technical assistance and capacity-building to assist Colombia in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition.
On Friday, 4 July, the Council will hold its annual panel discussion on technical cooperation and capacity-building, focusing on the role of technical cooperation and capacity-building in strengthening national structures which play a role in promoting and safeguarding human rights, particularly national human rights institutions and national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up.
This will be followed by an interactive dialogue on the oral update of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic.
In the afternoon, the Council will hear the presentation of the report of the High Commissioner relating to cooperation with Georgia. It will then start taking action on draft resolutions and decisions.
Fourth Week of the Session
The final week of the Council will be devoted to taking action on draft resolutions and decisions and the appointment of a member of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development and a member of the Working Group on arbitrary detention. The session will conclude on Wednesday, 9 July.
The Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States, which is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.
The composition of the Human Rights Council at its fifty-ninth session is as follows: Albania (2026); Algeria (2025); Bangladesh (2025); Belgium (2025); Benin (2027); Bolivia (2027); Brazil (2026); Bulgaria (2026); Burundi (2026); Chile (2025); China (2026); Colombia (2027); Costa Rica (2025); Côte d’Ivoire (2026); Cuba (2026); Cyprus (2027); Czechia (2027); Democratic Republic of the Congo (2027); Dominican Republic (2026); Ethiopia (2027); France (2026); Gambia (2027); Georgia (2025); Germany (2025); Ghana (2026); Iceland (2027); Indonesia (2026); Japan (2026); Kenya (2027); Kuwait (2026); Kyrgyzstan (2025); Malawi (2026); Maldives (2025); Marshall Islands (2027); Mexico (2027); Morocco (2025); Netherlands (2026); North Macedonia (2027); Qatar (2027); Republic of Korea (2027); Romania (2025); South Africa (2025); Spain (2027); Sudan (2025); Switzerland (2027); Thailand (2027); and Viet Nam (2025).
The term of membership of each State expires in the year indicated in parentheses.
The President of the Human Rights Council in 2025 is Jürg Lauber (Switzerland). The four Vice-Presidents are Tareq Md Ariful Islam (Bangladesh), Razvan Rusu (Romania), Claudia Puentes Julio (Chile), and Paul Empole Losoko Efambe (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Mr. Efambe also serves as Rapporteur of the Geneva-based body.
The dates and venue of the fifty-ninth session are subject to change.
Information on the fifty-ninth session can be found here, including the annotated agenda and the reports to be presented.
For further information, please contact Pascal Sim (simp@un.org), Matthew Brown (matthew.brown@un.org) and David Díaz Martín (david.diazmartin@un.org)
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HRC25.006E