The United Nations Office at Geneva
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PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
4 April 2023
Human Rights Council update
Pascal Sim for the Human Rights Council (HRC) said today was the last day of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council. 21 draft resolutions would be considered today. 22 resolutions were adopted yesterday, 15 of which were adopted without a vote. This morning, the Council had adopted a resolution on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment without a vote.
In response to a question on a resolution regarding Haiti, Mr. Sim said that this was not the first time that a country concerned was co-sponsoring a resolution concerning a domestic human rights situation.
Mr. Sim said a list of resolutions and voting results was available on the Human Rights Council extranet.
Announcements
Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization (WHO) said that tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Palais des Nations, the World Health Organization would hold a press briefing on the rise of dengue outbreaks and impact of climate change. This would be a chance to see how this disease was advancing worldwide.
On Thursday, 7 April at 3 p.m., a hybrid press briefing would be held at World Health Organization headquarters to mark the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization. Light refreshments would be available and most of the principles of the Organization would attend.
Next Tuesday, 11 April, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., a technical webinar on post-COVID-19 conditions would be held. It would bring global experts together to present the latest global understanding of the condition, how it was affecting lives and the direction of future work in this area.
Rolando Gomez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said that the World Trade Organization (WTO) would tomorrow release its annual trade forecast at 2 p.m. An embargoed copy of the forecast would be available in the WTO media newsroom two hours prior to the release. A hybrid press conference to announce the launch would be held at 2 p.m. at WTO headquarters and live streamed from the WTO’s YouTube channel. WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa and other high-ranking WTO officials would be available to answer questions.
On Tuesday, 4 April at 2 p.m. at Room B-128 of the Palais des Nations, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances would hold a press conference to present its findings on Iraq, Argentina, Costa Rica, Germany and Zambia, and present their report on an official visit to Iraq. Speaking would be Carmen Rosa Villa Quintana, Chair of the Committee, Barbara Lochbihler and Mohammed Ayat, Vice Chairs of the Committee.
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was continuing its 36th session, which would close on Thursday, 6 April at 5:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, 11 April, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would start its 109th session, during which it will review the reports of Russian Federation, Niger, Argentina, Portugal, Philippines and Tajikistan.
Tomorrow in New York, the Financing for Sustainable Development report would be launched at 5:15 p.m. Geneva time and would be broadcast live on UN Web TV. The report set out several concrete recommendations to get progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals back on track and explored trends in international debt relief, aid delivery, bank regulation and sustainable public investment. The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed would be launching the report.
Today, 4 April was the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. In his message for the day, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed how broader global efforts were essential to safeguard people from mines. “Let’s take action to end the threat of these devices of death, support communities as they heal, and help people return and re-build their lives in safety and security,” Mr. Guterres said.
Tomorrow, 5 April marked the International Day of Conscience. Mr. Gomez recounted the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stated that “disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of humankind.” The theme for this year’s observance was promoting a culture of peace with love and conscience.
Thursday, 6 April was the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The global theme for the day was “Scoring for Peace and the Planet”, and the day also supported the Sustainable Development Goals.
Friday, 7 April was the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda. An event to mark the day would be held next Thursday, 13 April from 3 to 5 p.m. in Room XX of the Palais des Nations. The Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, would deliver remarks at the opening, and speakers would include a survivor of the 1994 genocide and the Ambassador of Rwanda in Geneva.
Friday, 7 April was also a UN holiday, and no UNIS press briefing would be held. The next briefing would be held on Tuesday, 11 April at 10:30 a.m.
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