UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC President Omar Zniber Press conference

Thank

you.

Good morning, everyone.

And welcome to this press conference by the

president of the UN Human Rights Council,

the Excellency Omar

N,

who is also the permanent representative of Morocco

to the United Nations office at Geneva.

We are very pleased to have President Nie

today who will give you a

brief highlight of what's going to happen at this upcoming 56 session.

And Ambassador

Sieber will also present his priorities for

his presidency and highlight two specific events,

high level events

that will take place during this 56 session.

So without further ado, I'll give the floor to Ambassador sneer.

Ok,

thank you very much. Mr. Pascal, I would like to express

the fact that I am very happy to be with

you this morning for this press briefing with the media

concerning

the launch month next week of the 56th session of the Human Rights Council,

I would like to say that it will be as usual,

an important session

during which we will have to assist many and various questions

I would like just

to make a short presentation about the subject we will tackle.

First of all, of course,

we will have the annual report of the High Commissioner.

Normally,

this report gives a complete overview about the assessment of his office on

the Situation of Human Rights globally.

Secondly, of course, we will have some important panels

and

annual panels on the adverse impact of climate change

on the question of the rights of women,

but also on the

processes

just to give you some examples

when it comes to the

country situations, we will have important presentations by the commissioners of

queries, particularly the one on

occupied Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem

on the 19th of June.

Likewise, we will have a first exchange with the experts of the Commission

on Sudan on 18 June.

They will be also,

of course,

an

interaction with the commission of inquiry in Syria.

as usual,

I mean, our session will also have to

develop very numerous interactive dialogues with special rapporteurs,

but also

to hear from,

you

know, the

adoption of

reports

and, of course, tackle the question of the resolutions. So far,

we forecast

a number of

between 2025 resolutions to be adopted during the next session.

An updated list is already, of course, established

for the medias if, of course,

they are interested by some or all the resolutions which will be

adopted during this session.

As you said, Mr Pascal,

we will use this decision and particularly during some lunchtime,

to organise

as a presidency

two important, if not to say, major events. The first one

will be organised on 20th June

on the so called trilogy 20th June from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It will be

a

presidential discussion

on the trilogy,

meaning the impact of climate change on food and health security.

This decision

is called for to have an in depth debate

to exchange suggestions, recommendations and observations

about this

subjects which are a matter of concern more and more, becoming urgent matters,

but also

some issues which

of course

have a human rights based dimension and then should

and could have a human rights based perspective.

And this is the purpose of this presidential discussion

is to have a co ordinated approach on these three subjects

so that the council be more vocal,

be more active

when dealing with these matters.

We do know, of course, that they are already inscribed in the agenda of the Council,

variously

that some special procedures and working on these matters

that there are resolutions.

But what we do need is to

make the council again

better oriented, make the council acting on these very urgent questions,

knowing that, for example, if we tackle the question of food security,

we have hundreds of millions of population worldwide

living in

food and security.

Likewise, when it comes to the question of health,

with all the developments we have witnessed these past few years,

it is unfortunate that a

huge part of the world population

has

no access to modern medicine to

Mari.

So as a human rights council, we have, of course, to care about that,

and particularly also knowing that climate change is impacting

severely

populations already suffering from this

difficult situations I referred to.

So climate change is provoking. The

move of population

is deteriorating the environment

and biodiversity,

and from

the human rights perspective, it is important that the council

again

run

at the best speed when tackling these matters,

and the second important event will be organised on 24 June

from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

and will be devoted to a celebration of the day of Women and diplomacy.

This is also an important event and we are forecasting as for the first one,

very high level panellists,

particularly leaders of the international organisation in Geneva,

but also those coming from other headquarters

to discuss these matters

coming from New York from Nairobi,

and particularly then also 24 June,

the issue of gender parity gender

equity

in

the world of diplomacy is fundamental. As you know,

there is a resolution

which was adopted by the General Assembly on this matter. We will celebrate this day

and we will particularly

insist

on what could be done more here in Geneva in

this perspective,

to make this gender equity a full reality

within the international organisation

in our action and also of course,

from the perspective of member states in their missions

and more globally in the world of diplomacy,

we will have a very interesting dialogue.

I mean, for these two hours from which we will draw, I am pretty sure

I mean

good guidelines to make our work more concrete

and more

applicable on the ground.

These were the main elements I wanted to present Mr Pascal

also with my colleagues from the media

on this 56th session. And of course,

I'm ready to answer to any question

or any observations or comments by the journalist. I thank you.

Thank you, Mr President.

So we'll open the floor to questions,

And I understand that today's briefing is fully online.

So

for all the journalists who are attending this briefing through Zoom,

please feel free to raise your hand

so that we can take your questions

first. Emma.

Far

from Reuters, please.

Good morning, Ambassador. Thanks for the briefing. Um,

I wanted to know, uh, what the latest is on the funding, actually, for, um,

the many ongoing investigations.

Uh, I know that was a concern of many countries that, um

especially on the Sudan, uh uh,

investigation that they wouldn't have the funds to actually get those, uh,

investigations running.

Have they been overcome? Um,

and I also just wanted to ask on a second point. Uh, how concerned are you about

divisions in the council, over gender issues? Um, in the next session.

Thanks very much.

Ok. Thank you, madam. Uh, yes, indeed.

We are facing, uh, as you know, of course, as we know all

some

severe

I mean,

financial situation in terms of Liquidities.

But nevertheless the Office of the High Commissioner is doing its best to make this

the mechanism of the council working

not to be stopped at all. We have postponed, as you may know,

many activities of the Council. That decision was taken during the last session,

but

according to the last information I got on these aspects,

there is, let's

say,

limited amelioration of the situation.

I was informed by that which means that we

have to stay optimistic and also particularly the financement.

All these

inquiry commissions, the special procedures, their activities.

What is established for this year, for example, is that for some

special rapporteurs when it comes to the country visit, it has been limited to one

compared to what was in the past.

And we do hope that we will overcome this situation as soon as possible

myself.

As president, I am in contact direct contact with all those involved,

be it at the level of

you know, the

Secretariat General of the United Nations in New York, but also

the commissions

and where the state parties have also to play their role in New York to try

to overcome the situation.

I have advocated for

a specific treatment for the Human Rights Council. And it is a mechanism

given of course,

the importance of

its activities currently and

also for the next future.

I can't enter into details. I still have hope that we can go this way.

As I said

it,

I spoke on this question with the secretary general in New York with I mean

also,

I

mean

under

on management, also with the president of the commissions,

fifth commissions and others

the

all of them, of course, and still here

with the members of the Bureau. We are following very closely the situation.

So

on the gender issue, of course it is an important matter.

We do hope that we will have the best debate possible

and we will have this gathering, as I said,

the annual Panel on the Right of Women which will offer the possibility for all

actors

to come and to enrich our debate and to go ahead with

this equal rights we are seeking

for,

I mean,

the gender

globally.

So

as well as

you may know that the focal point, also of the council on this issue, is working very

strongly,

preparing some activities and proposals for the weeks ahead.

I'm pretty sure you will be informed about that.

I am also in contact with the president of the General Assembly,

given the fact that he

has established this gender equity and gender

parity as one of his major priorities.

As it is the case for me.

And by the way, we have lunched together this initiative last session

on training,

open to all the missions here, open to all those who can

be trained

to face. And

I'm in combat

and eradicate, particularly the sexual harassment.

Thank you.

The

the

artificial

Mon

President

Nick

Bros from The New York Times. You have the floor?

Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the briefing this morning. Ambassador.

You mentioned that a lot of actions activities

of the council have been postponed

as a result of decisions Of the last question. I wonder if you could just remind us

what some of these actions that have been postponed are. And

whether you envisage that these are activities that will be

picked up and resumed at some point this year.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your question. Well, there are 1717

activities which have been postponed. I don't have in memory the details.

There is a document of course indicating

all these activities which have been postponed.

The question The important question, as I said at the beginning,

is that I hope we have limited for this year this postponement to that.

I mean

it has been said that it can be ritual depending on

our possibilities again

to have the necessary liquidities.

It has been a proposal made by the Secretariat

which has been discussed with all the stakeholders, particularly

the delegations involved in these activities,

as co sponsors or authors of these initiatives.

So

it has been made in a manner, of course, some activities also in

link with the

agenda item nine others. I touched various agenda items of our activities

again. I mean, every accessibility is possible for this document to go to

in details in depth for knowing precisely

what are these activities which have been postponed,

postponed means that they have to come back

in a way or another.

The best would be

I

mean,

that day we can again relaunch these activities before the end of this mandate,

meaning before next

end of December, we will see depending on what the situation will

evolve, particularly

when it comes to the

finance and liquidity situations in New York.

Because we do depend on New York for that.

Thank you.

Do we have more questions?

Any questions for the president of the Human Rights Council on the 56th session?

Well, if not, I invite you to join us

in room 20 starting on Tuesday, June 18th.

And don't forget, we have the A to Z programme, the updated programme of work

which lists more than 100 reports that you

that will be considered during this 56 session.

Over 50 speakers, as many topics to be addressed

as the president said We have around 20

draught resolutions that have been tabled so far,

but we expect to have more

and feel free to follow us on our social media platform at

HRC 56 to get the latest update on the upcoming session.

Thank you very much. And thank you very much.

Mr Ambassador, do you have any concluding words

like

again?

Thank you very much, Mr

Pascal.

I thank all the colleagues for their questions just

to insist again on this event of 20 June

like the one of 24 June. We have very high level panellists.

I mean, as I said for the 20 June already confirmed,

I

mean

the

of the

executive secretary of

coming from Nairobi, also the Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees,

also the high Commissioner of Human Rights,

hopefully two other very high level panellists

to discuss these issues from various aspects because they will present.

I'm pretty sure

a

word assessment

on the question of food security, health, security and climate change.

So

having such a discussion within the human rights

we do consider it is also the right place to discuss these issues and

hopefully

to get from the

concrete recommendations, suggestions

which I will enter my own responsibility as president of the Council share with

the President of the General Assembly, the co facilitators working in New York.

I mean currently in very intensive negotiations for elaborating and

submitting the pact of the future to be adopted,

hopefully for during the next summit which will take place Summit of the future,

which will take place in New York, end of September, As you know,

thank you. Thank you for being present also

and for giving importance. And terrorists at least to this event.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr President, And thank you all for your participation

HRC Presser - 10 June 2024