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

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this press conference by the President of the UN Human Rights Council is Excellency Omar's neighbour, who's also the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations office at Geneva.

We're very pleased to have President's Neighbour today, who will give you a brief highlight of what's going to happen at this upcoming 56 session.

And Ambassador's neighbour will also present his priorities for his presidency and highlight two specific events, **** level events that will take place during this 56 session.

So without further ado, I'll give the floor to Ambassador's Neighbour, Sir.

Thank you very much, Mr Pascal.

I would like to express the fact that I'm very happy to be with you this morning for this press briefing with the media's 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 of about the subjects we will tackle.

First of all, of course, we will have the annual report of the **** Commissioner.

Normally, this report gave 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 right of women's, but also on the UPR processes, just to give you some examples.

When it comes to the country situations, we will have important presentations by Commissioners of enquiries, particularly the one on OPT Occupied Palestinian Territories and E Jerusalem on the 19th of June.

Likewise, they would have a first exchange with the experts of the Commission on Sudan on the 18th of June.

They will be also, of course, an interaction with the Commission of Enquiry 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 UP reports and of course, tackle the question of the resolutions.

So far we forecast a number of between 20 and 25 resolutions to be adopted during the next session.

An updated list is already of course, established for the media's, 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 session and particularly during some lunch times to organise as a presidency two important, if not to say major events.

The first one will be organised on the 20th of June on the so-called trilogy, 20th of June from 12:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

It will be a presidential discussion on the trilogy, meaning the impact of climate change on food and health security.

This session is called for to have an in depth debate to exchange suggestions, recommendations and observations about these subjects which are matter of concerns more and more becoming urgent matters but also some issues which of course have a human right based dimension and then should and could have human rights based perspective.

And this is the purpose of this presidential discussion is to have a coordinated 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 the food security, we have hundreds of millions of population worldwide living in food insecurity.

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 have has no access to modern medicine, to imagery.

So as a human right council, we have of course to to care about that and particularly also knowing that the climate change is impacting severely populations already suffering from this, I mean, difficult situations I, I refer to.

So climate change is provoking, you know, the move of population is deteriorating the environment and the biodiversity.

And from the human right perspective, it is important that the council again, you know, run at the the best speed when tackling these matters.

And the second important event will be organised on the 24th of June from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM 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 **** level panellist, 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 the 24th of June.

The issue of gender parity, gender equity in the the world of diplomacy is fundamental.

As you know, there is a resolution which was adopted by General Assembly on this matter.

We will celebrate this day and we will particularly insist and 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'm in for these two hours from which we will draw.

I am pretty sure I'm in good guidelines to to make our work more concrete and I'm in more, I mean applicable on the ground.

These were the main elements.

I wanted to present Mr Pascal also with my colleagues from the medias on this 56 session.

And of course, I'm ready to answer to any question or any observations or comment 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.

Maybe answer your own provocation Angle Francais first.

Emma Farch from Reuters, please.

Good morning, Ambassador.

Thanks for the briefing.

I wanted to know what the latest is on the funding actually for the many ongoing investigations.

I know that was a concern of many countries, but especially on the Sudan investigation, that they wouldn't have the funds to actually get those investigations running.

Have they been overcome?

And I also just wanted to ask on a second point, how concerned are you about divisions in the Council over gender issues in the next session?

Thanks very much.

OK, Thank you, Madam.

Yes, indeed, we are facing, as you know, of course, as we know all, some severe, I mean, financial situation, I mean in terms of liquidities.

But nevertheless, the Office of the **** Commissioner is doing its best to make this the mechanism of the Council working.

I mean, 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 informations I got on these aspects, there is, let's say, city limited amelioration of the situation.

I, I was informed by that, which means that we have to stay optimistic.

And also particularly, I mean, the financement, all these inquiry commissions, the special procedures, their activities.

What is established for this year, for example, is that for some, you know, special rapporteurs, when it comes to the country visit, it has been limited to 1 compared to what was in the past.

And we do hope that we will overcome the 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, the Secretariat, the General of the United Nation in New York, but also the commissions and where the State parties have also to play the role there in New York to try to overcome the situation.

I have advocate for a specific treatment for the human right Council.

And it's a mechanism given, of course, the, the, the importance of its activities currently.

And I mean also for the next future.

I can't enter into details.

I still have hope that we can, you know, go this way.

As I said, it's, I spoke on this question with the Secretary General in New York with, I mean also, I mean Under Secretary on management, also with the, the President of the commissions, 5th commissions and others, the COC, 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's 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, you know, equal rights we are seeking of, for, I mean, the gender, I mean, globally.

So as well as the you, you may know that the focal point also of, of the Council on this issue is working very strongly with preparing some activities and proposals for, 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 its his, I mean, major priorities as it is the case for me.

And by the way, we have lunch together this initiative last session, you know, on training, open to all the missions here, open to all those who can, you know, be trained to to to face and I'm in combat and eradicate particularly the sexual harassment.

Thank you.

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Merci, Monsieur, the President, Nick Cummingbres from the New York Times.

You have the floor.

Yeah, Thank you.

Thanks 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, I mean, activities which have been postponed.

I, 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 and there's a postponement to that.

And I mean it has been said that it can be retured depending of the our possibilities again to have the necessary liquidities.

You know, it has been a proposal made by the secretariat which have been discussed with all the, the the the stakeholders, particularly the delegations involved in these activities as Co sponsors or or authors of these initiatives.

So it has been made in a manner of course some activities also in, in, in link with the agenda item, nine others.

I, I touched various agenda items of our activities.

Again.

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

I mean to in details, in depth for, 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 they we can again relaunch these activities before the end of this.

Mandate of meaning before next end of December we, we will see depending of what the situation will evolve particularly I mean when it comes to the I mean finance and liquidity situations in New York because we do depend on on New York for that.

Thank you.

Do we have more questions?

Any questions for the President of the Human Rights Council on the 56 sessions?

Well, if not, I invite you to join us at in Room 20 starting on Tuesday, June 18.

And don't forget, we have the A-Z programme, the updated programme of work, which lists more than 100 reports that you will that will be considered during this 56 session, over 50 speakers, as many topics to be addressed.

As the President say, 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?

I would like again, thank you very much, Mr Pascal, Thank all the colleagues for their questions.

Just to insist again on this event of the 20th of June, like the one of the 24th of June we have very **** level panellist.

I mean, as I said for the 20th of June already confirmed.

I mean the DG of IEM, the Executive Secretary of UNIP coming from Nairobi, also the Deputy **** Commissioner for Refugees, also the **** Commissioner of Human Rights, hopefully I mean two other very **** level panellists.

I mean to discuss these issues from various aspects because they they will present, I'm pretty sure, I mean award assessment on the question of food security, health security and climate change.

So having such discussion within the human rights is we don't consider it's also the right place to discuss these issues.

And hopefully to get from there, you know, 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 terrorist at least to this event.

Thank you, Mr Bhaskar.

Thank you, Mr.

President, and thank you all for your participation.

HRC Presser - 10 June 2024