UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC - Press Conference: President of the Human Rights Council ahead of 57th session

and welcome to this press conference with Ambassador Omar

NBER,

the president of the UN Human Rights Council,

who will tell you more about the upcoming 57

regular session of the council starting this coming Monday.

It's a busy session with full five weeks of meetings over

50 thematic issues over 50 country situations to be discussed.

It will have.

This will be the third and the last regular session that Ambassador Snel

will preside over this year, as you know,

before he will report to the General Assembly in New York next month.

But

in addition to the programme of work and all

the events that will take place during this session,

I think

ambassadors NBER

will see this opportunity also to

present how the priorities that he lay out at the beginning of his presidency

have evolved, and especially

after the last presidential high level discussion that he held yesterday

on the impact of new technology, artificial intelligence

on the human rights of all.

But without further ado, I'll give the floor to ambassador sneer.

Thank you

very

much,

Mr

Pascal, for you and for all your team. Having prepared this

important gathering with the representative of the press here in Geneva.

I'm so happy to be with you this afternoon

again

as said by Mr Pascal

to present to you an overview about the next session

of the council. Also some elements about the activities of the presidency

and of course, also to answer your own question on any matter you would like to

raise this afternoon.

As far as the next session is concerned, it will be, as said,

an intensive one for five weeks.

It will be

illustrated

by some high level panels which is according

to the mandatory decisions taken by the Council

on the question, particularly on strengthening

the integration of gender

parity gender approach in the work of the council.

The question related also to

the rights of indigenous people.

Other issues also like education Child

will be discussed in some of these high level panels

and also

panel I would like to stress that on the right of development, you know that

it

is an important

issue discussed within the council,

and we do hope

that this panel could help the membership

to advance in such an important issue.

While it is also discussed thoroughly in New York

in preparing the summit of the future and the outcome of this summit,

I mean the

the pact of the future.

We will have, as usual,

also an interactive dialogues with mandate holders, working groups

with the High Commissioner himself.

And by the way, the council, of course, will hear

from next Tuesday

next Monday.

Sorry,

Uh, the general report of the High Commissioner. I'm pretty sure he will give

you know,

a

pan about the situation of human rights worldwide.

We will have

to deal as usual with the decisions,

the resolutions which have already been presented

in their

titles, at least during the organisational meeting

which took place on 26th of August.

And during this organisational meeting, it was clear, you know, that

many initiatives, even some new initiatives have been presented

and that we will have an important issue

on country situations on thematic situations

to discuss again during this session.

We will have also the

responsibility to

nominate some new mandate holders.

I have already made my proposals to the membership concerning two of them

waiting that the process concerning to others be accomplished before

precising my own choices to the

to the council, which then will have to decide on that.

As far as the activities of the presidency,

I am also very happy to share with you some of the highlights

where, as you may know, as I precise it during the past

season,

uh,

I met with you.

Uh, since the beginning, I have, uh,

nominated 17 co facilitators working on various tracks.

Uh,

the question of the review of the mandate of the council,

its touch

is discussed.

We know that it is upon the General

Assembly to take a decision according to the resolutions

to the resolution adopted on this issue

before 2026. But it seems to me as president of the council, and I am joined by

numerous members of the council that Geneva has to discuss

because it is the workplace for human rights for the United Nations.

And it has,

and particularly concerning the future of the council itself,

the membership here with all other stakeholders. Civil society observers

are, in my view, completely competent to discuss this issue

the question of rationalisation and efficiency of the council, you know that we are

confronting

this past month and since a while,

huge difficulties, financial difficulties,

the United nations crossing severe liquidity crisis.

So it

is a new argument for us to progress in our discussions

in the rationalisation and efficiency of the council.

Other tracks are of utmost importance, the one of gender parity gender equity.

We will announce during this session the

establishment of an advisory board on gender approach

for the first time

with a very significant composition of leaders of international organisations,

ambassadors, representatives of civil society.

Of course, in partnership with the

A focal point dealing with this issue and UN women

and we are in touch with the headquarters of women and

women in New York and also their office here in Geneva

and we will make this announcement hopefully before the end of this month,

the question of accessibility

disabilities.

Also, I hope that we will

gesture it

more better

in any way relatively better

by creating a platform

and creating some progressing norms, facilitating the accessibility in

the work of the Council for Persons with Disabilities,

and more widely taking care about this issue which is at

the heart of human rights enjoyment.

Likewise, the other tracks just

to nominate them the question of

in strengthening the U

processes you know that

is

an exercise which is

widely accepted, and I

positively asess But we still have to do more

to make the council

again

more credible in its work and the country

members of the council and all the international Committee

satisfied with such exercise, this peer review exercise

the issues of, uh,

and

giving more possibilities and, uh

uh, more inclusivity for

for countries

Uh

uh,

less developed countries Uh uh I mean, uh, small island countries also

these are all issues of utmost importance for all of us.

And we are,

of course,

trying to advance at the best

new technologies. As said by Mr Pascal.

Question of artificial intelligence.

You may have heard about this,

Really? I mean,

I

would say without hesitating

unprecedented session we had yesterday as a presidential

consultations and formal one,

but a

very significant gathering. I invited

the leadership

of the main international organisations involved in the

governance of

artificial intelligence worldwide. So we had the leaders of IO

of it

of

UNESCO,

also some leaders from the private sector, the vice president of Amazon,

many academics, but particularly what was what was

What is also to underline

is the intensive part

of the membership in such a dialogue.

Do with the aim,

you know, to have the balanced approach

on opportunities offered by these technologies, but also to face challenges.

I won't enter into detail. I am here,

of course, to answer your questions, if any, on this matter.

But

what is for me

in my current responsibilities

essential is that the Human Rights Council be at the heart of this governance,

the global governance of artificial intelligence worldwide

because it is completely linked with the enjoyment of human rights.

We did the same. You may remember

last June on the question of

the impact of climate change on food security and

health security.

So the presidency

has presented this

main thematics

as major one and priorities for itself

and what I can. I am very satisfied to tell you this afternoon,

humbly and modestly that we are

advancing in such It is not easy.

It's always, of course, the purpose of a lot of discussions.

But the presidency has been met

with

enthusiastic participation by the membership and by other stakeholders

whom I invited to join us in this exercise.

These were the main element,

Mr Pascal

dear Attendance I wanted to share with you as a, uh,

an introduction for our dialogue this afternoon.

And then I give you back the floor. Mr Pascal.

Thank you, Ambassador Sniber.

So let's go on. What's on your mind? We're ready to take questions from the room.

Uh, Nina

Larson from

France.

Uh, thank you for taking my question.

Um, first of all,

I was wondering if you could say a little bit more about

the liquidity crisis that you mentioned and how that's impacting the various.

Um, uh, the various bodies and, uh, special repertoire mandates, um,

and how concerned you are about that.

Uh, and also,

I was wondering if you could say something if there's anything planned.

Um, I know there's nothing specific on the agenda about Gaza or Israel this time,

but, uh, for the October 7th anniversary within the council.

Thank you very much, madam, For your question,

could I answer in France while you are representing a

place

The reflection.

So

the

possibility.

The sit

and port?

Absolutely.

Um

la,

uh

you can

say

in

de

la

repetition the resolution.

Uh,

the

the the

diploma,

Uh, you

pre

Christian

S

act.

Uh,

il

S

uh,

Christian Ri

DP, a German news agency and then Paula

Liquidity

crisis.

Can you explain to us how remote participation

is going to help in the liquidity crisis?

Or maybe I misunderstood when you made that link.

And the other question is, what exactly is the advisory board on gender approach?

Is this about gender? Um, within the council? Or is this

looking beyond the council? Maybe you can explain a little bit. Thank you.

Certainly,

madam,

when it comes to the question of the

remote participation and the crisis of liquidity,

I

mean

the

management of the United Nations in charge

in New York

To provide liquidity for such activities,

you need

a decision by the General Assembly a mandate by the General Assembly.

There is this liquidity crisis, of course,

but even even and it is important to draw your attention on

if the money is there, we need this mandate of the General Assembly

because it has been decided to use it provisionally

during the covid crisis.

Now it is a matter of making it on a permanent basis

for such purpose.

We need this decision of the General Assembly according to the

rules and

the legal rules which are applicable for the work of the

General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies like the Human Rights Council.

So this is the discussion

going on now in New York.

So this is the first aspect. I mean, your first question.

You need to go more on this question. Sorry, I didn't quite understand.

So you are saying you need more money

to make remote participation possible or is remote participation

reducing cost?

No. No remote participation is not.

I am not a technician. In my view. It needs costs.

It needs, of course, but at the same time it needs,

it needs costs.

But

we need a decision to be taken by the membership

all the membership of the United Nations,

because the money provided to the Secretariat here in New York

or to the Human Rights Council comes from New York.

And there are

special committees

which take decisions concerning these issues.

The fifth Committee, particularly, but also

the Secretariat

in their management.

They have

the necessity to be backed by a decision by the General Assembly

because it is

something touching the rules,

the rules of the United Nations as such.

So this decision is to be taken in New York

and it is still under discussion. As I said

for for your second question, yes. I mean,

the idea of establishing this advisory body under

the responsibility of the President of the Council

came

to

make the best co ordination possible

between

the council itself but also

all the ecosystem

of international organisations in Geneva

to make you know, to share

the best practises,

enhancing the gender approach,

to consult on which way we have to work to make the parity a

full reality as soon as possible. The parity in

the hierarchies of the international organisation

in the leadership in the decision making

at all levels.

This is

one of the main objectives

of this advisory board.

Why are we trying to launch it? And we will do it.

Of course, as I announced it, I mean this month in September,

there is a parallel exercise going on in New York,

but I mean

it is we will create this here, this one here in Geneva, to

try

to also strengthen the coordinating between New York and Geneva on such issues.

And as I said,

our main partner

is the U Woman and I visited.

By the way, the executive secretary of young women in New York.

I am in touch with them here.

So

we are proposing that

such advisory body be a flexible instrument

without bureaucracy,

but

can be a force of proposition,

a force of suggestion

and with the analysis

and to be backed by experts and also by

the Secretariat of the Office of the High Commissioner and

all those who and its composition

is plural

diverse.

We will have, as I said, the leadership of the international organisation,

some important figures of the ambassadors strongly involved in

the question of gender approach here in Geneva.

Representatives of civil society of an intergovernmental organisations

all in all about 2020 eminent personality

who will help the president of the Human Rights Council in its Endeavour also

to strengthen

the

inclusion of gender approach

within the Council within the management,

but also within the activities

as a main subject, of course.

And as we observe the situation in the world, we are far from

having this gender parity gender equity.

What is important is that the Human Rights Council be at the forefront of such

such efforts,

and this is why, as president,

I am favouring this initiative

and I am of course, supervising it, and I am completely involved in it.

It will be, hopefully an important instrument for the Geneva ecosystem,

but also an exemplary instrument.

This is also the main purpose of the rest of the

activities of multilateralism. And more widely,

why not

to be, as I said, a

suggestive force for the all stakeholders,

among which countries who can learn who can draw, you

know, elements

to be applied in their own countries for this fundamental

right,

a

follow up question.

Sorry, very quick. One. When you say gender, is this about women's rights?

Or is it about

women's rights and LGBT Q?

Because that has been a contentious issue in the Human Rights Council? Right?

Thank you for this decision. It's about women's rights when we say gender parity.

I mean, it's about women's rights.

The other issues, of course, they are also, you know, discussed within the council.

But

for us, it's about women's rights.

It's about

equal rights between,

uh

uh,

you know, women and men.

Paula

Duras

vis Geneva solution.

Thank you.

So, um, I just wanted to to ask you a little more. You You, um

you had mentioned that you would be reporting, uh, to the UN. Uh, um,

General Assembly on,

uh, your report, your annual report and that, uh, you said that,

uh, in hope that this would contribute to the summit of the future. Can you,

uh, detail a little bit?

How you how this will contribute to the sum of the future,

Especially at a time when I think a lot of people are asking

the question of how effective the council actually is.

No, I need I need to. I mean, of course, make a clarification.

The summit of the future will take place on,

as you know, of course, 22nd and 23rd of September.

My presentation of the report to General Assembly will be at the end of October.

What did I do for the summit of the future

I shared?

I organised these presidential discussions

on the question of the trilogy

climate change, food security

and health security.

And I was, of course before

in full touch with the president of the General Assembly,

who visited us here in February.

I visited him

in April in New York. I gathered with his teams. We have been visited by the

co facilitators of the summit.

They came here to Geneva for consulting not only the president of the Council,

but you know

the wide range of those involved in the preparation of the summit.

After this presidential discussion which took place last June,

I shared with the president of the General Assembly

its outcome

from my own point of view,

making proposals, written proposals to be embodied in the

Declaration of the future. On on my respon

upon my own responsibility as president of the council, I did the same

for the one called

Artificial Intelligence.

As I told you, the co facilitators presented a very important report mid July

precisely the 16th of July.

I shared this again with the president of the General Assembly

with the under Secretary general in charge of preparing the digital compact.

You know that it is a main issue also,

hopefully to be, uh,

let's

say,

successfully achieved within the summit of the future in a few time.

So

the human rights of Council, the Human Rights Council,

through its president already you know,

came with some proposals, concrete proposals, ideas

and I do hope that these proposals and these ideas, and according to from what I know,

some of them are already embodied in the

ongoing text still under negotiations in New York.

So we did it. So this is of course,

and that was an important issue I had to deal to deal with.

And I do hope particularly that the question the question like this

it goes without seeing

climate change. And I'm pretty sure for the

for the future generation, the use of new technologies. All these issues will be

very seriously,

deeply

included in the declaration of the future

with

what is very important, a clear engagement from all by consensus,

but also a clear engagement for them all to work more hard

on these issues,

as it has been demonstrated during our

discussion yesterday on the question of artificial intelligence

follow

up question.

So would you say that it's really the issue of tech governance that is perhaps

a

to everything else that the Secretary General has

already presented in terms of the agenda going forward?

Dear madam, I'm sending your question. At least

we will have, uh, present

the Geneva perspective.

This is this is our our man.

We cannot jump on what is

is discussed by the membership in New York. But Geneva perspective is important.

As I told you, we have here, for example, the main international organisation

working on some specific issues on this question of new technologies,

and the council

itself had dealt,

had

dealt with these issues even before. We have some resolutions

on the question of new technologies that impact on the enjoyment of human rights.

So

I think it was important. And when the Secretary General came here,

you may remember at the opening of the

I

mean

Session of February,

we spoke about that. He himself insisted on that

I visited him also. I spoke with him on that,

and

he of course, it is up to the member states to the governments to decide.

But I know how much I mean and he's

more than strongly engaged, you know,

so that the

credibility of the organisation be maintained

and by meeting

her duties

and her responsibilities

towards the next generations.

Thank you, Ambassador. Do we have more questions from the room?

Any questions from journalists participating online?

OK, Ambassador,

Is there anything else you would like to say before we close this press conference.

Thank you very much.

I thank

you very much for the interest you are

deserving to

the Human Rights Council to the activities of the Human Rights Council

as president. What I can say is that I do consider that is

a

major tool

at

the end of the international Committee should be always

supported in its

activities. In its endeavours, we are crossing some

difficult times. It goes without saying I mean on all fronts.

But nevertheless,

nevertheless, we have many things which can unite us.

And when I say I see it, I am convinced on it, particularly the issues.

I just referred to some thematic issues and also

when dealing even

with difficult issues,

the door of the dialogue should be always maintained.

And

allow me to say that I mean, your role of the journalist is fundamental,

you know,

because, uh, the Human Rights Council is is observed,

uh, worldwide.

You may know that, uh, its activities sometimes are are followed by,

uh uh uh I mean online

by

more than two or 3 million

attendants sometimes.

So it is important. And the subjects which are dealt with always are fundamental

and

the media also echoing that

and

facing also the responsibility of

giving the just and information

the just facts is fundamental

and it is very helpful for our activities.

I thank you so much

and wish you a

nice end of the afternoon.

Thank you, Ambassador. Sneer

and thank you all just to remind you that on Friday morning at 9. 15

you will hear from this room from the experts of

the fact finding mission for the Sudan who will present

as our first report to the Human Rights Council next week. So

we'll see you on Monday in room 20. Thank you.