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Le Conseil des droits de l’homme (CDH) des Nations Unies a tenu sa 55e session du 26 février au 5 avril 2024. En raison de la crise de liquidités actuelle, les organisations de la société civile ont eu, pour la première fois de l’histoire du CDH, à payer pour utiliser des modalités hybrides pour leurs événements parallèles sur la plateforme WebEX. Cela impose une charge supplémentaire importante aux organisations qui ont un budget limité pour s’engager auprès du CDH – ce qui est très préoccupant.

La sesión 55° del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU transcurrió entre el 26 de febrero y el 5 de abril de 2024. Debido a la crisis de liquidez que vive el Consejo y por primera vez en la historia de este organismo, a las organizaciones de sociedad civil se les pidió que pagaran para poder utilizar las modalidades híbridas de la plataforma WebEX en sus eventos paralelos. Esto supuso una carga adicional y significativa para organizaciones cuyos presupuestos para participar en el CDH son muy limitados, lo que resulta sumamente preocupante.

The 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 26 February to 5 April 2024. Due to the ongoing liquidity crisis experienced by the Council, civil society organisations were asked to pay for the use of hybrid modalities for their side events through the WebEX platform for the first time in the Council's history. This puts an additional and significant burden on organisations that have very limited budgets to engage with the HRC, which is deeply concerning.

We regret that Azerbaijan noted all the recommendations pertaining to the signing and ratification of the Istanbul Convention. Violence against women is widespread in Azerbaijan and domestic violence is normalised, as violence against women is framed as a "family matter".

The implementation of these recommendations is especially urgent given the shortcomings of the Government’s engagement with civil society in this fourth UPR and its overall lack of accountability on international human rights compliance. These shortcomings include a lack of federal leadership, limited information accessibility, unequal opportunities for civil society participation, and no clear process for monitoring and follow up of recommendations.

The functional denial of sexual and reproductive rights is connected to the denial of other rights, including the rights to health, non-discrimination, education, and freedom from violence. We are disappointed Canada did not fully accept several recommendations in support of broader health equity, particularly on access to services for undocumented people.

Las trabajadoras sexuales ejercemos nuestro derecho a la autonomía corporal y al trabajo. Sin embargo, enfrentamos cotidianamente la vulneración de derechos, esto compromete nuestra integridad, nuestra libertad y en muchos casos nuestras vidas.

We urge States, especially Global North States, to implement Special Procedures’ recommendations and call for a permanent ceasefire, and immediately stop their support for Israel’s genocide. This Council must concern itself with human rights violations and do away with double standards.

Remote participation is crucial, due to the obstacles faced in accessing multilateral spaces, including discriminatory visa and resource requirements, environmental and security concerns and accessibility.

We cannot continue talking about the universality of human rights and social protection while selectively restricting access to protection for specific groups of children. In order for social protection for children to be universal and comply with children’s rights, we must hold States accountable for their obligations not only within their borders but also globally.