You can engage with the Human Rights Council in different ways - including delivering an oral statement, planning a side event, meeting with States, negotiating resolutions, and pushing for government statements. This section focuses on Government statements.
It is a statement made by a State, or a group of States (joint statement), on the human rights situation of another country. Through Government statements, other States can draw attention to a human rights issue in your country. Government statements are also often a necessary step for further action by the UN.
You can push for such statements without travelling to Geneva.
A strong statement
For example, if there are extrajudicial killings in your country, a strong statement would condemn it and demand that your State end the violations, investigate, prosecute and provide victims with remedy. A strong joint statement should indicate that there will be further Council action if the situation does not improve (i.e. a resolution).
A weak statement
For example, if there are extrajudicial killings in your country, a weak statement would merely express concern and encourage your State to look into these allegations.
Joint Statement on Multilateralism
Why this statement is good:
-It contains clear calls for action for states and multilateral institutions
Statement of Germany on the issue of reprisals in Egypt
Why this statement is good:
During a 2016 Human Rights Council session, a group of States delivered a joint statement on the situation in Venezuela. Led by countries from the same region, it carried particular authority and was less easily dismissed by the Venezuelan government than interventions from the Global North. It reinforced the findings of civil society, which had long been denied by the government, and highlighted the urgent human rights concerns faced by defenders and communities on the ground.
The joint statement paved the way for further action at the Council. It contributed to a resolution mandating OHCHR to report on the situation, and civil society was able to build on this momentum in subsequent years through regular national and regional joint statements. This advocacy ultimately led to the adoption of resolution 42/25 in September 2019, which established the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela to investigate alleged human rights violations since 2014.
Although the immediate impact on the ground was limited, the statement was significant in ensuring that States officially acknowledged the crisis and applied international pressure.
For many years, States didn't want to put on the table a resolution on China. In 2016 there was a first attempt for more accountability with a joint statement by a group of Western States. The existence of mass detention camps for Uyghurs and Muslim populations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was first revealed at the UN level during China's review by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in August 2018. It was not until June 2019 that a group of countries penned a joint letter to call out grave abuses in Xinjiang, and urge China to implement the CERD's recommendations. Ever since, a joint statement on the human rights situation in Xinjiang - at times referencing Hong Kong too - is read by a Western State at almost every June session of the Human Rights Council, in Geneva. Since October 2019, a similar statement is also read yearly during the Third Committee session of the UN General Assembly, in New York. Every year, the number of signatories increases slowly but steadily, including governments from the Global South, with a current peak at 50 countries.
These joint statements signal that the fate of Uyghurs and other targeted peoples in China is a matter of deep concern at the global level. They also lay out the steps that the Chinese government should take to reverse its current policies, by implementing recommendations from UN Treaty Bodies and the OHCHR. On the basis of these joint statements, a resolution was presented at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council in September 2022, taking note of the OHCHR's Xinjiang report and calling for a debate on the human rights situation in Xinjiang. Yet, the resolution was worryingly defeated by a narrow margin of a few votes.
In an attempt to deflect criticism, the Chinese government has mobilised its allies to deliver joint statements expressing support for the government's policies. Gathering around 20 to 30 signatories more than the joint statements critical of China, these 'counter statements' seek to discredit UN reports and to shape a narrative according to which China's treatment of Uyghurs and other targeted peoples benefits from the endorsement of the Global South.
Statement of Myanmar on the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
Why this statement is weak:
Explore our top tips for pushing for Government statements at the Human Rights Council.
