Opening of the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council with Morocco’s Participation

The opening session, chaired by Indonesian ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, Permanent Representative of Indonesia in Geneva in his capacity as president of the Council this year, featured speeches by António Guterres, President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.

The session, which runs until March 31, includes more than 80 reports and around twenty interactive debates scheduled with independent experts and mandate holders.

Over more than five weeks, the 47 member states will examine the human rights situation in nearly forty countries, along with numerous thematic reports addressing issues such as torture, cultural rights, the right to food, the environment, counterterrorism efforts and the protection of privacy.

A high level segment, scheduled from February 23 to 25, will bring together representatives from more than one hundred countries. Six heads of state or government are expected to speak, along with more than seventy foreign ministers and thirteen ministers of justice and attorneys general, in addition to other speakers.

The agenda also includes roundtable discussions on several topics, including human rights and the culture of peace, financing for sustainable development, inclusive infrastructure that takes disability into account including transport and housing, as well as the rights of the child and violations of children’s rights in armed conflicts.

Morocco is represented at this session by a delegation led by the Interministerial Delegate for Human Rights, Mohamed El Habib Belkouch, who will deliver the Kingdom’s address during the plenary meeting of the high level segment.

The Interministerial Delegate will also chair a high level side event dedicated to the International Network of National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow up (NMIRF), which Morocco currently coordinates.

The meeting, scheduled for February 24 and organized in partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the permanent missions of Morocco, Brazil, Portugal and Paraguay to the UN in Geneva, as well as the Universal Rights Group, will present the outcomes of the network’s work, notably the adoption of its action plan for the 2026 to 2030 period and the launch of its virtual platform.

The event will also seek to renew the call for membership in order to encourage the exchange of experiences and strengthen the role of national mechanisms.

On the sidelines of this major UN session, Belkouch will hold bilateral meetings with several UN officials and international figures in the field of human rights. These meetings reflect the openness of the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights to international events related to human rights and its willingness to share Morocco’s experience in promoting these rights.

The meetings will also provide an opportunity to examine different forms of cooperation with organizations and experts involved in international events scheduled to take place in Morocco this year.

Editorial team/le7tv