Key results of the 61st UN Human Rights Council

During the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, which convened in Geneva from 23 February to 31 March 2026, a total of 38 texts were adopted, 28 of them (81%) by consensus. 25 resolutions were thematic in nature and 12 were country-specific. A key focus of the spring session was the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. On 28 February, at the request of Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Jordan, the Council held an urgent debate, during which it unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Iran, amongst other things, to “immediately and unconditionally cease all unprovoked attacks, threats and provocations” against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Iran, together with China and Cuba, also requested an urgent debate, which was held on 27 March and addressed the airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab (Iran) as a "grave breach of international humanitarian law and international human rights.” Among the country-specific resolutions put to the vote were, among others, the mandate extensions for Ukraine, South Sudan and Belarus, which are illustrated in the maps of the month. A new initiative at the 61st session was a resolution adopted by consensus on the human rights of homeless people, calling on states to take all necessary measures to abolish laws criminalising homelessness and to implement and strengthen nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all. Numerous resolutions once again referred to the United Nations’ liquidity crisis. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UN Human Rights Council, 81 states also delivered in a joint statement in which they praised the Council as a key pillar of the multilateral system and pledged to renew their commitment to preserve, strengthen and support the Council, among other things by renewing their determination to stand firmly for adequate and predictable funding for the entire human rights pillar, including the treaty bodies.