33rd Meeting - 60th Session of Human Rights Council

Excellencies, your colleagues, I would like to call to order the 33rd meeting of the 60th session of the Human Rights Council. We will now have our annual debate on the inclusion of sex-specific perspective in all the work of the Human Rights Council and those of its mechanisms, in keeping with resolution 6/30 of the Council. The topic of this yearly debate is strengthening gender perspective in the transitional justice process. Interpretation from Nepali will be exceptionally provided during this meeting up until the end of this yearly debate. It is my honor to extend a warm welcome to Madam Nada Al-Masheef, Deputy High Commissioner of Human Rights, who will be offering the opening remarks. Allow me as well to extend a welcome to our distinguished panelists. His Excellency Mr. Gustavo Galon, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Colombia before the United Nations Office in Geneva. Also, Madam Devi Katka, women's rights activist and former member of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal. Mr. Bernard Duhamel, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, and Reparation through a video message, and Madame Katrina Bossul, legal advisor for the Center for International Transitional Justice. Dear colleagues, excellencies, the list of speakers will close in 15 minutes. I would like to encourage all speakers to speak interactively, to present comments, and to ask questions. that are relevant to the comments and content of the panelists' presentation. The time speaking limit is one minute, 30 seconds, in order to allow a maximum number of speakers to take the floor. No more than 40 statements will be provided today. The delegates signed up on the list of speakers will be able to take the floor. And if they don't have time, then they can upload their statement on Extranet. It is my honor to offer the floor to the High Commissioner for Deputy High Commissioner for a statement.

Good morning, Mr. President, your excellencies. A pleasure to join these distinguished panelists for our annual discussion on integrating a gender perspective into the work of the Council and its mechanisms. I welcome this year's focus on transitional justice, which is an essential tool to help fractured societies to heal, reconcile, and rebuild. The latest figures verified by our office indicate that the number of women and girls killed in conflict in 2023 and 2024 was three times higher than the previous two years. UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence rose by 50% in 2023 compared to the previous year. And clearly, women and girls are suffering more than ever in conflicts around the world. They have a right to equal power and peacemaking, not just a seat at the table. Their involvement is not a concession, it is a prerequisite for legitimacy and success. But despite overwhelming evidence that women's participation leads to more durable peace, they are routinely sidelined in peacemaking. In 2023, on average, women made-up less than 10% of negotiators, less than 14% of mediators, and barely one quarter of signatories to ceasefire and peace agreements. Likewise, in transitional justice processes, Often, gender is ignored altogether or reduced to a narrow, albeit important, focus on conflict-related sexual violence. This exclusion is a fundamental failure. Research shows that when women are included in transitional justice processes, they push for more concrete and fundamental reforms. They broaden the issues under consideration to include development and human rights, which are fundamental to addressing the root causes of conflict. This is why our office is supporting transitional justice processes grounded in gender equality around the world. In Colombia, during the truth commission's mandate, we promoted the equal participation of women in dialogue processes and strengthened the commission's ability to document the differentiated impact of the conflict. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we helped to embed gender considerations in transitional justice processes, including the national transitional justice policy that was adopted by the Council of Ministers in May of this year. In the Gambia, our work with the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission and others helped to integrate a gender perspective similarly. Around the world, we support the civil society and grassroots organizations that hold the key to overcoming these challenges, and our panelists today reflect the central role, the persistence, and the creativity of women peace activists. Women's rights organizations or activists are key architects of gender transformative justice. And yet, sorry to say, these essential actors remain chronically underfunded and threatened. Mr. President, the experiences of Peru, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste, among others, show that transitional justice processes must identify and respond to the unique gendered impacts of conflict on women, men, and people of diverse gender identities. These must include indirect harm and structural violations of human rights, including stigmatization, marginalization, and economic exclusion. We know what works, and we need to act on it. First, we urge all those involved in transitional justice mechanisms not only to ensure full accountability and redress for conflict-related sexual violence and other violations suffered by women, but to address the deeper root causes that fuel them. Transitional justice processes must tackle intersectional discrimination and patriarchy including inequalities that predate conflict and can persist long after it. Institutional reform and development should aim to change future practices as well as addressing the past. They must prioritize gender equality and ensure equal access for women in all their diversity to justice, to political participation, and to decision making. Reparations should aim to transform lives by integrating women's social and economic rights, including access to land, livelihoods, and education. Second, transitional justice must be founded on gender parity. All transitional justice bodies, delegations, and negotiating teams should be gender equal. This should be seen as an issue of right, not an aspirational goal. Transitional justice processes should include formal, safe, well-resourced avenues for women's participation. Women's rights organizations and human rights defenders have been the driving force behind major advances in gender-sensitive peacebuilding, and investing in them is an investment in peace. This year, we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. and the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. Let's redouble our efforts together in solidarity to ensure that peace and transitional justice processes uphold and promote women's rights for the benefit of all.

Thank you.

Thank you. I would now like to give the floor to the panelists for their presentations, beginning with Madame Devi Kotka. You have the floor.

Chairperson of the Human Rights Council, Deputy High Commissioner, participants, and all the courageous women seeking justice as sexual violence survivors across the world. I take it both as a pride and honor to be able to stand before this important international forum and speak on behalf of the sexual violence survivors of the 10-year long armed conflict of Nepal. I, Devi Kharka, on behalf of the Aparajit Foundation, am here before you to share our stories of pain, struggle, and hope. The 60th session of the Human Rights Council holding a discussion on strengthening gender perspective in transitional justice processes in itself an appreciative step. We, Conflict Survivor Women of Nepal, recognize the importance of this very well. Various international instruments, including the Beijing Declaration and Security Council resolutions 1325, 1820, have built the foundation for the protection of rights of women and ensuring their participation in the building process, but the reality is different. In our experience, the transitional justice processes have not been able to understand the pain of women. Whenever the gender issues are raised, the discussion is limited to sexual violence only. In addition, sexual violence is looked at only from the superficial point of view. It's not been understood as an outcome of patriarchal mentality and structural inequalities. As a result, serious issues such as economic exclusion, lack of access to resources, violation of sexual and reproductive health rights, and political marginalization that we have been subjected to are overshadowed. I stand here as the voice of thousands of women who have been subjected to institutional rape during the 10 years conflict of Nepal. Forget about them getting justice, they are yet to be even recognized as victims. They've been denied medical treatment since the past one and a half decades, forced to live with poverty, scarcity, and social stigma, coupled with the body weakened by diseases. Post-conflict, we're subjected to neglect and insult from both the state and the society. Our pain was made invisible, but we did not stay quiet. Our journey that began with 11 women in 2021 has now become a huge family of 3,809 members. We have called it Aparajit Foundation, which literally means the undefeated. We started working with the slogan, "Let's speak for ourselves, let's fight together for ourselves." Our experience of struggle tells us this is not only about sexual violence, it is also about economic exclusion, lack of access to health services, and structural violence of social stigmatization. We are now fighting for justice at three different tiers. We are working for self-justice. We've begun the process of internal healing with the survivors themselves becoming psychosocial counselors and helping one another. Social justice is our other priority. Our campaign, "Rape is not stigma, it is a state crime," led to the amendment of the law in 2024. Still a long way to go in the fight for legal justice. We have collected complaints from 90% more survivors than the government and submitted it to the TJ commission. This led to the formulation of the law that included the lifting of the statute of limitation, stopping re-victimization, a special court, compensation and accountability. These achievements have made us believe that gender transformative justice is possible only through meaningful participation and strong advocacy. We have provided survivors the opportunity to become change agents. Through this forum here today, I'd like to raise some important questions before the international community. How many more times and how long are we going to focus on sexual violence only and neglect structural inequalities? Why do the most vulnerable women within fragile countries have to endure such pain and why are they deprived of transitional justice? How many more years do the survivors have to remain an example? How can we envision a civilized world by pushing so much injustice in the womb of this earth? We want a just presence of survivor women in the transitional justice mechanisms. Justice is not only about the perpetrator being punished. It's also about the education, health, and dignity of the survivor. Nepal's experience shows that once we became organized, we ensured amendment of the law. We organized medical health camps, and we ourselves became psychosocial counselors, and thereby put the principle of let's speak for ourselves into real practice. Hence, I hereby request the Human Rights Council and all stakeholders to connect truth with justice, not regard sexual violence only as a crime, but accept it as a violation of women's political, social, and economic rights. The international mechanisms should prioritize the voices of local women's rights activists and survivors during the formulation of policies. Reparation projects should not be limited to only physical compensation, but should address the structural inequalities faced by women. Women's full, equal and meaningful participation should be ensured in every step of the peace process, decision making and justice. The story of our struggle gives one clear message. We are not only victims, we are power. Let our aspiration for our existence our voice and our justice not be neglected in any pretext. Only then, real justice shall be restored and society shall progress towards equality and stability. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Now I'd like to give the floor to His Excellency, Mr. Gustavo Gallon, for his remarks.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. And please, I would like to apologize for my slight delay to attend this meeting this morning. This was due to some last-minute emergency. I would like to convey to you warm greetings, Mr. President, to the Deputy Representative of the Office of the United Nations Human Rights, Madame Nada Rashid. and everyone else present, among them, Madam Devi Khattar. It is an honor for me to take part in this annual discussion where we're considering the inclusion of the gender perspective in transitional justice processes. I am grateful for this opportunity to share on behalf of Colombia an experience that has really brought about a great deal of change for our society, one that we would like to put to the service of collective learning. Our country knows firsthand how important it is to place women, girls, and people with diverse identities at the very core of peacebuilding. For over six decades of internal armed conflict, it was them who bore the burden of disproportionate impact, sexual violence, taking of land, political exclusion, the death of their husbands, their fathers, their sons, and forced silence. But it was also them who kept hope, who opened paths of resistance, And with a great deal of courage, they claimed their place, looking for truth, for justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition. As a product of this mobilization in Colombia, we ensured that the peace agreement of 2016 with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the FARC, would include a special gender chapter and over 120 specific measures in order to guarantee the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ people. This achievement, the very first one of its kind in the world and so far the only one, didn't just happen by chance. It came about because of the collaboration of thousands of women organized at the World Summit of Women in Peace, thanks also to a gender subcommission that considered the negotiation item by item, and thanks, too, to the direct voice of women victims who traveled to the negotiation table that took place in La Habana, Cuba, where we were warmly welcomed. This legacy continues to be alive in our transitional justice infrastructure. The Special Peace Court, which was a court created through the peace agreement, to try and shed light on the crimes of war and violations of human rights perpetrated during the conflict, opened up a case devoted to investigating sexual violence, reproductive violence, and crimes based on prejudice perpetrated by all armed actors, known as the Case 11. The Truth Commission, which was also created by the peace agreement, in its final reports, included a section entitled "My Body is the Truth," which recognized how sexual violence was used systematically in war. And the Search for People Deemed Disappeared, which is another body created under the peace agreement, raised the profile of women as searchers and guardians of memory, creating guidelines for their participation with a differentiated approach. Today, in addition, Colombia has its very first National Women's Action, Women Peace and Security Action Plan 2024-2034, designed with the participation of over 1,500 women from all over the country, indigenous people, people of African descent, farmers, young women, women with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ people. And this plan is a bold roadmap that is aligned with international CEDAW recommendations and with the Sustainable Development Goals, which seeks to go from a militarized perspective of security to a human-based perspective, one that is feminist and territorial. Mr. President, we are aware that in our country, there are still great challenges. The implementation of the gender approach continues to be unequal in different parts of the country. The resources are not always enough. And the weight of patriarchal structures continues to lead to exclusion. However, the Colombian experience shows that transitional justice processes cannot be limited to simply recognizing sexual violence as an isolated fact. They must also tackle the structural causes, economic exclusion, the denial of access to land, political marginalization, intersectional discrimination that affects indigenous women, Afro-Colombian women, rural women, and LGBTIQ+ individuals. That has been the perspective of this council, which has called for building transitional justice mechanisms that really bring about a change to the inequality conditions that led to the war. Only so will we manage to have sustained peace. Colombia's trajectory has not been an ideal one, but it is a truly honest one. And we have learned that peace is not come about by decree, it is woven with the thread of truth. the dignity of victims, and the active participation of those that for far too long were silenced. That is the lesson we have brought to you. Transitional justice with a gender approach is not a chapter apart. It is the very foundation of the reconciliation. With all the humility, we would like to provide these experiences to the international debate, fully convinced that peace and gender equality are not parallel ambitions. They are one and the same task, one and the same goal, born from the same source. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I would like to give the floor to Mr. Duin for a video statement.

Honorable President, distinguished representatives, It is a great honor for me to participate in this annual discussion. The question of the adoption of a gender perspective to transitional justice processes is central to the work of my mandate. In its 2021 thematic report, this rapporteurship examined the multi-layered aspects of the adoption of a gender perspective in transitional justice processes. The report examined states' obligations addressed emerging challenges and opportunities and offered guidance to states undergoing political transitions to provide adequate and comprehensive redress to women, girls, and people of diverse gender identities who are victims of serious human rights violations through the adoption of a gender perspective in the conceptualization, design, and implementation of national transitional justice strategies and mechanisms. The report notes how the first truth commissions ignored manifest violations based on gender and sexual orientation and gender identity. Although significant progress has been made in this area over time, there is still a general lack of focus on gender orientation and gender identity in the work of many truth commissions. It is essential to achieve a gender balance among commission members. establish thorough training processes, account for a broad typology of violations, conduct gender-sensitive public hearings, and develop a proactive strategy of support and confidence building to encourage women and LGBT persons to provide statements. The typology of violations used in their methodology must adequately capture the victim's experiences and include gendered conduct, broad definitions that are not limited to physical injuries, differentiated impacts of violations, records of both primary and secondary violations, and their effect on both primary and secondary victims. A cross-cutting systematic approach to the issue of violence against girls, women, and LGBT persons and its differential impact is critical to the success of transitional justice processes. Truth-seeking initiatives must contain an explicit reference to examining the causes and consequences of sexual and gender-based violence, established organized structures that allow for mainstreaming and specialization, Ensure that the typology of violation includes broad definitions that are not limited to physical injuries and account for differentiated impacts and adopt proactive dissemination and communication strategies. The explicit incorporation of a gendered perspective in reparation programs is also crucial and aims to provide redress for sexual and gender-based violence and to identify reparation decisions that may have a differential impact. For reparations to be adequate, categories of violations and victims to be repaired must not reproduce patterns of gender discrimination and must include primary surviving victims and their families without restricting the notion of family to a rigid, legalistic or culturally dominant concept. Reparation measures must take a holistic view of gender and gender-based violence, and intersectional criteria should be considered. Expansive conceptualizations of harm suffered by victims of gender-based violence must be developed to register the complexity of said harm. For example, the various forms of stigmatization, ostracism, legal insecurity, and loss of social status and livelihood. Reparation programs must be creative and flexible in order to overcome social, cultural, and administrative barriers, avoid evidentiary requirements that exclude or re-victimize victims, and address both the individual and collective dimensions of reparations in order to satisfy the principle of integral reparation. Reparations should aim to be transformational rather than restitutive. It is not enough to put the victims in the position that they were in before the violation occurred, as it does not imply the effective enjoyment of their rights. Reparations should aspire to subvert the preexisting structural inequality that may have engendered the violence suffered by the women. States should identify measures with differential impacts between the sexes and in relation to LGBT persons, ensure that reparation measures consider gender and its intersectionality, adopt expansive notions of violations and victims eligible for reparations, Adopt a presumption of related gender-specific violations or lower evidentiary burdens of proof. And ensure that reparation programs are creative and flexible in order to overcome social, cultural, and administrative barriers. Concerning accountability. While the valuable experiences of international criminal tribunals help to shed light on sexual and gender-based violence and raised standards for prosecution in national courts, the impunity of sexual and gender-related crimes still prevails, and there remain barriers to accessing justice for women and LGBT persons. It is necessary to strengthen the capacities of justice operators to overcome negligent and prejudiced attitudes, adopt special protocols for the investigation and prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes so that they are punished according to their gravity, establish a special inter-institutional model of investigation and prosecution, and incorporate a gender perspective in victim and witness protection programs that address the specific risks faced by victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Regarding guarantees of non-recurrence, States must work to amend discriminatory legal provisions, improve gender representativeness, develop gender perspective training programs for their agents, and establish specialized units in the justice, security, and armed forces sectors undergoing reform. They must also review educational curricula and manuals to include critical accounts of violent pasts and move away from sexist cultural educational structures that reproduce patterns of domination. In addition, states must ensure that memorialization processes are gender sensitive without failing prey to stereotype and incorporate critical analysis of hegemonic patriarchal cultures. A dynamic approach to memorialization that encourages collaboration between educational institutions, civil society organizations, cultural actors, and artists should be taken to promote critical thinking and responsibility, transmit the memories of women and sexual minorities across generations. Finally, I would like to stress the need to ensure the effective participation of women, girls and boys, LGBT communities and victims of sexual and gender-based violence in the design, formulation and implementation of transitional justice programs broadly. Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you. I give the floor now to Madam Katerina Bousoul.

Go ahead, please.

Distinguished President, Excellencies, it's a privilege and a hope-given opportunity to discuss with you one of the most fundamental dimensions of truly nuanced and sustainable justice, that which understands and empathetically addresses and redresses humans' traumatic experiences in armed conflicts and atrocity situations endured because of their gender. Two misconceptions regarding gender persist. First, gender dimensions are still often seen through the prism of sexual violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, CRSV. And second, gender is still often associated exclusively with women and girls, overlooking the spectrum of experience of men and boys. Drawing from a variety of examples globally, my presentation will challenge these two assumptions and provide some key ways forward to more holistic gender competent justice. remains a devastating issue globally. However, many other international crimes and serious human rights violations, as well as atrocity situations more broadly, have acute gender dimensions, which should inform their transformative address. During the dictatorship period in Tunisia, female relatives and children of political prisoners endured social stigma and exclusion, which impaired their ability to earn a living, access education, and exposed them to harassment, including sexual violence. In South Africa, many women activists of the African National Congress decided not to testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to prevent their traumatic experience from overshadowing their activist stance. Destruction of hospitals in Ukraine and other situations of active hostilities globally devastate everyone's access to healthcare, including reproductive services, which are crucial for given societies in and post-conflict recovery. At the same time, hospital attacks disproportionately affect women who remain principal caregivers to children, the elderly, and relatives with disabilities globally. Women and girls have indeed been disproportionately affected by sexual and other forms of gender-based violence in conflict and are critically underrepresented in peace processes and post-conflict recovery. However, these historical and structural realities cannot be redeemed with a sketchy approach to male exposure in armed conflicts that portrays men exclusively as perpetrators and decision-makers and neglects their victimhood and other layers of their lived experiences. From Syria to the Rohingyas and Ukraine, CRSV against males is on the rise. It includes electrocution, mutilation, and beatings of genitalia, rape and threats of rape to detained men and their relatives, forcing captured males to sexually violate their family members or fellow detainees, forced nudity, including in low temperatures, all predominantly combined with denied medical access and inhuman conditions of detention. Attacks on gay men and trans women bear additional acute gender dimensions. The OHCHR has reported that more than 90 percent of civilians it interviewed have been subjected to torture and ill treatment in Russian captivity, with around three quarters of survivors being Ukrainian men. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and Special Rapporteur on torture have highlighted the pervasive sexual dimension of this mistreatment. Rohingya male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence admit the difficulty in reporting their traumatic experience, given that men are presumed to be the perpetrators of sexual violence, and that the majority of support mechanisms are designed or publicized as those exclusively for women and girls. Men forced to witness sexual abuse of their relatives are torn by an alleged failure to perform their protector's role, self-censor their experience, and do not recognize it for what it is, sexual mental torture. A failure to see harm is amplified by a failure to redress it in a sensitized gender manner, not only for a particular male, but also for females he engages with and for their wider community. Transitional justice measures, from reparations to prosecutions, truth-seeking, memorialization, and institutional reforms, should engage with all layers of these experiences and highlight females' and males' often invisible ordeals. Urgent interim reparations for girls, boys, women, and men survivors of conflict-related sexual violence should be introduced as early as possible without waiting until the end of hostilities. Syria and Ukraine have demonstrated that, where possible, other justice measures too should be activated early to ensure comprehensive documentation, survivor support, and authentic narratives. At the same time, transitional justice measures should always ensure that the verbalization and redress of endured harms not further objectify women but amplify their extraordinary resilience in armed conflicts and atrocity situations and contribute to gender nuanced transformations in their respective societies. For that, women and wider gender nuanced issues should not just be on the agenda of transitional justice priorities. women, along with men of different backgrounds, should be co-shaping this agenda from national consultations on its design to its full implementation. Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you. And we are now going to open the first segment to the list of speakers. The list of speakers is now closed. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of New Zealand on behalf of a group of countries.

Thank you, Mr. President. I speak today on behalf of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. We reaffirm our commitment to advancing the full, equal, and meaningful participation of all women and girls in all their diversity in peacebuilding and transitional justice. Mainstreaming gender is essential to ensuring justice, accountability, and sustainable peace. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions recognize that not only are women and girls disproportionately impacted by conflict and violence, but that they also play critical roles as agents of peace and security.

Some 25 years on, a growing body of evidence.

Demonstrates that women's and girls' participation in peacebuilding and transitional justice leads to better and more sustainable outcomes, including a 35% greater likelihood of peace agreements lasting at least 15 years. Transitional justice must address the causes of all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination, including sexual violence. Ensuring accountability and advancing gender equality and women's and girls' empowerment are fundamental to social cohesion, economic development, and in turn, long-lasting peace. We commend the important contributions of human rights defenders and civil society organizations in transitional justice processes. and remain committed to working with all partners to promote approaches that uphold justice and human rights, foster reconciliation, and build inclusive societies. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Latvia on behalf of the group of countries.

Thank you, Mr. President. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic states. Let me begin by thanking the esteemed panelists for sharing their valuable insights. Mainstreaming a gender perspective in transitional justice processes requires a comprehensive understanding of the broader social, economic, and political structure of society and how these influence the integration of gender perspectives and transitional justice mechanisms. From conflict related sexual and gender based violence to socioeconomic discrimination, trafficking, and enforced disappearances, we must acknowledge the diverse impacts and complexities of conflict and implement transitional justice measures that are tailored to the specific needs and experiences. We believe that today's discussion is an essential step towards better understanding of gender related gaps.

Fostering an inclusive approach to transitional justice and supporting states in dismantling barriers to gender transformative approaches.

Dear panelists, what concrete measures can UN mechanisms take to ensure that transitional.

Justice processes are not only gender sensitive, but truly transformative, addressing inequalities and intersecting forms of discrimination? I thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the European Union.

Mr. President, transitional justice processes play a vital role in securing accountability, redress, and fostering reconciliation. 10 years ago, we developed a policy framework on support to transitional justice that sets out how the EU can engage in situations where violations and abuses have occurred. It is critical for transitional justice mechanisms to acknowledge and respond to the full range of violations and abuses women and girls experience during conflict and to their gender differentiated impact and to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women in transitional justice processes. In 2023, the African Union has launched the EU and Germany funded African Women for Transitional Justice Platform, developed to strengthen women's capacity, participation, and integrate gender sensitive approaches in transitional justice processes. The EU and its member states have multi-annual funding programs with partner countries and most have gender responsive approaches to transitional justice. This can mean gender re- uh, responsive data collection, trainings on combating SGBV, women's access to justice, the mandatory hiring of gender advisors and other measures. In 2023, the EU has launched a new 21 million project entitled Global Initiative to Fight Against Impunity for International Crimes, Make Justice Work, that supports gender-responsive and victim-centered approach to transitional justice.

I thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Ghana on behalf of the Group of African States.

Mr. President. The Africa Group acknowledges the importance of today's discussions. For decades, the African Union has provided a guiding framework to enhance states' capacity to advance gender equality and women's empowerment, principles that are indispensable to effective transitional justice. The African Union Transitional Justice Policy and the AU Strategy for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment provide a comprehensive framework for ensuring that transitional justice processes address gendered violations, enhance women's participation, and promote transformative reparations. In spite of the progress registered so far, we are cognizant of the tremendous challenges that continue to hinder the full integration of a gender perspective in transitional justice processes on our continent, including the work of the Human Rights Council. To address these, the Maputo Protocol urges states to enter EARLIER and ensure the equal and meaningful participation of women in all stages of peace processes and in all transitional justice mechanisms. Implement legal and policy reforms to guarantee women's access to justice and effective remedies, including reparations and address economic marginalization. Protect women and girls from all forms of violence and ensure their right to physical integrity and reproductive health rights. And integrate a gender perspective in all truth-seeking reparations and institutional reform programs to address the root causes of inequality.

Thank you.

I give the floor to Chile on behalf of a group of countries.

Thank you, President. It's my honor to speak on behalf of a group of Latin American countries. Addressing the importance of strengthening the gender perspective in transitional justice, we reaffirm that those processes shouldn't be restricted to establishment of facts, but should contribute to transforming discriminatory structures. that were the root of the violence and inequalities. Comparative experience in our region shows that while progress has been made, we still see challenges to integrate the gender perspective in those processes, the causes, motivations and impact of violations and abuses. vary depending on the gender of the victim. Nevertheless, the response of traditional justice often reduces it only to sexual violence, leaving aside dimensions such as economic exclusion, political discrimination, stigmatization, racism, unequal access to land and resources, and other multiple forms of structural violence. For transitional justice to be truly transformative and guarantee non-repetition, it is crucial to place victims at the centre, recognising the diversity of their experiences and ensuring their full, effective, safe and equal participation. We are grateful to the panellists for their valuable thoughts, and we urge States to recall that integrating a gender perspective is a crucial condition for truth, justice, reparations

Thank you. I give the floor to UN Women.

Thank you, Mr. President. This statement is delivered on behalf of UN Women and UNFPA. We thank the Human Rights Council for bringing attention to gender-responsive transitional justice in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325. To make transitional justice gender responsive, we must act on three fronts. First, processes must address the human rights violations experienced by women, men, girls, and boys, and examine how individuals may be targeted differently because of their gender and how gender intersects with other grounds of discrimination. Second, transitional justice must confront the gendered root causes of conflict and abuse, including negative gender norms and patriarchal structures. Third, it must guarantee the full and meaningful participation of women in all their diversity as equal rights holders, agents of change, and leaders. By meaningful participation, we mean that women must gain access to decision-making spaces, be able to form coalitions and exercise their agency, and have real influence on outcomes. It takes many forms, women's political leadership, representation in justice institutions, women's civil society organizations, and most importantly, the leadership leadership of survivors themselves. Mr. President, transitional justice that is inclusive and gender-responsive paves the way for a lasting peace. We stand ready to work with Member States, civil society, and above all, with women and girls to make this vision a reality. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Guatemala.

Thank you, President. Guatemala, a nation forged in cultural diversity, welcomes the holding of this annual discussion and reiterates its commitment to the gender perspective as a fundamental pillar of human rights. As part of Agenda 2030, especially SDG 5, gender equality has been consolidated as a key tool for eliminating structural barriers that perpetuate discrimination, violence and exclusion. Despite lingering challenges, we recognise that the active participation of women in spaces of power is crucial in order to strengthen democracy and move towards sustainable and inclusive development. That is why The gender equality agenda must be part of public policy, adopting an intersectional, intergenerational, intercultural and human rights-based approach that helps meet needs and specific challenges of women and girls in all contexts. President, finally, this vision must be integrated into all spheres of society. That is the only way we can achieve transformative policies that place women as agents of change and make equality not just an aspiration but a reality. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Switzerland.

Thank you, President. We thank the panellists for their contributions. We can but note that, despite significant normative progress thanks to the Beijing Declaration and Resolution 1325 of the Security Council and subsequent resolutions, as well as the guidance from the CEDAW Convention. The integration of a gender perspective into transitional justice remains unequal and insufficient. Too often, responses reduce issues of gender solely to sexual violences, which is a crucial aspect, but it doesn't address the broader realities of structural violence, invisible obstacles to justice, economic exclusion, often based on lack of access to land and resources, violations of the right to health and sexual reproductive rights, political marginalization, and Intersectional forms of discrimination, especially towards LGBTI women and those from minority communities, remain neglected, whereas they should be an integral part of any transitional justice process. The upcoming anniversaries of the Beijing Declaration and resolution 1325 are an opportunity to take stock of the progress that has been made and where gaps continue. in limiting justice and equality. Transitional justice should not just take into account abuses of the past, but should help build a future in societies where women, girls and persons of different gender identities can participate fully and equally in decision making and where their rights are protected in practice and not just in principle. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom.

The UK has consistently championed the integration of a gender perspective in transitional justice.

Our commitment is practical as well as political.

We are dedicated to ensuring that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence receive justice and that those responsible are held accountable. Through the preventing sexual violence initiative, we have worked globally to strengthen legal systems, share expertise and promote the meaningful.

And safe participation, leadership and representation of women in decision making.

In Colombia, as we have just heard, women's movements are central to peace.

The UK has supported transitional justice.

Efforts by funding and advocating gender-based violence cases through our support for civil society and parliamentary engagement.

In Syria, we have consistently underlined the importance of an inclusive transitional process, one that protects the rights of all.

Syrians, including women and girls, addresses the legacy of.

Human rights violations during the Syria conflict, fosters social cohesion and preventing reoccurrence. Mr. President, while we have seen progress on the integration of a gender perspective in transitional justice, structural inequalities and an increase in gender-specific violations continue to affect women, girls and people.

From diverse gender identities. Could the panellists share thoughts on how the Council can ensure a strong gender-responsive approach to transitional justice globally? Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Spain. Thank you, President. We thank the panelists for their presentations geared towards strengthening incorporation of the gender perspective in transitional justice processes. This year, the anniversary of Beijing, 25th anniversary of 1325, Spain reaffirms its firm support for the women peace and security agenda and to the general recommendation 3040 of the CEDAW, which are particularly relevant here. It is essential to include gender-disaggregated data to highlight patterns and identify violence, and at every stage to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls, women's organisations and civil society, and to design transformative reparations programmes that tackle the structural causes of inequality. We stress the importance of treaty bodies, special procedures and the mechanisms of this Council, including the UPR. ensure that perpetrators are held accountable. We reiterate our full support to the ICC and the prosecutor to prevent impunity. Spain continues to work constructively to ensure that transitional justice not only remedies the past, but also contributes to societies becoming more just, equal, inclusive, sustainable, and ultimately more feminist. Thank you.

Yes, thank you.

I give the floor to Japan.

Thank you, Mr. President. Japan thanks the speakers for their valuable insights. Transitional justice processes too often tend to focus on conflict-related sexual violence, but they must also address structural gender inequalities that perpetuate the cycle of exclusion and violence, as suggested by the panelists earlier. Japan is firmly committed to supporting survivors and ending impunity. We work closely with the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Global Survivors Fund, supporting initiatives that strengthen accountability and deliver survivor-centered assistance.

Ending impunity remains a priority of our diplomacy under the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

At the same time, cooperation with international organizations such as UN Women is crucial. In South Sudan, Japan has partnered with the UN Women to support over 8,000 women and girls in Rank and Marakal, providing protection services, livelihood opportunities, and solar lighting to reduce the risks of gender-based violence. This addresses both immediate needs and deeper structural inequalities. Looking ahead, Japan urges this Council to strengthen support for gender-transformative approaches and deepen engagement with women-led organizations. integrating gender perspective in line with the WPS agenda will promote lasting and inclusive transitional justice and ensure that the human rights of survivors are upheld.

I thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Slovenia.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Slovenia thanks the panelists for their valuable contributions. We align with the EU statement and reaffirm our strong commitment to ensuring that transitional justice processes are inclusive and and responsive to the needs of women and girls in all their diversity. Gender mainstreaming is a foundational element, not a peripheral consideration. This entails several actions.

First, ensuring the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all transitional justice decision-making bodies.

Second, systemic collection, analysis, and utilization of gender desegregated data to inform all policies and processes.

Third, explicit acknowledgement of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence as international crimes. Slovenia emphasizes the imperative to provide comprehensive support for survivors of SGBV, including their.

Safe access to justice, specialized healthcare, and psychosocial services.

Reparation programs must be designed to be gender transformative, addressing both individual trauma and the broader collective and structural.

Harms inflicted upon communities. We must also actively dismantle the discriminatory social and cultural patterns, including gender stereotypes that fuel impunity and perpetuate cyclical.

Violence.

Finally, Slovenia calls upon to enhance technical guidance and capacity building for gender transformative transitional justice and genuine reconciliation.

I thank you.

Thank you.

I give the floor to the representative of Kuwait. Thank you.

Kuwait welcomes the holding of this annual discussion on the gender perspective. I take the opportunity to inform you of the latest developments at national level. Based on our commitment to developing our legislation, we have increased the age of marriage. We reiterate the importance of the vital role that women play in general. That is why we have set up a committee to follow implementation of resolution 1325 of the Security Council to safeguard the gains made by Kuwaiti women. They participate in different sectors, for example, in the judiciary. There are 123 prosecutors, 20 judges and four prosecutors general. In the military, there are 47 per cent women, 22 per cent diplomats and women represent 58 per cent of the overall national workforce in all walks of life and all industries. We are convinced that women are a crucial and reliable partner in building our country as seen by the composition of successive governments.

Thank you.

Thank you. Now, we move to the list of speakers of NHRIs and NGOs. I give the floor to the Philippines Human Rights Commission video message.

Salaam alaikum. Too often, the human rights violations and abuses committed against women, children, LGBTQI+ persons, and other marginalized groups remain overlooked. This can take the forms of systematic and structural violence that are ingrained in daily realities. Harmful gender norms and existing inequalities lead to exposure to violations and limitations to access to justice. Sexual violence against girls is underreported due to stigma. Girls face heightened risks of child marriage and women become more at risk of being exploited when in crisis situations. Sexual violations against women, girls, and persons of diverse identities in less public spaces remain invisible in official records. To address these gaps, transitional justice must be survivor-centered and gender-responsive. As the Philippines' national human rights institution, we continue to promote gender-responsive approaches to accountability and justice through working with survivors, civil society, and institutions in determining solutions that can lead to reconciliation and healing. We encourage the Human Rights Council to further integrate gender analysis across its mandates and to support NHRI and civil society in advancing gender-sensitive transitional justice. the Commission reaffirms its commitment to these efforts and to ensuring that gender perspectives are strengthened across all accountability and transitional justice processes. Thank you very much.

Thank you. I give the floor to the Togo Human Rights Commission, also by video message.

President, participants, the National Human Rights Commission of Togo welcomes the holding of this annual discussion on integration of the gender perspective, in line with resolution 630. Gender equality enjoys high legal protection in Togo. It is organised under article 2 of the Togolese constitution. The national policy for gender equality was updated in 2019, and a law on equality was adopted in 2022. Our commission has created a division for the promotion and protection of women, children and other vulnerable groups. It modified its organic law in 2018 and 2021. Article 7 enshrines its composition of at least nine members, of at least four of each gender, and the executive bureau, which is made-up of three members, of at least one woman. Several women hold decision-making posts within human resource, and three women of six are currently regional heads in our country. It is established in 2024 a gender focal point president, despite all these efforts, challenges remain, including sociocultural inertia, lack of commitment from actors, failure to respect texts and lack of resources. Our commission intends to pursue its cooperation with all stakeholders to meet these challenges. Thank you.

Thank you. Center for.

Global Nonkilling has the floor. Dear human beings, dear President, ladies and gentlemen, gentlemen and ladies, everyone, everywhere. From a woman heading the United Nations to everyone being gender champion, from the gutters of Afghanistan to the dirtiest prison in the world, from female genital mutilation to male genital mutilation, from male culture of hierarchy.

Violence, and war, and to a cooperative world where every person, regardless of gender, can equally live its fundamental rights.

The transition towards gender equality needs objectivity, measure, and a worldwide perspective.

It starts in post-conflict situations, but also reaches every person, every bed and living room, every discussion on the planet.

Gender peace is a planetary transition. Let me give an apology in the name of men, past and present, in the name of civilization, in my name, for all past.

Violence done unto women and for each failure to bring women equally to the forefront. There is post-conflict trauma, people to heal, to bring to gender dignity.

There are also discriminations against men, example, we live shorter lives.

It is partly a social issue. These must not be forgotten.

To end.

What may seem like infinite suffering, there is an infrastructural transition towards gender peace.

We are all concerned it will bring universal peace. Thank you.

Make Mothers Matter has the floor.

Thank you. Make Mothers Matter welcomes this important discussion. Transitional justice can only deliver truth, justice, reparation, and non-recurrence if it reflects the full spectrum of gendered harms. Sexual violence, which is often used as a weapon of war, must be addressed with urgency and seriousness. Yet women, especially mothers, also face other violations that are too often overlooked: maternal mortality and morbidity, economic dispossession, forced displacement, political exclusion, denial of reproductive rights, and the systematic devaluation of their caregiving roles. Mothers stand at the heart of the families and communities. In conflict, they serve as caregivers, providers, and protectors, holding communities together while bearing the heavy cost of violence. Their unpaid care work sustains not only survival but also resilience and recovery. Despite this, mothers remain largely invisible in transitional justice processes. We therefore urge the Human Rights Council and Member States to: Collect sex and gender-disaggregated data that captures the lived realities of women and mothers; Ensure women, especially mothers, equal participation in all stages of transitional justice, design transformative reparations that value care work, restore livelihoods and healthcare, uphold dignity, and address intergenerational impacts. Recognizing mothers' multiple roles and ensuring their rights is not only a matter of justice, it's essential for rebuilding societies, preventing recurrence, and achieving sustainable peace.

Thank you.

Thank you. Action Canada has the floor.

Thank you, President. Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of the Sexual Rights Initiative. We welcome the recognition from this Council that transitional justice processes do not adequately or consistently address the needs, rights, and experiences of women and girls. These processes often reduce women and girls to the perceived vulnerabilities and tokenize the participation in decision-making processes. This ends up recreating the same conditions and framework that enable gross human rights violations in the first place, deny women and girls their full humanity, and does not serve the transformative goals of transitional justice. If the Council is truly serious in its objective to meaningfully integrate a gender perspective into transitional justice processes, States must start their process with the gendered analysis at the center and not as an add-in later. As 47 independent UN experts recently stated, gendered analyses are essential for exposing power disparities, structural inequalities, and discriminatory practices embedded in laws, institutions, and social norms. The Council and States must move beyond the simplistic and biological categorization of women and girls and towards a deeper understanding and visibility of the multiple and intersecting ways women, girls, and gender diverse people are systematically excluded from transitional justice processes. There can be no transitional justice without gender justice.

I thank you.

Thank you, Eero, through video statement.

The world and I'm making this statement on behalf of the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women, ARROW. We welcome this discussion on strengthening gender perspective in transitional justice to address the full continuum of gender-based violence and structural inequalities faced by women and girls impacted by conflict. Too often, gender has been reduced to the issue of sexual violence alone. While accountability for conflict-related sexual violence is very important, the focus shall also remain on the systematic violation, such as economic exclusion, political marginalization and denial of land and resources, as well as violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights. We recall the commitments under the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, CEDAW, Women, Peace and Security Agenda. 25 years after Resolution 1325, women's equal participation in transitional justice remains nominal, undermining the legitimacy of peace processes and reconciliation efforts. We, therefore, urge the Human Rights Council and its mechanism to: Guarantee full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all the diversity at all stages of transitional justice process. Support transformative reparation that dismantle inequalities at their root. Finally, we stress the importance of working with women rights and feminist civil society who have consistently driven gender just outcomes. Transitional justice must not only deliver accountability from past harm, but also ensure guarantee of non-repetition and the Foundation for Gender Equal Inclusive Societies.

Thank you.

Thank you. We have exhausted the first segment to the list of speakers, and now we move to the second segment, beginning with the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan.

President, Azerbaijan welcomes the convening of this important panel discussion on stressing gender perspectives in transitional justice processes. We recognize that transitional justice mechanisms play a critical role in addressing the legacies of conflict and violations of international law, fostering reconciliation and preventing recurrence. These mechanisms must fully reflect the needs, rights, and agency of women and girls. Too often, gender considerations in transitional justice are approached through a narrow lens, while structural inequalities and intersecting forms of discrimination remain overlooked. Transitional justice processes must go beyond this narrow approach to address economic exclusion, political marginalization, as well as barriers faced by women and girls from ethnic, religious, and other vulnerable groups. As a country emerging from conflict and committed to post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction, Azerbaijan is working actively to ensure that the rights of all affected populations, including women and children, are fully respected and protected. As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 1325 and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, we must reaffirm our collective commitment not only to protecting women in conflict, but also empowering them as agents of peace and reconstruction. Azerbaijan remains steadfast in translating these commitments into concrete action.

Thank you.

Thank you. The distinguished representative of Sierra Leone has the floor.

Merci. Le président Sierra Leone lance un soutien for the statement delivered by the African Group. We recognize the importance of this panel discussion on gender integration in transitional justice. Such processes are vital for achieving accountability, redress, and reconciliation in societies emerging from conflict and repression. As a post-conflict country, Sierra Leone acknowledges that transitional justice must be inclusive, participatory, and responsive to the experiences of all those affected. From our own experience, integrating a gender perspective has been integral and has played a significant role in strengthening post-conflict and social justice mechanisms. We acknowledge the existence of significant legal frameworks that safeguard and advance women's rights in conflict and post-conflict scenarios. These include the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Security Council Resolution 1325, and subsequent resolutions, and the general recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Although there are frameworks for gender transformative transitional justice, gaps remain, with gender often reduced to sexual violence, whilst broader structural violations and discrimination are overlooked. Sierra Leone highlights the importance of gender sensitive practices in transitional justice, and our 2022 Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act It affirms that sustainable peace requires the full and equal participation of women and girls. And I thank you, President.

Thank you, distinguished representative of Germany, as recognized.

We welcome this important discussion on the integration of a gender perspective in transitional justice processes.

Nearly 25 years after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, it continues to be.

Crucial to emphasize the significance of women in peace and reconciliation processes.

Recognizing this, Germany advocates for the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in crisis regions, in multilateral organizations and at the regional level. It is deeply disconcerting that the utilization of sexual and gender-based violence as a warfare tactic has escalated to alarming levels in recent conflicts. It is imperative that these conflict-related sexual crimes are being investigated and prosecuted to ensure accountability. Moreover, it is key to actively involve women in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes and to ensure that their voices are heard. In today's uncertain times, Germany will continue to advocate for gender equality and the full integration of a gender perspective in transitional justice processes to allow for lasting peace and reconciliation.

In closing, allow me one question.

Do you see a need for mechanisms to guarantee the integration of gender perspectives? How could those be designed? Thank you.

Thank you. The distinguished representative of Ireland has the floor.

President, Ireland aligns with the EU statement and thanks the panelists for their interventions. Ireland strongly supports the integration of gender perspectives across all phases of transitional justice. Gender-responsive transitional justice is essential to achieving lasting peace, accountability, and non-recurrence. Ireland recognizes that conflict and repression affect individuals differently on the basis of gender and other intersecting identities. We therefore emphasize the importance of ensuring that transitional justice processes fully acknowledge and respond to the experiences of women, girls, and members of marginalized groups, as well as survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. We underline the necessity of women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in the design, implementation, and monitoring of transitional justice mechanisms. Their leadership is central to addressing root causes of conflict and building inclusive and rights-respecting societies. Ireland also supports the development and implementation of gender-responsive reparation programs, access to justice for survivors, and the collection and preservation of sex and gender disaggregated data as foundational to effective transitional justice. We further stress the important role of civil society, particularly women's organizations, in ensuring accountability and advocating for structural reform. Ireland remains committed to advancing gender-responsive transitional justice through our foreign policy, development cooperation, and multilateral engagement. Panelists, what measures can be taken to ensure that transitional justice processes address the disparate impacts of sexual violence on women, girls, men, and boys? Thank you.

Thank you. Distinguished representative of Cyprus is recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Cyprus aligns itself with the EU statement. No one can deny that conflicts exacerbate existing discrimination, heightening the risk of sexual, physical, even psychological violence. The evidence is overwhelming. And unfortunately, women all over the world continue to face substantive and procedural obstacles in their pursuit of justice. Gendered, transformative approaches to transitional justice are essential if we are to begin eradicating structural inequalities that render certain groups more vulnerable to violence. It is imperative that we begin the process by establishing social trust, as well as ensuring accountability and adequate legal remedies. Without accountability, women's rights will continue to be denied, while past mistakes will continue to be repeated. The fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination must be at the center of all efforts that should begin at the national level. Cyprus is taking concrete steps in this direction. We have strengthened legislative frameworks, reinforced institutional mechanisms, and introduced targeted policies aimed at eliminating gender-based discrimination and combating sexism. Mr. President, we believe that it should not be the moment of self-reflection, but a call for action and an opportunity to reaffirm our joint commitment towards justice. Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative of Nepal, has the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Nepal thanks the distinguished panel for their insights on strengthening gender perspective in transitional justice process. Nepal is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and to ensure gender equality in all walks of life. The constitution of Nepal guarantees women the right to equal lineage and ancestral property, as well as the right to participate in decision-making bodies in line with the principles of inclusion and proportional representation. Nepal is heading towards completing the last mile works of transitional justice process. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC, and the Commission for Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, CIADP, have been carrying forward their mandate in line with Nepal-led and victim-centric approach while ensuring the participation of women in the process. Mr. President, in closing, we would like to request the distinguished panel to elaborate on the measures to effectively integrate gender perspective into the transitional justice process, protect women's rights and protect equality in post-conflict societies. I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, distinguished representative. France has the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. The 30th anniversary of the Declaration and Programme of Action of Beijing and the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325 of the Security Council, which we are celebrating this year, gives us an opportunity to think about the progress and the challenges in accounting for women and their participation in the transitional justice processes, and I would like to warmly thank the presenters this morning. It is important to promote a regulatory international framework for women's rights in order to encourage women's participation in settling conflict and in peacekeeping, which is why France has supported the General Recommendation 40 of CEDAW on equal inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems and encourage all states to support its implementation for this session of the Human Rights Council. to act for equality between women is essential to maintain the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to respect the commitments on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. With its feminist diplomacy, France, along with the United Nations, is calling on states and civil society to build peaceful, fair, long-lasting, and inclusive societies. Thank you.

Thank you. Distinguished representative of Belgium has the floor.

Then Belgium aligns with the EU statement and thank the panelists for their pertinent interventions. Indeed, it is well established that women and girls are disproportionately targeted during times of conflict or under authoritarian rule because of their gender. Preexisting gender inequalities are often exacerbated. Conflict related sexual violence remain widespread, while progress in women's participation in decision making continues to be limited. Regrettably, 25 years after the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, women seeking recourse still face gender-blind transitional justice systems, gendered social norms, and power imbalances that hinder their access to transitional justice. Of course, this also applies to male victims and those targeted because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the EU's framework for transitional justice. Allow me to highlight that this framework acknowledges the full range of violations women and girls experience during conflict, as well as the differentiated needs of women and men in accessing and benefiting from transitional justice processes. It also recognizes women's leadership and the important role of women human rights defenders in conflict resolution. Dear panelists, transitional justice processes include an important gender dimension. How can we best address resistance to gender transformative transition?

Thank you. I would like to give floor to the singular representative of Morocco.

President, my delegation welcomes the holding of this timely discussion on the integration of a gender perspective in transitional justice processes. This topic is particularly relevant in a global context marked by rising structural inequalities and conflicts with deeply gendered impacts. Transitional justice cannot be truly effective without a transformative approach that addresses the root causes of gender-based violence, including socioeconomic exclusion, intersectional discrimination, and political marginalization. Morocco firmly believes that a gender perspective must go beyond addressing sexual violence alone and encompass the broader power dynamics and systemic inequalities that underpin such violations. In line with its international commitments, Morocco acceded in 2022 to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Morocco continues to promote equitable representation of women in decision-making processes, including in matters of reparation, memorialization, and institutional reform. Through the 2020 Marrakesh Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, Morocco reaffirmed its determination to advance women's rights within a structural and inclusive framework.

As.

Part of its ongoing engagement with this Council and its mechanisms, Morocco calls for the strengthening of the United Nations support for states in implementing public policies intended for women and girls in post-conflict and transitional settings. Transitional justice, to be credible and effective, must be also gender just.

Thank you. The distinguished representative of the Netherlands has the floor.

The Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement. In our view, transitional justice mechanisms should meaningfully engage with the gender dimensions of conflict, acknowledging the disproportionate impact on women and girls. We are mindful that transitional justice mechanisms are most effective when they are inclusive, context-specific, and informed by lived experiences.

Of all.

Affected groups. This includes listening to the voices of survivors and recognizing structural inequalities that often persist long after the conflict ends. As the host of the ICJ and the ICC, the Netherlands supports the role of multilateral institutions in ensuring accountability. At the same time, we recognize that justice cannot be imposed from above. It must be co-created with those it seeks to serve. Our support for women, peace and security programs, particularly those led by civil society, reflects our belief to remove barriers to women's full, equal and meaningful participation and support for survivor-centered approaches. We also aim to highlight the essential role of mental health in post-conflict recovery. We believe psychological needs of victims and communities are central to true reconciliation. Panelists. How can we better integrate mental health and psychological support into transitional justice processes?

Thank you.

Thank you. I recognize the distinguished representative of Togo.

The Togolese delegation would like to thank all panelists for their illuminating, enlightening interventions on this crucial topic of gender mainstreaming. Mr. President, my country remains strongly convinced that the systematic integration of a gender perspective in drafting, implementing, and assessing all public policies is not an option, but rather an essential condition in order to truly have inclusive, fair, and sustainable development. In this regard, the Togolese government's political will has been translated into specific actions, like the adoption of a national gender equality and equity policy. and its strategic action plan, which serve as a compass for all government and non-governmental stakeholders. In addition, the institutionalization of gender analysis in the budget process through various initiatives aims to make gender responsive budgeting a standard tool for more equitable resource allocation. In addition, TOCO's commitment is seen in technical capacity building in the offices of the administration, local elected officials and civil society actors on concepts and tools of the gender approach to ensure that they can be effective actors in the transformation. Thank you.

The representative of Montenegro has the floor.

President, we thank the distinguished panelists for valuable contributions. Montenegro reaffirms its firm commitment to gender equality and to ensuring that all women and girls in all their diversity fully enjoy their human rights. We will continue to advocate for the systematic integration of a gender perspective across all UN human rights work. This commitment is more urgent than ever in light of alarming pushback to the rights and autonomy of women and girls. While the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms have increasingly addressed gender-specific violation and structural inequalities, the integration of a gender perspective remains inconsistent. Transitional justice, in particular, often narrows gender to sexual violence, who, while overlooking deeper structural harms such as political and economic exclusion, denial of resources, and violation of sexual and reproductive health and rights. These abuses are rooted in the same entrenched inequalities that fuel conflict, insecurity, and injustice. The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration is not only a milestone, it is a call to act decisively. 47 special procedures have recently affirmed the centrality of understanding gender as a tool for advancing substantive equality and human rights for all. Legal and policy frameworks that fail to incorporate a gender perspective risk reinforcing rather than dismantling inequality. Montenegro, therefore, joins the call on all states to ensure the rights and dignity of all women and girls in all their diversity. This is essential to upholding the integrity and credibility of the international human rights system and fulfilling the universal promise of equality, justice, and peace. Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative.

Andorra has the floor.

Andorra welcomes this panel on integrating a gender perspective in transitional justice. This is a moment to reaffirm our commitment to accountability, redress, reconciliation, and women's rights in post-conflict contexts. Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration and 25 after Resolution 1325, progress is real, but challenges remain. Transitional justice must apply a true gender lens, going beyond sexual violence to tackle inequalities, economic exclusion, political marginalization, and multiple discriminations faced by women, girls, minorities, and LGBTIQ+ persons. In Andorra, gender equality is a core priority. We created an equality observatory for accurate data and better decisions. We reinforce support for victims of gender-based violence with immediate help and legal protection. In education, we are reforming curricula to promote respect, equality, and challenge stereotypes from the earliest age. We believe the Human Rights Council must mainstream gender across all its work, from the universal periodical review to special procedures and commissions of inquiry. Gender must not be confined to separate debates. It has to be interwoven to every mechanism. With 2030 approaching, gender equality is both a goal and a driver of all the SDGs. By integrating gender, the Council strengthens its legitimacy and helps build more inclusive, resilient and just societies.

Thank you.

Thank you. Distinguished representative of Poland is recognized.

Mr. President, Poland align itself with the EU statement and thanks panelists for their presentations. As we mark the 13th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and reflect on 25 years of the women, peace and security agenda, Poland reaffirms its strong commitment to advancing gender equality and human rights in all contexts, including transitional justice. We recognize that transitional justice processes must take into account the specific experiences of women and girls. particularly the harms they endure during conflict and persecution, such as sexual and gender-based violence and the structural barriers they face in accessing justice and participating in peacebuilding. The gender-responsive approach is essential to ensure that justice mechanisms are inclusive, participatory, and truly transformative. It is not enough to treat gender as an add-on. It must be integrated at every stage, from truth seeking to reparations and institutional reform. Poland emphasizes the importance of ensuring that women are meaningfully involved and that survivors are placed at the center of all efforts to deliver justice and accountability. Poland stands ready to support efforts to strengthen the gender dimension in the work of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, and to ensure that transitional justice processes contribute to lasting peace, equality, and non-recurrence. Thank you.

I turn to the list of.

Speakers for NHRIs and NGOs. I give the floor to from Guadalajara.

The Vienna Programme was adopted by consensus in 2023. The consensus is its greatest strength. The states stressed that rights, women were human rights and committed to eliminating all gender-based discrimination and promote genuine equality between men and women. This consensus can only be kept if the text is properly interpreted. Therefore, we're troubled by attempts to use to introduce concepts that were never in it. Apologies, but could the microphone from the chamber be switched on? Thank you. The objective reality of the two genders was not opened up to redefinition. The language was clear. It spoke of gender, men and women, of girls and boys, and of equal rights between men and women. Transforming that language into something different is manipulation. and undermines the credibility of this council. We cannot force through consensus documents to impose ideologies that weren't agreed to in binding instruments. Therefore, we call for you to maintain the original strength of Vienna: equality between men and women, dignity for all persons, and eliminating gender-based discrimination. That's the only way we can honor the trust that states deposited in this historic text and keep alive the consensus that gave it legitimacy. Thank you.

thank you I give the thought as to your.

Distinguished delegates we are deeply concerned by the growing attempt to impose what is called a gender perspective but in reality amounts to gender ideology this ideology is not neutral.

It replaces biological reality with fluid Concepts and it is being introduced into schools and policies often without parental consent.

Through so-called comprehensive sexuality education, children as young as six are told that gender is fluid.

That it can be changed at will, and that parental values or religious convictions do not matter.

This is not education, this is indoctrination.

No state should force parents to surrender their right to guide the moral and cultural upbringing of their children. Even more troubling, UN agencies have been promoting so-called gender-affirming treatments, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors. Let's be clear, these are irreversible medical interventions carried out on children who cannot possibly grasp the lifelong consequences. Minors are not allowed to vote, for.

Example, or even buy cigarettes, yet we are told they can consent to permanent sterilization and body mutilation.

This is not progress, this is abuse. Human rights are universal because they are anchored in truth.

Boys are male, girls are female, and both have equal dignity and deserve protection. Replacing reality with ideology will not bring any good. It will bring serious harm. We urge this council to use precise, biologically affirmed language, respect parental language, and protect children from experiments disguised as rights.

Thank you, President.

Excellency, colleagues, just to remind you that the theme of this annual discussion is strengthening gender perspective and transitional justice processes, and I invite all of you to focus your statements on that subject. I give the floor to Sham Bally, Trust, video statement.

Thank you, Mr. President. Integrating a gender perspective is essential to uphold the equal rights, dignity, and safety of all people. Recognizing gender as a cross-cutting factor in policy, services, and protection ensures that laws and programs reduce inequality, prevent violence, and deliver sustainable development for everyone, regardless of their caste, class, or sexual orientation. At Symbali, we apply a community-centered model To make this integration tangible, our empowerment centers and boarding homes provide education, vocational training, legal and psychological support. Our dedicated project, GAREMA, which means dignity, provides a safe drop-in space, rights awareness, and professional support for sexual and gender diverse people. India has likewise advanced gender-sensitive frameworks across law and policy, and instituted ministries and programs to mainstream gender in social welfare, education, and budgeting. Progress has also been made under Sustainable Development Goal 5, promoting gender equality and empowerment. Mr. President, we welcome the leadership of the United Nations and encourage renewed support for grassroots organizations, targeted funding for gender-sensitive programming so that rights, safety, and dignity are realized for all.

Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Yevhen Tym by video.

Mr. President, Mr. High Commissioner, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. Educational NGO for Sustainability, Juventum, is honored to participate in the 60th HRC. We commend the High Commissioner's update for covering many important representative issues and some encouraging examples of the recent achievements in human rights. We strongly agree with the direction presented and deeply appreciate the hard work of everybody in the UN human rights community. We would be happy if we could make constructive contributions to the 60th session and the discussions beyond. Most of what has to be done for human rights should make sense to good people with empathy and compassion. Critical thinking and the constructive efforts are needed too. Excellencies, we would love to see our following proposal for improvement. included in the future draft resolutions. The United Nations has accumulated a huge amount of human rights wisdom, including the UDHR and the outcomes of the HRC sessions. All member states should be obliged to teach human rights in school. And the children's knowledge should be tested and ranked internationally.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you.

I give the floor to India Water Foundation, PDES.

PDES next.

Mr. President, our organization welcomes this discussion on integrating a gender perspective into transitional justice processes. We firmly believe that these mechanisms cannot truly deliver truth, repression, and reconciliation unless they fully address the experiences, needs, and rights of women, girls, and persons with disabilities. As highlighted in the concept note, approaches are often limited to sexual violence while neglecting structural realities such as economic exclusion, denial of access to land, violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights, political marginalization. especially women from ethnic minorities or with disabilities. We urge the Council and its mechanism to systematically promote the collection of sex and gender disaggregated data, ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all stages of transitional justice, design truly transformative reparations that aim at dismantling the structural inequalities that enabled violations in the first place. As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and the 25th in a sad.

Oops, observer, regional, regional observer isn't here.

RS, KS by video is next.

Thank you, Mr. President.

We welcome this important discussion.

Transitional justice is not only about addressing past violations.

It is about building a future rooted in equality, dignity, and non-discrimination.

If gender perspectives are ignored, transitional justice risks repeating the very injustices it seeks to repair. Across the world, women and girls, and often gender diverse persons, have suffered unique harms in times of conflict: sexual violence, forced displacement, loss of livelihood, and silencing of their voices. Yet often their experiences remain invisible in truth commissions, reparations and peacebuilding. Mr. President, strengthening gender perspectives means ensuring women's full and equal participation at every stage of the process, recognizing gender-based crimes as serious violations of human rights and prosecuting them without impunity. Designing reparation that address not only individual harm, but also the social and economic inequalities that make women vulnerable. Incorporating local women's group and survivors networks as key partners in truth, reconciliation and peace building. Mr. President, transitional justice without a gender perspective is incomplete justice. By placing the experiences and voices of women and marginalized genders At the center, we can ensure that societies do not just heal, but truly transform. We thank you. May we all live happily.

Thank you.

That was the last speaker that we can accommodate. I'd remind you that delegates on the list of speakers that have been unable to take the floor owing to time constraints should upload their statements to be published on the extranet. And I turn back to the panelists for their concluding remarks. Each one of you has three minutes. Madam, I'll start with you, Madam Bussol.

Um, thank you very much. Um, several responses, if I may, to the remarks and questions posed throughout the discussions. Um, first, um, gender dimensions of all atrocity crimes should be addressed, not only conflict related sexual violence, and this address and redress should focus on all individuals. Second, it's important in transitional justice measures to prioritize reparations. They should be introduced as early as possible through simplified administrative procedures, and they should not be connected to lengthy criminal proceedings. The important question of ensuring the mental health considerations. While usually these considerations are discussed with respect to survivors, I stress the importance to also consider mental health and well-being for the first responders, investigators, prosecutors, and everybody, the professionals who work in atrocity situations. Finally, I would like to stress the importance of accountability. The support for domestic prosecutions, as well as the International Criminal Court, has already been voiced. And I would like to add on to that the crucial relevance of universal jurisdiction proceedings, the action of each individual states that exercise their right and obligation under international law to investigate, and prosecute core international crimes. And the key steps in many atrocity situations, from Syria to the atrocities against the Yazidis, have been done through universal jurisdiction proceedings. So I would strongly support that. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Madame Katka.

Thank you for your questions. Based on the seven-year long experience, I would like to share one experience. We've shared our experiences with the state representatives. Running those campaigns have become successful based on our experience. Second. The survivors cannot themselves become healers. As long as they are in trauma, those who are traumatized cannot heal others from trauma. We've challenged that discourse. We have trained as psychosocial counselors and we've provided service to thousands of people. And we've been able to change the narrative that survivors themselves can heal others. Thank you.

Thank you, President. I followed with great interest the statements, interventions from the various participants at the session today and I'm very grateful to them. What's more, I see in none of those statements that I hear any manifestation, any protest to intersecting a gender-based perspective into transitional justice. Now, with exception of other themes regarding the relevance or not of sexual education or the extension or conceptualisation of gender to people other than those who have masculine or feminine identities, or diverse identities. That can be discussed on another occasion. With respect to the centre of this discussion, I'm pleased to see that nobody was objected to this cross-cutting gender perspective, which is why I urge all states, delegations, and all stakeholders, including NGOs, to ensure that this conceptual provision, conceptual concept that was manifested here, be translated into a dynamic, powerful force so that that intersectionality be made effective in countries that have transitional justice contexts as well as in the work of the United Nations. Let me reiterate to you my conviction, based on our country's experience, regarding the importance and richness of transitional justice processes, which convey to peace and the effectiveness of human rights and the crucial importance of the role played by a gender perspective and women's organizations in this subject. One last call, this can be achieved with the presence and the exercise through the active participation of women and women's organizations and gender rights organisations in those processes, incentivise that participation, learn about experiences and incorporate the proposals of survivors, that is decisive to move in that direction.

Thank you, excellencies, distinguished colleagues.

That brings us to the end of this annual discussion. Deputy high commissioner, distinguished panellists and all participants for their contributions to this discussion. We will now take a very short break before continuing the general debate under item 7 of the agenda. Thank you.

Excellence, distinguished colleagues, we are now present.

We will now continue our general debate on item 7 of the agenda, continuing with a list of speakers for observer states. I give the floor to Saudi Arabia.

Saad Alrais.

President, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia firmly condemns the Israeli aggression on Gaza, an aggression which sows death and destruction and which attacks innocent civilians in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights. We condemn the crime of famine, forced displacement and ethnic cleansing committed against the other Palestinian people, we call for an immediate ceasefire and to ensure for civilians effective protection. In cooperation with Norway and the EU, we launched the International Coalition for Implementation of a Two-State Solution. We co-chaired with France the high-level conference on resolving the question of Palestine and the two-state solution, with a view to ending the occupation and ending this conflict. We intend to continue our efforts until we build an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders, East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the international decisions and based on the Arab Peace Initiative. The Kingdom commends the considerable international support received for the New York declaration. We call on states who haven't yet recognized the state of Palestine to take this important step. and call on the international community to take practical, firm measures to put an end to this tragedy and support the peace process.

Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the Sovereign Order of Malta.

The Sovereign Order of Malta remains deeply disturbed by the continuous gross violations of IHL and human rights law in the OPTs, especially in Gaza, where the situation is beyond untenable. We also acknowledge the latest report of the Commission of Inquiry. The Order of Malta condemns the rise of settler violence in the West Bank directed at religious communities and places of worship, particularly against Christians. The increasing number of checkpoints render our ability to provide medico-social assistance extremely difficult. In Gaza, we are cooperating with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and are ready to provide emergency humanitarian aid once the blockade is lifted. Mr. President, as our Grand Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs declared in New York last week at UNGA, the Sovereign Order of Malta will not spare its efforts and will continue to be on the ground and to focus its advocacy and activities in favor of the most disadvantaged. The Order of Malta welcomes any peace efforts that will ensure an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access, the dignified release of all hostages, respect for IHL, relevant UNSC resolutions, and the ICJ provisional order. Mr. President, we reiterate our wish that the people of Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace, security, and tolerance. I thank you.

Thank you.

I give the floor to the United Arab Emirates.

Thank you, President. The Gaza Strip is undergoing untold suffering due to the Israeli military operations, especially civilians, women and children suffer death, famine and forced displacement. This is unjustifiable, what the occupying power is doing, as well as their wish to annex the West Bank. We reiterate the proposal of President Trump. We reject to displace the Palestinian people. We cannot allow the annexation of the West Bank. We are in favour of peace, security for the people of the region. We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine, and we urge other states to do so. Peace requires the two-state solution and the creation of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. We will continue to call for a permanent, lasting ceasefire in Gaza, end the siege and facilitate provision of humanitarian aid. I thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Luxembourg.

Thank you, President. Last week, my country took a historic step together with 10 other states to recognize the state of Palestine. faced with a disastrous situation, this step should help pave the way to a lasting peace through the two-state solution, which more than ever has been jeopardized, but is also the only hope for a peaceful outcome. We note with concern the precarious situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. As we've said before, the ICJ cooperation with UN entities is mandatory for all states, bar none. closing the Allenby Bridge and blocking flow of persons and goods risks unleashing a new humanitarian crisis and is a source of grave concern. We recall that Settlement in the West Bank have been described as illegal by the International Court of Justice. Within the EU, we have adopted a number of restrictive measures towards extremist violent settlers. Luxembourg will firmly support all other measures that can prompt the Israeli Government to respect international law.

I do not see the delegation of Bahrain in the chamber, so I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Malaysia.

The president, Malaysia strongly condemns Israel's blatant campaign in taking over Gaza by military force, a deliberate maneuver to illegally occupy Palestinian lands for good. Gaza and the West Bank must remain integral parts of the state of Palestine. We unequivocally reject Israel's annexation, forced displacement, illegal settlements, and settler violence in the OPT. These atrocities constitute flagrant violations of international law and the UN Charter. Famine in has been officially confirmed by the UN. Malaysia calls for an immediate and unhindered flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza through a UN-led mechanism, specifically via UNRWA. Last month, my government announced an additional contribution of RM100 million for rebuilding and reconstruction of Palestine. Malaysia recalls with grave concern the recent COI's report that concluded on reasonable grounds that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. We call upon states to take all reasonable measures to stop this ongoing campaign of genocide in Gaza. We also call for the urgent imposition of an arms embargo on Israel, as the continued transfer of weapons only worsens the atrocities against the Palestinian people and perpetuates impunity. We urge states and businesses to cease operations connected to illegal settlements based on the High Commissioner's report. Malaysia reiterates its commitment to the Palestinian cause and will continue supporting the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of Russia.

President, the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone remains critical. In the Gaza Strip, as a result of the Israeli military operation, before our eyes we're seeing mass hunger breaking out. People in need are shot at as they queue for food rations. Around 10,000 adolescents are suffering from extreme malnutrition. Meanwhile, around the perimeter of the Gaza Strip, humanitarian aid is sitting that could cover the vital needs of the civilians for months. In recent weeks in the UN, a number of major events took place which highlight the growing solidarity of the international community that what's going on in Gaza due to Israel's actions, regardless of the reasons that led to it, cannot continue. This is an important signal to the Israeli military political leadership that justice when it comes to the Palestinian people must be restored. The time has come for action that will lead to a swift ceasefire, release of hostages and prisoners. We urge the Israeli authorities to take urgent measures to about a ceasefire to restore unhindered humanitarian access and ensure that those in need receive the humanitarian assistance they require, including food. The time has come to relaunch an irreversible peace process leading to the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state, living side by side in peace with Israel. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Ireland.

Thank you, President. At least 65,000 Palestinians have been killed and 165,000 injured in the Gaza Strip over the past two years. Famine is now confirmed and is projected to spread. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded that genocide is being committed in Gaza. These conclusions are devastating and Ireland takes them extremely seriously. International law limits the use of force in self-defence to no more than that which is necessary and proportionate. These limits have been consistently exceeded by Israel. Ireland calls for full compliance by all parties with international law. We call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas. The continued pressure on Israeli and Palestinian human rights defenders and civil society organisations, including sustained efforts to prevent scrutiny of the conduct of the occupation, is concerning. In the West Bank, the scale, speed, and severity of Israeli military operations, displacement, demolitions, and settlement construction is unprecedented. Only an end to violence and a political pathway to implementation of the two-state solution can provide lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

Thank you, President.

Thank you, distinguished representative. Peru has the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President, we appreciate keeping the presentation of this relevant topic given the complicated current international context in the context of the Human Rights Council. Peru would like to reiterate its concern of the constant deterioration situation in the Gaza Strip and particularly the famine and the impact it has on children. Also, we would like to express a concern over the conclusions of the International Independent Investigation Commission of the United Nations on occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem and East Jerusalem. We would like to express our rejection over the expansion of settlements in that country in the West Bank and the military control of the city of Gaza, given the impact that it has on the civilian population and their standard of living. Additionally, Peru has endorsed the appeals of the Secretary General of the United Nations and Pope Leo IV. Fourteenth, calling for the urgency to protect the civilian population and to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to free all hostages, which is why Peru reiterates the need to have respect for international law and UN resolutions, urging the international community to redouble its efforts in order to find a two-state solution living in peace and security. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you. Distinguished representative of Turkey.

Mr. President, uh, we thank the High Commissioner for presenting the report on the, uh, database of business enterprises linked to Israeli settlements. This report makes an important contribution by shedding light on Israel's unlawful actions. in the occupied Palestinian territories. Its recommendations provide states clear guidance on taking tangible measures to halt these practices and ensure accountability. Turkey reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire and for unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. We urge the international community to take urgent and concrete measures to stop illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative, Brunei Darussalam.

Mr. President, the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate as the occupying power intensifies its aggression in Gaza, including the recent large-scale ground offensive launched in the Gaza Strip. This ongoing military operation has not only caused further mass displacement, but also severely impedes delivery of desperately needed aid. These actions reflect a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law and international human rights law. We firmly condemn the repeated violations, including the genocide it has committed, which has led to the tragic loss of countless Palestinian lives and continue to threaten the prospects for peace and stability in the region. We call upon the international community to uphold its legal and moral obligations to put an end to these breaches and hold the occupying power accountable for its actions through collective resolve. This must include addressing the root causes perpetuating the occupation and ending the longstanding impunity enjoyed by the occupying power. Our continued failure to act not only diminishes our shared humanity, but also undermines the primacy and credibility of international law. Mr. President, Brunei Darussalam remains resolute in its solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle for peace, freedom, and inalienable right to self-determination. We also continue to advocate for Palestinians' admission to the United Nations as a full member in our joint pursuit of peace, justice, and truly leaving no one behind. I thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative. Of Djibouti has the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Djibouti would like to align itself with the statement made by the group it belongs to and welcomes the report of the commission that says that Israel's perpetrating genocide in the Gaza Strip. Our delegation strongly condemns the military offense on Gaza City as well as Israel's continued brutal aggression against innocent civilian population in flagrant violation of international law. Further, my delegation calls for a cessation of the aggression, the lifting of the blockade on humanitarian aid by Israel in order to avoid further deterioration of catastrophic humanitarian conditions that have reached unprecedented levels in Gaza, as well as to allow for a condition of lasting peace. Djibouti calls on the international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to take on its responsibility to put an immediate end to this atrocious massacre, to open border crossings, and to guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid to all regions in Gaza. as well as to provide the necessary protection to the civilian population. Djibouti reiterates its consistent position in favor of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the creation of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as a capital. Lastly, Djibouti rejects any plan for the deportation of Palestinian people from their land and supports the establishment of any accountability mechanism for violations of the most basic human rights of the Palestinian people. Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative of Slovenia.

Thank you, Mr. President. My country, Slovenia, has stated time and again: Gaza is a man-made catastrophe, which is sustained by those acting in contradiction to everything we stand for. Gaza has become the deadliest place for children, the deadliest place for humanitarian and medical workers, the deadliest place for journalists, the place of first-ever proclaimed famine in the Middle East. Slovenia reiterates its firm position on the Israeli settlements in the OPT. The occupation is unlawful and undermines the prospect of a two-state solution. The database of business enterprises prepared by OCHR is key to understand the economic structures that sustain illegal settlements. We see a direct connection between this database and the broader patterns of violation documented by other UN mechanisms, including special rapporteurs of this Council and declared by International Court of Justice advisory opinion. We therefore reiterate our call on Israel to halt all settlements expansion immediately and stop the killings of the innocent in Gaza. I thank you.

Thank you. Distinguished representative of Eritrea is recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Eritrea reiterates that portraying item 7 as a country-specific mandate is a deliberate attempt to minimize its gravity. This is not only misleading, it is deeply insulting to those nations unfairly placed under country-specific scrutiny, nations who are neither occupiers of sovereign states nor perpetrators of genocide. Meanwhile, the human rights catastrophe in the occupied Palestinian territory has spiraled to levels unseen in modern history. And yet, the international community has failed to act decisively. It is unconscionable that this is allowed to continue. We are uncertain how we will ever make right the grave injustice endured by the Palestinian people. The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination is not a matter up for negotiation. It is a lawful entitlement. Palestinians, like every people on Earth, deserve to live in dignity, peace, and security. Their pursuit for independence is legitimate, just, and with the very principles on which this body was founded. The Government of Eritrea stands firmly with the people of Palestine in their struggle for an independent state and reaffirms its unwavering support for their legitimate rights, above all their right to self-determination and to a sovereign state of their own. I thank you.

Thank you.

And the distinguished representative of Egypt is recognized.

Mr. President, Two full years have passed since the start of the genocide unfolding before the eyes of the world in Gaza. Everybody is silent, especially in this forum that was originally created to protect human rights. We strongly condemn the crimes perpetrated by Israel and that were documented in the document of the Independent Commission of Inquiry. This includes violations and starvation. This is in flagrant violation of human rights. We refuse the policies of forced displacement and reaffirm the advisory opinion of the ICJ the illegality of occupation. We reaffirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The expansion of settlements and systematic violations are continuing in the West Bank. This is a threat to international peace and security and regional peace and security. The Palestinian people must exercise its rights and establish its, uh, independent state, uh, we call on this council to shoulder its legal and moral responsibility, I think.

Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has repeatedly expressed our grave concern at the continuing violence in the Middle East and the ceaseless attacks against civilians in Gaza. Apart from the daily loss of innocent lives, the dire humanitarian situation is getting aggravated by the day to disastrous proportions. The international community has failed to stop the escalation of this humanitarian catastrophe. The need for political will and genuine dialogue has been missing for decades to reach the two-state solution called for by the UN. While recognizing the legitimate security concerns of both Israeli and Palestinian people, we emphasize that the world must act now to stop the killing and to reach a sustainable political solution for Palestinian people. We reiterate our call for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and detainees of both sides, and the uninterrupted humanitarian access for the people who are dying of hunger in Gaza. It is absolutely necessary that UNRWA is able to continue its mandated and essential humanitarian work. Sri Lanka reiterates its support for the Palestinian full membership in the UN. Sri Lanka welcomes the recent announcement by several states on their recognition of Palestine as a state at the UNGA last week. As stated by the President of Sri Lanka at the UNGA, Gaza has turned into an open prison full of pain and suffering. The time has come for the international community to stop being a mere spectator and to act decisively to end the suffering of millions. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the Danish representative of Pakistan.

Thank you, Mr. President.

The world continues to witness the harrowing tragedy unfolding in the occupied Palestinian territory. The inherent human dignity of the Palestinian people and their rights to self-determination, to life, and to their own state are being trampled with impunity. In Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, the people under occupation face death, deprivation, and displacement amounting to genocide. Those mandated by the Council to address this dire situation face threats and reprisals. Mr. President, the region stands at a defining moment. Pakistan welcomes the long due recognition of Palestinian statehood by several countries. Concrete and coordinated international actions is essential to finally achieve the long coveted goal of peace and stability in the Middle East. A permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, an end to illegal settlements, and accountability for war crimes all remain essential. Implementing the provisional measures and advised opinion of the International Court of Justice is an international legal imperative. The emergence of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital must be our shared goal.

I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you.

I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Oman.

Mr. President, we're facing a major difficulty, a genocide, as has been said by the international independent commission. Measures are needed right away. We reiterate that it is important to have an immediate ceasefire by guaranteeing the unencumbered entrance of humanitarian aid and perpetrating those responsible for international mechanisms. We would like to welcome the statement in New York for peacefully settling the Palestinian issue, finding a two-state solution. We support the efforts that have been made so far. We would like to express our respect for the states that have recognized the state of Palestine. We guarantee the right of self-determination and independent state for the Palestinian people with East Jerusalem as its capital is inalienable rights, the very foundation of having long-lasting, fair peace, thereby promoting the stability and development in the area and opening up new horizons for the region, for the whole world.

Thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative of Afghanistan.

President, Afghanistan expresses its profound concern at the continuing systematic violation of human rights in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. Despite the clear findings of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry concluding that grave crimes, including genocide, in Gaza have been committed, the occupying power remains shielded from accountability. the Palestinian people their right to self-determination, expand illegal settlement, arbitrarily detain civilians, and impose siege and starvation as a weapons of war, all in blatant violation of international law. Mr. President, Afghanistan reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to achieve freedom, dignity, and statehood. We call on the international community to act decisively lead to end the occupation, lift the blockade on Gaza, and resume a genuine peace process to ensure accountability for the persistent violations committed by Israel and deliver lasting peace in the Middle East. This agenda item remains vital because the occupation persists. It should remain on the Council's agenda until a just two-state solution is achieved. I thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Libya.

Mr. President, the crime of genocide is taking place in the worst possible way. What we have seen is a documented genocide with evidence gathered by the independent commission We could also point to the conclusion of the GS, which proves that Israel is responsible for genocide against the Palestinian people, trying to annihilate them as a group of humankind. call for the protection of human rights, what would you do? What have you done to put an end to that crime? Are you going to criminally prosecute the Sianis criminals, or will international justice do that? Or is that only for African countries in the third world? Silence is not an option. You must do everything that you can do to put an end to that genocide. Otherwise, you're an accomplice to it. We welcome the results of the Commission. We support their work, and we reject any attempt to put limitations on its work. We thank the Office of the High Commissioner for the updates, the database of all businesses involved in colonial activity. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Jordan.

Mr. President, this Council has a fundamental responsibility to protect the human rights of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. But the truth is that we are witnessing one crime after another. We no longer need to read a book like A Memory of Solfarino by Henri Dunant to realize that the atrocities of the occupation against the, uh, innocents in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem. We must take a decisive stance now. The COI confirmed the crime of genocide 2 weeks ago. Yesterday, the Deputy High Commissioner presented an update to the list. of business operating in the Israeli settlements. These documents reveal the catastrophic actions of the occupation government. What are we waiting for? Confronting this reality is not just a legal obligation. It's a moral duty that requires states to take decisive steps and to hold perpetrators accountable. We welcome the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump and his ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza and his proposed peace plan. In conclusion, the Palestinian people will obtain their full rights, including the right to a state. This is the key to regional stability and security. I thank you.

Thank you. We recognize the distinguished representative of Senegal.

SACO endorses the statement made by the group it belongs to and reiterates its unwavering support to the just cause of the Palestinian people in its legitimate search for a viable, free, and independent state. To affirm today that the situation is tragic is simply to state the obvious, given that Gaza has become a hell for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians overwhelmed by indiscriminate an unusually violent military offensive which forces them to flee in total destitution so you will therefore understand that Senegal strongly condemns the inhuman collective suffering unfairly imposed on the civilian population which constitutes serious violation of their fundamental rights and a violation of the fourth Geneva Convention the state of Israel subject to the obligations of this Convention, and those whose people have historically suffered injustice and oppression must seriously reflect on the daily suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza and put an end without delay to this dramatic situation, to the use of legitimate force, and the policy of fait accompli. In conclusion, Senegal welcomes the historic decisions taken by many countries to recognize the state of Palestine and calls for concrete and bold measures to ensure the land of Gaza and Palestine ceases to be a graveyard for international humanitarian law. Thank you.

Thank you. Recognize the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

Tunisia reaffirms again its stance in favor of the Palestinian people to defend its legitimate rights. There is no prescription for these rights, especially the right to establish an independent state. with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital, we reaffirm our strong condemnation of the genocide in Gaza. This was documented by the fact-finding committee that concluded that crimes against humanity and unprecedented war crimes are being committed in Gaza. We express our disappointment at the international failure to put an end to this humanitarian catastrophe. Tunisia calls on the international community to shoulder its urgent responsibility to achieve a ceasefire and lift the siege on all the Palestinian territories to end starvation and allow humanitarian access. We call on all states and enterprises to stop any dealing with the occupying entity and to abide by their international commitments. In conclusion, we disassociate ourselves of any terms that were used in the statements of the groups we belong to that add any kind of legitimacy to the occupation. Thank you.

Thank you. Recognize the distinguished representative of the Philippines.

Mr. President, the Philippines joins the international community's urgent call for an end to the ever-worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law that have brought unconscionable suffering to the people of Palestine, especially children, women, and the elderly. The Philippines is deeply concerned by recent developments, including the Israeli government's planned full military takeover of Gaza, the continuing restrictions on access to lifesaving humanitarian aid such as food and water, large-scale displacement, attacks affecting civilians, and reports of settlement expansion in the West Bank. These developments aggravate an already dire humanitarian situation and further diminish prospects for peace in the Middle East. The Philippines therefore strongly urges Israel to heed calls for a ceasefire as a crucial first step to protecting civilians and reviving the path to peace. There is no military solution to this long-standing crisis. No amount of firepower can extinguish the will of the Palestinian people to claim their inalienable right to self-determination, independence, and dignity. The Philippines continues to support the two-state solution consistent with UNJ resolution 181 and other relevant UN resolutions as the only viable path towards a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the region. Thank you.

Thank you. We recognize the distinguished representative of Lebanon.

What is happening in Gaza has persisted for far too long.

Despite repeated warnings, the collective punishment of the Palestinian people has become dangerously normalized. Lebanon strongly condemns Israel's ongoing violations throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza, where civilians continue to suffer under siege, bombardment, forced displacement, deprivation of basic needs, and starvation. The recent report by the independent International Commission of Inquiry lays bare the scale and gravity of these violations. These findings demand decisive international action to stop the ongoing genocide. The world must move beyond words and towards accountability. We also welcome the growing international recognition of the State of Palestine. However, recognition must be matched by concrete measures to uphold international law, support Palestinian rights, and bring an end to decades of suffering. To this end, Lebanon joins calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as for ensuring humanitarian access, adopting targeted sanctions against those responsible for crimes, and acting for the end of Israeli occupation of all Arab territories. Let us be clear, without accountability, there will be no justice, and without justice, there will be no peace or stability for any of the peoples of our region. I thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you.

I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Honduras. Thank you, Mr. President. Under our alliance itself, with the statement made by Colombia, speaking on behalf of the Hague Group, and we would like to thank the Office of the High Commissioner for the submission of the report that updates the database of companies involved in activities described in paragraph 96 of the Independent International Commission. And we would like to reiterate that states have an obligation to respect and guarantee the respect of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights. That means not only refraining from violations, but also ensuring that businesses under their jurisdictions do not infringe these rights. Mr. President, in light of the conclusions of the recent report of the International Commission, Honduras reiterates how urgent it is to have a ceasefire and guaranteeing the full and unhindered access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. including the supply of essential medicines and the provision of timely medical care to children in critical health situations, among them over 20,000 who have required treatment for acute malnutrition and immediate risk of death. The international community must convey a strong message that there can be no impunity for genocide, for crimes of war, and serious violations of human rights. We underscore the work of this Council as a vital forum to that end and reiterate under a strong commitment to any effort aimed at reaching swift, long-lasting, and respectful peace that respects the self-determination of the Palestinian people. Thank you.

Merci, His Excellency.

Thank you. The distinguished representative of Mauritania is recognized.

and merciful. Thank you, Mr. President. Mauritania endorses the statement made by the group that represents us. And we welcome the implementation, the updating of the database of businesses involved in activities. Illegal practices should not be used, and they cannot try to obtain financial profit to the detriment of international law. In this context, we support the outcome and the conclusions of the fact-finding mission, and we believe that Palestine should have the position it deserves in the international scene. We recognize and welcome the recognition of the state of Palestine by an increasing number of countries, as well as the adoption of the New York Declaration This could breathe new life into the two-state solution, which has received support from many countries in the world. A people is facing destruction before our very eyes. Occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, experience all types of attacks on a daily basis. We support the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to -- the statement was interrupted by the President.

Thank you, Mr. President. Seventy-seven years ago, Israel's colonial mission led to mass, planned, and violent expulsion of the Palestinian people. That historic crime goes on today. Its tragic consequences continue to today, exacerbated nowadays by this genocide we are seeing. Israel has executed a planned, sustained massacre protected by the silence of Western powers, annexing Palestinian territory of West Bank in open, reiterated violation of international law. This behavior infringes the Fourth Geneva Convention. It infringes the resolutions of the UN Security Council, and it becomes a crime of colonialism, apartheid, and aggression. On September 9th, there was a bomb in Qatar where there was a negotiating mission that tried to put an end to the conflict. This aggression is an act of state terrorism, a flagrant violation of international law, and an affront to the principles of peaceful coexistence among nations. Mr. President, we express our rejection of the sanctions imposed by the courageous Special Rapporteur Francesco Albanese. Venezuela supports the Palestinian people. Their cause is our own cause. Their historic resistance is a source of inspiration for all free peoples in the world. And the legitimate hope of peace and sovereignty is a call that we espouse ourselves, fully convinced that sooner rather than later, dignity will flourish forever. Long live Palestine. Thank you.

I

think I'll give the floor to Sierra Leone.

Maxi, Monsieur le Président, Sierra Leone aligns itself with the statements of the African Group and reaffirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration to realize their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination and statehood. We remain deeply concerned by reports of forced displacement and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the risk of starvation and famine. In this regard, Ceylon welcomes yesterday's 20-point plan for Gaza proposed by the United States as a potential step towards resolving this crisis. While we encourage all efforts to pursue peace, we stress that any implementation must fully respect international law, uphold human rights safeguards, and ensure the meaningful participation and ownership of the Palestinian people. Sierra Leone emphasizes that any action resulting in the forced transfer or relocation of civilians, the killing of journalists, the bombardment of civilian population and infrastructure is contrary to international law and constitutes both a war crime and a crime against humanity. Sierra Leone calls for an end to the occupation and reiterates its support for a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the question of Palestine based on international law and relevant United Nations resolution. That will enable the Palestinian people to live in peace, dignity, and security. And I thank you, President.

Thank you. I give the floor to Nigeria.

Thank you, Mr. President. Nigeria aligns with the statement delivered on behalf of the African Group and the OIC. We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing occupation of Palestine and the continued violence, destruction, and humanitarian suffering endured by the Palestinian people. The deepening humanitarian catastrophe underscores the urgent need for a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions. My delegation reaffirms Nigeria's continued support for the struggle of the Palestinian people towards the realization of their inalienable human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly their right to self-determination. We stress the urgent responsibility of the international community to act decisively to end the crisis, uphold international law, and guarantee the protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Palestinian people. Mr. President, Nigeria strongly condemns all forms of violence against civilians, which have aggravated the already dire humanitarian crisis we call for an immediate cessation of hostilities an end to indiscriminate attacks and the guarantee of safe unended humanitarian access to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza finally Nigeria remains convinced that the only sustainable path to peace lie in the realization of an independent state of Palestine existing side by side with the state of Israel in peace security and mutual Prosperity I thank you Mr President thank you

floor to Bahrain.

Thank you. The report of the independent commission has concluded an important conclusion that we must take into account. We support the recommendations. in the report, especially the call on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The high-level international community on the two-state solution held under the presidency of Saudi Arabia and France was a glimpse of hope. for the question of Palestine. And we thank all the states that have recognized the state of Palestine. This all proves that the international community believes in the importance of having an approach that would lead to peace and coexistence. In conclusion, we support the U.S. President plan to put an end to the war in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the provision of humanitarian aid. I thank you.

Thank you.

I give the floor to Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mr. President, we welcome the update of the High Commissioner's database. We particularly commend the work of the COI, which has reaffirmed that the crime of genocide is taking place, an alarming conclusion that we had previously cautioned against months earlier. The Commission's determination of dolus specialis, the specific intent to destroy in whole or in part a protected group, as delivered by the patterns of conduct and explicit statements by Israeli officials, constitutes a matter of utmost legal gravity under the Genocide Convention. As recalled by the Commission, all States Parties bear the erga omnes obligation to prevent and to punish genocide, as well as to refrain from rendering aid or assistance to its commission. The prohibition of genocide is a peremptory norm of international law, and no entity may disregard its binding force. We therefore categorically condemn this genocide and any Western complicity therein, whether political, military, economic, or otherwise. We further endorse the findings of the Special Rapporteur and call for the immediate adoption of comprehensive sanctions against the Israeli regime. Genocide cannot be erased by silence. We will not surrender. Our voice of justice shall endure.

Thank you.

I give the floor to the representative of Uganda on behalf of NAM.

The NAM maintains a firm position of solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just cause, including the right to self-determination. The Movement is deeply alarmed with the situation in the Gaza Strip that continues to deteriorate, with genocidal acts being committed against the Palestinian people. We recall that the Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel, the occupying power, is committing genocide, and we note that the ICJ imposed provisional measures to prevent such acts, which have unfortunately not been implemented. The NAM condemns in the strongest terms the acts of aggression and collective punishment by the occupying power, Israel, against the Palestinian people in grave breach of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law. Mr. President, the NAM further demands an end to the illegal occupation and siege and calls for humanitarian aid at scale to meet the dramatic needs of the people of Palestine. We also demand an immediate halt to the forced displacement of the Palestinian civilians, including any attempts by the occupying power to expel or deport them from their homeland. The NAM further welcomes the recent update of the UN database of business enterprises involved in settlement-related activities. We urge States and companies to ensure that their activities and business relationships are not contributing or benefiting the unlawful practices. Finally, the NAM extends its support to the Government of the State of Palestine and remain committed to support the cause of the people of Palestine. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. That was the last speaker on my list. We move now to the list of national human rights institutions and NGOs. I give the floor to the Independent Commission for Human Rights of the State of Palestine. Intervention by video.

Mr. President, the Independent Commission for Human Rights welcomes the report on business enterprises involved in settlement activities. These activities perpetuate systematic violation of Palestinian rights, including housing, freedom of movement, and economic, social, and cultural rights. Corporate involvement also contravenes the UN guiding principles on business and human rights. Such involvement is not neutral. It profits from a colonial system of disposition, forced displacement, and the fragmentation of Palestinian society, undermining the right to self-determination. Responsibility, therefore, extends beyond the occupying power to include the companies that sustain and profit from these practices. We urge the Council and the High Commissioner to regularly update and publish the database of companies involved in settlement activities, call on states to ensure that national companies do not directly or indirectly engage in these unlawful practices, encourage the international community to use the database for accountability measures, including economic and legal actions, prosecute, and hold companies accountable for supporting violations of Palestinian rights. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to the International Humanitarian Society for Development Without Borders.

Sayyid al-Ra'is.

President, ladies and gentlemen, the Gaza Strip has for two years suffered a crime of genocide. Close to a quarter of a million martyrs, wounded and missing have been listed, and the rest are threatened with famine. Yet the mechanisms of this Council haven't been used as they should be. What is the value of those mechanisms if they are unable to respond to the worst crimes of the century? What is their point if they fail to constrain the occupying power to respect international law? We don't want a narrative, rather we want effective international deterrence, not just empty words. That's why I, I'll abstain from the, using the time left to make the statement to tell me about the situation in the Gaza Strip, which no long, which no longer can be hidden. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll give the floor to Medical Aid for Palestinians by video.

Mr. President, being a humanitarian means dedicating your life to serving others and humanity. Yet in the occupied Palestinian territory, this noble mission is perilous, as Israeli policies and practices turn the act of saving lives into a threat, allowing violations of international law to be committed before us on live television. The Palestine Red Cross Society today speaks not with another warning, but with a final plea. We are no longer facing a shrinking humanitarian space, but an extinct one. The relentless, deliberate, and systematic targeting of civilian and medical infrastructure have become an expected and daily occurrence. Our medical missions are sent for rescue and unsure whether this would be their last. In Gaza, our teams that are starved and displaced are shelled to death. In the West Bank, they are brutally humiliated, obstructed, and attacked. We have reached an impasse, unable to fulfill our core mandate, which is saving lives. The horrors that the international community has allowed Israel to commit cannot be left to Palestinian humanitarians to confront alone. We're not here to urge compliance with IHL, but its enforcement. We need a ceasefire, accountability, and action must be taken to stop the erasure of the Palestinian people, and if not, the erasure of our shared humanity.

Thank you. I give the floor to the European Center for Law and Justice by video.

Mr. President, during the HRC's 59th session, we informed this Council of the numerous false accusations made by the Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel. We come back today because the Commission's absurd accusations against Israel continue. On May 6, 2025, the Commission released another false report accusing Israel of intentionally targeting educational, religious, and cultural facilities in Gaza without any military purpose. Like its previous reports, the Commission provided no evidence, legal analysis, or any criteria for its methodology to support its erroneous accusations and conclusions. Such reports, coupled with some UN officials' anti-Israel rhetoric, are contributing to fueling the growing anti-Semitism around the world. Instead of applying the law of armed conflict to the facts on the ground in Gaza, the commission simply disregards both facts and law and makes outlandish assumptions and conclusions against Israel. Primary among the UN's purposes are international peace and security, and equality and protection of human rights. These purposes cannot be accomplished if UN officials have one agenda to demonize Israel. In light of the Commission's unethically biased.

And grossly faulty reports, its mandate should be terminated and its members investigated and removed.

Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to Human Rights Democratic Dissipation Center.

Mr. President, we reaffirm what's in the report, which draws your attention from the ground, the escalation of crimes and crimes by settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory. We see the destruction, the theft, the looting, the attacks on all civilians, including the elderly and women. This with support from the Israeli authorities and protection of the army. The settlers are no longer thieves. They are a militia, and they aim at full control of the Palestinian land and to forcibly displace Palestinians in order to change the geographic constitution of this society. This is with the protection of Israel. These are crimes in accordance with the Rome Statute, with international law, and the international humanitarian role. This runs counter also to UN resolutions and the advisory opinion of the ICJ. We must adopt, uh, uh, actions to hold, uh, settlers to account as well as all perpetrators, uh, to.

The Palestinian return center.

Mr. President, the Palestinian Return Center condemns Israeli assault on Doha on 9 September, which targeted Palestinian negotiators during U.S.-mediated ceasefire talks, killing several, including a Qatari officer. This attack on sovereign territory and recognized peace tract constitutes a grave violation of international law, as assault on diplomatic protections and a threat to regional stability. Targeting mediators and negotiators undermines the UN Charter's core principle of peaceful dispute resolution. Such actions suggest Israel seeks not peace, but to derail negotiations and prolong conflict. We urge this Council to adopt a resolution condemning this crime, demanding an independent investigation, and affirming that peace is not restored by bombing mediators, but through dialogue, and adherence to international law. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll give the floor to Defense for Children International.

Mr. President, amidst Israel's ongoing genocide, Palestinian children and newborns are being deliberately targeted, starved, and displaced by the thousand. Despite this reality, corporations continue to operate directly and indirectly in support of Israel's war crimes and dispossession. Global business actors sustain Israel's settlement enterprise designed to dispossess Palestinian children of their land and economic independence, undermine their inalienable rights and entrench a criminal annexation project. The ICJ has made clear that Israel's prolonged occupation, settlement regime, and annexation are unlawful, amounting to apartheid. States have a binding duty to ensure their policies, laws, and financial systems do not enable or profit from these violations and must actively support and resource this database as a central tool to dismantle them. Updating this database must not be stalled by political pressure or underfunded It must be met with the full support of member states and a clear recognition that corporations themselves are actively complicit in sustaining Israel's unlawful regime. Accordingly, we urge all member states to ensure the UN database on business enterprises in Israeli settlements is annually updated, expanded, and fully resourced, and to reaffirm the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination. I thank you.

Thank you.

I give the floor to the Humanitarian Aid Foundation. President, we is a crucial moment today when the space between our life and death is closing and our morning turns to dust in Gaza the war is not only against the Earth but against the soul the heart and the body the child hind Rajab called emergency services for 3 hours before her voice went dead the journalist Mariana abuda gave the truth because the truth must be told Dr. Alan aln lost nine of her 10 children and yet she continues to save lives a teacher Raba was for under the rubble for three days before her house was once again bombed. It is not just a tragic story, but the testimony of the ferocity of the bombing that strips the human being of his humanity. I stand before you today representing the Humanitarian Aid Foundation, following a voyage full of danger in West bank checkpoints are open and closed without any notification isolating people from their lives even as I travel back to my family my return isn't guaranteed a reality lived every day by every Palestinian the Gazans don't want a Riviera like some would imagine nor the humil humiliation before the doors of humanitarian aid Gaza has existed before history and as she was she will return with the hopes of her mothers the strength of men and the dreams of her children and take your hands off Gaza and For those who have lost their lives under the rubble, we are here to raise a call for help before it's too late. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to IADL for a joint statement.

Over the last two years, Israel carried out genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the full range of the worst crimes under international law. They did it on camera without facing any significant consequences. Despite authoritative findings from international courts and experts, many governments still refuse to label Israel's action as genocide and continue to provide support and cover to its perpetrators. Apart from admirable efforts by a few countries, not concrete action has been taken to stop genocide and hold Israel accountable. The high-level conference and its outcome document, the New York Declaration, are yet another example of disregard for international law. Most leaders discuss about peaceful coexistence as if there were not an ongoing genocide and brutal occupation. And when addressing Palestine's future, they seem to ignore that colonialism is over. Such talks serve to deflect global public outrage and divert attention from what should be done according to international law. The old Israeli colonial project and its apartheid regime have no place in the 21st century. They must be fought by all legitimate means, and they must be dismantled. We urge member states to take decisive steps to restore the rule of law, put an end to genocide and occupation, and guarantee the full realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. This is the only path toward a just and lasting peace in Palestine and the entire region. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to MHR.

Mr. President, I stand before you not as a diplomat, but as a voice for the silent, the Palestinian hostages. In the past two years, around 5,000 Palestinians from Gaza have been detained. Many more are forcibly disappeared, denied contact with families, lawyers, or even recognition of their existence. That itself is a war crime. For 48 Israelis detained, the world stopped. The entire international community was outraged, outraged enough to demand immediate action. But what about the thousands of Palestinian Palestinians detained without trial, without charge, left to rot in prisons for years. Why is the world silent for them? Why does the world turn its back on the innocent and tortured, neglected, forgotten? Why is there no outcry when the faces of these detainees are Palestinian? Inside prisons, conditions are brutal, torture, solitary confinement, medical neglect. Take, for example, Dr. Hossam Abu Safia, arrested while saving lives, now wasting away without care. Or Tahani Abu Samhan, a teacher arrested pregnant, forced to give birth in prison. Her newborn son, Yahya, is now, or was, the world's youngest prisoner three weeks ago when I was writing this speech. What conscience allows a child to begin his life behind bars? And while the killing of American journalist Charlie Kirk was condemned as an attack on freedom of speech, Palestinian journalists languish in prison, and the others are killed on camera. The press vests are not offering any protection. Where is the outrage for those people? Mr. President, we demand their release.

Thank you, Ms. Flore, for a joint statement.

Thank you. Business and innovation matter to all states. But what happens when business comes at the cost of life, safety, education, food, and dignity? The genocide in Gaza has become a business for Israel and involved Western countries. Weapons are sold, deals are signed, and destruction turns into profit. The occupying power has been armed with billions of US dollars in military aid, constituting a blatant and unlawful act of complicity. This ongoing flow of weapons is directly fueling the destruction and suffering in Gaza. How can we still sit here to discuss whether Israel's actions are rightful or not when millions of Palestinians are in a situation of life or death? Israel has long used its economic ties to sustain what is now finally recognized as genocide. This funding to Israel facilitates the mass destruction of Gaza, of homes, schools, and hospitals. and enables reconstruction, not for Palestinians, but to install settlers on the ruins of Palestinian homes. Since 1948, this illegal process has aimed to erase the Palestinian identity. While some nations try to negotiate ceasefires, others showcase war technologies, using Gaza as a live testing ground. How can the international community accept this? When it comes to the Palestinian people, the international legal system has collapsed. Now that the genocide is recognized, it must be met with sanctions. We urge all states to end complicity. Accountability must replace profit. Humanity must replace silence. Thank you.

Thank you. I give the floor to international lawyers for a joint statement.

Thank you. The role played by business enterprises is not only aiding and abetting this occupation, but ensuring its continuous existence. This fact can no longer be ignored. It was over a decade ago that the report of the fact-finding mission for implications of Israeli settlement in 2013 gathered evidence demonstrating how business enterprises have directly and indirectly enabled, facilitated, and profited from the construction and growth of the settlements. And whilst we welcome the start of the implementation of the database pursuant to Resolution 3136, the necessary mechanisms to effectively continue to counter this corporate machinery are lacking. Where the states fail to monitor, business corporations do have the responsibility to assess the human rights impacts of their activities and cease activities. Instead, the corporate conglomerate in occupied Palestine continues business as usual, supplying equipment, transport materials, and utilities. These are not only supporting and facilitating settlement expansion, but sustaining it. A primary international criminal responsibility falls on states whose violations have direct involvement in not only the apartheid, but in the genocide. We strongly urge this Council to ensure that the mandate given to the Office of the High Commissioner can be fully implemented, including a yearly update of all business enterprises and the necessary resources for the Office to continue reviewing the pending 700 submissions. It is imperative for countering the corporate machinery's continued violations of human rights. Thank you.

Thank you. We give the floor to Institute for NGO Research by video.

This Council is obsessed with Israel. In this session alone, we've had multiple debates, reports, press conferences, and side events targeting Israel, demanding unconditional ceasefires, ICC prosecutions, arms embargoes, company boycotts, and immunity for terrorists. dozens of states and NGOs hysterically crying for accountability. Yet, what do we not hear from this army of the self-righteous? They are silent when it comes to Israeli human rights, the global explosion of anti-Semitism, and mass terrorism. They are silent about the 48 hostages still being tortured in Gaza's military tunnel network. We hear nothing about Iranian, Houthi, Hezbollah, or Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians. There are no campaigns to save the hostages, no demands to end indiscriminate ballistic missile and drone attacks, no condemnation of Hamas's exploitation of Gaza's entire population as human shields. No calls for boycotts, no calls for arrests, no efforts to stop the terror financing, no lawsuits against the UN agencies and NGOs who for 20 years were silent while Hamas built tunnels, stored weapons, and opened command centers right in front of them, even in hospitals. The truth is, this institution and the humanitarian human rights industry doesn't care about real accountability. International law, the humanitarian principles, or universal human rights. They are political actors who apologize for terrorism, promote destructive and morally bankrupt ideologies, and feed on anti-Israel obsession. The time to stop bankrolling this ongoing travesty is now.

Thank you. I give the floor to the Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism by video.

Mr. President.

One of the most important functions of international order is to ensure the implementation of international standards, including human rights.

Observance and respect for the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and dozens of other human rights conventions are affected by the consistency of an order that the international community accepts and considers it.

A path for cooperation and progress of mankind. In the past two years, Israel has undermined the existing international order with its acts and discredited many international bodies. Israel's crimes and genocide against the people of Gaza and its aggression against the territories of Lebanon.

Syria, Yemen, Iran, Tunisia, and Qatar are clear examples of the destruction of the existing international order, which have been condemned by many international bodies and considered a threat to international security. Regarding Israel's genocide in Gaza, the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the international community is failing in its duty. Expressing concern about the Israel's crimes, the Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism warns that if the crimes continue, there will be nothing left of international principles and standards to defend. Therefore, it is necessary for the UN human rights mechanisms to take more decisive measures in countering all types of violations of international order.

Thank you.

Thank you. That was the last statement we could accommodate during this meeting. Excellencies, dear colleagues, this brings us to the end of the present meeting. We will resume our meeting this afternoon at 1500 hours to resume the general debate on item 7 and begin the general debate on item 8 of the agenda, followed by a closed meeting of the complaints procedure of the Human Rights Council. The 33rd meeting of the 60th session of the Human Rights Council is adjourned. Thank you. Enjoy your lunch.