14th Meeting - 63rd Session of Human Rights Council Human Rights Council Date: 16 September 2026 Language: English Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/hrc/63/14 Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- HRC · President [0:02]: Excellencies, distinguished representatives, colleagues, I hereby declare open the 14th meeting of the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council. We shall now continue the interactive dialogue with the Working Group on the Rights of Peasants, and we continue with the list of speakers for national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. And I now give the floor to the representative of Centre Europe Gears One. CETIM [0:42]: Chair, I'm Isabel Villavacervane, a campesina in Galicia and part of the Sindicato Labrego Galego, and I'm speaking on behalf of CETIM. In a context that is marked by energy and climate crisis, with new illnesses and diseases that compromise our crops, We need a tool to try to ensure the provision of food to all of society and enshrine the rights of women as the main custodians of traditional rights. As we see in Article 19 of UNDROP, it enshrines the right for campesina people to conserve, use and sell our seeds and recognise the protection of traditional knowledge established under phytogenetic resources. UNDROP establishes the obligation for states to protect campesino seed systems. In June 2026, the European Union adopted new regulation on GMOs, and this involves a deregulation of the patent model on seeds and intellectual property rights. I'd like to congratulate the group on their work that has just published a report on seeds and campesinos. Seeds are our best tool for feeding the world. To conclude, I'd like to call on member states of the UN to adapt their policies and legislation in light of UNDROP and the work on seeds and call on the working group in case of need. Thank you. HRC · President [2:20]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of FIAN International, EV. FIAN International [2:27]: Mr. President, we welcome the working group's report. The rights to seed can only be fully realized through peasants and indigenous people's seed systems, which conserve biodiversity, advance food sovereignty and self-determination. Peasants' rights must not be subordinated to breeders' rights, nor can digital sequence information enable biopiracy, corporate enclosure or circumvention of free, prior, informed consent. Restrictive seed laws and corporate concentration undermine the systems that sustain millions. In addition, states' human rights obligation must prevail over trade, investment and intellectual property rules. Conflict, occupation, displacement, climate and biodiversity crisis and land disposition all threaten these systems, disproportionately affecting rural women. Humanitarian and seed aid must strengthen, not replace, community seed systems to increase communities' resilience. Finally, we urge states to implement UN drop by protecting peasant systems through legal measures and ending the criminalization of seed saving exchange and sale, prohibiting intellectual property rights over genetic sequences and guaranteeing women's rights and roles as biodiversity and seed custodians. Thank you. HRC · President [3:51]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of Swiss Catholic Lantern Fund for a joint statement with Franciscans International. Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund [4:01]: The Filipino Farmer Seed Network with allies in Visayas and Mindanao respectfully welcomes the Working Group's report and its recognition of the right to seeds as fundamental for food sovereignty, biodiversity and sustainable food systems. In the Philippines, seeds are more than commodities. They embody traditional knowledge, cultural heritage, biodiversity, innovation and resilience. Farmers are not merely consumers custodians, breeders, knowledge holders, and rights holders. Our seed agenda calls for strengthening farmers and intergenerational seed knowledge, protecting seed sovereignty and farmers' control, and strengthening local seed systems for food security and resilience. Consistent with Article 9 of UNDROP, we call for enabling policies, fair public investment, community seed banks, participatory breeding, farmer-led conservation and meaningful participation of farmers, women, indigenous peoples and youth in seed governance. We support the continuation of UNDROP Working Group and its role in keeping farmers' rights at the heart of food system transformation. Because no food sovereignty is possible without seed sovereignty, no sustainable agriculture without biodiversity, and no resilient food system without farmers. Save our seeds, sustain our farms, secure our foods. Thank you. HRC · President [5:23]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Institute for Policy Studies. La Via Campesina · Peasant member [5:30]: Mr. President, My name is Elizabeth Mpofo. I'm a Zimbabwean peasant member of La Via Campesina. Seed is at the center of everything I do. Every day, my family grows and eats food from seeds selected and saved, mostly by women, and exchanged among peasants. For generations, our seeds have been selected, saved, and exchanged. These seeds are not simply agricultural inputs. They are our food, our culture, our livelihoods, and our sovereignty. We peasants and rural communities sustain local food markets and rural economies. Today, seed laws and trade policies across Africa increasingly favor commercial seed industries and global markets. UPOV 1991 and similar reforms threaten peasant traditional rights to save, exchange, and reproduce seeds. This is why UNDROP is so important. It recognizes the rights of peasants to seeds, land, water, and other natural resources. I therefore call upon the Member States of the Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the UNDROP working group. Of experts so that it can continue supporting states in implementing these rights. I thank you. HRC · President [6:47]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the IADL. IADL [6:55]: Gracias. Thank you. My name is Diego Monton. I'm Argentinian from the Via Campesina International, representing the International Association of Tourists. We're grateful for the report. pressure of corporations to gain ownership of seeds is deepening with negative impact on campesino rights and the loss of biodiversity and the right to food. As a consequence of the prohibition of personal use and exchange of seeds, we've lost thousands of the species and varieties, focusing only on 12 species, 75% of crops. The loss of biodiversity makes agricultural systems more vulnerable to climate The seeds that campesinos could produce in their farms now come at a cost, and they also have to pay royalties. Because of the power of the lobby of transnational corporations, some countries in America are revising their laws to try to join UPOV 91 without taking into account the rights of campesinos, the right to food. This is why article 19 of UNDROP is vitally important, and the task of the working group peasants is extremely relevant. It could play a positive role supporting states in updating legislation whilst preserving the rights of campesinos and peasants. I would ask what initiatives can the working group take in the face of the attempts to incorporate UPOV 91 in the legislation of South American countries and the Mercosur agreement? HRC · President [8:34]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Colombian Commission of Jurists. Colombian Commission of Jurists [8:42]: President, two years have passed since Colombia constitutionally recognised peasants as a rights holder and worthy of special protection, and yet now the government is saying that it is no longer going to use this word and rather use a small countryside entrepreneur. However, this is not a language issue; it is an effort to disregard the state's obligation to historically recognise those who have been forced from their lands and to lose their identity and rights. by the work of the working group, that peasant is a legal category with specific rights, not just in relation to farming but also rights to land, culture and collective organisation for those who are working the land. In line with that declaration, the recognition of such comes with obligations for the state. and they must guarantee specific rights to peasants. These obligations extend to the peace accords of 2016, and the first point, comprehensive rural reform, sees the peasant population as a core subject. We would appeal to the Council and the working group to urge Colombia to respect the international and constitutional obligations in connection with peasants as right holders and to abstain from making changes in official language that weaken commitments to rural communities. Thank you. HRC · President [10:18]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Rajasthan Samagra Kalyan Sansthan for a video intervention. Rajasthan Samagra Kalyan Sansthan [10:29]: A seed may sustain a farmer's farm, but within it, livelihood security, biodiversity, cultural freedom. The working group's focus on the right to seeds is therefore timely. Farmers must remain custodians of the varieties they have conserved, improved, and shared across generations, not merely consumers within commercial systems. India offers valuable lessons. Its protection of plant varieties and farmers' rights framework recognizes farmers' varieties and seed rights. By July 2026, 5,346 farmers' varieties had been registered. India has also established 10,000 farmer producer organizations with the women representing about 40% of shareholders at the grassroots Rajasthan Samagra Galyan Samsthan supports sustainable agriculture, livestock development, water conservation, farmer capacity building and women's livelihoods across rural Rajasthan. Mr. President, we urge states to promote community seed bank, women-led seed custodian funds, participatory breeding and the safeguards for traditional knowledge. We also encourage the working group to develop a global seed right tracker assessing whether national seed and intellectual property laws protect farmers' freedom to save, exchange and improve seeds, protect the seed, protect the farmer and protect humanity's food future. Thank you. HRC · President [11:57]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Franciscan International for a joint statement for a video intervention. Franciscans International [12:08]: In Guatemala, the progressive loss of native seeds, the expansion of monoculture and the intensive use of chemicals is threatening food sovereignty, water and health. And we are also seeing the lack of participation of peasant communities in seed governance and a lack of transparency and implementation of international instruments on intellectual property, conservation and trade. We're also seeing water being contaminated. We're suffering from drought. the impact of climate change and scarcity of water, we would encourage that the Council urge the Government of Guatemala to declare moratorium on eviction and ensure recommendations of the Rapporteur on adequate housing, operationalize the policy on protection of defenders, including those who defend the land and territory, revise and assess and update on encroachment, guaranteeing human rights, and guarantee free, prior, informed consent for Indigenous communities. We would urge States to renew the mandate of the working group. I thank you. HRC · President [13:37]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Action de la Jeunesse pour le Developpement Durable. Action de la Jeunesse pour le Developpement Durable [13:47]: Mr. President, the working group's recognition that seeds are inseparable from self-determination is particularly relevant to Sikh farmers in Punjab, who have made significant contributions to the food security of South Asia, but are continuously denied their own right to food sovereignty. India's policies in the region demonstrate the long-term consequences of imposing seed varieties that are dependent on a destructive monoculture and expensive chemical inputs. The so-called Green Revolution that was imposed on Punjab contributed to the destruction of biodiversity, groundwater depletion, and increasing farmer debt, leading to alarming suicide rates, all while reducing farmers' autonomy over their own seed governance and agricultural processes. The historic farmers' protest in 2020 demonstrated that these concerns have not been addressed. It also highlighted the growing tensions between Sikh farming communities and an increasingly centralized India led by the BJP government under N. Modi. For Sikh farmers, seed governance is ultimately a question of rights, dignity, and self-determination. Despite India's representatives' claim that its agrarian policy is people-centered, India's agrarian policies continue to directly attack the social, cultural and political backbone of Sikh farmers and undermine their capacity to pursue their own self-determination through an independent Khalistan. Thank you. HRC · President [15:19]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the India Water Foundation. Okay. In that case, I give the floor to the representative of the Akshar Foundation. Akshar Foundation [15:37]: Thank you, Mr. President. Akshar Foundation would like to thank the members of the working group for their crucial work. To operationalize the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants, public education systems must move beyond traditional academics. And serve as multi-service community hubs for rural families. In partnership with government education departments across India, we transform rural public schools into practical centers for sustainable development. Students learn organic farming techniques, rainwater harvesting, solar panel utilization, and how to recycle plastic waste into eco-bricks to prevent agricultural soil contamination. To eliminate child labor in rural areas, Akshar's model employs older secondary students from low-income families in peer tutoring, keeping them in school while relieving family financial stress. We prepare these young people for rewarding local careers in green tech, STEM, public administration, and law enforcement, so rural talent stays to enrich local communities. Furthermore, our schools act as access points, connecting farming families to vital Indian government safety net programs, such as PM Kisan for direct income support, PMFBY for crop insurance, and MGNREGA for rural employment. We urge member states to transform rural public schools into centers for vocational training, sustainable agriculture, and social protection to fulfill the rights of rural youth worldwide. Thank you. HRC · President [17:12]: Thank you. That was the last speaker that we could accommodate at this debate. And I now give the floor to Ms. Gutal for her concluding remarks. And, Madam, you have three minutes and 30 seconds. The floor is yours. Working Group on the Rights of Peasants · Working Group member [17:32]: Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate the overwhelming support and interest in the topic of peasant seeds. There are clearly many issues that warrant further discussion, and we cannot do justice to them in three minutes. The working group, therefore, welcomes further engagements from delegations on these important topics, and we remain available for advice, support, and collaboration all the time. I wish nonetheless to reflect one question that has been raised by several delegations, namely, how do we balance innovation and peasant seed systems? Our research shows that the distinction between innovation and peasant systems is artificial and not supported by the reality on the ground. Peasants are innovators themselves. Their traditional seeds embody generations of knowledge and scientific innovation. We echo calls by many countries to recognize, protect, and support traditional seeds through public resources. Peasant seeds are indispensable to food sovereignty, climate adaptation, and sustainable rural livelihoods. They are essential elements of biodiversity, agriculture, and nature, rather than commodities or objects of exclusive rights. We have called on governments to refrain from implementing UPOV 1991 and laws derived from this that restrict peasants' rights to save, exchange, and sell seeds. We recommend that instead, governments develop and strengthen sui generis seed systems suited to national agrobiodiversity and local farming and ecosystem realities in full consultation with peasants' organizations themselves. Seeds cannot be separated from the territories, living conditions, and social relations of people and the ecosystems in which they are developed. The right to seed is intertwined with the realization of many other crucial rights, such as the right to gender equality, land, water, natural resources, means of production, access to information, justice, culture, and self-determination. The reports before you, the two reports that are presented today, rest on the same conviction, that rural transformation, whether it is of global seed governance Core of a single country's agricultural policy must be based on the rights of people who nurture our seeds, grow our food, take care of our nature, and ensure sustainable futures for next generations. All of us know peasants. These are people in our villages. These are people who we have grown up with, who we meet in the markets. These are people who are our mothers, they're sisters, they're our fathers, they're our brothers, and they're our community members. So let's not forget that peasants and the broad definition and articulation that's been given about peasants in UNDRIP are the people who have sustained life and sustained our food systems and agrobiodiversity for generations. On behalf of the Working Group on the Rights of Peasants, I thank you all for your attention and continuing support to this mandate. We look forward to continuing collaboration and encourage you to please reach out with further ideas for cooperation. The working group is ready and committed to work with you. Thank you. HRC · President [20:53]: Thank you very much. This brings us to the end of this interactive dialogue. I would like to thank Ms. Gutal for her participation, for your participation. Thank you. We will now take a short break before holding the interactive dialogue on the Secretary General's synthesis report on actionable pathway in mobilizing sufficient climate change, climate financing, I beg your pardon. Excellencies, colleagues, we shall now begin the interactive dialogue on the Secretary-General's synthesis report on actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and associated challenges and opportunities in the pursuit of the full realization of human rights for all people. The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes, and I will now give the floor to Ms. Peggy Hicks, the Director for the Thematic and Special Procedures Division to present the report. Madam, you have the floor. OHCHR · Director, Thematic and Special Procedures Division [25:31]: Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. We regret that we were only able to make the Secretary-General's report on human rights and climate finance that I'm presenting today available only yesterday evening, limiting the time for its review in advance of today's dialogue. In spite of challenging circumstances, we look forward to this interactive dialogue and will, of course, remain open for further reflections on the report and discussion following this segment. The report brings the human rights stakes of climate finance into sharp focus. This is not an accounting exercise. When climate finance falls short, people pay the price in their lives, livelihoods, and human rights. It is about whether people can survive disasters, protect their homes, access food, water, and healthcare, sustain their livelihoods, and build a future in dignity. Yet the communities facing the gravest risks are still receiving the least support, and too often the support that is available arrives late, increases debt, or is inaccessible due to barriers they cannot overcome. This must change. The report thus seeks to address the central question: how can the international community mobilize the resources needed to protect people and the planet from the adverse impacts of climate change and ensure that climate action advances rather than undermines human rights? Climate change is already having devastating impacts on the enjoyment of human rights around the world. We cannot allow efforts to address it to compound the problem. In the context of increasing slow and sudden onset climate change related disasters, climate finance is not merely a technical issue or a matter of economic policy. It is a human rights and survival imperative. Adequate, accessible, and equitable climate finance can help prevent future climate harms from multiplying, strengthen resilience, support adaptation, address loss and damage, facilitate a just transition, and create the conditions necessary for the realization of human rights for present and future generations. Yet current climate finance flows remain profoundly inadequate in both scale and design. The scale of the shortfall is staggering. Developing countries other than China will need more than 3 trillion a year by 2035. Yet developed countries provided and mobilized just 136.7 billion in international climate finance in 2024, a fraction of what is needed. This financing gap has a human rights cost. It means weaker climate action, less protection from disasters, and more lives and livelihoods at stake. This is particularly concerning as temperatures rise and crises become more frequent and devastating. Their impacts may be compounded by other factors such as economic shocks, conflicts, biodiversity loss, and El Nino. The horrific disaster in Nepal last month, which resulted in significant loss of life, displacement, and damage to livelihoods and infrastructure, underscores once again the need for adequate financing for disaster risk resilience, preparedness, and recovery. But this is not only a question of insufficient finance. It's also a question of who receives it, on what terms, and for what purpose. Adaptation and loss and damage funding falls far short of the needs of climate-affected people and communities. Despite repeated commitments and growing recognition of the urgency of adaptation, the gap between identified adaptation needs and available finance persists, particularly for developing countries. With respect to loss and damage, many communities have already suffered irreversible losses of lives, cultural practices, ecosystems, territories, and livelihoods, yet funding available to respond remains dramatically below estimated needs. Deep inequities in the distribution of climate finance also persist. Indeed, least developed countries and small island developing states face some of the greatest climate risks, including sea level rise, Yet they receive a disproportionately small share of available resources. In addition, high borrowing costs and debt burdens restrict states' abilities to protect their populations, as too often climate finance itself arrives as a debt, deepening the very vulnerabilities it's meant to address. Excessive debt burdens divert resources away from essential investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation, climate resilience, health, education, housing, and social protection. Debt sustainability frameworks, which influence lending and borrowing decisions, do not always adequately account for climate vulnerabilities as well as long-term benefits of investing in climate action. Most low-income and climate-vulnerable countries spend more servicing debt than they are able to invest in protecting their populations from climate change. At the same time, climate finance itself is too often delivered in ways that exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. A large portion of public climate finance is provided through loans rather than grants. Lack of access to non-debt creating instruments can deepen financial pressures and undermine the ability of states to fulfill their human rights obligations. Mr. President, the quality of climate finance is also critical. A human rights-based approach to climate finance requires that financing be accessible, affordable, transparent, participatory, and accountable. However, many countries and communities must navigate complex procedures and burdensome eligibility requirements to access climate finance. In particular, Indigenous peoples, local communities, women, displaced persons, and people living in poverty often face challenges in accessing funding and influencing decisions that directly affect them. Shortcomings in transparency and accountability remain. Information about climate finance flows is frequently difficult to access and is insufficiently detailed. This limits public oversight and impedes efforts to evaluate whether climate finance is reaching those who need it most and whether funded projects are producing meaningful benefits for impacted people and their communities. Human rights safeguards are also often insufficient. While climate finance is intended to support sustainable development and resilience, some projects supported by climate finance have resulted in adverse human rights impacts, including the rights of indigenous peoples. As highlighted in the report, using carbon markets to mobilize finance raises concerns about carbon credits, including their environmental integrity, the transparency of verification methodologies, and the risk that offsetting mechanisms may delay necessary climate action. Human rights risks and impacts associated with certain carbon market projects, including impacts on Indigenous peoples' land and resources, insufficient consultations, and failure to respect the right to free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples, have also been documented. Carbon markets must be accompanied by robust safeguards that protect human rights and ensure genuine environmental integrity. Some financial flows are also fundamentally misaligned with climate goals and human rights. Governments continue to provide substantial support for fossil fuels in the form of subsidies and tax incentives, including measures that support fossil fuel expansion, production, and extraction. This represents a profound contradiction. Resources that could instead support adaptation, renewable energy, social protection, a just transition, and resilience building continue in many cases to finance activities that accelerate climate change and increase its human rights impacts. Against this backdrop, the report identifies clear, actionable pathways to mobilize climate finance at the scale required and in ways that advance human rights. First, the report calls for mobilizing additional public resources, including by rationalizing harmful expenditures such as fossil fuel subsidies, building fairer tax systems, taxing the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies, and avoiding harmful practices by private actors, such as continued fossil fuel exploration and exploitation. Second, climate finance must work better for those who need it most. This can be achieved by expanding fiscal space in developing countries, prioritizing grant-based finance over debt-creating instruments, ensuring direct and equitable access to climate finance, integrating climate vulnerabilities into debt sustainability assessments, and ensuring stronger investment in social protection as a critical component of climate resilience. Third, the report also emphasizes the importance of strengthening governance. Transparency, participation, and accountability are not optional. They are essential requirements for ensuring climate finance is effective, legitimate, and compliant with international human rights standards. States, development finance institutions, climate funds, and private actors should strengthen reporting, public disclosure, human rights due diligence, and accountability mechanisms. Businesses and private financial actors also have important responsibilities, including to account for the climate harms to which they have contributed. While private finance can play an important role in helping close the climate finance gap, it cannot replace the essential role of public finance, particularly for adoption, loss and damage, and other investments that may not generate commercial returns. In line with guiding principles on business and human rights, businesses, investors, and financial institutions should conduct robust human rights due diligence across their operations, investments, and climate-related activities, identify and address climate-related risks and impacts, ensure transparency regarding climate and human rights impacts, and support access to remedy when harms occur. Climate-related investments, including those undertaken through blended financing arrangements, should be designed and implemented in ways that respect human rights, protect affected communities, and contribute to a just transition. Mr. President, there is a growing recognition in international law of states' obligations in relation to climate change and international cooperation. Recent developments, including the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, have reinforced the understanding that climate action, including climate finance, is closely linked to the fulfillment of human rights obligations and the duty of international cooperation. A human rights-based approach to climate finance provides a roadmap for building a human rights economy in which economic and financial systems are designed to reduce inequalities and support climate justice and the realization of human rights for all. It helps ensure that financing reaches those most in need. addresses structural inequalities, supports participation and accountability, and contributes to equitable and human rights-aligned pathways towards sustainable economies and societies. The report of the Secretary-General sends a clear message. Closing the climate finance gap is one of the defining tests of our collective commitment to human rights, including the right to a healthy environment, the need to ensure equity, and the importance of solidarity. Across the world, people in their communities are already paying the price of a climate crisis they did little to create. What is needed now is not incremental change, but a fundamental shift in how climate finance is mobilized, governed, and delivered, so that it reaches those on the front lines and supports ambitious and transformative change. We have the knowledge, tools, and resources we need. What remains is the political will to align financial flows with climate commitments and human rights obligations. This dialogue presents an opportunity to reflect on moving from recognition to action, from pledges to implementation, and from short-term responses to long-term solutions grounded in justice and solidarity. I urge you to seize this opportunity and look forward to the discussion to come. Thank you. HRC · President [37:42]: Thank you. I now invite interested delegations to ask questions and make comments on the report. The speaking time is one minute and 30 seconds for all, but also let me make a request that on the advice I have received that we are overall behind time. So I would kindly ask all of you making statements to put a hard stop at one minute 30 seconds for all. So kindly pay due attention to this request. And I now give the floor to a distinguished representative of the European Union. EU [38:29]: Thank you, Mr. President. The EU welcomes today's dialogue. Climate change poses a serious threat to human rights, as affirmed by the ICJ's advisory opinion stating that adverse effects of climate change can severely impair the enjoyment of human rights. Recognizing the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and pollution on the enjoyment of human rights of current and future generations, the EU promotes a human rights-based approach to strengthen efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Growing frequency and intensity of heat waves and droughts globally underscore the urgency of accelerating transition away from fossil fuels to keep the 1.5 centigrade within reach. This transition must be just, inclusive, and promote a human rights-based approach. As world's largest contributor of climate finance, EU remains committed to supporting developing countries and communities that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in both mitigation and adaptation efforts. In 2024 alone, our total climate finance contribution amounted to nearly 43 billion euros. The collective goal is to mobilize 100 billion USD per year in climate finance. And we stress the need to further explore innovative options to broaden the sources of concessional finance for climate action. I thank you. HRC · President [40:02]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bahrain on behalf of the GCC. Bahrain · GCC [40:13]: Mr. President, we'd like to thank the Secretary-General, and we've examined the synthetic report on climate action and climate financing. Fairness and common but differentiated responsibilities are essential in our collective climate action. The report indicates that historic contributions in environmental degradation and disparities in capabilities and the real needs of developing countries all need to be taken into account. Adaptation and mitigation need to be supported by developed countries to help developing countries in achieving their locally driven goals. GCC reaffirms that fair pathways require respecting national sovereignty and the specificities and priorities of each nation. It's not a one model that's going to work for everybody. GCC states have invested in renewable energy and sustainable development in a way that has created opportunities for their peoples and also contributed effectively in reaching collectively established goals. GCC states reaffirmed the importance of keeping the conversation in this council in a constructive manner based on consensus, away from imposing preconceived models. The collective action needs to bring together the political will of all nations in this area. Thank you. HRC · President [41:35]: Thank you. The list of speakers is now closed. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vanuatu on behalf of a group of countries. Vanuatu · SIDS [41:51]: Mr. President, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Pacific Islands, Pacific Small Island Developing States. We thank the Secretary General for the important report. For the Pacific, climate change remains the greatest threat to our security, livelihoods, and well-being of our peoples. Rising sea levels, coastal erosions, and extreme weather events are already threatening our rights to life, health, food, water, housing, culture, and development. Let us be clear. Adaptation alone cannot protect the Pacific while emission continue to rise. Keeping 1.5 degrees within reach must remain an absolute priority. This requires deep emission reduction, a decisive transition from fossil fuels, and an end to policies that perpetuate dependence on them. Those who have contributed least to the climate crisis must not carry its greatest cost. Climate finance is therefore a matter of climate justice and human rights, not charity. Climate finance must be adequate, predictable, and accessible, recognizing the special circumstance of SIDS. We call for greater grant-based and non-debt-creating finance, simplified and direct access, urgent action on the adaptation finance cap, and scaled-up support to address loss and damage. We also call for the full capitalization of the Pacific Resilience Facility, a Pacific-owned mechanism delivering community resilience financing where it is needed most. We will continue to advance our ambition, our contribution, and climate justice for a global response commensurate with the scale of the crisis. I thank you. HRC · President [43:30]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Maldives on behalf of Group of Countries. Maldives · SIDS [43:37]: Mr. President, I deal with a statement on behalf of an informal group of SIDS as listed on the portal. The full statement is available on the portal. For SIDS, the climate crisis is a human rights challenge. Our narrow economic bases, limited capacities, and high exposure to external shocks constrain fiscal space with implications for climate action and full enjoyment of human rights. For SIDS, actionable pathways must address both quantity and quality of climate finance. This requires adequate, predictable, and additional finance with simplified and timely access and greater grant-based and highly concessional resources, particularly for adaptation and responding to loss and damage while accounting for high costs of delivering projects and essential services across remote islands. Such finance should support country-owned priorities and locally-led projects that reach outer island communities, strengthen national capacities, and avoid exacerbating existing debt vulnerabilities. Importantly, climate finance must enable SIDS to protect and progressively realize human rights, including through strengthening resilience, livelihoods, and access to essential services, including reliable, affordable, and clean energy. these efforts must be underpinned by a fair, inclusive, and representative international financial architecture that responds to the unique circumstances of SIDS. As we look towards COP31 in Antalya, we hope that the momentum generated by the ICJ advisory opinion will strengthen collective efforts. I thank you. HRC · President [45:09]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Barbados on behalf of Group of countries. Barbados [45:16]: My honor to speak on behalf of Angola, Barbados, Benin, Jamaica, and Marshall Islands. We extend our appreciation to the Secretary General for this important report. For LDCs and SIDS, the severe and irreversible threat of the climate crisis and resulting nature loss is compounded by unwieldy debt on vulnerable countries seeking to rebuild or enact resilience measures. For too long, these challenges are dealt with separately. This results in a vicious cycle for the Global South that spins from a disaster event of massive nature and infrastructural loss, followed by borrowing at high rates to build and mitigate, resulting in repeated crippling debt. Vulnerable countries require greater volumes of affordable long-term investment to strengthen their resilience. However, concessional financing remains insufficient, while in commercial markets, perceived risk results in disproportionately high borrowing costs. This challenge is further compounded by debt sustainability analyses, which often classify resilience-related spending as a consumptive expenditure when it is a risk management imperative and driver of long-term growth. Mr. President, the climate crisis continues unabated, with the super El Nino as its most recent manifestation, mobilizing pathways for sufficient climate financing through investment and equitable finance for our countries. And this has never been more crucial. The vicious cycle must not be allowed to continue. I thank you. HRC · President [46:50]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of the Philippines on behalf of the group of countries. Philippines · Core Group on Climate Change and Human Rights [46:59]: Thank you, Mr. President. I have the honor to deliver. This together with Bangladesh and Vietnam, the core group on climate change and human rights. We appreciate the report, but express deep concern over its delayed release, which leaves barely enough time to properly. Analyze it. Though there might have been administrative constraints, this is deeply regrettable, undermines the very purpose of this interactive dialogue, and certainly must not be normalized. We hope for greater clarity on this unprecedented situation. The adverse consequences of climate change continue with increasing frequency and ferocity. visceral, inescapable, and disproportionately borne by the most vulnerable. Yet climate action, particularly climate finance, continues to fall far short of needs and commitments. Reaffirming resolution 5925 and 6214, we call on all states to fulfill their duty to cooperate in addressing climate change. This necessarily includes scaling up financial assistance. To developing countries for effective climate resilient development pathways. Climate finance must be firmly anchored on equity and common but differentiated responsibilities in respective capacities. International solidarity through effective multilateralism remains our best path towards an equitable, just, and human rights response to the climate change crisis. Thank you. HRC · President [48:39]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of group of countries. Trinidad and Tobago · CARICOM [48:46]: Thank you, Mr. President. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Caribbean Community Group in Geneva. We thank the Secretary General for his report. As small island developing states on the front lines of climate change, the lack of sufficient accessible climate finance remains a severe barrier to the full realization of human rights. Climate finance that continues to rely on complex, loan-heavy structures, rather than direct grants, actively strips away the fiscal space countries need to fund rights-based public services like healthcare, clean water, and education. For Caribbean nations, this is not an academic debate, but a daily reality where a single hurricane can wipe out entire economies. reversing key development gains and forcing governments to choose between servicing high-interest debt and funding core human rights. We therefore continue to advocate for a fundamental reform of the international financial architecture and highlight the enduring relevance of the Bridgetown Initiative, which champions several actionable pathways for increased sustainable climate finance. Also noteworthy is the elaboration of the CARICOM Climate Finance Action Plan this year, which is intended to bolster our region's agency in global discussions on climate funding, including ensuring that the special circumstances of SIDS feature in international funding negotiations. I thank you. HRC · President [50:18]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Iraq on behalf of the Arab group. Iraq · Arab Group [50:31]: Thank you, President. The Arab Group has examined the report of the Secretary-General on actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and the repercussions of that on human rights and sustainable development. The Arab group underscores that limited available financing is an ever increasing challenge for developing states, particularly states and societies that are most exposed to climate change and its effects. Climate action requires adequate financing, predictable, accessible, and concessional finance, giving the utmost priority to adaptation and resilience. We also stress the importance of strengthening international public finance and honoring existing obligations, and also honoring concessional finance promises and grants, taking into account the importance of the volume of effective needs. Private sector funding must be complementary to public finance, not a substitute for it. This should be also added to the efforts of building national capacities as well as national institutions in this regard. We reaffirm the importance of common but differentiated responsibilities according to respective capabilities and engaging in international cooperation on the basis of fairness, taking into account the requirements of sustainable development and to make sure that we do not bear the brunt of a crisis in this proportion to the degree which we contributed to it. Thank you. HRC · President [52:07]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Kenya on behalf of the African group. Kenya · Africa Group [52:14]: Mr. President, I make this statement on behalf of the African group. The African group welcomes this interactive dialogue on the Secretary-General's synthesis report regarding climate finance in the support of the full realization of human rights. Climate change is undoubtedly one of the defining challenges of our time. Its adverse impacts threaten a wide range of human rights while undermining progress towards sustainable development. Africa continues to bear a disproportionate burden. Despite contributing the least global emissions, our continent remains among the most vulnerable to climate change. Its impact threatens our economies, risking the reversal of hard-won development gains. Climate finance is a cornerstone of effective climate action. It is not charity, but a commitment arising from the multilateral environmental agreements based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. We call for the full and timely delivery of existing pledges alongside scaled-up, accessible, and predictable financing that prioritizes grants, unconventional resources over loans that further exacerbate Africans debt burden. No country should be forced to choose between climate action and its development priorities. I thank you. HRC · President [53:35]: Thank you. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nepal. Nepal [53:41]: Mr. President, Nepal thanks the Secretary-General for the report. and welcomes its human rights-based approach to climate financing. The recent devastating flash flood in the Bhote Kosi River areas of Nepal struck communities with the force of a Himalayan tsunami. This caused tragic loss of life and extensive damage to property, leaving the nation in deep distress and raising existential questions for humanity at large. Nepal sincerely appreciates all our friends and partner for the solidarity and support extended to save life and provide relief to affected community. These communities need sustained support for mitigation, adaptation, and resilient reconstruction. With a share of less than 0.1% of global emission, Nepal continues to face disproportionate impacts of climate change. Climate action is, therefore, imperative. Climate finance is a matter of justice, and it is an investment in human right. We urge all parties to uphold the Paris Agreement, mobilize sufficient climate financing, and ensure climate justice. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [55:06]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Marshall Islands. Marshall Islands [55:13]: Thank you, Mr. President. The Marshall Islands thanks the Secretary-General for this report. Climate change is a severe and irreversible threat to all of us, yet its worst effects fall on those who contributed least. My country is among those most exposed with the least capacity to respond. Our development gains are being eroded by extreme weather, sea level rise, and the loss of the ecosystem our economies and culture depend on. The report confirms our reality. Small island developing states hold a quarter of identified climate finance needs, yet have received only 3% of the finance provided by the developed countries. Two-thirds of what does arrive comes as loans, not grants, deepening the debts of nations already on the front line. This is not climate justice. At home, we created the Mera Trust Fund in 2022 and endorsed the Pacific Resilient Facility, which delivers grants directly to communities without new debts. To call for climate justice finance is to call for climate justice. We urge States to prioritize grants over loans and to simplify and accelerate access for those who need it most. And I thank you. HRC · President [56:40]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Maldives. Maldives [56:46]: Thank you, Mr. President. The Maldives thanks the Secretary-General's report outlining actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and its pertinent link to human rights. The report echoes what Maldives has been consistently advocating for, that those most affected by climate crisis are often the least equipped to mobilize the required financing on their own. For countries such as Maldives, transitioning to renewable energy, strengthening coastal defenses, and climate-proofing infrastructure demand long-term, predictable, and affordable financing. Without such support, adaptation efforts risk exacerbating existing debt vulnerabilities. The interconnectedness of climate crisis makes international cooperation imperative. We welcome the adoption of the new collective quantified goal on climate financing in 2024. Its commitment to mobilize at least $3 billion annually by 2035 must translate into meaningful, accessible, and predictable support for developing countries, particularly those vulnerable to climate change. Mr. President, in conclusion, climate-vulnerable countries should not shoulder additional financial burdens in responding to a crisis which we have contributed the least. I thank you. HRC · President [57:58]: Thank you. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia [58:05]: President, the delegation of my country carefully examined the report. There is an inequality in climate action. We must ensure that fossil fuels are no longer used, but this does not take into account the national capacity of country and different capacities, nor does the report look at a key issue which is energy security. So we see repercussions directly. The delegation of my country would like to reiterate that climate action requires a global approach that takes into account development priorities and the different economic and development situation of the country, taking into account guaranteeing the rights to development. You need to take into account the rights of equity and differentiated responsibilities of states, and not to ignore the historic contribution of developed countries and their financial obligations. It is therefore incumbent upon them to reduce emissions and support through finance, technology transfer and capacity building. The Kingdom also reiterates its commitment to tackle climate challenges in a balanced way that takes into account international conventions and also the development priorities of each state, so that each developing country does not take on a disproportionate burden. Thank you. HRC · President [59:34]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Vietnam. Viet Nam [59:38]: Mr. President, Vietnam aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Philippines on behalf of the Core Group on Human Rights and Climate Change. Vietnam appreciates the Secretary-General's report with valuable insights on actionable pathways to mobilize sufficient climate financing. Climate change poses a serious threat to the full enjoyment of human rights, with developing countries and climate-vulnerable communities bearing disproportionate impacts. At the same time, significant gaps in climate finance continue to constrain the capacity to advance adaptation, resilience, and sustainable development. Vietnam reiterates that climate financing must be adequate, predictable, accessible, and responsive to the needs of national circumstances of developing countries. To this end, we call for strengthened international cooperation, including through increased public and private finance, technology transfer and capacity building for developing countries in accordance with equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Multilateralism and international solidarity remain essential to mobilizing finance at the scale required to ensure that climate action leaves no one behind. I thank you. HRC · President [1:01:01]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Kenya. Kenya [1:01:06]: Thank you, Mr. President. Kenya aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African Group and takes note of the Secretary-General's report. For Kenya, the persistent climate finance gap remains a major obstacle to effective climate action and sustainable development. This challenge is particularly acute for Africa, which continues to receive a disproportionately small share of global climate finance, despite its significant adaptation and development needs. Kenya underscores that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities remain fundamental to international climate cooperation. Climate finance must be adequate, predictable, and accessible, with greater emphasis on grants, concessional resources, and other non-debt-creating instruments. Developing countries should not be required to deepen already significant debt burdens in order to respond to a climate crisis to which they have contributed the least. We further underscore the need to simplify access to climate finance and reform the international financial architecture to preserve the physical space necessary for developing countries to pursue adaptation, social protection, and a just transition. Climate finance must ultimately strengthen rather than constrain nationally determined development priorities. I thank you. HRC · President [1:02:29]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bangladesh. Bangladesh [1:02:34]: Mr. President, Bangladesh thanks the Secretary-General for the report, and we share deep concern that climate finance remains insufficient, difficult to access, and inequitably distributed. Adaptation finance continues to fall far short of the needs of developing countries, while support for addressing loss and damage remains inadequate. Mr. President, Bangladesh reaffirms that climate finance is an essential part of global climate cooperation. It must be guided by equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities. Developed countries must fulfill their commitment and continue to take the lead in providing and mobilizing finance for developing countries. We are deeply concerned about the increasing reliance on loan-based climate finance As rightly highlighted in the report, this can deepen debt pressures on climate-vulnerable developing countries that have contributed the least to climate change. We call for new, additional, predictable, and adequate climate finance with greater emphasis on grants and highly concessional support. We also stress simpler access to climate finance, stronger country ownership, and enhanced technology transfer and capacity building. Mr. President, climate finance commitment must be translated into timely, accessible, and tangible delivery for all. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [1:04:00]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Dominican Republic. Okay, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Oman. Oman [1:04:23]: Thank you, President. The Sultanate of Oman would like to thank the Secretary-General for this report on ways to mobilize climate financing. Filling the gap is crucial, and this would allow developing countries to meet their needs in terms of mitigation and bolster resilience, human rights, and sustainable development. To this end, the Sultanate of Oman would invite an increase in public finance and facilitate access to financing, taking into account national capacity, without increasing the burden of debt. We also need to mobilise private funding in addition, as a complement to international commitments and not as a substitute. President, climate justice requires sufficient, predictable, balanced funding giving priority to the most vulnerable communities. The Sultanate of Oman stands ready to continue cooperation with partners in order to pave the way via practical measures that support climate action and sustainable development, whilst respecting human rights. This text will be available on the Extranet. Thank you. HRC · President [1:05:47]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Algeria. Algeria [1:05:52]: Mr. President, the report highlights deep structural imbalances in the international financial system that warrant careful reflection and radical change, starting with the inadequacy and finance gap, moving to the debt crisis and reaching regional marginalization. Africa receives only 2% of global investment in clean energy, hindering its ability to combat energy poverty and achieve sustainable development. In this regard, Algeria reaffirms the necessity of the following points. First, fulfilling the obligations under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement by providing additional, sufficient and concessional finance in the forms of grants, not loans. Second, undertaking serious reform of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions to scale up concessional funding, eliminate restrictive conditionalities, and address the debt crisis. Third, supporting recommendation calling to curb international tax evasion and conclude a UN framework convention on international tax cooperation to mobilize necessary sovereign resources. Finally, Algeria stresses that climate finance is not an act of charity, but a legal and moral obligation and fundamental pillar for realizing climate justice and enabling all people to fulfill and enjoy their rights. Thank you, Mr. Chair. HRC · President [1:07:13]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of India. India [1:07:18]: Mr. President, India thanks the Secretary-General for the report and welcomes the dialogue on linkages between climate financing and realization of human rights for all. Climate finance is an obligation and should be grounded in equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, reflecting historical responsibility and national circumstances. Developed countries must deliver the promised support by fulfilling commitments toward mobilizing at least USD 1.3 trillion annually. Reform of multilateral development banks is essential to unlock affordable, accessible capital for climate financing. Without adequate, predictable financing, the ability of developing countries to protect the right to development, health, food, and clean environment remains constrained. On its part, India has reduced emission intensity by 36 percent since 2005, scaled up renewable energy capacity, and expanded forest and tree cover, enabling us to reach the revised nationally determined contribution target five years ahead of the committed timelines. Further, India is pursuing a positive climate action agenda by forging partnerships at international levels through initiatives such as International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Global Biofuel Alliance, and Leadership for Industry Transition, LEAD-IT. We call upon the international community to work towards rights, consistent action on climate financing based on mutual trust and fairness. I thank you. HRC · President [1:08:48]: Thank you. I give the floor to the Distinguished Representative of Armenia. Armenia [1:08:53]: Mr. President, Armenia looks forward to publishing of the Secretary-General's report and regrets that it was not available by the time of the dialogue in the HRC. Accessible and predictable financing is essential because protecting people from climate-related harms, which affect rights to food, water, health, housing, and development, requires sustained investment in adaptation, resilience, and recovery. Armenia has consistently underscored the need for simplified access procedures and financing that reaches the communities most affected. Mr. President, this discussion comes at a pivotal moment. Next month, Armenia will assume the presidency of COP 17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan. As COP 17 president, Armenia will place strong emphasis on advancing discussions around predictable and accessible biodiversity finance. Financing must be adequate, timely, and directed to places where it delivers the greatest environmental and social benefit. Voluntary action from business and the private sector is important, but it must be supported by systemic transformation, coherent policy frameworks, and partnerships that translate commitments into tangible results. Armenia stands ready to work with all partners to promote financing approaches that are fair, accessible, and centered on people. Thank you. HRC · President [1:10:21]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates [1:10:29]: President, first, the United Arab Emirates would like to stress the fact that climate financing will allow us to convey climate ambitions specifically and to increase resilience and sustainable development for all. My country continues to support international efforts to step up climate financing. increase innovative solutions in order to respect commitments for climate. The UAE has always placed the most vulnerable communities to climate change as a priority, including through our contribution to the fund on loss and damage, and this particularly for small island developing states. We will continue our efforts to develop innovative solutions for financing and promoting international partnerships to support energy transition, including through the platform Alterra, which contributes to mobilize investment in clean energy. My country reiterates its commitment with partners to practical innovative solutions that helps to plug the gap in climate finance in order to achieve a prosperous future for all. Thank you. HRC · President [1:12:00]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Egypt. Egypt [1:12:10]: President, the delegation of Egypt welcomes this interactive dialogue in light of the accelerating changes to climate and the threats to human rights, water, health, and development more generally. We believe that climate finance is a key pillar in climate action. With the multiplication of economic challenges, notably for developing countries, achieving global priorities on climate require sufficient, predictable, adequate finance that meets the size of the challenge. It's not so much about the volume of finance, but rather its quality through donations and not just loans, which only serves to increase debt. We need to increase the imbalance in climate finance, which requires resources for mitigation. It's important that efforts in the area of climate change is based on common but differentiated responsibilities in order to guarantee climate justice and to plug the gap in development between states in order to avoid harm that hampers the full enjoyment of human rights. I thank you. HRC · President [1:13:30]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan [1:13:37]: Mr. President, it's true that the growing impacts of climate change continue to affect the enjoyment of a broad range of human rights, particularly in developing countries. Addressing these challenges requires not only greater ambition, but also strengthened international cooperation and solidarity. In this regard, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities must remain at the core of our collective efforts. Increased climate ambition must go hand in hand with accessible, predictable and affordable climate finance. Under Azerbaijan's presidency, COP29 advanced international cooperation and placed climate finance and implementation at the center of the international climate agenda. The Baku Climate Unity Pact delivered important outcomes, including the NCQG on climate finance. Azerbaijan has continued to contribute to this process beyond COP29. Last week, Baku hosted the UNFCCC Climate Week alongside Baku Climate Action Week, bringing together nearly 2,700 participants from more than 140 countries. The program included mandated sessions on key aspects of international climate agenda, events of COP30 and COP31 presidencies, and sessions under the UNFCCC Implementation Forum. These efforts demonstrate the importance of continuity, implementation and solidarity across the COP presidencies. We look forward to working closely with Turkey and Australia and all partners to build on the momentum generated in Baku and to further advance an effective climate process towards Antalya. I thank you. HRC · President [1:15:11]: Thank you, and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mozambique. Mozambique [1:15:20]: Mr. President, My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for the report. Mozambique is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, while contributing only marginally to global greenhouse gas emissions. Cyclones, floods, droughts, and rising sea levels increasingly threaten livelihoods, food security, health, housing, and sustainable development. For Mozambique, climate finance is therefore not simply a financial matter. It is essentially to protect human rights, strengthening resilience and safeguarding the development gains of vulnerable communities. In this regard, we reaffirm our strong support for climate action grounded in the principle of equity, solidarity and respect for human rights Such action must ensure meaningful and inclusive participation of vulnerable communities, women, children, and other groups particularly affected by the impact of climate change. In conclusion, we underscore the importance of ensuring that developing countries, particularly those most vulnerable to the adverse impact of climate change, have active access to the means of implementation necessary to advance ambitious, inclusive and sustainable climate action. I thank you. HRC · President [1:16:58]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ecuador. Ecuador [1:17:05]: Thank you, President. My delegation regrets the late publication of the report, which was in the past few hours, but we agree with its assessment of the lack in the quantity and quality of climate finance flows and the lack of accessibility, predictability, appropriateness that affect the full exercise of human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment. To this end, as the ICJ recognized, climate finance must be sufficient, predictable, accessible, and consistent with obligations and commitments under the UNFCCC, the Paris Climate Agreement, and international obligations, as well as the international human rights law. To this end, Ecuador included in its second NDC for 2026-2035 climate action that requires international finance, at the same time as stepping up mechanisms for traceability and mobilising resources such as the climate finance strategy, and including information on finance that has been received, required and mobilised. In addition, we have the first issuance of green bonds from the state bank for $100 million in order to fund projects for water, renewable energies energy efficiency, environment, adaptation, and management. Ecuador and other countries in the region are about to face the devastating El Nino phenomenon, and we hope to see an increase in climate finance to help us to brace ourselves for a climate crisis we did not create. I thank you. HRC · President [1:18:37]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Pakistan. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Gambia. Gambia [1:18:52]: Thank you, Mr. President. The Gambia thanks the Office of the High Commissioner and the Office of the Secretary General for this report and the presentation. The report rightly identifies low-lying, agricultural-dependent countries such as ours as particularly vulnerable to climate change, even though we are least responsible for it. The Gambia strongly supports the report's recommendation for tailored and effective climate financing to offset the reductions in official development assistance and in line with the advisory opinion of the ICJ. At the national level, our current nationally determined contribution sets mitigation and adaptation priorities across key sectors, including energy, agriculture, forestry, water resources, and coastal resilience. Yet, implementation of many of these commitments remain dependent on adequate international finance, technology transfer, and capacity building. We therefore share the concern that climate finance should be additional to development finance and should not deepen the debt vulnerabilities of developing countries. The Gambia is also exploring opportunities on the Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and carbon markets. For us, however, these mechanisms must deliver real development benefits, respect national ownership, and ensure equitable participation and benefit sharing for local communities. We ask, what practical measures would you recommend to ensure that LDCs can access climate finance and carbon markets without assuming additional debt or disproportionate financial risk? Thank you. HRC · President [1:20:21]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the UNFPA. UNFPA [1:20:27]: Thank you, President. UNFPA welcomes the report of the Secretary-General. The worsening climate crisis is a profound threat to human rights globally. Without immediate, ambitious, and human rights-aligned investment, it will continue to devastate lives and hamper the achievement of sustainable development, gender equality, and economic and social rights. Climate change acts as a powerful risk multiplier, exacerbating existing inequalities and disproportionately harming women, girls, indigenous people, and other marginalized population. Yet global financing is insufficient. Only 0.01% of worldwide funding supports initiatives that address both climate changes and women's right. Financial flows to small island developing states and least developed countries remain inequitable, despite these countries fearing the greatest impact of a crisis they did not create. Reliance on debt creating loans over ground-based finance trap vulnerable countries limiting their ability to protect their populations. Climate justice there for demands a fundamental transformation of the global climate financial architecture. recent UN General Assembly resolution supporting the International Court of Justice advisory opinion mandates that climate policies safeguard fundamental rights including life, health and bodily autonomy. We must prioritize people-centered, gender-responsive and rights-based finance. This includes operationalizing the fund for responding to loss and damages with transparency and accountabilities, as well as the provision of debt relief, grant and direct funding for local actors, women, youth and indigenous peoples, whose meaningful participation is essential for equitable transformative climate actions. I thank you. HRC · President [1:22:01]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Senegal. I then give the floor to a distinguished representative of Portugal. Portugal [1:22:25]: Thank you, Mr. President. Portugal thanks the Secretary-General for his report. welcomes this discussion. Climate finance enables states to protect people, prevent harm, and secure the enjoyment of human rights. Meeting the scale of the challenge requires sufficient resources, but also innovative approaches capable of turning financial constraints into opportunities for climate action. Portugal's cooperation with Cabo Verde offers an example. Under an agreement concluded in 2023, bilateral debt is being converted into green investments through Cabo Verde's Climate and Environmental Fund. Scheduled repayments are redirected towards climate priorities, for example, the expansion of a solar power plant. The mechanism combines debt conversion, country ownership, and climate action without generating additional debt. This experience illustrates the potential of debt conversions and other innovative mechanisms to mobilize resources for adaptation and mitigation, strengthen resilience, and thereby supporting human rights. They should complement predictable public finance, responsible private investment. A human rights approach must guide their design and implementation, and affected communities should participate meaningful and have access to relevant information. Transparency, accountability, and access to remedy must be ensured. We have one question. How can debt conversions and similar innovative mechanisms be scaled up while ensuring additionality, country ownership, and measurable human rights outcomes? HRC · President [1:24:06]: Thank you. Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Belgium. Belgium [1:24:16]: Thank you, President. Climate change disproportionately affects those who have contributed the least to it. Rectifying this inequality requires constant support to the most vulnerable, in particular with a view to strengthening their capacity for adaptation and resilience. Belgium remains fully committed to international climate finance and inclusive climate action that leaves nobody behind. Human rights must remain at the heart of action and climate finance. Examples of carbon markets and value chains connected to critical minerals demonstrate that climate solutions can only be sustainable when we totally respect the existing standards in terms of protecting the environment and human rights. With a view to promoting a better integration of human rights into climate policies, Belgium traditionally organizes a dinner for friends of human rights and climate change with a number of partners. In conclusion, climate finance itself will not be enough. It's crucial that all financial flows become compatible with the trajectories of greenhouse gas reduction in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. I thank you. HRC · President [1:25:36]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nigeria. Nigeria [1:25:41]: Thank you, Mr. President. Nigeria thanks the Secretary-General for the report on mobilizing climate finance for the realization of human rights. Nigeria knows first-hand that enjoyment of human rights is closely linked to environmental protection. Climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, threatening the access to food, water, health, and livelihoods. Through its adaptation strategies, Nigeria remains committed to climate action that protects people and supports sustainable development. Nigeria shares the concern that climate finance remains insufficient, costly, and difficult to access, particularly for developing countries facing severe climate impacts and debt pressures. Adaptation, loss, and damage continue to receive inadequate support while reliance on loans further limits the resources available for national development. Nigeria therefore calls for predictable and accessible climate finance, particularly through grants, which should be additional to official development assistance. Existing commitments must be fulfilled alongside increased technology transfer and capacity building. The process of obtaining climate finance should also be simplified and take into account national priorities, circumstances, and the needs of affected communities. Finally, Nigeria underscores that climate action must support a just transition, protect development gains, and ensure that those least responsible for climate change do not bear the greatest burden. Thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [1:27:03]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Austria. Austria [1:27:08]: Thank you, Mr. President. Climate change already undermines the rights to life, health, food, water, housing. It poses an existential threat. Given the importance of this issue, the late release of the SG's report ahead of today's debate is regrettable. Austria stands by the collective quantified goal agreed in Baku. We were among the first to pledge to the Green Climate Fund for its second replenishment. We were also among the first donors to earmark funding as a response to loss and damage, at least 50 million euro until 2027. This includes a 25 million euro pledge to the fund responding to loss and damage. In addition, our longstanding contributions to the Global Environmental Facility reaffirms Austria's strong commitment as a reliable partner in tackling the root causes of environmental degradation. But we need to ensure that international funds are effectively used and that they support those who need them the most. Let me make three points. First, on access. Finance must reach the most vulnerable communities through simplified procedures, direct access, and grant-based or highly concessional support for the most vulnerable. Second, human rights-based design. Climate finance must be gender-responsive and inclusive, ensure the meaningful participation of women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and youth, and it must protect environmental human rights defenders. Third, coherence. All financial flows must be aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. I thank you. HRC · President [1:28:32]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso [1:28:39]: President, my delegation aligns with the statement of the African Group. We agree with you that climate financing is essential to the realization of human rights. However, we remain concerned by the fact that at the global level, this financing that is so crucial for population resilience faces environmental shocks, are ill-designed, and remain inaccessible and inequitably distributed. The Environment Intervention Fund set up in 2015 is a mobilizing and unifying climate financing instrument to achieve mitigation and adaptation for climate change. Furthermore, Nationally Determined Contributions provide for mobilization of resources through public-private partnerships, green bonds, green climate finance, and exploration of the carbon markets. Burkina Faso pays particular attention to youth participation in climate action through the Fund for Climate Youth Justice. In conclusion, we take note of the recommendations in the report And we have the following question for you. How can accessible and appropriate climate financing be set up for countries most affected by climate change? Thank you. HRC · President [1:29:56]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Angola. Angola [1:30:03]: Mr. President, Angola lends itself to the statement of the African group. And thanks to the Secretary General for his report and his contribution to the full realization of human rights. The climate crisis is increasingly a human right crisis. Its impact on food security, health, water and livelihood are disproportionately borne by developing countries and vulnerable communities that have contributed the least to the global emission. Climate finance should not deepen existing inequalities. Excessive reliance on loans increases debt vulnerabilities and reduce fiscal space for health, education, and social protection. Greater emphasis should therefore be placed on grant basis concession of finance, particularly for adaptation. And we'll also stress the importance of an adequately resourced and accessible loss and damage fund guided by equity and the polluter pays principle. At the same time, the energy transition must be just, inclusive, and responsive to national circumstances. For African countries, climate ambition must go hand in hand with sustainable development, energy access, and poverty eradication. Angola, therefore, calls for fair climate finance architecture that translate climate justice into accessible resources while enabling developing countries to pursue climate action without compromising their development priorities. I thank you. HRC · President [1:31:31]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cameroon. Cameroon [1:31:37]: Thank you, President. Cameroon aligns with the statement by the African Group and thanks the Secretary-General for the report. My delegation agrees that climate financing is not only still insufficient, but is often too inaccessible, costly, or inequitably distributed. While the most vulnerable countries have the greatest budgetary limitations for addressing the impacts of climate change, for Cameroon, it is important to increase the volume of financing and improve the quality thereof. Resources for developing countries must be predictable, effectively accessible, and must prioritize adaptation, such as through loss and damages. donations, concessional mechanisms, or ones that do not generate debt. This approach is essential to ensure that climate action does not further constrict the budgetary space necessary for achieving economic and social rights and the right to development. At the national level, Cameroon pursues its own efforts, including integration of climate-sensitive budgeting and promoting a greener and more resilient economy. President What specific measures would, in your view, allow us to simplify access by developing countries to climate financing while avoiding this aggravating their debt further? Thank you. HRC · President [1:33:01]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Fiji. Fiji [1:33:06]: Mr. President, Fiji aligns with the statement by Vanuatu on behalf of the Pacific small island developing states. We welcome the report on the critical link between climate finance and the protection of human rights. Fiji will shortly host Pre-COP31 in the region. We continue to emphasize the importance of addressing the persistent gap between climate finance commitments and actual access to finance. The challenge is no longer simply whether climate finance exists. It is whether we can access it quickly enough on terms appropriate to our circumstance and at the scale required. The region's Pacific Resilience Facility, a Pacific-owned financing mechanism fully endorsed by the region, is an example of a locally and regionally owned mechanism which should receive stronger international support because they can help close the gap between global finance and local implementation. Fiji stands ready to work with all member states and stakeholders to work towards a global response to the climate crisis that will leave no one behind. Vinaka and thank you. HRC · President [1:34:17]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Greece. Greece [1:34:23]: Mr. President, Greece welcomes the Secretary-General's report that rightly treats climate finance not as an end in itself, but as a means to secure rights to health, to food, to water, to decent work. The report reaches us at a moment of profound change. Solar and wind are today the cheapest source of new electricity across most of the developing world. Storage costs are falling year after year. This alters the terms of our debate. Public and concessional finance remains indispensable, above all for adaptation and for the most vulnerable. But the scale required and the opportunity available can only be met if we unlock and scale up finance from all sources and a broader pool of contributors, including innovative sources of finance at a magnitude public budgets will never reach. At the same time, it is important to continue efforts to improve access to climate finance, reducing existing constraints and barriers. That means using scarce public money where it works hardest, guarantees, first loss instruments, and currency risk cover that bring down the cost of capital. Multilateral development banks equipped to crowd in rather than substitute, and on the ground, predictable regulation, bankable grids, and regional interconnection. Greece, which has transformed its own energy mix and is linking its grid across the Eastern Mediterranean, knows that such reforms pay dividends quickly. The same logic applies to critical raw materials. Partnerships that build processing capacity and skills locally, rather than merely extracting, turn the transition into an engine of jobs and shared prosperity. Mr. President, the countries with the greatest renewable potential are largely those with the fewest resources to develop it. Closing that gap is where finance and human rights meet. Thank you. HRC · President [1:36:09]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cambodia. Cambodia [1:36:16]: Mr. President, Cambodia thanks the Secretary-General for the comprehensive report. Cambodia recognizes that climate finance is essential not only for climate action, but also for protecting human rights and achieving sustainable development, especially in vulnerable developing countries. Cambodia is taking strong national action to address climate change through our climate change strategy plan 2024-2033 and NDC 3.0, We integrate climate action into national development planning and strengthening our climate finance mechanisms. However, domestic resources alone cannot meet the growing needs. Developing countries continue to face challenges in accessing international climate finance, including complex procedures, limited capacity, and insufficient affordable financings. For Cambodia, Climate finance must reach the people and communities most affected by climate change, including farmers and rural communities. It should help protect their rights to food, water, health, livelihoods and development. For Cambodia, we call for stronger international cooperation to make climate finance adequate, predictable, accessible and affordable, together with greater support for capacity building and technology transfer. It is essential to ensure that climate action protects human rights, human dignity, and advances the full realization of human rights for all, leaving no one behind. I thank you. HRC · President [1:37:50]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sudan. Sudan [1:37:57]: Thank you, President. We have taken note of the content of the Secretary General's, uh, report on actionable pathways, uh, in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and its recommendations, climate, uh, change is a, uh, a real threat to the livelihoods, health and well-being of humans. This requires us to work comprehensively by adopting mitigation initiatives and increasing resilience and adaptation and including human rights in legislation and policies and climate action plans as well as energy and industry plans. We agree with the recommendations towards further international cooperation in climate action based on common but differentiated responsibilities as well as upgrading the use of technologies that are of a low emission nature, in addition to using renewable energy resources. We agree with the report in that responsibilities must be shouldered by, uh, certain companies in addition to the responsibility of state. We need also to pay attention to the importance of negotiations among states, paying attention to the, uh, needs of developing countries, uh, and the possibilities of canceling debt, as well as innovative alternatives in order to help developing nations combat the scourge of climate change. Thank you. HRC · President [1:39:22]: Thank you. And I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Tunisia. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Iraq. Iraq [1:39:42]: Thank you, President. Our delegation reaffirms the importance of this synthesis report, particularly in light of the expanding financing gap and the increasing effects of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights, particularly in developing nations. In Iraq, we're facing increasing challenges, including increased temperatures, water scarcity, drought, desertification, dust storms, and, uh, related impacts on food and water security, on health and livelihoods. This is why Iraq reaffirms that the importance of providing concessional, sustainable, and sufficient, uh, financing is critical in supporting the efforts of developing states in adaptation and resilience. We stress the importance of, uh, developed states honoring their financing obligations while increasing international public finance, paying special attention to adaptation financing away from mechanisms that only increase the debt burden. We also reaffirmed the importance of capacity building and technology transfer, as well as supporting NDCs, taking into account national priorities and the circumstances of each state. Iraq calls for an international cooperation that is based on fairness and collective but differentiated responsibility in such ways to ensure that developing countries are not going to be disproportionately burdened compared to their contribution to climate change. Thank you. HRC · President [1:41:05]: I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Eritrea. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Rwanda. Rwanda [1:41:18]: Thank you, Mr. President. Rwanda welcomes the report and associates itself with the central findings that Climate finance must be sufficient, well-governed, and generally responsive to the rights of those most affected. Rwanda recommends to engage developing states to pay off finance mobilization with durable institutional and legal foundations, and require, as a matter of design rather than afterthought, participatory process and disaggregated attention to youth, women, and smallholder farmers. in climate finance instruments and recognize capacity and readiness support as a core climate finance rather than a precondition to be founded elsewhere. Rwanda stands ready to share further details on the experience and reaffirms its commitment to a human right-based approach to climate finance. I thank you. HRC · President [1:42:23]: Thank you. This was the last speaker that we could accommodate for this debate. And now we shall return to the list of speakers for national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. And I give the floor to the representative of the Morocco, Conseil National des Droits de l'Homme. CNDH [1:42:45]: Thank you, President. The National Council for Human Rights of Morocco welcomes the Secretary-General's report on financing climate action and reaffirms that a response in line with the climate emergency requires sufficient, accessible and equitable financing. In spite of commitments undertaken at various COPs, the mobilized resources are still inadequate to meet the growing needs for adaptation, mitigation and loss and damages. For CNDH, climate financing is above all about justice, solidarity and human rights. Particular attention must be paid to Africa, which makes a small contribution to global emissions while disproportionately suffering the impacts of climate change. Financing for adaptation, resilience, and protection of the most vulnerable populations must therefore be the priority in climate change financing. CNDH also underscores the importance of effective cooperation with NHRIs, civil society, and youth when drawing up and implementing plans of action for climate change. In this regard, we welcome the UNDP-GANRI partnership to study tools for NHRIs for monitoring of respect for the right to a safe environment. CNDH also stresses that climate financing must go hand in hand with reasonable due diligence for companies, as well as training and capacity building, encouraging them to make use of climate action funds. Finally, In CNDH's view, climate financing must be a true lever for climate justice, serving a just, inclusive, respectful transition. Thank you. HRC · President [1:44:18]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions. NANHRI [1:44:26]: Mr. President, speaking on behalf of eight status NHRIs from the African region, we welcome the Secretary-General report and highlight three key gaps. First, climate commitments are not sufficiently translating into accessible, predictable, and equitable resources for climate-vulnerable communities. Second, climate finance is not consistently grounded in human rights with inadequate participation, transparency, accountability. Third, debt burdens are limit fiscal space, constrain African countries' access to affordable climate finance. and NRI emphasizes that climate finance must prioritize adaptation, loss, and damage, advancing human dignity, resilience, equality, and justice. NHRI's consistent with the Paris principles have a critical role in monitoring climate finance, strengthening accountability, facilitating access to remedy, and ensuring meaningful participation of affected communities. Nanri would like to put forward five practical recommendations. First, climate finance should be rights-based by design, with human rights impact assessments and effective safeguards. Second, climate finance should become more accessible through simplified procedures. Third, there must be a shift towards grant-based and highly concessional finance. Fourth, all interventions should guarantee meaningful participation, transparency, accountability, and effective remedy. Fifth, NHRIs should be recognized as important accountability actors within the climate finance architecture. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [1:46:07]: Thank you. And I now give the floor to the representative of the Friends World Committee for Consultation. Friends World Committee for Consultation [1:46:16]: Friends World Committee for Consultation, Quakers, express our deep appreciation to the Secretary-General for the Synthesis Report. Sufficient climate finance is essential for trust and progress in climate negotiations and for transforming unsustainable energy, economic and food systems that drive existential threats to humanity. We welcome the report's findings on debt relief and tax justice to mobilize additional and non-debt creating climate finance. This includes a common good wealth tax, climate damages taxes grounded in the polluter pays principle, and aviation and shipping taxes. However, one critical absence is any focus on shifting military spending towards climate finance and other life-saving efforts. The IPCC concluded that moderate reductions in military spending could free up considerable resources. Last year, military expenditure reached $2.8 trillion, reflecting continued weapons growth at the expense of life-saving efforts, including climate finance. Forests burn, crops die, glaciers collapse, people die in extreme heat, thousands die in war, and military emissions intensify existential global heating. Our question for this dialogue is, how can we better engage our decision makers on prioritizing climate finance over military spending as essential to humanity's safety and the full realization of human rights for all? HRC · President [1:47:47]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Asia Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women. Asia Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women [1:47:54]: Thank you, Mr. President. My name is Danica Casillo, and I'm from the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women, or ARO. Climate financing must be sufficient accessible and grounded in human rights. Across Asia and the Pacific, women, indigenous peoples, young people and marginalized communities continue to face disproportionate impacts of climate crisis, while often having the least access to climate finance and decision making. We urge states and financing institutions to prioritize rights-based, gender-responsive and locally-led climate action, particularly adaptation, and to ensure resources reach communities the front lines. This requires closing the adaptation finance gap, strengthening public services and resilient infrastructure, and ensuring the meaningful participation of women and marginalized communities in the design, allocation, implementation, and monitoring of climate finance. Mobilizing sufficient climate finance is not only an economic imperative, it is a human rights obligation. Thank you. HRC · President [1:49:02]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of Franciscans International. Franciscans International [1:49:06]: Thank you, Mr. President. We welcome Secretary General's report and its synthesis. The report makes clear that the world continues to face a profound lack of political will while states and private interests are prioritized over urgent climate action. The causes of climate change have been known for decades, yet government and corporations have largely failed to address them. Even after the landmark opinions of the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which were preceded by the UN bodies and experts that clarify state obligations, there has been no urgent global cooperation or actions. As a result, we are now moving beyond the 1.5 degree goal of Paris Agreement, while increasingly frequent extreme weather events and devastating disasters continue to affect communities worldwide. The report not only acknowledges the current reality, but also examines its root causes, including the historical responsibility for climate crisis and the role and harmful impacts of private sectors. We urge states to address the ongoing legacy of colonializations, including corporate and state profits, and their devastating impacts on people and planet. These include addressing green colonialism carried out under the name of just transitions and the diversions of critical minerals toward militarism and weapon productions, which further intensify environmental harms. States, especially the global north, must increase climate finance, regulate corporations, and hold them accountable for human right, environment, and climate harms. I thank you. HRC · President [1:50:35]: Thank you. I give the floor to the Center for International Environmental Law for a joint statement. Center for International Environmental Law [1:50:45]: Mr. President, human rights are central to effective and just climate finance for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage. Yet current climate finance is not rooted in human rights, is too low, debt creating, and disproportionately focused on mitigation, with a small percentage going directly to communities. The UNFCCC Loss and Damage Fund is not funded at scale due to reliance on inadequate voluntary contribution. In its advisory opinion on climate change, the ICJ affirmed that climate finance at scale by developed countries is an obligation grounded in international law and equity. One must be clear about what does not constitute rights-compatible finance. Carbon market offsets are not climate finance, consumer rights harms, and don't realize real emission reductions. The overreliance on private finance is exacerbating debt crisis and undermining human rights. An investor-state dispute settlement mechanism further diverts public funds to private polluters through damage awards. True climate justice requires transitioning away from models that drain public resources and ensuring that polluters, as the fossil fuel industry, pay and are held accountable for climate harm. Fulfilling legal obligation to adequate, predictable, participatory, ground-based, and transparent public climate finance is indispensable to prevent further harm and safeguard human rights. Thank you. HRC · President [1:52:15]: Thank you. I give the floor to the India Water Foundation for a video intervention. India Water Foundation [1:52:21]: President, India Water Foundation supports the Human Rights Council's call for practical pathways to mobilize, educate climate finance for the full realization of human rights. India has demonstrated strong leadership in the area. At COP 30, India emphasized that adaptation finance must be new, additional, renewable, and largely grant-based, while supporting the goal of tripling adaptation finance by 2035. Domestically, India has mobilized 1.16 billion USD through UNFCC mechanism, including 803.9 USD million from Green Climate Fund and its NDC 3.0 target a 47% reduction in emission intensify by 2035. Climate change is ultimately a human right crisis, financing that increases gap can weaken countries ability to protect vulnerable communities and advance economic and social rights. India Water Foundation therefore, advocate accessible grant based climate finance guided by equity, climate justice and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Thank you. HRC · President [1:53:50]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Lutheran World Federation. Lutheran World Federation [1:53:57]: The Lutheran World Federation welcomes the focus on climate finance as a human right. For communities living on the front lines of the climate crisis, climate finance is not only a matter of numbers. It could mean having enough food after a drought, protecting a home from extreme weather event, or being able to rebuild a livelihood after a disaster. It is a matter of human right, dignity, and justice. Our experience with communities in different regions shows that climate finances work best when it reaches people directly, respond to their realities and enable them to participate in decision that affect their life. For millions of people, the persistent finance gap put a fundamental right, including the right to food, water, health, housing, and livelihood at increasing risk. Communities cannot simply put climate impacts on hold while waiting for adequate resources. We therefore call on the state to make climate finance more accessible, predictable, and just. Prioritize grants for adaptation and loss and damage, and should affect the communities, particularly women and marginalized groups, have a meaningful voice in decision. And strengthen human rights, safeguard transparency, and accountability across climate finance. Climate finance should be understood not only as economic instrument, but as an instrument of justice and solidarity. Those who have contributed least to the climate crisis must not be left to pay the highest price. We thank you. HRC · President [1:55:25]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of Papa Giovanni XXIII. Papa Giovanni XXIII [1:55:34]: Thank you, Mr. President. Inaction in tackling climate change is leading to the devastation of our common home and the tragic loss of lives and biodiversity. Anyhow, we can still save our future and our planet, and we also know what we need. Large-scale climate actions based on justice, equity, human rights, multilateral governance, and political commitment to phasing out fossil fuels and decarbonizing our economies. Climate finance is equally critical, but it should overcome its multiple limits and failings, avoid amplifying arms and inequalities, and be at the service of climate justice and people-centered development. Instead, current practices like corporate capture of climate governance and profit-oriented green transition too often result in intensifying natural resources exploitation, human rights abuses, and land grabbing and debt creation. As CSO working at the grassroots level, APG 23 has directly witnessed the harsh impact of such neocolonial and extractive practices, especially on indigenous peoples, pastoralists, and small farmers. APG 23 reiterates that aligning climate financing to human rights requires a right to development and solidarity-based perspective, ensuring adequate, accessible, and concessional public finance, incorporating human rights impact assessment, implementing mechanisms for accountability and meaningful participation of affected communities, and redirecting resources from the fossil fuels and war economy. The victims of our inaction cannot wait anymore. Thank you. HRC · President [1:57:09]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Rajasthan Samagra Karyalaya Sansthan for video intervention. Rajasthan Samagra Karyalaya Sansthan [1:57:17]: Thank you, Mr. President. When a flood destroys a home, a drought empties a well, or extreme heat closes a school, climate finance is no longer only an economic issue. It is a human rights issue. Yet finance still moves too slowly, too accessibly, too far from frontline communities. We urge a fundamental shift, adaptation and loss and Damage finance should prioritize grants over loans that depend climate date. Major disaster should also trigger temporary climate debit pauses, allowing government to protect people. First, we propose a global climate finance passport and open digital system tracing place funds from donor to committee, including various cost, beneficiary and measurable human right outcomes. A direct access window should also support local. Governments, women lead groups, indigenous peoples, farmers and grassroots organization without access barriers. Innovative lines on high emission activities can provide predictable additional resources. Mr. President, do not measure climate finance only by billions announced. Measure it by wealth restored, homes protected, jobs saved, and lives made safer. Climate justice being well financed is the frontline. I thank you. HRC · President [1:58:50]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Shaanxi Patriotic Volunteer Association for a video intervention. Shaanxi Patriotic Volunteer Association [1:58:59]: Mr. President, Special Rapporteur, delegates, I'm the founder of the International Patriotic Pact Organization, and I was active in the thematic discussion on the adverse impact of climate change on human rights. I'm from Shaanxi Province of China. I'm keenly aware of the droughts and the floods caused by climate change, which have deprived vulnerable communities of their right to development. However, as the report states, Climate finance faces challenges, including unfair distribution, heavy debt burdens, and decision-making being non-transparent. This is not a financial issue, but an issue of global justice and solidarity. As a civil society organization, we advocate loving one's own country without harming other nations' interest, still less at the expense of the global ecosystem. Therefore, we call for the reform of financing mechanisms that developed countries honor their commitments and provide grants rather than increasing debt, ensuring that funds flow to the regions most severely affected by climate change. At the same time, the rights to be informed and right of participation of indigenous peoples and vulnerable groups must be guaranteed. Climate action must never be allowed to become a new pretext for human rights violation. Our volunteers will continue to work in the field and monitor any action that undermines global climate justice, let us unite with the, uh, in the spirit of international patriotism and safeguard our shared homeland. Thank you. HRC · President [2:00:31]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of the Arab European Center for Human Rights and International Law. Arab European Center for Human Rights and International Law [2:00:39]: Peace be upon you all, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen. The Arab European Center for Human Rights and International Law welcomes the Secretary-General's report. We have seen in 2026 what has happened in Europe, Nepal, and Indonesia. So climate finance is not simply an economic issue. It is a human rights obligation. Climate change is threatening the right to life, health, and food. So this challenge does not require only mobilization of further resources, but it must guarantee that those resources are predictable, based on human rights, are predictable, transparent, and equitable. We call upon states and international financial institutions to prioritize grants over additional debt. so that states do not incur further losses. We hope that climate finance will always be based on equality and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. We would also like to see the effective participation of women and children and marginalized communities. Mr. President, climate justice cannot remain a promise. It requires resources, responsibility, and international solidarity. We urge that the pathways identified in the Secretary General's report into concrete action that protects human rights and to ensure that no country and no community is left behind. Thank you. HRC · President [2:02:23]: Thank you. This was the last speaker on my list, and I now give the floor to Ms. Hicks for her concluding remarks. You have the floor. OHCHR · Director, Thematic and Special Procedures Division [2:02:35]: Thank you, Mr. President. I'd really like to thank everyone who's contributed to this discussion and to my team here, Ben Schachter and Harriet Hurst, who are the ones responsible for bringing it to you. I noticed, of course, and it'd be hard not to, that this discussion has been, the communities and nations that are most affected by the issues of climate change have been well represented, and I wanted to just say how much we appreciate your insights, your expertise, and the experience you've brought to this interactive dialogue. And of course, we hope that those contributing the most to climate change today and in the past are listening to your voices. Also, I wanted to acknowledge again the concerns expressed by the Philippines, the core group to which they're a part, and the others on the late delivery of the report, which we share and deeply regret. Today's dialogue has reinforced a central message. Climate finance is a human rights issue of profound importance. The availability, accessibility, quality, and governance of climate finance directly has impacts on people's enjoyment of human rights now and in the future. Allow me to conclude by highlighting three key messages. First, Closing the climate finance gap is a human rights imperative. The report demonstrates that current levels of climate finance remain far below what is needed, particularly for adaptation and for responding to loss and damage. Least developed countries and small island developing states continue to face the greatest barriers to obtaining adequate and affordable finance, as many of you have noted. As has been said, climate finance is not charity. There are legal obligations in the climate context for developed states to provide financial resources to developing states for climate action. Meeting existing climate finance commitments remains essential, but to protect human rights and close the climate finance gap, we must go well beyond them. Public finance is particularly important for adaptation, loss and damage and other investments, but may not generate commercial returns that are essential for protecting rights. Climate finance should also support a just transition that promotes decent work, addresses inequalities and ensures meaningful participation of those most affected by decisions about the future of their economies and livelihoods. Second, finance must be aligned with human rights and climate goals. More finance alone is not enough. A human rights based approach requires that climate finance be people centered, transparent, participatory, non-discriminatory, and accountable. This approach is closely aligned with the vision of a human rights economy in which public and private finance decisions are assessed and not only by economic returns, but also by their contributions to quality, sustainability, and the realization of human rights. Climate finance should help build economies that are both resilient and inclusive. The report encourages states, financial institutions, and private actors to ensure that all climate-related investments are guided by human rights standards and informed by robust due diligence. Third and finally, reform of the international financial architecture is essential. Many developing countries are facing increasing climate risks while also confronted by rising debt burdens and limited fiscal space and grappling with the skewed international debt architecture. This undermines their ability to invest in climate action and the realization of human rights. The report identifies a number of actionable pathways, including comprehensive debt reform for climate vulnerable countries, alongside reform to multilateral development banks and has access to grant-based finance, stronger international tax cooperation, and measures to address illicit financial flows. These measures can help expand resources available for climate action and sustainable development. They're essential for human rights and can also help shape a state's abilities to mobilize the resources necessary to meet their obligations to people. As states prepare for continued discussions on climate finance within the UNFCCC process, including at COP31, human rights consideration should be front and center. Efforts to strengthen the scale, accessibility, and effectiveness of climate finance should be guided by human rights standards and prioritize the needs and demands of the people most affected by the climate crisis. Mr. President, several important questions were raised during the dialogue. In response, I'd like to emphasize that this report synthesizes existing obligations and commitments arising under international human rights law, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, and recent authoritative developments in international law, including the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. It is grounded in existing frameworks, including principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities, and respective capabilities. The report recognizes the important role that private finance can play in scaling climate investment, but it also notes that private finance alone cannot substitute for public commitments or a duty to cooperate. It must operate within existing frameworks that ensure transparency, robust safeguards, accountability, and respect for human rights. The report's central message is straightforward. Climate finance for all forms of climate action must be mobilized at the scale required to protect people and the planet, distributed fairly, and guided by international human rights law. It also resonates with the vision advanced through the Global Alliance for Human Rights, which calls for a whole of country approach, a whole of society mobilization to advance human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. the Sumama Pledging Tree for Human Rights-Based Climate Action, a catalytic initiative under the Global Alliance, offers an important opportunity to share and advance ongoing work and commitments to climate finance that is guided by human rights. We'd really love for all of you to contact us and see how you can support the Pledging Tree. If we fail to ensure a human rights-based approach to climate finance, the negative human rights impacts of the climate crisis will continue to worsen, temperatures and inequalities will continue to rise, and climate chaos will multiply. But if we act now, climate finance can become a powerful instrument for climate justice, sustainable development, and the realization of human rights for all. Thank you. HRC · President [2:08:40]: Thank you. This brings us to the end of this debate. And we will now begin the interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner's analytical report on best practices and main challenges in the promotion and protection of human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations. The list of speakers will close in 15 minutes. And I now give the floor to Ms. Peggy Hicks to present the report. You have eight minutes. OHCHR · Director, Thematic and Special Procedures Division [2:09:16]: Thank you very much. I'm pleased to present the High Commissioner's report on the promotion and protection of the human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations. The report draws on 50 submissions from states, United Nations entities, and other stakeholders, as well as the work of the United Nations human rights mechanisms and investigative bodies. It focuses on a practical and urgent question: How can states end impunity and ensure justice, effective remedies, and reparation for women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations? The context, as we all know, is alarming. The number of armed conflicts reached 61 in 2024. and an estimated 473 million children, more than one in six worldwide, live in conflict-affected areas. The UN verified that over 41,000 grave violations against children, a 25% increase from 2023, and 675 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of active conflict, the highest number recorded since monitoring began. Conflict-related sexual violence has also surged dramatically, with UN-verified cases doubling between 2024 and 2025. These aren't just abstract figures. They represent lives lost, childhoods interrupted, families separated, and survivors left to navigate violence and displacement, often without effective protection or redress. They also reflect distinct and often compounded harms. While women, girls and children experience conflict differently, a common pattern emerges. Heightened exposure to violence, displacement and exclusion, coupled with serious obstacles in accessing protection, essential services and justice. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, loss of livelihoods and barriers to health and justice. Children are particularly exposed to recruitment and use Fair separation, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of education. Discrimination based on gender, age, disability, race, ethnicity, displacement status, and other grounds can further deepen these risks and restrict access to essential services. The report documents these patterns in several contexts. In the occupied Palestinian territory, OHCHR reported exceptionally high civilian casualties, with women and children comprising the majority of those killed or injured. Starvation, attacks on health infrastructure, and severe restrictions on sexual and reproductive health services have compounded the harm. In Sudan, our office documented rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery, often on ethnic grounds, while millions of children have been displaced or deprived of education. In Ukraine, continuing attacks and damaged critical infrastructure have affected access to essential services, increasing caregiving pressures, and contributing to a heightened risk of gender-based violence. The applicable legal framework is clear. International human rights law applies at all times. International humanitarian law protects civilians and prohibits rape and other forms of sexual violence. Children are entitled to special protection. International criminal law establishes individual responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity. States must investigate and prosecute serious violations and provide victims with effective remedies and reparation. The obstacle is not the absence or inadequacy of legal standards. It is the persistent failure to apply those standards and to translate them into protection and justice that survivors can reach. Survivors face stigma, reprisals, high costs, physical distance, lack of documentation, inaccessible courts, and inadequate legal aid. Discriminatory laws and evidentiary rules can deter reporting. Procedures that do not account for trauma or age can cause further harm. Children associated with armed forces or groups are still often being treated as security threats or perpetrators, rather than primarily as victims. Each of these barriers can be addressed through concrete legal, policy, and budgetary decisions. The report identifies five priorities to close these gaps. First, states must ensure that women and children can meaningfully and safely participate in the design and outcome of peace, accountability, truth-seeking, and reparation processes. Appropriate safeguards, confidentiality, psychosocial support, and age-sensitive methods are essential. Sierra Leone's TRC produced a child-friendly report developed with children. Colombia's Truth Commission used literary narratives and digital platforms to make its findings accessible to younger audiences. Second, states must remove the institutional legal barriers that continue to shield perpetrators from accountability. Specialized capacity is needed. Investigations must be prompt, impartial, independent, gender-responsive, and child-sensitive, regardless of the alleged perpetrator. Amnesties, statutes of limitation, and discriminatory evidentiary rules that are inconsistent with international law must be removed. In Colombia, the special jurisdiction for peace uses an intersectional gender and age responsive approach across its macro cases. Specialized prosecutorial units and cooperation across jurisdiction can also improve the investigation of complex crimes. Third, justice must be accessible. A remedy that exists in law but cannot be reached safely, affordably, and without discrimination is simply not an effective remedy. Legal aid, witness protection, mobile and centralized services, disability inclusive procedures and coordinated support can make rights effective in practice. Gender responsive mobile courts, for example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo have expanded access for survivors in remote areas. And in Sudan, a woman led survivor centered one stop model has combined legal awareness and consultations with attention to safety and well-being. Fourth, reparation must be comprehensive, timely and adequately funded. and should combine restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-recurrence. It should address material loss, physical and psychological harm, stigma, exclusion, and disrupted education or livelihoods. Iraq's Yazidi Female Survivors Law provides an excellent example of an administrative mechanism offering these benefits. Reparation should not be treated as a symbolic final step. Properly designed, it can restore rights, rebuild trust in public institutions, and help address conditions that enabled violations. Oh, where's the last page? Children formerly associated. Speaker 133 [2:15:48]: Uh-oh. OHCHR · Director, Thematic and Special Procedures Division [2:15:50]: I'm missing a page. Children formerly associated with armed forces, thank you, should be recognized primarily as victims and supported through long-term community-based reintegration. Children born of conflict related sexual violence should be recognized as direct victims eligible for child sensitive reparation. Finally, prevention requires structural change. Gender equality, child protection, civic space, inclusive education, effective civilian oversight, and Accountability within security institutions are not separate from conflict prevention, they are central to it. Current pushback against women's rights, the exclusion of women from decision making and attacks on women human rights defenders weaken early warning, accountability and prospects for peace. The woman in peace and security agenda is more important than ever. Report calls on states to act in partnership with national human rights institutions, civil society, women-led and survivor-led groups, and children their representages. It encourages this Council to strengthen gender and child rights expertise across its mandates and to promote the exchange of practical experience and survivor-centered and child-responsive accountability. The central message is straightforward. Justice must be accessible to those who have suffered harm, remedies must respond to the full impact of violations, and reparation must contribute to prevent their recurrence. Women and children must be treated not only as victims, but as right holders and participants in decisions that shape peace and recovery. I thank you for your attention and look forward to the discussion. HRC · President [2:17:27]: Thank you. I now give the floor to Mr. Bernard Duhame, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparations, and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence for his remarks. You have five minutes, sir. UN · Special Rapporteur [2:17:42]: Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the High Commissioner's report, which is both timely and consequential in its examination of the human rights protection of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations, especially its important attention to access to justice. Its findings demand actions to establish truth, secure accountability, deliver reparations, and prevent recurrence, including by ensuring memory. Fulfilling these responsibilities requires states in conflict and post-conflict situations to address the barriers that gender and age create in accessing protection and justice. My predecessor's 2020 report on the gender perspective in transitional justice provides, in this regard, an essential foundation. States must confront the structural inequalities and relations of power that expose women and girls to violence and obstruct their access to redress. Reparation must help change those conditions. Returning women to discrimination, dependency, or exclusion cannot be our measure of success. Gender-based violence, including sexual and reproductive violence, requires sustained attention. So do the gendered consequences of enforced disappearances, displacement, dispossession, and violation of economic, social, and cultural rights, as addressed in my report to the General Assembly last year. The loss of education, health care, housing, and livelihoods can shape a woman's life for decades. Justice processes must recognize these harms. As far as they are concerned, children face killing and maiming, recruitment, sexual violence and family separation, and so many other violations, with consequences that often persist long after hostilities end. Attacks on schools and hospitals threaten their survival and development. A child cannot wait years for the care or education needed today. Mr. President, normative developments by the International Criminal Court and international ad hoc tribunals contributed significantly to addressing sexual and gender-based violence and crimes against children in armed conflicts, adopting procedural guarantees for victims and witnesses, and gender-sensitive and youth-focused evidentiary principles. These advances have raised the standard for the prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against children in national courts, positively guiding representatives of victims, the prosecution and/or the judiciary. However, impunity for sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against children continue to prevail and there are barriers to accessing justice. General recommendation No. 33 on women's access to justice of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women of 2015 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child offer important guidance in this respect. The report on denialism, negationism, revisionism, and serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including gender-based violence and crimes against children, that I presented to the Council this morning, emphasizes the importance of sustained political will, robust institutions, the protection of civil space, and indeed, inclusive participation. States must document youth and gender-based violence including domestic violence, and challenge stereotypes and narratives that discredit survivors, erase their experiences, and perpetuate discrimination. In my future work on transgenerational harm, I intend to examine how violence affects children and subsequent generations, including children born of conflict-related sexual violence. Assessing these effects requires a transdisciplinary approach, bridging law into dialogue with health, education, and the social science guided by survivors' knowledge, as I will address also in a future report to this council. In this context, the High Commissioner's report places a most welcome emphasis on participation. Women's organizations, survivors, and children human rights defenders must have real influence over peace processes and transitional justice. States must protect them from reprisals and support their participation with safeguards adapted to children's age and to gender and evolving capacities. Their views must carry weight when priorities, institutions, and budgets are decided. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the international community, including the UN's relevant entities, must fulfill its commitments on women, peace and security, and children in armed conflicts. Protection is urgent in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and so many other places. Sustained attention to women's and children's rights is also essential in transitional justice efforts in countries emerging from countries like Syria, obviously. I urge states to protect the human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations with determination. Political alliances must never shield perpetrators from accountability. This Council must sustain scrutiny and follow-up. Women and children bear the consequences of decisions taken in global institutions, including decisions to remain silent. Your political choices and resources must reflect this responsibility. Thank you very much. HRC · President [2:23:38]: Thank you. Before giving the floor to interested delegations, let me just inform all of you that with the existing time, we'll try to get in as much as possible the statements from delegations, especially group statements. However, we'll also try to fit in right of reply from yesterday's debate. So I do urge colleagues to put a hard stop at one minute 30 seconds even for group statements. I really urge you so we can try to finish on time and continue tomorrow. And now the list of speakers is now closed and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Poland on behalf of a group of countries. Poland · Lublin Triangle [2:24:32]: Mr. President, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Lublin Triangle, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. In July, the UN recorded the highest monthly number of child casualties in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia, with the help of its accomplice Belarus, has unlawfully transferred and deported Ukrainian children. They are militarized, face pressure to accept Russian citizenship, Russian education, and ultimately a Russian identity. Those children must be returned. Under no circumstance should they be part of exchanges of prisoners of war. Despite what Russia claims, it offers no protection. It only brings children displacement, conflict-related sexual violence, including in detention, loss of family members, and destruction of homes. That is what Ukrainian women and children face from Russia every day. Victims do not need our sympathy alone. They also need justice. They need perpetrators identified and prosecuted. They need effective remedies and reparations. This work needs to begin now. Failure to bring perpetrators to justice undermines prospects for durable peace. We call for strong national and international accountability mechanisms, survivor-centered and child-sensitive justice, preservation of evidence, and meaningful participation of women in decisions about recovery and peace. Mr. Special Rapporteur, how can Council ensure that evidence collected during conflicts is translated into actual prosecutions, effective reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence? I thank you. HRC · President [2:25:58]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Belgium on behalf of group of countries. Belgium · Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict [2:26:04]: Mr. President, this statement is on behalf of the Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict. We support the report's call for strengthened accountability, access to justice, reparations, and prevention measures for women and children affected by armed conflict. At the same time, children are rights holders in their own right and have specific vulnerabilities and protection needs in armed conflict. According to the SG's latest annual report on CARC, 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children were verified by the UN. This is the highest number of children affected since the mandate was created and signals a profound disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law. All conflict Parties must immediately cease all violations against children and respect their obligations under IHL and human rights law. Child survivors must have access to safe, accessible and child-sensitive justice mechanisms, as well as health, psychosocial and social support services. Reparations should respond to children's specific needs and support their long-term recovery and reintegration, and ensure their safe and meaningful participation. In decisions affecting them. Perpetrators of grave violations against children must be held accountable through prompt, independent, and child-sensitive investigations. Finally, we underline the importance of prevention, including protecting schools and hospitals and strengthening child protection and reporting mechanisms. I thank you. HRC · President [2:27:42]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Estonia on behalf of group of countries. Estonia · Nordic-Baltic states [2:27:50]: Thank you, Mr. President. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Nordic Baltic states. We remain deeply concerned that women and children are disproportionately affected during and after the armed conflict. We condemn all violations of international humanitarian law and all human rights violations and abuses, such as all forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual and gender-based violence, and all violations of children's rights, including the recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming, rape and other types of sexual violence, and abductions. Women and children must not be only protected from violations of international law. Their rights, dignity, and agency must be at the center of conflict prevention and resolution, peace building, post-conflict reconstruction, and transitional justice processes. We stress the importance of the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and decision making and all levels of peace and security processes. We welcome the High Commissioner's and his office's continued work on increased women's participation and leadership in peace processes. It is essential to ensure accountability for serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and provide effective remedies and reparation for the victims. We would like to ask the Office and the Special Rapporteur how to ensure greater participation of women and inclusion of women's rights in peace processes and post-conflict decision-making. I thank you. HRC · President [2:29:24]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the European Union. EU [2:29:29]: Mr. President, the European Union thanks the High Commissioner for his report. As the report highlights, women and children are disproportionately affected by armed conflict. Children face unique vulnerabilities and a lower threshold for harm than adults. In 2023, women and children accounted for 70% of civilian fatalities, with an upsurge of violations in 2025. They also face killings, forced displacement, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as disproportionate impacts from attacks on health and education facilities. These harms are compounded by pre-existing gender and age-based discrimination and stereotypes. These inequalities must be addressed as part of conflict prevention, peacebuilding and recovery, including through the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls throughout peace processes. The EU is advancing this through our implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, including in our external action and in CSDP missions. We share the report's call for a victim- and survivor-centred, gender-responsive and child-sensitive approach to accountability. The EU's Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy supports stronger national justice systems and victims seeking remedy. In this vein, we call for the full respect of international humanitarian law in armed conflicts. We would like to ask what concrete steps you would consider most important to ensure that women and children can effectively access justice and redress. I thank you. HRC · President [2:31:06]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Bahrain on behalf of the GCC. Bahrain · GCC [2:31:17]: Thank you. We take note of the report of the High Commissioner, and we note that women and children bear the heavy burden of conflict in the terms of displacement, deprivation of education, and basic services. This applies to Palestinians living under the Israeli yoke, they are denied assistance and basic services. We affirm that it is necessary to ensure access, unhindered access to humanitarian aid while protecting humanitarian personnel and ensuring equitable solutions to crises, promoting recovery and reconstruction. We note that the report contains terms which do not enjoy consensus, running counter to resolution 1619, which was adopted by consensus. We would draw attention to the High Commissioner's Bureau would draw your attention to the need to be very specific when using terms and avoiding ones that should not be repeated in future reports. Thank you. HRC · President [2:32:44]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Qatar on behalf of a group of countries. Qatar · Core Group of resolution 60/19 [2:32:52]: Mr. The President, On behalf of Costa Rica and Qatar, core group of the Council Resolution 60/19, which mandated this dialogue, we take note of the High Commissioner's analytical report and thank the Special Rapporteur for his participation in this meeting. Our initiative, which is further enhanced by this dialogue, responds to the plight of millions of women and children affected by armed conflict. We seek not only to reaffirm their rights, but also to ensure that violation against them results in concrete protection, accountability, justice, and reparation. Across almost all armed conflict that rack the world today, women and children bear the greatest burden. They face all forms of violence, killing, displacement, family separation. and other grave violations and abuses. Children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, recruitment, abduction, and the deprivation of education, health care, and essential protection. These violations are compounded by the disregard of international human rights law and the IHL. Such violations may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and in some circumstances, genocide. The victims too often encounter barriers to justice, inadequate protection, insufficient accountability mechanisms, and limited access to effective remedies and reparation. Taking concrete actions to address all these issues remain imperative to protect women and children. We look forward to further advancing the implementation of the resolution and call on all parties to armed conflict to abide by their obligations under applicable humanitarian rights and IHL. Thank you. HRC · President [2:34:34]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Pakistan on behalf of the OIC. Pakistan · OIC [2:34:40]: Thank you, Mr. President. The OIC takes note of the High Commissioner's report pursuant to Resolution 60/19. The report demonstrates that the existence of justice mechanisms alone does not guarantee access to justice. For women and children affected by conflict, avenues for justice must be accessible in practice, responsive to their specific circumstances, and accompanied by safeguards against stigma, reprisals, and further victimization. We note the report's emphasis on the interplay between international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law in addressing serious violations against women and children. Nowhere Mr. President, is the urgency of accountability more evident than in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly Gaza? Palestinian women and children continue to endure killing, starvation, forced displacement, and destruction of hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure by the occupying power, Israel. Persistent impunity for Israel's action compound their suffering and undermines prospects for durable peace. Justice, effective remedies, and reparation for victims of these actions must therefore remain integral to international accountability efforts. Mr. President, Finally, the OIC remains concerned by the references to contested terms and concepts in the report, which lack intergovernmental consensus. We urge the OHCHR to avoid advancing concepts which are contested, not grounded in universally agreed language and human rights instruments. Thank you. HRC · President [2:36:08]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Iraq on behalf of the Arab Group. Iraq · Arab Group [2:36:16]: Thank you, Mr. President. It is my pleasure to deliver the statement on behalf of the Arab Group. Arab countries pay great attention to the protection of the rights of women and children, particularly in armed conflict and post-armed conflict. The Arab League has been taking decisions and resolutions and adopting strategies to limit the damages of wars. Women and children are the most affected in conflicts. They face murder, displacement, and deprivation of basic services, and the scourge remains for years after the conflicts. The Arab Group would like to express its full condemnation of the violations and crimes by the occupying power against women and children. in Palestine and calls upon the international community to shoulder its responsibility to provide them with protection and to implement international instruments and agreements and put an end to impunity. The report at hand has contained language that does not benefit from consensus and is not based on any language from human rights conventions, unlike Resolution 60/19, which has benefited from consensus. And we call upon the High Commissioner to ensure accuracy in the use of terminology and to refrain from using terms that are not benefiting from general consensus. Thank you. HRC · President [2:37:38]: Thank you. And I'll give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cambodia. Cambodia [2:37:44]: Mr. President, Cambodia thank the High Commissioner timely report and share the concern over the growing number of armed conflicts and their disproportionate impact on women and children. Our recent experiences shows that armed conflict not only causes loss of life, but also create this proposed displacement and insecurity, damage civilian infrastructure, and disrupt access to education, healthcare, livelihoods, and essential services. Currently, more than 20,000 Cambodians, including over 9,400 women and 6,000 children, remain displaced due to the ongoing illegal occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai armed forces. In 2025, cluster munition were used against Cambodia. Since the recent Cambodia-Thailand border conflicts, survey across seven Cambodian provinces have identified nearly 4,000 square kilometers of newly affected areas, including almost 3,000 square kilometers contaminated by cluster munition. These new unexploded submunitions not only impede the safe return of displaced communities, but also continue to endanger civilians, particularly women and children, with long-term consequences for generations to come. Kamboure underscores that. Full respect for international law, humanitarian and human rights laws remain essential to protect civilians from the devastating consequences of armed conflict. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:39:23]: Thank you. And I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lebanon. Lebanon [2:39:29]: Mr. President, Lebanon aligns itself with the statements of the groups we belong to. Lebanon thanks the High Commissioner for his report with conclusions and recommendations resonate deeply with the lived experience of our people. The ongoing Israeli attacks have had a devastating impact on women and children, including through loss of life, displacement, destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, and disruption to education and health care. Lebanon's experience underscored the persistent gap between the clear framework provided by international humanitarian and human rights law and its effective implementation on the ground. The rights and dignity of all civilians, including women and children, must be protected without discrimination and in accordance with international law, particularly when hostilities escalate. We echo the call that protection must extend beyond the immediate response to violations to encompass access to justice as well as recovery, rehabilitation, accountability and reparations. This requires effective mechanisms to establish facts supported by political will, adequate resources and sustained international and engagement. Prevention must also remain at the center of our collective efforts so that future generations are not condemned to experience the same cycles of violence. And I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:40:55]: Thank you. This was the last speaker that we could accommodate for this afternoon, and it will continue tomorrow. I now give the floor to Mr. Duhaime for his concluding remarks. And because of the time frame, you have two minutes, sir. UN · Special Rapporteur [2:41:13]: Thank you, Mr. President. My understanding is that I was asked by Poland, the delegation of Poland, a question regarding how to ensure that once evidence is obtained, how it translates into prosecutions. I thank the delegation of Poland for its question and would refer to our last report on the documentation of massive human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law in contexts of transitional justice, including in armed conflict situations, where we refer to the importance of adapting methodologies and procedures to prevent the revictimization of women and children in these contexts. As far as prosecution is concerned, of course, it is important to collaborate with international and national judicial bodies and, when necessary, refer to the universal jurisdiction when international have been committed in those armed conflicts. I would also like to thank the delegation of Estonia on the questions regarding how to ensure the participation of women in peace processes and transitional justice processes, and would reiterate the observations and recommendations formulated by my predecessor in the 2020 report on gender approaches to transitional justice presented at the General Assembly, which formulates a series of observations, including encouraging states to minimize a series of obstacles that refrain women to participate in such processes, including structural biases and stereotypes, geographic and linguistic obstacles, safety and protection-related obstacles, and also to ensure the participation of women in the design and planification of transitional justice processes, the composition of transitional justice mechanisms, including truth commissions, ensure to adapt these processes in accordance with the principle of intersectionality, including with respect to age, to migratory status, refugee status, indigenous status, and so forth, and to ensure public awareness and education campaigns to ensure the maximum participation of women in these contexts. Thank you very much, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:43:24]: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. This brings us to the end of this discussion for this debate, which will continue tomorrow. And I wish to thank Ms. Peggy Hicks, and now represented by Mr. Dimitar Tchelev, and Mr. Bernhard Duhaime for their participation. Excellencies, distinguished representatives, I understand that there are certain delegations who have requested to exercise the right of reply from the debate yesterday. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Democratic People's Republic of Korea [2:44:27]: Thank you, Mr. President, the DPRK delegation exercises its first right of reply to the statement made by Japan and ROK during the interactive dialogues with the working groups on enforced and involuntary disappearances and arbitrary detention yesterday. Yesterday's conduct of the Japanese delegation, which used two, which used two different names for a sovereign state raises serious concerns about respect for basic international practice and diplomatic courtesy, while its continued reference to a non-existent abduction issue appears to serve as an attempt to divert attention from Japan's own past crimes against humanity. The suffering and painful memories inflicted upon our nation and the peoples of Asia by the fascist operation of Japan, which forcefully and illegally occupied Korea and other Asian countries in the past, have not faded to this day. As is well known, during its illegal military occupation, Japan took the lives of millions of innocent people and abducted and forcefully drafted 8.4 million people and forced 200,000 Korean women into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. While still rather than sincerely apologizing and taking responsibility for its grave crimes against humanity, Japan continues to openly whitewash and deny its heinous past crimes. while making shameless remarks that insult the victims who continue to suffer from the consequences of Japan's atrocities. History teaches us a clear lesson. A country that denies and whitewashes its past crimes will inevitably create the conditions of such crimes to be repeated. Japan must clearly understand that its bloodstained past can neither be justified or buried. Even now, Japan should correct this. Its, uh, distorted view of history and mindset and demonstrated since you're edited by properly addressing and settling all the suffering and damage it inflicted upon our country, our people, and the peoples of Asia, this is also the demand of the international community. Mr. President, those whom the ROK claims arbitrarily detained in the DPRK are individuals who entered our country and committed offenses, including espionage and subversive acts, and were dealt with in accordance with our domestic law. What sovereign state would simply turn a blind eye to espionage and acts aimed at subverting the state? The ROK has no standing to dare to dictate how we enforce our laws. Prosecuting and punishing those who violate the law is a sovereign right of every state. Instead of lecturing others on law enforcement, Taiwan should first put its own house in order and address the serious human rights violations committed under its notorious national security law. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:47:19]: Thank you. Before giving the floor to the next right of reply, Allow me to call on everyone to adhere to the language that is commensurate with the dignity inherent to the discussion of human rights issues. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of China. China [2:47:43]: Mr. President, in the interactive dialogue of working groups held yesterday, a small number of countries and NGOs made false remarks on issues concerning Hong Kong and Tibet interfering in China's internal affairs, smearing China on its human rights situation. China expressed a strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition. Contrary to the fabrication of certain countries and NGOs, facts have proven that with the implementation of the Hong Kong SAR security law, Hong Kong has entered a new phase of restoring order and pursuing prosperity. Hong Kong's prosperity, stability, better protected, legitimate rights, freedoms, residents are better protected. Jimmy Lai is a key mastermind participant in serious anti-China, disrupting Hong Kong. He has seriously endangered national security, undermined Hong Kong's prosperity, stability, well-being of its people. Clear criminal facts, conclusive evidence. Hong Kong SAR courts have rendered a fair verdict in accordance with the law, which is totally justified. The so-called label of human rights defender is by no means a permit for Jimmy Lai, a small clique of of Hong Kong's disruptive elements to commit crimes. Acts such as rioting, vandalism, arson, storming the Legislative Council, colluding with external forces, jeopardizing national security in Hong Kong, have nothing to do with the protection of human rights. China urges relevant countries abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect China's sovereignty and rule of law in Hong Kong, and stop meddling in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. Mr. President, China penalizes and punishes enforced disappearance in accordance with the law. The personal liberty of citizens, including people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, is protected. Public security organs handle cases, judicial organs hear cases, all in strict accordance with the law. There is no so-called issue of enforced disappearance. The incarnation of the living Buddha, including Ban Chan, is a unique way of succession in Xinjiang's Buddhism, must follow historic conventions, religious rituals, abide by Chinese law. and be approved, confirmed by central government. External forces have no right to interfere. The current 11th Panchen Lama is so legally recognized, incarnated living Buddha, confirmed through golden urn lottery, officially approved by the State Council, recognized, embraced by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The relevant NGO malign, hyping up false information at this council has nothing to do with promotion, protection, human rights, runs counter to the impartiality, independence they claim to uphold, must be rejected by the international community. Thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:50:17]: Thank you. I give now the floor to the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan [2:50:27]: Mr. President, we exercise our right of reply in response to the statement delivered by Armenia yesterday during the interactive dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. In this regard, we stress that the remarks made by the Armenian delegation concerning persons subject to criminal proceedings in Azerbaijan are entirely irrelevant to the mandate of the working group and sought to misrepresent the nature of these proceedings. It's also pertinent to mind that the persons referred to by Armenia were prosecuted for crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, financing terrorism, and other offenses against Azerbaijani population during the Armenian occupation of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, it's unfortunate to see that the Armenian delegation continues to portray legitimate criminal proceedings as a matter of arbitrary detention, thereby prejudging and disregarding the judicial proceedings conducted and judgment rendered therein. We therefore strongly urge Armenia to refrain from politicizing the Human Rights Council and the mandate of the working group. Instead, we call on Armenia to bring the remaining perpetrators of grave crimes committed against Azerbaijan population to justice. Doing so would demonstrate its commitment to peace agenda between the two countries and would make a meaningful contribution to the reconciliation. Thank you. HRC · President [2:51:52]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Moldova. Republic of Moldova [2:52:08]: Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to make this statement in exercising right of reply to the allegations made by the delegation of Russian Federation during the interactive dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions. First of all, let me stress that the statement contained a number of unfounded and politically motivated allegations against the Republic of Moldova, which we firmly reject. Second, let me stress that the Republic of Moldova authorities in charge of border security are conducting their activity in accordance with the national legislation and international commitments. Security checks of foreign citizens entering the country are conducted only upon necessity and constitute a normal procedure at any border crossing point. In a very limited number of cases, these checks may lead to a decision denying entry to a foreign national. Persons concerned are duly informed of the legal grounds for such decisions and are provided with necessary arrangements to return to their country of origin. Third, let me underline that Moldovan authorities do not have any specific policy in place to discriminate against any particular country. At the same time, the border checks are conducted with due attention to assessment of risks to public order and national security. Let me state in conclusion that given the security situation in the region, my country has very clear reasons to show increased vigilance and act preventively. Nevertheless, this approach is affecting a very limited number of persons. The Republic of Moldova will continue to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms to all persons in line with its constitutional provisions and international commitments. I thank you. HRC · President [2:53:53]: Thank you. I give the floor to a distinguished representative of Thailand. Thailand, please. Thailand [2:54:15]: Thank you, Mr. President. Once again, Thailand is compelled to exercise its right of reply to the remarks made by Cambodia. Thailand regrets the impact of the conflict on women and children and recognizes the disproportionate effect of the conflict on them. However, Allow me to reiterate that women and children on both sides of the border have suffered, and that protection must remain above political narratives. What Thailand cannot accept is Cambodia's attempt to misrepresent these humanitarian consequences and attribute them to Thailand while portraying itself as a sole victim of the conflict. Let me reiterate once again that this conflict was not initiated by Thailand, nor has it ever been in Thailand's interest. Thai civilians, including women and children, were the very first casualties of the conflict. When indiscriminate rockets fired by Cambodian forces struck civilian areas, including families in their homes and customers in a grocery store in Thai border communities on the 24th of July 2025, five children and seven women lost their lives. Thailand's use of force was undertaken solely in the exercise of its right to self-defence to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its people. Throughout its operation, Thailand exercised the utmost restraint, and its defensive measures were limited by necessity, proportionate to the threat faced, and directed in accordance with the principle of distinction and applicable international law. Cambodia, on the other hand, continue to implant new anti-personal landmines along the border, which is a clear violation of its obligations under the Ottawa Convention and will have a long-lasting humanitarian impact on civilians, particularly women and children. The suffering of Cambodian children deserve our concern, but so does the suffering of Thai children. Humanitarian suffering cannot be selectively misrepresented to support false allegations, advance contested bilateral claims, or portray one side as the sole aggressor, while the consequences of Cambodia's initiated and indiscriminate attacks are disregarded. Thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:56:55]: Okay, thank you. Excellencies, colleagues. We have about until 6, 10 minutes past 6, and we have four rights of reply for the first round, not the possibility of a second round. So please use the time judiciously, and if possible, we try to do all the right of reply this evening. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. Republic of Korea [2:57:28]: Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation takes the floor in exercise of its right of reply to address briefly the statement made by the delegation of the DPRK. First of all, the Government of the Republic of Korea will continue to work with the international community to bring about a substantial improvement in the human rights situation of the people of the DPRK. My government remains open to dialogue aimed at resolving humanitarian issues, including the resumption of reunion of separated families and immediate repatriation of abductees, detainees, and prisoners of war. We call the DPRK to promptly engage in inter-Korean dialogue. As a member of this Council, the Republic of Korea attaches great importance to the value of human rights and democracy, and will continue its effort to promote them. Furthermore, my delegation wishes the DPRK to cooperate with UN human rights mechanism to implement the recommendation of the international community so as to ensure a substantial improvement in the human right of its own people. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [2:58:36]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Japan. Japan [2:58:43]: Thank you, Mr. President. My delegation would like to exercise its right of reply in response to the statement made by North Korea. Regarding the abduction issue, the victims and their family are now well advanced in age, and some of them have passed away. There is no time to lose in resolving the abduction issue, which is a humanitarian issue with a time constraint. We strongly urge North Korea to resolve this abduction issue as quickly as possible. Regarding matters related to history, every country and region should approach its own past with humility and engage with it sincerely. Japan has done so diligently, and Japan's post-war trajectory as a peaceful nation is a testament to this commitment. Japan has constantly respected democracy and human rights, and contributed to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and in the international community over the past 80 years since the end of World War II. Japan intends to continue such contribution as a responsible member of international community. The claim and the figure that North Korea mentioned regarding Japan are groundless and based on factual error. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [3:00:01]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Armenia. Armenia [3:00:10]: President, Armenia exercises its right of reply in response to the right of reply delivered by the delegation of Azerbaijan. We would like to recall that accountability for alleged violations of international humanitarian law must be pursued impartially and consistently. It should contribute to justice and reconciliation, rather than be used to perpetuate accusatory narratives between two countries. We remain committed to consolidating peace and stability in our region, and we believe that addressing outstanding humanitarian issues, including those relating to prisoners of war, missing persons, and enforced disappearances, can make an important contribution to building confidence, strengthening trust, and reinforcing the foundations of that peace. I thank you. HRC · President [3:00:54]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cambodia. Cambodia, please. Cambodia [3:01:07]: Thank you, Mr. President. Cambodia takes the floor to exercise its right of reply to the statement made by Thailand. Cambodia categorically rejects all the allegations made by the representative of Thailand, which are unfounded, inaccurate, and misleading. Cambodia condemns any attempt to misuse allegations of any kind as a pretext to justify the use of force in violation of Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition, allow me to provide further information as follows. On who fired first, Cambodia neither initiated nor escalated the hostility. Cambodia recalls that the first serious armed incident occurred on 28 May 2025, when Thai troops opened fire on a Cambodian military position. killing Cambodian soldier Mr. Soon Roun. Therefore, thereafter, Thailand carried out disproportionate and discriminatory attacks, including strikes involving cluster munition affecting populated area and civilian infrastructure. On land mine, Cambodia categorically reject Thailand unilateral allegation of newly laid landmine. Cambodia has never planted new landmine. The landmine incident involving Thai soldier occur in documented legacy minefield within Cambodian territory. Thailand allegation have not been established through a joint independent investigation. Cambodia remains fully committed to its obligation under the Ottawa Convention. On the extensive destruction by Thai armed force, United Nations report have documented damage to school, health facility, bridges, road, electricity infrastructure, religious and cultural site, together with prolonged disruption of essential services to Cambodian civilian. On cultural heritage, UNESCO have confirmed that a severe damage to the world heritage of the Temple of Preah Vihear sustained during the July and December 2025 hostility. On Thailand's unlawful action on the occupied territory of Cambodia, why are Cambodian civilian homes destroyed? Why are land titles being issued to Thai citizens? Why have military and civilian infrastructure been established within Cambodian territory where demarcation remains incomplete? How does Thailand ensure that such actions do not create fait accompli or prejudice to the joint boundary processes. To conclude, Cambodia reiterates its call for a full and effective implementation of the 27 December 2025 joint statement that both countries agree in entirety without further delay. Both people deserve to live side by side in peace and enjoy their prosperity. I thank you. HRC · President [3:04:00]: Thank you. And now we go to the second round, and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the DPRK. You have two minutes, sir. Democratic People's Republic of Korea [3:04:12]: President, I would further emphasize that Japan's persistent denial and defiant justification of its great crimes against humanity in the past is a deeply ingrained practice characteristic of Japan as a former war criminal state and a state responsible for adoptions. Historical responsibility cannot be erased or evaded simply by shifting blame onto others. Addressing and settling its past crimes is a legal and moral obligation that Japan cannot evade, as well as a clear and legitimate demand of the international community. Japan cannot under any circumstances escape its historical, legal, and moral responsibility for its crimes. Crimes against humanity committed by Japan are not subject to any statute of limitations, and accountability for those crimes must without fail be ensured. If the ROK arbitrarily defines anything it doesn't like as a human rights violation, that is nothing more than an attempt to impose its own standards on a sovereign state. Political rhetoric does not override the law. Having already declared the ROK our immutable and absolute principal enemy, we have no reason or intention to sit down with the ROK, nor do we see any need for dialogue with it. The ROK should bear in mind that even the slightest provocative act directed against us will be regarded as a grave hostile act and could lead to unforeseen consequences. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [3:05:45]: Thank you. I give the floor now to the distinguished representative of Japan for its second round of right of reply. Japan [3:05:57]: Mr. Chairman, my delegation would like to exercise a second right of reply in response to the statement made by North Korea regarding the matter related to history. We will not respond to each of them in detail at this time. We believe that the many countries in this room, in this Assembly, recognize that Japan has consistently pursued the path of a peaceful nation since the end of World War II, making contribution to global peace and prosperity, including through development cooperation, peacekeeping cooperation and effort to improve human rights, universal value. Japan intend to continue contributing to peace as a responsible member of international community. I thank you, Mr. President. HRC · President [3:06:43]: Thank you. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Thailand for its second round of right of reply. Thailand [3:07:01]: Thank you, Mr. President. Thailand regrets to take the floor again to exercise our right of reply to the statement made by Cambodia earlier. The allegation concerning Thailand's attack on temples and cultural sites present a misleading picture. The reality is that the Cambodian armed forces deliberately use these sites for military purposes in conscious disregard of obligation under the 1954 Convention and the Additional Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. When cultural sites are intentionally used for military advantage, whether as positions, storage sites, or shields, this is a clear violation that undermines their protected status. Such misuse not only violates legal obligations, it also places these sites at serious risk of damage or destruction. Thailand's response was a legitimate act of self-defense and fully consistent with international law, grounded in the principle of necessity and proportionality. Thailand remains committed to safeguarding such sites ensuring they're never used in a manner inconsistent with international obligations. We also reaffirm our commitment to fully implement what the two leaders have agreed during the ceasefire agreement, and we certainly sincerely urge Cambodia to do the same. Thank you. HRC · President [3:08:42]: Thank you. Now I recognize a request for a third round of right of reply from the distinguished representative of Cambodia. And before giving him the floor, my apologies, it's a second round of right of reply, but before giving him the floor, it is important to note that from from the podium. It's obvious that distinguished representatives of Cambodia and Thailand have set out clearly their views on the political side of it and it is my conviction that the Human Rights Council have taken note of their views, their positions on the issue. And I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cambodia. Cambodia [3:09:35]: Thank you, Mr. President. I take the floor once again to deny, to reject all allegations just made by PR of Thailand in the second round of RAI replies. Let me reiterate that UNESCO has confirmed a severe damage to the World Heritage property of the Temple of Preah Vihear sustained during the July and December 2025 hostility. Other temples, such as Ta Muen Thom, by temple and other cultural site have also been experienced severe damage and are currently under the occupy occupation by Thai Armed Force we confirm that no cultural site have been used as a base for military purposes by Cambodia we what we see is that all Thai amful attack on our temples are deliberate and intended to destroy our temples I thank you. HRC · President [3:10:40]: Okay, thank you very much. Excellencies, distinguished representatives, colleagues, this brings us to the end of this meeting. We will reconvene tomorrow at 10 a.m. to hold the high-level panel discussion on the 60th anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights and to continue the interactive dialogue on the child commissioners and analytical report on best practices and main challenges in the promotion and protection of human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations, followed by the presentation of reports and the general debate under item 3. I'd like to thank all colleagues for their contribution, their very productive participation in this session. I'd like to thank, in particular, our interpreters who have stayed overtime. And I hereby close the 14th meeting of the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council. Have a good evening, everybody.