United Nations – Closing of the 34th session of the Human Rights Council (Geneva, February 27 to March 24, 2017)

France took part in the 34th session of the Human Rights Council which concluded on March 24.

The session focused in particular on the situation in Syria and made it possible to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry in order to combat impunity.

France also supported, together with its EU partners, the creation of a fact-finding mission to investigate the allegations of serious human rights violations in Myanmar/ Burma, notably against the Rohingya minority. It welcomes the renewal of several important mandates on the protection of human rights: the mandates of independent experts on the human rights situation in Mali and Iran; the mandates of the special rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders, on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and on the freedom of expression. The Human Rights Council strengthened the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan in order to provide it with the capacity to gather evidence on the serious violations committed in this country. It also decided to strengthen the monitoring of the human rights situation in Libya and North Korea. Lastly, France welcomes the statement by the president of the Human Rights Council calling for the strengthening of the national human rights institutions in Haiti, with the support of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Harlem Désir, Minister of State for European Affairs, reaffirmed on March 1 the priorities and goals that France intended to pursue in the context of its candidature for a new term on the Human Rights Council for the period 2018-2020.