BACKGROUND RELEASE
 
GENEVA (19 October 2016) - The Human Rights Council will hold a Special Session on the most recent deterioration of the human rights situation in Aleppo, Syria on Friday, 21 October starting at 10 a.m. in Room XX of the Palais des Nations.

The Special Session is being held following an official request received from the United Kingdom on behalf of a core group of States including Germany, France, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, and supported by 33 States.  The letter received indicates that the Special Session is being called for “following the most recent deterioration of the human rights situation in Aleppo, and the failure of the Asad regime and its allies to fulfil their international human rights commitments.”

In order for a Special Session to be convened, the support of one-third of the members of the Council – 16 or more - is required.  This request was thus far supported by the following States that are Members of the Council (16): Belgium, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The request was also supported by the following observer States (17): Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Turkey

The list of signatories remains open up to the holding of the Special Session.  Therefore, the above list of States is to be considered provisional.

In connection with this Special Session, the Council will convene an organizational meeting on Thursday, 20 October, at 3 p.m., in Room XX, where specific details on the Special Session and its scenario will be announced.  This meeting is also public.

This will be the twenty-fifth Special Session of the Human Rights Council.

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For use of the information media; not an official record