Human Rights Council reaffirms mandate of the Commission on human rights in South Sudan and concludes special session

ROUNDUP

GENEVA (14 December 2016) - The Human Rights Council this afternoon concluded its special session on the human rights situation in South Sudan after adopting a resolution that reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

In the resolution, adopted without a vote as orally revised, the Council placed renewed emphasis on the need of the Commission to establish the facts and circumstances of alleged violations and abuses of human rights, with a view to ensuring that those responsible were held to account.  It requested the Commission to suggest priority recommendations for the Government of South Sudan on how to end sexual and gender-based violence; and urged the Government of South Sudan to appoint a Special Representative on sexual and gender-based violence.  The Council also demanded that all actors put a halt to all violations and abuses of human rights and all violations of international humanitarian law, and strongly called upon the Government to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The opening meeting of the special session heard statements by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Yasmin Sooka, Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan; Yanghee Lee, Chairperson of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures; and Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, in a video message.

A summary of their statements and the debate can be found here.  

This was the Human Rights Council’s twenty-sixth special session.  Documentation relating to the special session is available on the Human Rights Council webpage. The thirty-fourth regular session of the Human Rights Council will take place from 27 February to 24 March 2017.

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For use of the information media; not an official record