Presser President of the Human Rights Council Amb. Federico Villegas 23 February 2022

Well, very good morning to you.

[Other language spoken]

For those here in person and those online with Ambassador Federico Villegas, the President of the Human Rights Council for 20/22 for the 16th cycle of the Human Rights Council.

Before we get into the press conference, I just wanted to alert you to the information which we have for you is the A-Z Guide and the list of **** level segment speakers as well as a list of draught resolutions that have been announced at a public meeting last week along with the programme of work which is still a moving target.

So all this information I will be sharing with you momentarily.

For those of you online, I realise I haven't pushed the button yet, but you will have that before you in your e-mail in the few minutes.

In the meantime, I'll turn over to Ambassador Villegas for his opening remarks and then to you for your questions.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you, Rolando, and it's a pleasure to keep up that tradition of meeting with you in each before each session of the Council.

And of course, we will keep you up to speed on everything that is happening in the next session.

Before I get into the details, allow me to just share a little bit about myself.

I'm the permanent representative of Argentina in Geneva since June 2020.

I came from Mozambique where I was four years.

I opened the Argentine embassy in Mozambique and I was, I'm a career diplomat, a lawyer and I was twice director general of, of human rights.

I'm a specialised in, in this issue.

And of course, it's a very great honour for me to be president of the Human Rights Council and especially to be here in this library, because 25 years ago I was here as a junior diplomat and this was the heart of the Palais.

You know, there was no WhatsApp diplomacy.

We didn't even have laptops.

And so here in this library, we have desktops and desktops for the delegates to write our speeches and our ambassador's speeches.

So for me, it's always special to come back to the library.

And it's a pleasure to to be with, especially because Argentina is a country that has human rights in our DNA since we came back from democracy after a very tragic recent history of violations of human rights.

And the mothers and grandmothers of Plaza and Major of Argentina used to come here to denounce these appearances, and they came here to display 30 years after that, to be part of the Argentine delegation to approve the International Convention against the enforced Disappearance of Persons.

So it is a success story of a tragic experience.

And of course, that experience of Argentina will be part of my experience that I will try to share as president.

The pandemic, of course, is essential.

It's part of our job, but also of the next session and it has an impact in modalities and in substance.

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Of course, despite the recent reelectations of Switzerland, UNOC decided to keep some restrictions in the Palais de Nassim.

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On the contrary, if you look at 2021, we were one of the bodies that had the highest amount of work.

We approve over 175 resolutions, we had five special sessions and we kept fully the programme of work as if we had a normal year.

It has been recognised by the international community while other organisations and body decided to stop and and and and postpone all activities.

But the next session is good news because we will have a session closer to 2019 than to 2020 and 21.

We will have for the first time 5 full weeks, first time ever in the council 5 full weeks session.

We will be in room 19 with some spillover capacity in room 20.

This is just because of the restrictions of capacity of people in the room.

So room 19 has a slider bigger capacity and that is why we are going there.

And you will have the detail on the substance.

Of course, the pandemic has an impact everywhere and the Council is not an exception.

We will have three panels that address the pandemic, Technical assistance on 7th of March, access to vaccines on 10th of March, public policy on 22nd of March.

Then we will have panels and other themes, the annual **** level panel discussion on promoting the mainstreaming of human rights throughout the United Nations system.

I invite you to see this panel is very important, very **** level.

It's going to be the afternoon of opening day, 20th of February.

We'll have a panel on rights of the Child, 9th of March, Rights of persons with disabilities, 14th of March, racial discrimination and xenophobia.

Another very important issue that the council addresses on the 25th of March.

Other themes.

You know, this is the hub of progressive development of human rights all over the world.

This council is the place where progressive development of human rights is done.

So every session we have many themes.

Just to mention some of the themes over 40 in this session, women's rights, environment and climate change, safety of journalists and human rights defenders, right to food and housing, right to privacy, rights of all the persons, rights of persons with albinism and many others.

On country situations.

Of course, country situation is another of our endeavours.

We will have in this next session approximately 50 country situations Afghanistan, Belarus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Theopia, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and many others.

Of course, reports on experts are the heart of the of the Council.

More than 100 reports will be presented.

More than 30 experts and groups will be having their presentation and and dialogues and the **** level segment is going to be quite a a challenge for the ballet because of the renovations and the restrictions.

But I think everybody is happy to be back with the in person multilateral diplomacy and what better opportunity that a **** level segment that we already have 139 **** level representatives confirm for the **** level segment that starts next Monday and 74 of them in person in Geneva.

That's something that everybody's very excited, very **** level people next week and from the UN system confirm participation in person in Geneva, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the General Assembly, of course, the **** Commissioner of Human Rights, Doctor Tedros, the Secretary General of UMTAD, and many more other officials.

At the end of the session, we will be taking action on a series of draught resolutions.

33 have been submitted so far, but more may come.

And of course there is a prerogative of states to raise any issue they want either tabling resolutions or addressing in debates and **** level segment.

Finally, on the you on the housekeeping, you have materials to help you this I recommend this the very nice done the A-Z on the next session and of course the the list and the timely updates and the social media.

To wrap up, we will have a a very jam packed days ahead.

It will be a challenge for the workload and the conditions, but we must do this.

We have to remember always in historical perspective what we are doing here in the Council.

This is the only multilateral body that is able to address the human rights situation of every single country all over the world is the only human multilateral body that addresses serious situations of violations of human rights.

And the third row, which is very important, sometimes not so visible, it is the heart of the progressive development of new norms and standards of human rights that will benefit future generations to have a better life than present and past generations in the respect of rights.

So thank you very much.

I'm very open to to questions.

Thank you, which is going to say thank you very much, Ambassador.

Before I turn over to just to mention the **** level segment list is still a moving target.

The numbers are actually I'm told that I've even increased further.

So now we even have more than 140, so that is, and please be mindful of that.

And I would double check that list up until the last hour.

And there is a note to correspondence I failed to mention at the onset that we shared with you on some of the modalities that the President hinted towards in terms of your access to the meetings.

And then, of course, lastly is the background press release you should have received early this morning in French and English.

So without further ado, over to you, I think.

Christian, in the room on the left, please.

[Other language spoken]

It's Christiana with the German Press Agency.

I wonder what you have heard from Madame Bachelet on the Xinjiang report.

Is that going to come out and being discussed at this meeting?

And I have a question on Ukraine to what can the Council do to to deflect tension in Ukraine?

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much for your question regarding the report of Madame Bachelet.

[Other language spoken]

And we, we don't know when it's going to be presented, if it's going to be discussed at the session.

We, we are waiting and any country always during the session has the possibility of of raising any issue.

But also the any NGO has the possibility of raising an issue and any special rapporteur has the freedom of expression of raising an issue.

But regarding that, you will have to ask the office of Madame Bachelet regarding Ukraine.

The situation of Ukraine has been in the Council as a special attention since 2014.

We will have an interactive dialogue on the situation of Ukraine following a presentation of the **** Commissioner on Ukraine on the 29th of March.

In addition, states of course and NGOs, because this is important, NGOs will be back in the Palais in the room being able to express their opinions, but also through video statements.

We'll have a state of NGO, several opportunities to raise the situation in Ukraine as early as the **** level segment at the start of the session.

And then again and there are general debate on country situations.

We have a general debate on country situations, which is Item 4, and that's another opportunities.

We have had resolution extending the mandate of the Office of the **** Commissioner on Ukraine that have been passed regularly on a yearly basis since 2014.

The last one was 4722, that was passed in July 2021, last year and the Council heard the latest update on Ukraine on December 2021.

And regarding what might do or not, the Council, the procedures are there, the tools are there in general and when something is not in the programme approved in the organisational meeting, there usually, and we have many cases of both examples, we have either special sessions or urgent debates.

The difference is special session is when the session when the Council is not in session.

Once the Council is in session from next Monday, you cannot have a special session within a session.

So you we change to another tool, which is urgent debate.

We had the most recent, and I'm sure you are very much aware, in 2020, Belarus was an urgent debate and the killing of George Floyd was also an urgent debate.

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But any state can race and decide to propose whatever they might, they may feel suitable.

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Maybe we'll take just one more in the room before we go online.

So Antonio from Spanish News Agency.

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As you are representative of Latin America, I'm going to ask about Nicaragua and Venezuela.

What do you expect from these debates is.

There going to be.

Resolutions after the debates and do you think with more?

Presidential meetings this time.

More things are going to are going to be done.

In this session in.

Comparison with with last year.

[Other language spoken]

Maybe just for the benefit of non Spanish speakers you say?

Well, the in person presence may be ameliorate or make it the discussions more sharp.

I apologise for my hearing and thank you for your questions.

First, well, Nicaragua and Venezuela are among the the country situations that we have mentioned before and they both have resolutions on a yearly basis in the Council.

And of course any State we will have reports on both countries and any state has the the possibility of raising and making a proposal to have a resolution on Nicaragua or Venezuela.

So we will see as the dynamic of the Council comes.

But it there are two countries that are of a special attention of the Council and that is why they have the resolutions also.

So I expect that those two countries will be addressed in some way during the session and and during the year.

On the presence, of course, definitely the there is no doubt that the in person is another kind of multilateral diplomacy.

Virtuality has some limits, has many advantages, but has some limits and it's precisely what I intend with the presidency.

The in person allows mutual understanding of commonalities and differences in conversations, in constructive engagement in the in the coffee or in the informal consultations.

Imagine we had last year informal consultations online that was very traumatic for delegations or NGOs for everybody.

Now we will be able to go back to rooms like we used to, to with people talking, expressing their views, sharing paragraphs, wording and suggesting changes to get a consensus.

That is something that is absolutely unavoidable as a as a benefit for multilateral diplomacy.

So I, I very much look forward to that.

[Other language spoken]

We have another question online.

Well, now we have a question online, I should say from Jamil Shard if we could on Dare you go Jamil, go ahead.

[Other language spoken]

My question first regarding Ukraine, once again, we.

Saw the.

Other day, the Ambassador from the United States sending a letter to Mrs Bachelet on the issue with some claims.

I would like to ask, have you also received any appeals or any requests by the Western?

Group by the EU or by the US.

In the same or similar pattern as Madame Bachelet has.

Received.

That's the first question.

Second, it's maybe Rolando has already dealt with, but I came in a little.

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The access to journalists at the Palais at at the Room.

If NGOs are back, it is more than fair that the press.

Is back as well.

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I don't have to explain you.

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It clear that this is very important for us, but also for the principle that you represent.

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On the question on Ukraine, of course it has.

The situation has triggered international attention.

It's obvious I read that that letter of the ambassador and but no, the Presidency has not received any requests from any state regarding a special tool or or idea to to be before the Council on this situation and on access to journalists in in substance, Of course, we all want journalists back in the belly and he will explain the modalities.

[Other language spoken]

Of course, we, I mean I think Jamil, you know, well my priority is to help you all in your reporting.

And with that said, we have guaranteed quite a lot of space inside the room.

The only real big challenge will be the opening day.

We will have to limit our our numbers in the room because we have lots of **** level litigations, including from the secretary general, the President of General Assembly.

But rest assured, we will allot quite a number of seats inside the room for the written press, also for the audiovisual media.

We also have a gallery upstairs.

So we do everything we can.

And of course, you'll be sharing the space as if you, as you have in the past with NGOs who were encouraging their in person participation as well as as the ambassador said.

So yes, do look at the note to correspondence that was issued, I think it was yesterday, which spells out these details.

And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach me or Matt or Pascal.

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We have a question now from Don't Say or a Swiss news agency.

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For the briefing.

Another question on on Ukraine, because yeah.

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That it's going to be quite central in the session as well, so.

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That it might have such an heavy weight.

In the discussion.

That it might.

Over shadow the impact on on other topics other.

Country situations.

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Well, that's up to the states.

That's up to the states, how they address the issue, in which opportunity, in which tone.

We always want a constructive dialogue, constructive atmosphere to understand each other.

And no matter how difficult a situation is, we always have to have the ability to speak among ourselves and share our arguments.

And the Council gives the opportunity for that.

And we have many issues and many countries situations over 50 I mentioned.

So it will be up to the member States to put an atmosphere that is balanced and allows the Council to work fully in in in its agenda.

And I will just guide that debate with the other vice chairs.

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We have a question first, Jamie Kitchen from Associated Press in the room.

I'll behave.

Hello, Sir, I'm Jamie from Associated Press.

My question is also about Ukraine, the and and Russia.

First, a couple of housekeeping items.

I see that Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to come on March 1st.

I assume that it's because it's not mentioned video message that he will be here in person.

That's the plan, right?

[Other language spoken]

I also noticed that I don't see anyone from Ukraine plans to come from a **** level for **** level segment.

Is that still in consideration?

And then I have another quick question.

First question, so far, Miss Minister Lavrov is scheduled exactly on March 1st in person.

So far this is up to 22nd of February the list and honestly, let's see if you don't see Ukraine.

I'm sure this is a very dynamic list that every 4-5 hours changes and of course the lift of restrictions.

I have to say this is for Ukraine, for anybody else, the lift of restrictions just recently in Switzerland is a game changer also for countries to decide to come or not.

That is why sometimes we don't have confirmation and it's it's moving all the time in person video statements because of the lift of restrictions, certificates, etcetera.

[Other language spoken]

Maybe just just to note, Jamie, it's possible up until the 11th hour for any state to add their name to that list.

So of course, as I mentioned, just please take a look at that moving target.

[Other language spoken]

Another question is, I also noticed that Ukraine is not expected to come up until March 29th.

That's the country report on, which is obviously quite a while from now.

What are the prospects or the possibilities if a sort of special session might be called within the Council session which I think we've seen in the past?

I mean, is there any movement in that regard yet if you had any requests or is that a possibility?

And when would be the earliest that a special session within the Council session on Ukraine could happen?

Yes, as I said before, a special session within a session that that's not possible what the modalities allowed the procedure is once a session started, it's an urgent debate.

It's, it's the same thing, but it, it's another procedural modality and an urgent debate can take place as soon as the council decides to do so and has to make a decision according to the rules of Procedure, which is a a consensus or a vote with a majority of positive votes over negative votes.

And that's those that's for everything.

And so we will see when the start council starts and the dynamics.

[Other language spoken]

No, I haven't had any requests or information on a decision of a country's requesting to make an urgent debate when the Council starts.

So far no information on that.

[Other language spoken]

If if I may just add very briefly to that, Jamie.

Of course, once we if if we do receive any such requests, of course we'll let you know instantly.

And it's our job and as secretariat also to advise on when, when would be possible space within the very packed programme as you have before you.

So we would need to consult with the Bureau and the President, of course is to find the most the optimal some time to hold that.

But we'll inform you of everything should that happen.

We have a question now from Nick of the New York Times.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you and good morning.

Sorry I can't be with you in person.

I would have liked to join this session, Ambassador.

There's a lot of talk about the politicisation of the Council.

We have issues like Xinjiang and Ukraine on the agenda.

Obviously that looms pretty large over the coming session.

How much is that a concern of yours?

And what is it that you can do?

Or to to kind of.

Address that, thank you.

Indeed, the politicisation is a fact of the Council, but one thing is the politicisation and another thing is the polarisation.

There is.

Human rights issues are many times political issues and a domestic agenda and an international agenda, but we have a collective responsibility in the Human Rights Council to make the Council work to strengthen human rights all over the world and to apply the rules that we have to have the debates on human rights issues.

So I expect that all Members will ask with will behave with that collective responsibility and the politicisation, as long as doesn't polarise and paralyse the council, is something that can be manageable through debates with mutual understanding and respect in the way to express our opinions.

So I'm aware but not worried because I trust in the collective responsibility of the members of the council and the observers.

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Now we have Nina Larson of Argent France Press.

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For taking my question actually I I first I wanted to just clarify, I think you said.

That for an urgent debate.

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Half of the States, the Member States.

To to.

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So is that does that mean that an urgent?

Debate is more difficult to hold than a special session, which I think only needs a.

3rd of the countries, so I'd like.

Just like to clarify that.

And then I wanted to ask about the politicisation issue.

Are you concerned that this might spark more more of a crackdown?

On sort of civil.

Society, what are you doing to to avoid to avoid that and have you.

Seen any increase?

In that since the ahead of the session.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, in the first question, yes, we need half of the membership to decide to have an urgent debate once a session has started and that will be the case in case that that thing comes on the second, the NGOs differently.

The NGOs are are hard essential part of the Human Rights Council and the the the worries of the NGOs participation is something that they themselves are worried because of the situation and they will be participating in the Council with their full freedom of expression and opportunity to express their opinions.

And states are used in the Council to listen to the Ng OS statements.

And this the same way that we are the states used to listen to special rapporteurs and independent experts, regardless of the sometimes we will not, we will not perhaps all the timeshare views, that's the heart of the Council.

We are able to express and listen different views.

And NGOs will have a very important role in this session and the whole year.

And I intend to have a close relationship with NGOs because that's something absolutely essential to understand the importance of the role of NGOs in the Council, but also domestically in each of our countries to collaborate with the state in developing human rights policies, institutions.

So yes, it's going to be a very important part.

[Other language spoken]

We have a question now from Byram of the Turkish News Agency.

Thank you Rolando Miramal to an adult agency.

Rolando, can you share?

With us the list of.

[Other language spoken]

Afternoon, who will attend the Council's **** level segment because that will help us to make plans and the other issue is also as in other sessions, will there be a new reports on countries such as Syria, Yemen and Myanmar and R.E.M.?

[Other language spoken]

Yeah, Byron, we did share, I did share of of the last version of the list of speakers for the **** level segment you should have in your inbox that we sent at 10:00 at the start of this press conference.

That is the latest version, although I'm told that is even changed since then.

So again, to all reminder, just take a look at the emails I sent you and also the link where you can obtain through your own means the latest version.

In terms of country reports, again, another reminder to take a look at this nice little booklet, the A-Z, all the countries including Syria, there is a Commission of inquiry that is presenting a report.

Now you mentioned Yemen also Yemen is not, there's no report on Yemen this session and I can't, I don't it didn't hear the last country report you mentioned.

Could you please repeat that?

[Other language spoken]

In fact, yes, there are three reports, please, Ambassador.

[Other language spoken]

We we, of course, Myanmar is part of this decision and we have two opportunities of interactive dialogues on Myanmar that we will listen to the rapporteurs and also we will listen to the **** Commissioner on Myanmar.

Thank you, Ambassador Christian.

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Question from German news agency.

AI, come back to the report on Jin Jiang.

Is the council interested in seeing this report?

And are you asking Mrs Bachelet to publish it at any time, or are you just sitting back and waiting for her to publish it at the time of her choosing?

[Other language spoken]

The Council addresses the issues that has in its agenda.

So we will have to to wait for anything that means before the Council, an encouragement for the Council to make a decision or have an opinion.

We don't have on the table a report of the **** Commissioner on this to address or react yet.

So we will have to wait and we will have to wait for that.

And we will have the the dynamics of every state will be what to propose to the council on how to address that report when it comes.

And that will depend on each state.

Of course, that doesn't mean that the situation of judicial has not being erased.

In the past, we had the situation of Jinxiang addressed by different NGOs or countries in different statements in general debates.

That's the basis of the council, the freedom of expression of each state or NGO to address any issue.

But the thing that we have to understand is the the good thing of the council is that no matter how important an issue is for the international community, the world opinion, we have tools in the council to address those issues through specific tools like a report of the **** Commissioner, a report of an independent expert, a country resolution, a universal periodic review, revision of a country.

That's another tool which is very important where a country's situation is put on the table.

And for the first time ever, every country puts a situation on the table and gets an average, every country, an average between 200 and 300 recommendations by other member States and by NGOs to do something.

So the tools are there and the situation in Xinjiang has been addressed in different formats by Member States or NGOs, in different expressions, unilateral expressions.

If we have the report, of course that report will have the Council addressing it the way that we have our tools to address.

Are you asking her why it is delayed and are you asking her to publish it with a matter of urgency or is the council just hands off and just sitting back?

The, the Office of the **** Commissioner has a full mandate to do the job and she does it very well.

And it's not for, for me as president to ask her to urgently put forward a report.

It's a hyperbarative and to, to come to the council and have the report.

And no, I haven't asked her urgently to give us a report.

[Other language spoken]

I mean as as the President mentioned earlier, I would just direct those that type of question on the **** Commission report to to the office directly to our colleagues working with the media section there.

One more question from Antonio, please.

On the health measures that will be in the council, will masks still be mandatory and do the attendees?

Need to show vaccination?

Proof.

Or a negative PCR.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but first, yes the mask will still be mandatory for the time being and second, no director of UNOC said no certificates to enter the Palais or COVID certificates or or PCR attacks of.

Course, maybe just to clarify also that it's not the Council rules, it's the UNOC rules.

So we heed those that advice of course.

So whatever the Director General decides, we follow accordingly.

[Other language spoken]

For the questions in the room, we're online.

On that note, then, I'd like to thank you very much, Ambassador Villegas, for joining us.

And to you, members of the press, we, Matt and Pascal, here in the room, we're at your disposal.

If you have any questions, you need any stairs, don't hesitate.

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