HRC62 - EU Explanation of Vote - Renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on human rights and international solidarity

UN Human Rights Council 
62^nd Session – Item 3
Resolution L.8 – EoV


 

Renewal of the mandate of  the Special Rapporteur on human rights and international solidarity

EU Explanation of Vote

Mr. President,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the EU Member States that are members of the HRC. This explanation of vote has been agreed by the EU as a whole.

The EU thanks Cuba for the transparency of the negotiation process. 

International solidarity is one of the components of the EU’s external action. The EU and its Member States remain the world's leading providers of official development assistance, consistently driving global partnerships, humanitarian aid, and sustainable development. 

At the same time, the EU maintains a clear and long-standing position regarding the conceptual framework of this specific mandate. Human rights are held by individuals and owed to them by states. We are concerned that defining international solidarity as a distinct human right dilutes the core framework of established individual rights and risks shifting accountability away from the primary responsibility of states, the protection and promotion of human rights.

Moreover, we feel that the work conducted under this mandate continues to overlap significantly with other UN mechanisms, specialized agencies, and development frameworks. At a time of resource constraints, duplications must be avoided. We also wish to reiterate our call for processes undertaken under the mandates to be kept transparent.   

For these reasons, the European Union cannot support the renewal of this mandate and will vote against.

Thank you, Mr. President.