- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY – 

Dear Mr President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to address this Council which remains the most important and most effective forum for advancing human rights. Human rights, as defined by the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration and the Human Rights Covenants, and echoed by subsequent regional conventions around the globe- are devised to save us from tyranny, re-establish human dignity and equality. Human rights are an indispensable tool for development and for peace. They guide us in ensuring that technology serves humanity and assists us in dealing with global threats- from climate change to weapons of mass destruction.

Human rights do not belong to any one civilisation. They form the basis of the social contract between governments and their population everywhere. They are inalienable, universal, indivisible, and interdependent. Economic, social and cultural rights depend on civil and political rights, and vice versa. They are mutually reinforcing and only by addressing all rights can we ensure that development benefits everyone and achieve the SDGs.

Leaders found a global consensus around this again when we adopted the Pact for the Future last September. 

To our help we have created a precious architecture of the UN human rights ecosystem as well as regional and national human right structures supporting states to deliver on their own commitments and ensure that we leave no-one behind.

The system of Treaty Bodies, the Council and its mechanisms: Universal Periodic Review and the Special Procedure mandate holders, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN agencies, are designed to support us all to deliver on our obligations and to protect our rights. 

Work of this Council is testament to the universal character of human rights. We have collectively made important progress in addressing challenges of environmental degradation, new technologies, in advancing gender equality and fighting all types of discrimination and attacks on fundamental freedoms and civil liberties. 

You can count on the EU to remain a reliable collaborative partner to our common agenda. We have successfully partnered with Latin American countries on rights of the child and with SIDS on climate change. We will continue to stand up for accountability and justice for human rights violations around the globe. We will listen to the voice of the victims, human rights defenders and civil society. 

The start of the 58^th session of the Council and of this High Level Segment comes at a solemn moment, marking three years since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, committing endless violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

A few weeks ago, the ceasefire agreement reached in Gaza, paved the way for the phased release of the hostages, end of hostilities and easing the humanitarian suffering in Gaza. 

Here too as in all conflicts, all parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, to ensure the protection of all civilians and unhindered humanitarian access at all times, everywhere.

No country and no region has a perfect human rights record. And that includes the European Union. We are ready to listen, learn, enter into meaningful dialogue and share our own experiences of our lessons learned and ongoing struggles and dilemmas. Human rights do not need to be a divisive agenda. We will work with all those who want to engage. 

Together all the United Nations members have a duty to prevent and ensure accountability for human rights violations and abuses, no matter where they occur. We will support all those who wish to bring those situations to the Council, as DRC did few weeks ago. And we will support the institutions set up to bring accountability, including for war crimes and crimes against humanity.The EU reaffirms its unwavering support for the international criminal justice system, particularly the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as its commitment to upholding the Rome Statute and preserving the ICC’s independence and integrity. 

Excellencies,

This year, we will commemorate 80 years of the United Nations. Multilateralism founded in human rights has improved the lives of millions. Peace and development underpinned by such cooperation is under pressure, weighed down by geopolitical tensions and disregard for the most fundamental principles of international law. We firmly believe in international cooperation and a multilateral system able to deliver on our collective commitments of the UN Charter based on fundamental human rights, faith in the dignity and worth of the human person, ina equality and justice, and to seek social progress, and better conditions of life in greater freedom. 

Thank you.