The 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 16 June to 9 July 2025. The session was not hybrid because of the absence of a mandate from the General Assembly to retain remote participation. As the United Nations liquidity crisis deepens, the Council has adopted urgent measures to fulfil its mandate in line with the need to cut sixteen of its meetings by the end of the year. Practically, this resulted in adjusting the work of the session, with fewer days and negotiations on changing the modalities. This session, the length of interactive and enhanced dialogues was capped at 1 hour and 30 minutes, leaving 15 minutes for NGO statements.

Below, you will find information on some of the key sexual rights-related:

 

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Steadfast advocacy on gender, sexuality, sex work and human rights at HRC 59 in the face of protectionist interventions

HRC 59 comes at a moment of deep crisis for the global human rights ecosystem. The system meant to protect human rights is not just under attack — it is on the brink of losing its legitimacy and credibility.  The lack of accountability for the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the regression of human rights norms, coupled with the liquidity crisis in the UN, have reduced spaces for activists and civil society. We join others who have expressed grave concern about the UN’s financial situation throughout the session, and we deplore that this crisis is due in part by the failure of some states to pay their contribution to the system in full and on time.  Still, many of us remain in these spaces—because the cost of walking away seems too high, or because, for many national activists, this remains the only visible path to accountability. 

In this context of multilateral crisis, it may be tempting to focus sexual rights commentary on the growing attempts to restrict human rights understandings so that they serve only a “respectable” few. Such attempts have included efforts to constrain the analysis of human rights and violence to strictly biological understandings of ‘sex’, at the expense of the rights of trans people and of efforts to address the root causes of gender-based violence. Ongoing initiatives to further protectionist interventions undermine the autonomy, consent and demands of people affected, such as sex workers, trans people, and other groups targeted for deviating from patriarchal norms. It is imperative for all stakeholders to live up to the principle of universality, rejecting protectionism in all its forms and fostering meaningful solidarity and partnerships that transcend our organisational silos. 

Notwithstanding this context of crisis, the 59th session of the Human Rights Council was also the site of powerful advocacy and resistance:

 

Beyond Conflation: A Rights-Based Approach to Trafficking and Sex Work

SRI Side-event at HRC 59 organised in collaboration with the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and the European Sex Workers Rights Alliance (ESWA), FIZ Fachstelle Frauenhandel und Frauenmigration, Tiyane Vavasate, and the Caribbean Alliance of Sex Workers. It was co-sponsored by Urgent Action Fund, SWAN, APC, CREA, ICJ, AWID, ILGA, IPPF, La Strada International, GATE, Women Deliver, Akahata, Just Futures Collaborative, Amnesty International, Wo=Men, Our Voices Our Future, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

 

Sexual Rights-related Resolutions

 

Accelerating efforts to achieving women’s economic empowerment – A/HRC/59/25/Rev.1

Led by Kyrgyzstan, the Dominican Republic, the Republic of Moldova, Sierra Leone, and the United Kingdom. It was co-sponsored by 27 other countries as of 7 July 2025. The resolution was adopted by consensus.

The resolution highlights persistent inequalities faced by women, including poverty, pay gaps, unpaid care burdens, legal barriers, discrimination, lack of access to resources, and underrepresentation in decision-making and STEM fields. It recognises that structural barriers, stereotypes, violence, and lack of access to health, education, and financial services severely limit women’s economic participation. Significantly, the resolution refers to social protection floors and their access as essential for gender equality. The resolution further calls on states to assess the impact of structural adjustment, debt, taxation policies, and trade agreements on women and girls and reform their policies to fully realise economic empowerment, an important step in understanding the structural and systemic barriers to empowerment. The text emphasises that addressing these barriers, including through gender-responsive social protection and equitable access to natural resources, is crucial for sustainable development and poverty eradication.

The resolution urges states to take concrete actions to remove legal, social, and economic barriers to women’s economic empowerment. It calls for equal pay, access to financial services, land rights, and decent work conditions, while strengthening protection against gender-based violence and discrimination. It asks for the promotion of investment in care infrastructure, universal social protection, gender-responsive budgeting, lifelong learning, digital skills, and equal representation in leadership and policymaking. States are encouraged to reform educational curricula to eliminate stereotypes, support women entrepreneurs, close the digital gender divide, and ensure inclusive pension systems. Crucially, the resolution also urges private sector accountability and improved data collection, and requests a UN report on the impacts of trade agreements on gender equality.

Watch the discussion and adoption. 

 

Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: prevention through the fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights – A/HRC/59/L.24/Rev.1 as orally revised

Led by Canada and co-sponsored by 15 other countries as of 8 July 2025. The resolution was adopted by consensus.

The text acknowledges intersecting and systemic forms of discrimination, the links between poverty, climate change, lack of social protection, inadequate housing, food insecurity, limited education, poor health services, and the heightened risk of gender-based violence. The resolution importantly acknowledges that the full enjoyment of all human rights by all women and girls includes sexual and reproductive health and rights, free from coercion, discrimination and violence. 

It emphasises the transformative role of economic, social and cultural rights — including decent work, social protection, access to housing, education, health (especially sexual and reproductive health) — in addressing root causes and preventing violence. The text highlights the need to challenge patriarchal systems, ensure the involvement of civil society, and protect freedom of expression online and offline to prevent and combat violence against women and girls throughout their lives.

The resolution stresses the urgent need to address its multiple and intersecting root causes. States are called upon to take immediate, effective measures to prevent and eliminate violence by ensuring women’s and girls’ equal participation in policymaking, strengthening legal frameworks, guaranteeing economic and social rights, promoting safe public spaces, protecting housing rights, advancing inclusive education (including comprehensive sexuality education), bridging the digital divide, and securing the right to health, including sexual and reproductive health. The resolution urges States to ensure equal access to justice, support victims and survivors through accessible remedies and services, and ensure meaningful participation of civil society and women’s rights organisations.

A total of 9 amendments were tabled. Six, tabled by Russia, were withdrawn, and the other three were rejected by vote. The amendments considered are provided below:

  • Replace “comprehensive sexuality education” with “age-appropriate education” shaped by cultural context and parental guidance, and delete one mention of sexuality education, tabled by Bahrain (on behalf of the Group of Arab States), and rejected by 27 votes against, 13 in favour and 6 abstentions.
  • Replace references to “sexual and reproductive health and rights” with broader language on physical and mental health, that would include SRH, tabled by Bahrain (on behalf of the Group of Arab States), and rejected by 27 votes against, 13 in favour and 5 abstentions.
  • Replace “bodily autonomy” with “personal integrity”, tabled by Bahrain (on behalf of the Group of Arab States), and rejected by 26 votes against, 13 in favour and 7 abstentions.

Watch the discussion and adoption.

 

Mandate of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls – A/HRC/59/L.18/Rev.1

Led by Mexico and Chile, and co-sponsored by 14 other countries as of 7 July 2025. The resolution was adopted by consensus.

The resolution expresses deep concern about the persistence of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination worldwide — including those exacerbated by digital technologies — and underscores that discrimination against women and girls violates principles of equality and non-discrimination. It welcomes the work of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, decides to extend its mandate for another three years, calls on States to cooperate fully and provide information and access for country visits, encourages the involvement of UN bodies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples and the private sector, and requests continued support, resources and reporting to ensure the Working Group can fulfil its mandate effectively, keeping the elimination of discrimination against women and girls a high priority for future Council sessions.

Watch the discussion and adoption.

2025 marks the 15-year anniversary of the Working Group, created by HRC resolution 15/23 in 2010. Since then, the Working Group has provided important contributions to human rights norms and standards related to gender and sexuality. Among them are thematic reports on health, safety and the instrumentalisation of women's bodies; women deprived of liberty; sexual and reproductive health rights in crisis; gendered inequalities of poverty; and lately on care and support systems. 

The Working Group has also issued important guidance on the rights of sex workers, in which it joined other mandates in calling for the full decriminalisation of adult voluntary sex work and for guaranteeing the full range of sex workers’ rights, including their labour rights. 

Notably, in its recent Guidance document on substantive gender equality, the Working Group criticised attempts to frame discrimination as “sex-based” because of their “mischaracterisation of aspects of women’s biology as burdensome or inherently creating vulnerabilities” and insisted that “biology itself does not create burdens or vulnerabilities; instead, these arise from the ways societies, cultures and political systems choose to interpret and respond to biological differences.”
 

Empowering women and girls in and through sport – A/HRC/59/23/Rev.1

Led by Qatar, Indonesia and Morocco, and co-sponsored by 19 other countries as of 7 July 2025. The resolution was adopted by consensus.

The resolution emphasises the importance of empowering women and girls through sport. However, the resolution fails to achieve its potential and address barriers by not building upon the previous HRC resolution on the Elimination of discrimination against women and girls in sport and the subsequent OHCHR report on the intersection of race and gender discrimination in sport mandated by the same resolution.  Consequently, the resolution fails to address the systemic discrimination embedded in many elite sports, more specifically, gender based discrimination and racial discrimination, also highlighted in the OHCHR report and SRI submission for the report and statement on the report.. 

It highlights sport's role in promoting equality, health, and education, while addressing persistent challenges such as discrimination, underrepresentation, violence, and barriers faced by women and girls, including those with disabilities. The resolution calls on States and sports organisations to promote gender equality in sport by enhancing participation, combating discrimination, ensuring safe environments, addressing pay gaps, increasing women's leadership, and improving media representation. The resolution also mandates a panel discussion and a report to further these efforts.

Watch the discussion and adoption.

 

Access to medicines, vaccines and other health products in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health – A/HRC/59/L.8

Led by Brazil, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Thailand, and co-sponsored by 22 other countries as of 7 July 2025. The resolution was adopted by vote. The vote was called by Czechia, resulting in 32 votes in favor, 15 abstentions, and no oppositions. This marked the first vote on the resolution since 2013, as it had previously been adopted by consensus.

Even after the world has experienced a global pandemic, it is very concerning that some states still privilege intellectual property rights over the rights of people, and that transnational corporations and their profits are protected over the people’s rights.

The resolution underscores the fundamental right to health, emphasising equitable access to medicines, vaccines, and health technologies as essential for achieving universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the burden of diseases like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and the need for strengthened health systems, local production, and international cooperation. The resolution recalls prior commitments, including the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and public health. It stresses the importance of addressing barriers such as intellectual property constraints, high costs, and supply chain vulnerabilities, particularly for vulnerable populations.

It calls on States to ensure timely and equitable access to health products by leveraging TRIPS flexibilities, promoting local production, and fostering international collaboration. The text urges research and development to be delinked from pricing, supports technology transfer, and emphasises the role of innovative funding mechanisms. The resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to analyse access barriers and mandates follow-up reports. 

Watch the discussion and adoption.

 

Implementation of activities mandated by the Human Rights Council in the context of the United Nations liquidity and financial crisis – A/HRC/59/L.37 

The decision A/HRC/59/L.37, presented by the President of the Human Rights Council,  addresses the severe disruptions caused by the United Nations' ongoing liquidity and financial crisis. The decision expresses concerns over the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' assessment that numerous mandated activities—including critical reports, panel discussions, and workshops—cannot be delivered in 2025 or 2026 due to funding shortages. These activities cover a wide range of human rights issues, from the rights of persons with disabilities, unilateral coercive measures, menstrual hygiene, and HIV/AIDS. The Council calls for greater transparency in how these decisions were made and requests updated assessments to determine whether some initiatives can still proceed. 

This reflects broader systemic challenges within the UN, where delayed or unpaid contributions from member states have led to a chronic liquidity crisis. This financial instability forces difficult prioritisation decisions, with human rights programs often deprioritised in favour of more immediate operational needs. The cancellation of these mandated activities weakens the Council’s ability to fulfil its mandate, just as global conflicts and authoritarian crackdowns intensify. Without reliable funding, the UN’s human rights machinery risks becoming increasingly symbolic rather than effective, raising urgent questions about Member States’ commitment to upholding their financial and moral obligations under the UN Charter.

It was adopted by consensus. Watch the discussion and adoption.

 

Elimination of female genital mutilation – A/HRC/59/L.22

Led by Ghana (on behalf of the Group of African States), and co-sponsored by 19 other countries as of 7 July 2025. The resolution was adopted by consensus.

The resolution condemns female genital mutilation as a human rights violation and calls for global action. It highlights FGM's severe health impacts, links to gender inequality, and risks posed by digital misinformation, while recognising technology's potential to aid prevention. states are urged to ban FGM, protect survivors, implement digital awareness campaigns, close the gender digital divide, and ensure women’s participation in policymaking. The resolution also mandates a high-level panel to explore digital solutions and safeguards, emphasising international cooperation and funding to end FGM by 2030.

Watch the discussion and adoption.
 

Other relevant resolutions

  • Enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights (Uganda, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries) - A/HRC/59/L.4
  • The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (Czechia, Chile, Iceland, Indonesia, Lithuania, Maldives) - A/HRC/59/L.5
  • The negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights (Romania, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Tunisia, Morocco, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Poland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) - A/HRC/59/L.6
  • Human rights and international solidarity (Cuba) - A/HRC/59/L.9
  • The Social Forum (Cuba) - A/HRC/59/L.10
  • The right to education (Portugal) - A/HRC/59/L.11
  • The contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights (China, Cameroon, Pakistan) - A/HRC/59/L.12
  • Civil society space (Ireland, Chile, Japan, Sierra Leone, Tunisia) - A/HRC/59/L.13
  • New and emerging digital technologies and human rights (Republic of Korea, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Morocco, Singapore) - A/HRC/59/L.14
  • Mandate of Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (Austria, Honduras, Uganda) - A/HRC/59/L.15
  • Impact of arms transfers on human rights (Ecuador, Peru) - A/HRC/59/L.16
  • Human rights and climate change (Bangladesh, Philippines, Viet Nam) - A/HRC/59/L.17
  • Enhancing international cooperation, technical assistance and capacity-building to strengthen national frameworks for the protection and empowerment of children in the digital space (Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Viet Nam) - A/HRC/59/L.19/Rev.1
  • The safety of journalists (Austria, Brazil, France, Greece, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia) - A/HRC/59/L.20

 

Sexual Rights-related Discussions

 

Annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women

Panel 1: Gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings

The panel discussion shed light on the widespread use of gender-based violence as a weapon of war and a tool of oppression in crises worldwide. The discussion emphasised the urgent need for stronger implementation of human rights frameworks, better accountability for perpetrators—including non-State actors—and meaningful inclusion of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery.

Watch the debate on UN Web TV. A statement by a member of the Sex Workers Delegation was made during the panel discussion, which you can watch here.

 

Panel 2: Commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy focusing on overcoming barriers to women's leadership in peace processes

The panel commemorating the International Day of Women in Diplomacy focused on tackling the persistent barriers that limit women’s full, equal and meaningful leadership in peace and security processes worldwide. The discussion highlighted worrying data on women’s underrepresentation in negotiations and peace agreements, stressed the transformative impact of women’s participation on sustainable peace, and called on States and international bodies to strengthen commitments, funding and protective measures to ensure that women in all their diversity can lead and shape peace processes safely and effectively.


 

Statements by sex worker delegates

SRI Oral Statements

  • SRI statement (also in Spanish) to the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, commenting on her report on the impact of the 2023–2025 “super election” cycle on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. Unfortunately, the statement could not be delivered due to the restricted speaking slots available for NGOs. Watch the first and second parts of the interactive dialogue on UN Web TV.
  • SRI statement (also in Spanish) to the Interactive dialogue with the Working Group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises, commenting on their report on artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, the statement could not be delivered due to the restricted speaking slots available for NGOs. Watch the interactive dialogue on UN Web TV.
  • SRI statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on health, commenting on her report on health and care workers as defenders of the right to health. Unfortunately, the statement could not be delivered due to the restricted speaking slots available for NGOs. Watch the first and second parts of the interactive dialogue on UN Web TV.
  • SRI statement (also in Spanish) to the interactive dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, commenting on their report on gendered dimensions of care and support systems. Watch the first and second parts of the interactive dialogue, as well as our statement, on UN Web TV. 

Joint oral statements

  • Joint statement with the Center for Reproductive Rights (also in Spanish) for the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, commenting on her report on health and care workers as defenders of the right to health. Watch the first and second parts of the interactive dialogue, as well as our joint statement, on UN Web TV.


 

UPR Outcomes

The 59th session included the adoption of the outcomes of countries reviewed during the 48th working group session of the Universal Periodic Review, which took place from 20  to 31 January 2025. The Council adopted all 14 outcomes from the reviews of the following countries: Italy, the Gambia, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Iran, El Salvador, Bolivia, San Marino, Angola, Madagascar, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq and Egypt. 

SRI collaborated on reports with organisations and activists to prepare reports for the UPR reviews of Angola, Bolivia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

We made a joint statement with Ondjango Feminista on the adoption of Angola's UPR outcome. Watch the adoption here.  At the UPR outcome of Bolivia, we made a joint statement with IGUAL Bolivia, Diverse Trans Men from Bolivia, and the LGBTI Litigants Network of the Americas . Watch the adoption. We have also made a joint statement with the Sarajevo Open Centre on the adoption of the UPR of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

SRI Side Event 

 

Beyond Conflation: A Rights-Based Approach to Trafficking and Sex Work

Organised by the Sexual Rights Initiative, in collaboration with the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and the European Sex Workers Rights Alliance (ESWA), FIZ Fachstelle Frauenhandel und Frauenmigration, Tiyane Vavasate, and the Caribbean Alliance of Sex Workers. It was co-sponsored by Urgent Action Fund, SWAN, APC, CREA, ICJ, AWID, ILGA, IPPF, La Strada International, GATE, Women Deliver, Akahata, Just Futures Collaborative, Amnesty International, Wo=Men, Our Voices Our Future, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

The side event brought together global voices to challenge the widespread conflation of consensual sex work with human trafficking. The panel highlighted how the false notion that all sex work is trafficking fuels harmful stereotypes, endangers sex workers’ rights, and undermines real anti-trafficking efforts. Sex work, as the consensual exchange of sexual services between adults, is a source of livelihood for millions worldwide and must be recognised as legitimate work.

The discussion also unpacked how states continue to treat trafficking and migration primarily as security threats, relying heavily on law enforcement while claiming a human rights approach in name only. This securitised lens deepens stigma and discrimination, especially against migrant women, and ignores the root causes of unsafe working conditions across many labour sectors. Panellists called for policies grounded in consent, bodily autonomy and the recognition that safe migration and sex work are not problems to be eradicated but realities to be protected through rights-based frameworks.

Speakers: 

  • Shaunna-May Trotman; Caribbean Alliance of Sex Workers
  • Julia Vilanculos; Tiyane Vavassate
  • Solé; FIZ Fachstelle Frauenhandel und Frauenmigration
  • Siobhán Mullally; Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children

Moderated by Jules Kim; The Global Network of Sex Work Projects

 

Side events co-sponsored by SRI

A human rights approach to addressing the precarity of undervalued gendered labour

The side event shed light on the precarity of gendered labour, which is undervalued, underpaid, or completely rendered invisible and unwaged, and situates it within the current landscape of the capitalist and neoliberal economic paradigm. It built on the report of the UN Working Group on the Discrimination against Women and Girls, focusing on the gendered dimensions of care and support systems, as an opportunity to address the precarious nature of gendered labour by including the redefinition, redistribution, and revalidation of labour.

 

We are still here: building a feminist playbook

Women Deliver, Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN in Geneva, AWID, ILGA World, IPPF, NSWP and SRI.

The side event was moderated by Carrie Shelver, Manager of the Sexual Rights Initiative, who highlighted the deep crisis facing the global human rights system. She warned that spaces like the Human Rights Council risk co-opting radical struggles into acceptable policy soundbites while ignoring the structural inequalities driving injustice. She urged activists to stay vigilant, protect their politics, reject false hierarchies of rights, and build true solidarity and transformative change grounded in survival, care, and resistance to entrenched power.

 

Human rights and migrant health and care workers

This side event, organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health and co-sponsored by the Sexual Rights Initiative, focused on human rights and migrant health and care workers, examining their dual role as both rights holders and protectors of patients' rights. The discussion emphasised fair recruitment, equitable workforce distribution, and the need for stronger protections for migrant workers, including fair labour contracts, credential recognition, and pathways to long-term residency or citizenship to reduce exploitation risks. The discussion further honed in on the impacts of conflict and genocide on the right to just and favourable conditions of work and on the right to health for health workers and their patients, with an emphasis on the cases of Gaza and Palestine more broadly, and the ongoing wars in Sudan and the DRC. It was moderated by Anthea Taderara (SRI), who highlighted the interconnections between what happens at the international and global level, with what happens in halls of power at the national level, and with what is happening in the health centre at the local level.

 

The Israeli Genocide, Weaponisation of Aid, and Forced Displacement: Protecting the Rights of the Palestinian People

The side event was organised by SRI’s partner BADIL Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, and was moderated by Pooja Badarinath. UN experts, civil society, and state representatives condemned Israel’s ongoing genocide, forced displacement of Palestinians, and manipulation of aid as tools of domination. Speakers denounced the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as reinforcing Israeli control and called for urgent accountability measures under international law, including sanctions, arms embargoes, and support for Palestinian rights, self-determination, and decolonisation. The event concluded with strong demands to restore genuine humanitarian aid, defend UNRWA, and link the Palestinian struggle to wider global decolonial movements. More information about the side event can be found at BADIL’s website.

 

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