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The 47th session of the Universal Periodic was held from 4 to 15 November 2024. 14 Countries were reviewed during the session: Norway, Albania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal, Bhutan, Dominica, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Brunei Darussalam, Costa Rica, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Qatar and Nicaragua.

Le Conseil des droits de l’homme (CDH) des Nations Unies a tenu sa 57e session du 9 septembre au 11 octobre 2024. La crise de liquidités actuelle des Nations Unies, qui affecte profondément le fonctionnement du CDH, a une fois de plus imposé un fardeau supplémentaire et considérable aux organisations de la société civile – en particulier pour l’accès aux modalités hybrides et l’organisation d’événements parallèles.

La sesión 57° del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU (CDH 56) se desarrolló del 9 de septiembre al 11 de octubre de 2024. La crisis de liquidez que sufren las Naciones Unidas y que afecta profundamente el funcionamiento del Consejo, una vez más representó una carga adicional y significativa para las organizaciones de sociedad civil, sobre todo en cuanto a su acceso a modalidades híbridas de participación y su capacidad de organizar eventos paralelos.

The 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 9 September to 11 October 2024. The ongoing liquidity crisis experienced by the United Nations, which deeply affects the Council’s functioning, has once again put civil society organisations under an additional and significant burden - especially when it comes to accessing hybrid modalities and organising side events.

This council must act now to prevent itself from collapsing under the weight of its own compromise and complicity. We call on all states to end colonial domination and oppression, discrimination and persecution - we ask the states, if you can't hold genocidal regimes to account, how can we expect anyone else to adhere to accountability mechanisms.

We need a new sustainable development model that prioritises equal and equitable access to all resources for all, and which values people over profits. On the occasion of International Safe Abortion Day, we call for an intersectional feminist model to development that centres the voices of women, girls and gender-diverse persons in determining indicators to measure global development.

We regret that there were no recommendations explicitly made on the rights of sex workers. Whilst current legislation does not criminalize sex work, the 2008 Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation prohibits activities associated with sex work, leading many to believe that sex work itself is illegal.

This Panel is unique in its design as a self-assessing mechanism for the Council to evaluate its progress in integrating a gender perspective in all its mechanisms. However, we found that it has lost its internal focus and moved away from its mandated goal.

We urge the government to prioritise the development of a national plan for the inclusion of comprehensive sexuality education in school curricula as a mandatory subject. Access to comprehensive sexuality education will empower them to make informed decisions about their bodies, sexual and reproductive health, sexuality, and relationships. Comprehensive sexuality education is crucial for promoting gender equality, reducing violence, and enhancing the well-being of students across North Macedonia.

The principle of universality must be applied to challenge which families are considered to be worthy of state protection and therefore which family members are entitled to human rights, according to the state. At this very moment, we are witnessing families being decimated in service of a racist, colonial state and its expansionist aspirations. Are these family members not entitled to human rights?