War & Armed conflicts

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.

The functional denial of sexual and reproductive rights is connected to the denial of other rights, including the rights to health, non-discrimination, education, and freedom from violence. We are disappointed Canada did not fully accept several recommendations in support of broader health equity, particularly on access to services for undocumented people.

We urge States, especially Global North States, to implement Special Procedures’ recommendations and call for a permanent ceasefire, and immediately stop their support for Israel’s genocide. This Council must concern itself with human rights violations and do away with double standards.

President, this panel comes at a critical juncture for the premier multilateral body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights. UNDP has documented that “twenty-five developing economies, the highest number since 2000, spent over 20 percent of their government revenues in 2022 on total external debt servicing.”

Our response to these coordinated attacks must be focused on building solidarity across movements and issues, and on strengthening transnational ties that enable us to amplify and elevate each other’s priorities and demands. This is why today we echo the global feminist call for the March 8th strike and stand in solidarity with Palestinian feminists and women in Gaza who are facing human rights violations of an unprecedented scale yet who are still building solidarity and paving the way for collective liberation.