Human Rights Council elects Jürg Lauber of Switzerland as its President for 2025

Ambassadors of Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Romania elected to serve as Vice Presidents for next year

GENEVA – The Human Rights Council has elected Ambassador Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office at Geneva, to serve as its President for a one-year term beginning on 1 January 2025.

The Council also elected Ambassadors Tareq Md Ariful Islam of Bangladesh (Group of Asia-Pacific States), Razvan Rusu of Romania (Group of Eastern European States) and Paul Empole Losoko Efambe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Group of African States) to serve as vice presidents next year. Ambassador Efambe will serve as Rapporteur of the Geneva-based body. A fourth vice-president will be elected later from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

“Let us recall that by defending Human Rights, we can prevent harm before it happens,” outgoing Council President Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco said. "By advancing human rights, we create a fairer world. By protecting human rights, we protect our future.”

He added: “The Human Rights Council is this wonderful forum, this tool of multilateralism through which our differences are discussed in order to be better brought together; but also, and above all, it is a forum where our common will to build the global human rights architecture is expressed and implemented.”

Ambassador Lauber told delegates of the Council’s 47 Member States: "I am deeply grateful to you for electing me as the 19th President of the Human Rights Council and I look forward to accompanying you on this journey in 2025."

He added: “Switzerland played an active role in the conception of the Human Rights Council and, since its creation, has helped make it a strong and effective forum for promoting the protection of all human rights around the world. I myself bring with me the values of a multilingual, multireligious, multicultural country, exemplifying the values of democracy, dialogue and consensus.”

“I firmly believe in the mandate of the Human Rights Council and its influence within the United Nations system. Its effective contribution is beyond doubt and deserves to be further valued. Please be assured of my personal commitment to ensure that 2025 is a successful year for the Human Rights Council as it approaches its 20th anniversary [in 2026].”

Before the elections, the Council approved the appointment of Albert Kwokwo Barume from the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the position of Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Mr. Barume replaces Francisco Cali Tzay of Guatemala.

Earlier, the Council heard an update from Monica Varela Garcia, Chief of the Interpretation Service and Officer-in-Charge of the Division of Conference Management at the United Nations Office in Geneva, on conference services provided to the Council.

The Council also heard from co-facilitators examining:

• the contribution of Geneva to the General Assembly process of reviewing the status of the Human Rights Council;
• new technologies, artificial intelligence, and the digital divide;
• the rationalization of initiatives and activities created through the Council’s decisions for a greater efficiency of the programme of work;
• making the Council a more efficient and inclusive body through the use of modern technology;
• the efficiency of the Universal Periodic Review process;
• addressing challenges faced by delegations from small and developing countries, in particular small island developing states and Least Developed Countries.

Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez, Permanent Representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, briefed the Council on her activities as Gender Focal Point including for cases of sexual- and gender-based harassment in the Council, and Marcela Maria Arias Moncada, Permanent Representative of Honduras, presented an oral report on her work as Vice-President and Chair of the Council Task Force on accessibility for persons with disabilities.

In addition, the Council adopted a President’s statement on the Council's long-term efficiency process aimed at enhancing the organization's working methods.

Council members also approved the theme a panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming as: “Thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”. The panel is set to take place at the Council’s 58th session (February-April 2025).

The following States took the floor: Albania, Argentina, Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, European Union, Finland, Gambia, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Sudan, Ukraine, the United States of America, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The International Service for Human Rights also delivered a statement.

The Council next meets on 13 December to hear an oral update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on the human rights situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as mandated by the Council.

See more on Ambassador Jürg Lauber.

//ENDS//

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