Civil society participation: 40 organisations call on the UN to make hybrid participation permanent
On 7 June 2023, in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, and the President of the Human Rights Council, HRCNet members, together with partner organisations, have requested that the hybrid modalities of participation at the Human Rights Council, Treaty Bodies and related mechanisms become a permanent tool for engagement of civil society organisations.
The undersigned organisations are writing to express their views on the issue of participation at the UN Human Rights Council, Treaty Bodies and related mechanisms in Geneva. They welcome the recent UN Secretary General’s agreement to maintain the current modalities for the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council as well as to maintain hybrid modalities for the 54th session, and stand ready to support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in ensuring these modalities become permanent.
For the past three years, the business continuity scheme has provided an opportunity for the Human Rights Council, its mechanisms, and the UN Treaty Bodies to strengthen their efforts and ensure the possibility of participation via live online interventions and pre-recorded videos, coupled with in-person participation, throughout the sessions of Geneva-based human rights mechanisms, as well as formal and informal meetings and side events.