- The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office and independent civil society human rights organisations are struggling to survive.
- Civil society and activists engaging with UN human rights mechanisms face risks.
- Weakened multilateral human rights cooperation is mirrored in the UN Human Rights Council and within the Universal Periodic Review process.
- Strengthening human rights across the UN requires more than mere mainstreaming efforts; it requires urgent and bold reforms.
GENEVA – Ahead of the 61st session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, CIVICUS warns that its commitment to human rights is backsliding. As its 20th anniversary dawns, the 2026 session takes place amid declining UN commitment to human rights, weakening international laws, and a crisis in multilateral cooperation.
The global civil society alliance is calling for stronger and sustained Council action to prevent human rights violations and abuses. It calls for stepping up efforts to address unfolding crises, from Iran to Sudan to Venezuela, where some of the most egregious violations are taking place.
Following recent UN budget cuts, over 100 staff positions at the UN Human Rights Office will be lost. The UN human rights pillar accounts for only 5% of the total UN regular budget. The culling of rights spending reduces its ability to monitor abuses, protect civil society, and help states strengthen human rights systems. It will also limit civil society’s engagement with the Council and its bodies.
Activists are often intimidated by state and non-state actors. Fear of reprisals and funding shortages hinder meaningful involvement by human rights groups. There’s an urgent need for transparent, meaningful, and consistent civil society consultation. These obstacles risk further de-prioritising human rights and deepening the exclusion of people’s voices at the UN. The cuts come at a time when the UN urgently needs system-wide coordination on human rights, multiple global crises, and internal reform processes. Seventy-three percent (73%) of the world’s population lives in countries with severely repressed civic space.
“Citizens and activists, including victims and survivors of grave rights violations, should be given a stronger voice at the UN. They must not be silenced in the name of efficiency due to ongoing financial crises.
“Defending human rights and civic space is a priority,” said Sigrid Lipott, UN Advisor at CIVICUS.
If priority is not given to strengthening civil society, it will signal to member states that human rights can be neglected. UN member states should be held accountable for their human rights records by their peers and by civil society on an equal footing.
Reforms are essential to strengthen the UN human rights system and the Council. Establishing a system-wide human rights group will only be effective if human rights are strengthened across all UN pillars. It requires sufficient resources allocated to the human rights pillar and mechanisms, including Special Procedures to enhance the independence of the system.
The UN and member states must urgently address burning issues, limiting the Council’s effectiveness. They include membership, relationships between UN bodies, particularly peace and security and international judicial institutions, and early warning systems.
Council members must uphold the highest human rights standardsand submitpledges. The 2026 review of the Council would be a critical opportunity.
Civil society must be involved in creating a new human rights system through consultation on intent, structure, operations, and reporting. A lack of involvement may weaken accountability instead of reinforcing human rights standards, narratives, and partners. Civil society must be able to hold states accountable safely and amplify local voices.
States’ withdrawal from the Universal Period Review (UPR) complicates the Council's work.
Polarisation is increasing between States that support or oppose human rights funding, civic space, and multilateralism. These positions no longer always align as new coalitions form, blurring the lines between supporters and non-supporters of human rights and civic space.
“The 20th anniversary of the UN Human Rights Council is an opportunity to reaffirm multilateral human rights cooperation among States, and between States and civil society. We welcome the State-led Group of Friends of Multilateralism. Now is also the time for an inclusive group of “Friends of Human Rights and Civic Space” to fully embed human rights and civic space protection across the UN system”, says CIVICUS.
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