Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations, made up of 47 states responsible for protecting and promoting human rights around the world. The Commission's accreditation as an "A" status National Human Rights Institution means we can:

• make oral statements under all substantive agenda items of the Human Rights Council
• participate through video messages in plenary debates
• submit documents to inform Human Rights Council processes

Each year, the Commission produces several statements for consideration by the Human Rights Council. Sometimes we also make joint statements with one of our sister UK NHRIs (the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission).

Past statements have included:

• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2025) - video statement 
• Children's rights (2024) - oral statement
• The rights of persons with disabilities (2024) - oral statement
• Universal Periodic Review (2023) - joint video statement with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Peaceful protest (2021) - joint written statement  with the Equality and Human Rights Commission
• COVID-19 and inequalities (2021) - joint written statement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Hazardous substances & waste (Sep 2017) - video and transcript
• Sport and human rights (June 2016) - video and transcript
• The environment (2016) - video
• Adequate housing (2016) - video
• National Policies (2015) - transcript
• Mental Health Detention (2015) - transcript
• Children's Rights (2015) - video and transcript
• Climate Change (2015) - video and transcript
• Torture and human rights defenders (2014) - video