Human Rights Council – 61st Session
General Debate item 2 – Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary General
Joint Statement on importance of multilateral human rights cooperation
2 March 2026

Thank you, Mr. President.

On behalf of a core group consisting of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Albania, Chile, Kenya and Kyrgyzstan, I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of 88 States, representing all five regional groups.

In an era of rising global conflicts and crises, and declining respect for international law and institutions, defending and strengthening multilateralism is essential. Sovereign nations can only coexist peacefully, and people can only enjoy human rights and sustainable development, within an international order firmly anchored in respect for international law, with the United Nations and its principles at its center.

Human rights are essential for lasting peace, international security and sustainable development. By addressing the root causes of conflict and empowering individuals, communities and civil society, human rights make our world safer and ensure that development is inclusive, equitable and fair.

Despite chronic underfunding, the UN human rights system has delivered transformative results: supporting local reforms, strengthening national institutions, amplifying victims’ voices, and advancing global standards in areas including equality and non-discrimination, environmental protection, disability inclusion, children’s rights, and emerging technologies. The Human Rights Council, the Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review, as well as the OHCHR and the Treaty Bodies, have been instrumental in helping States from all regions embed human rights in law, policy, and development planning, and support victims of violations worldwide.

Yet today, the system faces unprecedented challenges that threaten to undermine and reverse the progress achieved. Its survival and effectiveness depend on renewed political will, vision and ambition, adequate resourcing, and an unwavering commitment from all States to principled multilateral human rights cooperation.

As Friends of Human Rights Multilateralism, we:

• ●renew our commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation in the field of human rights, grounded in full respect for the UN Charter and international human rights law, and the principles of good faith, equity and non-discrimination, solidarity and universality.
• ●commit to the promotion, protection and fulfillment of human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, transparency and independent institutions, which are indispensable to global peace, security and sustainable development.
• ●reaffirm that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated.
• ●commit to safeguard a multilateral system that upholds international law, human rights and the rule of law.
• ●commit to engage with the UN80 reform process with a view to building and maintaining an international human rights system that is credible, adequately resourced, and responsive both to States’ needs for technical assistance and capacity building and to the demands of victims and affected communities for accountability and justice.
• ●prioritize securing adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for the UN human rights pillar.
• ●commit to cooperate in good faith with the OHCHR, the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, as well as other rights-based mechanisms, and safeguard their independence.
• ●strive to create a safe and enabling environment for civil society and engage robustly to prevent and address acts of intimidation, reprisals or sanctions against human rights mechanisms and those cooperating with them.
• ●support efforts to enhance the Council, including its relations with other UN bodies and organs, with a view to strengthening complementarity, contributing to prevention, peace, security and sustainable development, and upholding international law.

These commitments will strengthen our efforts to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies with accountable institutions at all levels that uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, to guarantee that no one is left behind.

We call on all Member States to join us in making these commitments a reality.

Thank you.