On 8 October 2025, the Human Rights Council concluded its 60th regular session by adopting 38 texts that, among other things, sought to establish one new mandate, merge two existing mandates, and extend 14 country-specific and thematic mandates.
In a new initiative, the Council established an independent investigative mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of international crimes in Afghanistan, and to prepare files to facilitate criminal proceedings.
Seeking to increase efficiency in the face of resource constraints, the Council decided to merge the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on modern slavery and the Special Rapporteur on human trafficking, establishing the mandate of “Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons” for a three-year term (A/HRC/60/L.8).
Human Rights Council President Jürg Lauber said that the merger would yield time and efficiency gains, while ensuring the integrity of the outgoing mandates and preventing a potential gap in prevention. With this precedent, Mr. Lauber said he looked forward to further efforts to rationalize the Council’s work.
At the 60th session, the Council extended the following mandates:
- Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/60/L.1/Rev.1)
- Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan (A/HRC/60/L.9)
- Independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan (A/HRC/60/L.18)
- Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burundi (A/HRC/60/L.13)
- Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Russian Federation (A/HRC/60/L.23)
- Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia (A/HRC/60/L.34/Rev.1)
- Independent Expert on human rights in the Central African Republic (A/HRC/60/L.33/Rev.1)
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/HRC/60/L.2)
- Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights (A/HRC/60/L.3)
- Special Rapporteur on the right to development (A/HRC/60/L.5)
- Working Group on arbitrary detention (A/HRC/60/L.6)
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation (A/HRC/60/L.10)
- Independent Expert on the human rights of older persons (A/HRC/60/L.15)
- Special Rapporteur on the right to health (A/HRC/60/L.19)
The Council also adopted resolutions on promoting international cooperation to support national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up (A/HRC/60/L.11); enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the field of human rights (A/HRC/60/L.17); and related to technical assistance and capacity-building in Georgia (A/HRC/60/L.16), Yemen (A/HRC/60/L.26), and Libya (A/HRC/60/L.30).
The Council also decided to end two country mandates; those of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia (A/HRC/60/L.14) and the International Team of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (A/HRC/60/L.37).
In a decision, the Council called upon Nicaragua to resume its cooperation with the Universal Periodic Review mechanism and decided to postpone the consideration and adoption of the outcome document for the review of the State until its 63rd session, while leaving open the possibility for it to be scheduled sooner (A/HRC/60/L.62).
Further resolutions adopted concerned:
In addition, the Council examined, in closed meetings, the human rights situation in Tajikistan under the confidential complaint procedure established by Council resolution 5/1. It decided to keep the situation of human rights in Tajikistan under review and requested the Government of Tajikistan to provide further information at the 62nd session.
On the final day of its 60th session, the Council appointed Veronika Fikfak (Slovenia), Rabah Boudache (Algeria), Edward Amoako Asante (Ghana), Ren Yisheng (China), Afsaneh Nadipour (Iran), Carlos Ignacio de Casas (Argentina), and Nicole Ameline (France) to its Advisory Committee, and Aristide Nononsi (Benin) as the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Lauber said that, despite being required to reduce meeting times and being unable to deliver previously mandated activities due to liquidity issues, the Council had adopted new activities and renewed existing ones during the session, necessitating additional resources and more meeting time. He emphasized that finding solutions to this predicament was a top priority for the Council.
The precise dates of the 61st regular session of the Human Rights Council, scheduled for February to April 2026, have not yet been announced.
Watch every podium statement on YouTube.
