59th session of the Human Rights Council on gender equality and the rights of women and girls

This year's session of the UN Human Rights Council will focus on gender equality and the prevention of discrimination and violence against women and girls. The Council will also address a number of other key issues, including the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the impact of climate change on the full and effective enjoyment of human rights, the right to education, the independence of judges and lawyers, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, migration and internally displaced persons, trafficking in human beings, extreme poverty, the right to health, the activities of transnational corporations, extrajudicial executions, etc.

The session will also address human rights concerns around the world, including in Afghanistan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, Belarus, Myanmar, Eritrea, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Colombia and Venezuela. 

The Council will also mark the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, with a focus on overcoming obstacles to women's leadership in peace processes. The annual commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy in the framework of the Human Rights Council was established by a resolution proposed by Slovenia and a cross-regional group of countries at the 58th session of the Council.

At the session, Slovenia will act in accordance with its national and EU positions. As a member of the UN Security Council, it will proactively highlight human rights violations in individual countries. It will uphold high international standards, particularly in the areas of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and will advocate for the strict implementation of these standards.

Slovenia will also pay special attention to the rights of the elderly, the rights of the child, the impact of climate change on human rights, and will consistently advocate for the involvement of civil society in debates and policy-making.

This session will also adopt the final report on the review of the human rights situation in Slovenia under the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review.

On the margins of the meeting, Slovenia will co-organise three side events: an event on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, focusing on the prevention of elder abuse in institutional settings, an event on making school curricula more environmentally friendly, and a reception to raise awareness of global achievements and challenges in the field of girls' rights.