cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/53153867
Several sitting members of the Human Rights Council are among the States showing weak cooperation with UN Special Procedures, whether by leaving country visit requests unanswered for years or by failing to provide substantive replies to communications. The pattern raises serious concerns about whether Council members are meeting the level of cooperation expected of States elected to the UN’s principal human rights body.
Data shows that some current Council members have accumulated high numbers of pending or declined visit requests over the past five years. Of the 13 States with 10 or more pending or declined requests during the period, nine currently sit on the Council.
China records the highest number, with 21 requests still awaiting confirmation.
Other States with high numbers that also happen to be current Council members include Indonesia (18), South Africa (17), India (17), and Kenya (14).
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The concern is even greater where the unanswered requests come from mandates dealing with grave violations. The Special Rapporteur on torture and the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances currently face the highest numbers of pending visit requests globally, with 40 and 38, respectively.
The Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders also faces persistent barriers to access, with 18 pending requests and two formal declines over the past five years. When access is withheld from mandates addressing these violations, allegations cannot be independently examined on the ground, victims lose visibility, and States avoid scrutiny in areas where accountability is most urgent.
Country visits are one of the UN’s most important tools for examining human rights conditions at the national level.
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