20 years in the service of human rights
Bern, 08.07.2026 — The 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council has concluded in Geneva. The Human Rights Council marked its 20th anniversary on 19 June 2026. Switzerland worked towards its foundation, thus helping to establish a body that furthers state-level accountability and helps drive the development of international human rights standards. The session that ended today focused on women's rights and gender equality. Switzerland advocated strongly for an end to forced marriage and violence against women and girls in various contexts.
Thanks to Swiss efforts, in 2006 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted reforms that replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights with the Human Rights Council. Based in Geneva, it provides a forum for dialogue between states, experts, international organisations and civil society. In the two decades it has been operational, the Human Rights Council has helped to advance international law and amend it to meet the challenges of the modern world.
Work during this most recent session centred on topics such as disinformation, climate change, and human rights in the digital space, with a particular emphasis on gender issues.
Switzerland took a leading role with a coalition of states, resulting in the adoption of a resolution on implementing the guidelines on child, early and forced marriage that were drawn up by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Switzerland supports the work of the Human Rights Council, among other reasons for its contribution to conflict prevention. By identifying and documenting violations of international humanitarian law, the Human Rights Council can highlight early warning signs of imminent conflict and enable de-escalation measures to be taken in good time. Instruments such as the Universal Periodic Review, special procedures and independent enquiry mechanisms give the victims of violations a voice and help ensure that perpetrators are held to account.
Switzerland works to ensure that the council is effective, credible and has the capacity to act far into the future. In the face of increasing attacks on human rights, Switzerland reasserts that those rights do not reflect any cultural or regional perspective, but constitute commitments under international law to which almost all states freely subscribe.