HRC61 - High-level segment, Statement delivered by H.E. Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for Foreign Affairs

President,

It has been a challenging year.

A year of unpredictability and conflict.

A year in which too many people have woken up each day without the safety and the respect for human rights they deserve.

A year that has reminded us that we must never take international law for granted. That we must defend what we believe in.

This Council must meet these challenges through unity and action.

*     *     *

Human rights, like good health, is not top of mind when all is well.

It is only when our human rights are threatened, that we see their full significance.

-                     When Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine enters its fifth year, and its ruthless attacks continue to leave civilians without heating in freezing temperatures.

-                     When tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred and deported.

-                     When multiple reports conclude systematic torture, rape and summary executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees.

-                     When political prisoners in Belarus continue to suffer inhumane conditions.

-                     When the humanitarian suffering in Gaza continues, and we witness unprecedented levels of settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank.

-                     When people demonstrating for improved living conditions and for human rights are met with deadly violence in Iran.

-                     When civilians in Sudan are displaced again and again.

In such times we are reminded of the importance of human rights.

*     *     *

Sweden will continue to be principled in our defence of a rules-based order that puts the freedom, dignity and equal rights of every individual at its core.

We will always support the international human rights system and the architecture of accountability.

In this spirit, we welcome the UN80 initiative.

We need to build a UN that can meet the challenges of today and of coming decades.

The UN human rights pillar must be strengthened.

The Treaty bodies. The Special Procedures and investigative mechanisms. The Office of the High Commissioner. All must be given the means and the independence they need to fulfil their vital mandates.

With this comes high expectations. It requires integrity, professionalism and clear objectivity from everyone who represents it.

A strong UN is built through dedication, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement. High standards, accountability and principled neutrality are not just expectations, they are the foundations that enable us to deliver impactful and positive results together. Civil society must also have safe, and meaningful access.

Human rights defenders. Independent media. They are the windows of this Council. They let the light in.

President,

Multilateralism, like democracy, is hard work. It can be slow. It can be frustrating.

But when it succeeds, it builds strength. And it builds predictability – for States and individuals alike.

Thank you.