Switzerland - The Human Rights Council is back

Date

3/14/2022 12:25:55 PM

(MENAFN- Swissinfo)

After two years of virtual conferences during the pandemic, the halls and corridors of the UN in Geneva have finally started buzzing again. The Human Rights Council, which opened its latest session on February 28 in Geneva, was one of the first UN bodies to start meeting online when Covid-19 hit. Now it's one of the first to get back to work on site.

This content was published on March 12, 2022 - 10:00 March 12, 2022 - 10:00 Julia Crawford (text) and Mark Henley (photos)

عربي (ar) مجلس حقوق الانسان يستعيد نسق نشاطه شبه الاعتيادي

It's not fully back to normal, as some Covid restrictions still apply at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and masks are still required until the end of March. In this, the UN is stricter than the Swiss government. But ambassadors are back in their seats, some foreign dignitaries have come in person, as well as civil society representatives and journalists.

While Russia's invasion of Ukraine casts a big shadow over the conference, people can at least talk face to face. And also make a statement. For example, many diplomats staged a walkout as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was due to speak on March 2. Lavrov continued with his virtual address. He had planned to come in person for this, and a meeting of the Conference on Disarmament, but was stopped by the European ban on Russian flights.

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With unilateralism on the rise in global politics, Switzerland is finding it more difficult to interpret its neutrality.

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