Human Rights Council Presidency Pushes Collective Action amid UN Crisis

JAKARTA - The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) SidhartoReza Suryodipuro encouraged collective steps with the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to address the crisis in the United Nations.

"The world is facing increasingly complex turmoil. The increasingly sharp geopolitical rivalry between major countries and the strengthening of unilateralism continue to erode the foundation of multilateral cooperation," said Sidhartoselaku, the permanent representative of Indonesia to the United Nations in Geneva, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, March 6.

"This situation puts the sustainability of the UN under serious pressure, including on the UN Human Rights Council," Sidharto added in a press statement from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia (PTRI) to the UN received in Jakarta, Friday.

The issue became the focus of attention at the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council on February 14, in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, attended.

In his speech, Sugiono specifically advised that the credibility of the Human Rights Council must be maintained by all countries. So far, the UN Human Rights Council has played an important role as a forum for dialogue and cooperation between countries in addressing human rights issues.

In the context of Palestine, the UN Human Rights Council has two special mechanisms tasked with monitoring, investigating, and reporting on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank. These mechanisms help ensure that international attention and accountability remain in place.

Unfortunately, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the organization is currently facing the most serious financial crisis in its history.

Through his letter in January, he warned that without adequate support, the UN risked major operational disruptions starting in July 2026.

This condition occurs amid the escalating conflict in various regions, including Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Haiti, as well as the latest tensions in Iran and the Middle East.

Therefore, Sidharto encourages collective steps with the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General to jointly overcome the crisis currently occurring in the organization.

This year, the international community will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Human Rights Council. This momentum is an opportunity to reflect on the needs and capacity of the international human rights architecture to remain adaptive to the ever-evolving global challenges.

Indonesia, as a member state of the United Nations, will also continue to actively contribute, ranging from discussing issues that are the main foreign policy priorities to organizing side events, which highlight efforts to strengthen children's access to nutritious food.