On 25 February 2026, the high-level segment was followed by the general segment, during the opening of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council. During the general segment, states stressed the need to support multilateralism as the foundation for tackling global challenges.

H.E. Ambassador Marie-Thérèse Pictet-Althann delivered an intervention, in which she emphasized that freedom of religion is a cornerstone for human dignity. She highlighted how this freedom is being undermined through religious persecution and violence against religious communities. She also made a collective call to prevent religion-based persecution and to ensure the implementation of International Humanitarian Law, as well as to promote education and dialogue as tools to combat intolerance and as a basis for cooperation.