The 58th regular Session of the Human Rights Council was opened on the 24th of February. Statements were made by Mr. Philémon Yang, President of the General Assembly, Mr. António Guterrez, Secretary-General of the UN, Mr. Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mr. Ignazio Cassis, Foreign Minister of Switzerland. All highlighted the serious challenges that confront humanity and especially the setbacks in human rights caused by conflict, the closing of the democratic space, the withdrawal of states from multilateralism and climate change.

During the high-level segment, countries expressed their concern over the situations in Ukraine, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, the DRC, and Myanmar. States applauded the transitions in Syria and Bangladesh and called on them to commit to sound transitional justice and locally-owned solutions. Countries highlighted the importance of a continued commitment to the multilateral system and expressed their regret over the withdrawal of the United States from the HRC. The themes of migration, climate change, gender equality in the context of Beijing +30, social justice, equity, the rights of minority communities, democracy, and the need for international cooperation and coordination were prominently addressed throughout the speeches.