EU foreign ministers have agreed the European Union’s priorities for United Nations human rights forums in 2026, including scrutiny of Russia, Venezuela, and Afghanistan.
The EU would continue to push for universal respect for human rights and for international law, including the UN Charter, to be upheld, the foreign ministers decided, as announced by the European External Action Service (EEAS) on Monday.
The European Union's list of priorities includes Russia’s war against Ukraine and what it described as a structural system of human rights violations in Russia and Belarus, as well as human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in Iran.
The EU also said it would work with partners to support a “peaceful and inclusive democratic transition” in Venezuela, and would advocate respect for fundamental freedoms including the rights to peaceful assembly, association and free expression.
It added that it would support the UN in making an accountability mechanism for Afghanistan operational “as soon as possible” and ensuring it is sufficiently financed.
Focus on UN Human Rights Council and accountability
Effective and inclusive multilateral institutions, with the UN at their core, are the best means to ensure peace, security, human rights, prosperity and sustainable development, the EEAS said.
The EU called for the role of the UN Human Rights Council — the UN body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide — to be reaffirmed and strengthened in its 20th anniversary year, and said it would continue working with countries across regions and with like-minded partners.
It also said it would pay special attention to “ending impunity” and ensuring accountability, and stated its full support for the International Criminal Court.
The EU also will focus on civic space — the ability of people and organisations to participate freely in political and public life — and would support and protect civil society both offline and online.
The EU said it “strongly condemns” all forms of transnational repression, and noted that its Council conclusions setting priorities for UN human rights fora are adopted annually.
