Support for 37th Special Session of UN Human Rights Council on situation in the east of the DRC

At the request of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and with support of 27 Member States as well as 21 Observer States, the UN Human Rights Council convened its 37th Special Session on the human rights situation in the east of the DRC on the 7th of February. The Council adopted a resolution without a vote in which it condemned in the strongest possible terms the human rights violations and abuses being committed in the provinces of North and South Kivu, the unlawful exploitation and looting of natural resources therein as well as the military and logistical support provided by the Rwanda Defence Force to the M23. It decided to urgently establish an international fact-finding mission to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged violations and abuses, collect, consolidate and analyse all evidence, identify persons and entities responsible, make recommendations on accountability and present a first oral update in the 59th Council session in September 2025. It also established an Independent Commission of Inquiry to Continue the work of the Fact-Finding Mission.