The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) carried out advocacy on behalf of human rights defenders (HRDs) at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva which was held between 23 February to 31 March 2026.

The various activities were designed to get support from UN member states to help free detained human rights defenders and enhance the protection of public freedoms across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). They also highlighted the need to end impunity and enforce accountability across the region.

Resolutions

GCHR’s priority resolution was on supporting human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic. This became a concern as it appeared the Syrian government supported by Turkey, who were in the Core group presenting the resolution, wanted to end the Commission of Inquiry’s mandate (CoI). Civil Society from Syria supported by international and regional NGOs, including GCHR, argued for the mandate to remain untouched. Ultimately adopted by consensus, the mandate to investigate abuses remained, additional tasks to support the Syrian authorities were added, but without additional resources. The Resolution was also moved from Item 4 to Item 2. It also calls for a review of the CoI in one year.

Side Events

On 26 February 2026, GCHR, in cooperation with the Yemeni Archive, ALQST for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), organised a side event focused on Yemen and entitled, “Yemen: Human Rights Consequences Following Regional Developments Between Saudi Arabia and the UAE”. 

The event, which was moderated by Michael Khambatta, Geneva Representative for GCHR, included speakers Bonyan Gamal of the Yemeni Archive; Yahya Assiri of ALQST for Human Rights; Niku Jafarnia of Human Rights Watch; and Mayssa Achek of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

The moderator and the speakers talked about arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, the operation of secret and unofficial detention facilities, the assassination of political opponents, and the lack of accountability for such violations in Yemen. They warned that recent regional developments and shifts in territorial control did not in themselves end these abuses, but risked reproducing them under different authorities.

They also drew attention to six unofficial prisons documented in Marib governorate and to grave violations at the Waddah Hall detention facility, including torture used to extract confessions, absence of due process, and the failure to inform families of the fate and whereabouts of detainees. They further highlighted that recorded violations nearly doubled in the four months following the non-renewal of the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, underlining the direct impact of international accountability mechanisms on civilian protection.

In addition, they called for the closure of all informal and secret detention facilities and clarification of the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons; urged legal steps through the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, or other international avenues against those implicated in violations in Yemen, including UAE nationals; and called for the re-establishment of an independent international investigative mechanism on Yemen and strengthened support for Yemeni civil society organisations documenting violations on the ground.

GCHR also co-sponsored a side event entitled, “Safeguarding Civil Society Space at the United Nations”, organised by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). The discussion focused on the need to safeguard civic space at the UN and ensure the meaningful participation of civil society organisations and Indigenous Peoples, particularly in light of growing restrictions affecting engagement with the UN human rights system.

Statements at the HRC

On 03 March 2026, GCHR delivered a statement in cooperation with ALQST for Human Rights at the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The statement highlighted severe restrictions and repression against human rights defenders across the MENA region, particularly in the Gulf and neighbouring states, as well as transnational repression targeting defenders in the diaspora. The statement also warned that cuts to funding for human rights work and to the UN itself would weaken protection for human rights defenders worldwide.

On 10 March 2026, GCHR delivered a statement at the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children on her visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The statement noted that the report did not place child protection developments in the wider context of the UAE’s closed civic space and criminalisation of peaceful dissent. It also stressed that references to a safe digital environment for children overlooked the reality of pervasive digital surveillance in the country. No state commented on the report on the visit to the UAE, and among the civil society speakers only GCHR addressed the visit.

On 13 March 2026, GCHR delivered a statement at the interactive dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. The statement warned that the human rights situation in Syria remained fragile and stressed the need to preserve the Commission’s mandate as a fully independent body. It also highlighted the importance of a credible transitional justice process that ensures accountability for crimes committed by all parties to the conflict, with the full involvement of Syrian civil society.

On 17 March 2026, GCHR delivered a statement in cooperation with ALQST for Human Rights during the general debate. The statement highlighted the record number of executions in Saudi Arabia, including the use of the death penalty for non-violent offences and against people convicted of acts allegedly committed when they were children. It also raised concern over the use of executions to suppress freedom of expression. GCHR urged governments to press the Saudi authorities to end these practices.

On 25 March 2026, GCHR delivered a statement during the urgent debate on the recent military aggression by Iran against Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The statement raised concerns about the selectivity and imbalance of the resolution and the lack of attention to the wider human rights context. It also noted that the current hostilities were being used in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, particularly Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE, to further restrict peaceful dissent, including online expression. The statement urged GCC states not to use the conflict to silence protected speech and stressed that all parties must respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law.