Human Rights Council – 62nd Session
Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioners’ annual report
Statement delivered by Iceland
16 June 2026

President, High Commissioner

Persistent challenges continue to impact the human rights landscape. Inequality is on the rise globally, and human rights are under attack as highlighted by the High Commissioner’s presentation yesterday.

Civic space continues to shrink, with systematic repression of CSOs, journalists, political opponents, lawyers and migrants, including in Tunisia, Uganda, Türkiye and the Russian Federation. Media workers are increasingly the targets of attacks and repression.

As the High Commissioner has said, the death penalty continues to be impossible to reconcile with human dignity and when applied in a discriminatory manner it can constitute a violation of international law.

Armed conflicts rage across the world – from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Sudan to the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, Iran, Myanmar, Ukraine, and beyond – resulting in widespread human rights violations and severe humanitarian crises, often escalated by restrictions on humanitarian access [and attacks against humanitarian personnel].

President,

June marks Pride month in many parts of the world. Regrettably, since June 2025, the total number of countries that criminalise consensual same-sex relations has risen again.

These trends underscore the importance of renewed multilateral action. Together, this Council can promote solidarity, peace and dignity, strengthening our collective efforts to prevent and effectively respond to atrocity risks and crimes.

I thank you.