Since the opening of DefendDefenders‘ Geneva office, in 2018, we have engaged in advocacy with the UN human rights system and brought dozens of human rights defenders (HRDs) to the Palais des Nations. We have also made a deliberate effort to produce reports on multilateral dynamics.
Many of our mandate countries – including Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, and Sudan – are on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). The research effort behind our latest report originates in the will of our staff and HRD partners to better understand the politics around resolutions on African countries. It also comes from a form of frustration over the increasing number of Africa-focused resolutions on which a vote is called.
Is the Tide Turning? builds on our 2022 report, “Between Principles and Pragmatism,” and acts as its twin. It analyses not how African states vote on all HRC resolutions, but how states from all regional groups vote on Africa-focused resolutions.
It is a comprehensive analysis of Africa-focused resolutions – evidence-based and the first of its kind.
Our findings are relevant for state representatives, UN experts, and HRC observers as they provide insights into voting patterns and dynamics that shape the HRC. And some of the trends we identified (growing geopolitical divisions) are deeply concerning.
“Is the Tide Turning?” examines, among others, how states vote on Africa-focused resolutions, whether the behaviour of regional groups of states differs, and whether evolutions can be identified.
To answer these questions, we thoroughly examined resolutions and voting results. The report covers all Africa-focused resolutions that have been adopted since the Council’s creation, in 2006. This means 28 resolutions adopted by vote and 148 resolutions adopted by consensus – in total, from HRC1 to HRC55 (plus relevant Special Sessions), the Council has adopted 176 resolutions addressing the situation in African countries. These form the report’s factual basis.
Among our key findings:
- Many resolutions on African countries are consensual, but a shift occurred around the Council’s 10th anniversary (2016), with more and more resolutions being put to a vote – a trend that is concomitant with shifts in the use of agenda items (relative decline in the use of item 10, relative increase in the use of item 2).
- The level of support for resolutions addressing African countries is lower than the level of support for resolutions addressing other countries.
- Disparities between regional groups are significant, and even more striking when we break the analysis of resolutions by period. African states’ support for Africa-focused resolutions that are put to a vote has become non-existent, and Asia-Pacific states’ support is very limited.
- When it comes to voting on Africa-focused resolutions, the most significant divide is not between “Africa and the rest,” between “Africa and the West,” or between “the West and the rest,” but between two regional groups (Africa and Asia-Pacific) and the other three (WEOG, Eastern Europe, and GRULAC). Almost all of the negative votes and abstentions come from the former two; almost all positive votes come from the latter three.
At the same time, African states exert greater influence over resolutions that are put to a vote, in particular Africa-focused resolutions. This goes beyond the traditional strategy of influencing outcomes from “behind the scenes” (by deterring potential initiatives or taking initiatives into their own hands). From 2021-2023, votes and diplomatic processes showed that African states have become less and less hesitant to use their clout. As the Council approaches its 20th anniversary, this move from a relatively discreet to a more public use of their influence might be one of the most striking evolutions in multilateral dynamics.
We invite those interested in human rights, African issues, or multilateral dynamics to read the report for full findings, conclusions, and data. The report’s annexes (including an Excel spreadsheet compiling all vote results on African country resolutions) can be used as a database of Africa-focused resolutions at the Council, covering its 18 years of existence.
Hassan Shire is the Executive Director of DefendDefenders (the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) and the Chairperson of AfricanDefenders (the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network), based in Kampala, Uganda.
Nicolas Agostini is the Representative to the United Nations for DefendDefenders.
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