Human Rights Council

Sixty-first session

23 February–31 March 2026

Agenda item 10

Technical assistance and capacity-building

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 31 March 2026

61/37.Technical assistance and capacity-building for Mali in the field of human rights

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006,

Recalling also Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate Holders of the Council, both of 18 June 2007,

Recalling further its resolutions 20/17 of 6 July 2012, on the situation of human rights in Mali, 22/18 of 21 March 2013, in which it established the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, 25/36 of 28 March 2014, 31/28 of 24 March 2016, 34/39 of 24 March 2017, 37/39 of 23 March 2018, 40/26 of 22 March 2019, 43/38 of 22 June 2020, 46/28 of 24 March 2021, 49/34 of 1 April 2022, 54/42 of 4 April 2023, 55/25 of 4 April 2024 and 58/30 of 4 April 2025, by which it extended the mandate of the Independent Expert,

Reaffirming the primary responsibility of all States to respect, promote, protect and fulfil the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments to which they are parties,

Reaffirming also its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Mali,

Taking note of the report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali,

Noting the promulgation, on 22 July 2023, of the new Constitution resulting from the referendum of 18 June 2023, and the announcement made by the Government of Mali on 25 September 2023 that general elections, including the presidential election originally scheduled for February 2024, would be postponed,

Taking note of the decision of the Transitional President, during the session of the Council of Ministers held on 27 November 2024, to ask the Government of Mali to establish the conditions necessary for the organization of transparent and peaceful elections to put an end to the transition,

Remaining concerned about the challenges related to security, violent extremism and continued terrorist activities, the proliferation of small arms, the smuggling of drugs and migrants, trafficking in persons and other forms of transnational organized crime, despite tangible progress made in these areas,

Remaining concerned also about continued human rights violations and breaches, including abuses, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, violence against women and girls and other persons in vulnerable situations, the increase in violations of children’s rights and the continued violations of international humanitarian law, which are having a severe impact on the civilian population, despite a significant reduction in such violations,

Recalling that all perpetrators of such acts must be held accountable before the competent courts, at both the national and the international levels,

Remaining concerned about the food and nutrition crisis and situation of need for humanitarian assistance of the population groups affected by the conflict, including refugees and internally displaced persons, about the insufficient funding to cover all humanitarian needs and about the insecurity that continues to hamper humanitarian access, stressing that the difficult humanitarian situation has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, and condemning attacks on humanitarian personnel,

Welcoming the Act of 22 August 2025 establishing the National Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which recognizes the promotion of human rights and respect for fundamental rights and individual and collective freedoms as prerequisites for peace and reconciliation,

Welcoming also the criminalization, in the new Criminal Code promulgated on 13 December 2024, of certain forms of gender-based violence and of descent-based slavery and slavery-like practices, in accordance with applicable international and regional instruments, and welcoming the adoption of a road map for the effective mainstreaming of gender issues into the electoral process and political and administrative reforms in Mali, accompanied by an action plan for the period 2024–2026,

Noting the will of the Government and the people of Mali, expressed in various circumstances, in particular during the national reconciliation conference followed by the adoption of a national reconciliation law in 2019, the inclusive national dialogue, national consultations, a national conference on reform and the inter-Malian dialogue, to give priority to dialogue and reconciliation in resolving the crisis,

Calling upon the Malian transitional authorities to intensify their efforts to restore constitutional order, strengthen the rule of law and effectively combat impunity, human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, and noting the recommendations concerning the fight against impunity accepted by Mali at the end of the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review in May 2023,

Welcoming the cooperation of Mali with international human rights mechanisms and the submission of its midterm report on the implementation of the recommendations accepted by Mali at the end of the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review, encouraging the country to extend invitations to special procedure mandate holders of the Council, and welcoming in this regard the acceptance of the request for a visit by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism,

Noting the strengthening of the institutional human rights framework with the establishment and operationalization of the National Human Rights Directorate, the National Directorate for the Judicial Protection of Children and the Directorate General for Prison Administration,

Recalling the conclusions of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict on the situation in Mali,

Affirming its support for African regional integration, which helps promote peace, stability and economic development, and noting the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger from the Economic Community of West African States in 2025 and the establishment of the Confederation of Sahel States in 2024,

Remaining convinced that regional cooperation and integration are essential levers for ensuring peace and security, and strengthening human, social and economic development,

Noting the announcement by Mali on 22 September 2025 that it was withdrawing from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,

1.Strongly condemns the violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, violations and abuses of children’s rights, in particular the recruitment and use of children by terrorist groups in violation of international law, and extrajudicial and summary executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, killing and maiming, and attacks on schools, hospitals, factories and convoys carrying passengers and fuel;

2.Also strongly condemns human rights violations, which include violations and abuses of women’s and girls’ rights, including sexual and gender-based violence, and welcomes the creation of the National Programme to End Gender-based Violence, the establishment of a framework for reflection on gender-based violence in May 2022, the establishment of the National Directorate for the Judicial Protection of Children and the specific consideration and punishment of gender-based violence in the new Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure and in the process of reviewing the Code of Military Justice;

3.Calls upon all parties to respect the civilian character of schools as such in accordance with international humanitarian law, urges terrorist groups to put an end to violations and abuses committed against schools and to abide by their obligations under applicable international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law, notes in this regard the endorsement by the Malian authorities of the Safe Schools Declaration in February 2019, and encourages them to follow up on it, including by drawing up a list of the schools closed as a result of direct threats or insecurity;

4.Recalls in this regard that all perpetrators of such acts must be held accountable before the competent courts, at both the national and the international level;

5.Strongly condemns the attacks, including terrorist attacks, on civilians, representatives of local, regional and central institutions and the Malian Defence and Security Forces, underlines the importance of bringing perpetrators, sponsors, organizers and financiers of these acts to justice, and urges the Government of Mali to intensify its efforts to ensure that those responsible for these acts are prosecuted, where appropriate;

6.Also strongly condemns the attacks on the civilian population carried out in the context of intercommunal violence and calls upon the Government of Mali, with the support of the international community, to strengthen its efforts to achieve national reconciliation and to prevent violence in identified hotspots;

7.Reiterates its call for an immediate halt to all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law and for the strict observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism;

8.Requests all parties to allow, in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles, safe, full, immediate and unhindered humanitarian access, to facilitate the safe and unrestricted passage of aid, so that it may be rapidly distributed to all those who need it in any part of Mali, and to ensure the safety and protection of the civilians receiving it and of the humanitarian and health personnel working in Mali;

9.Encourages the Malian authorities to continue to implement the recommendations accepted during the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review of Mali;

10.Encourages the international community to continue its support for the efforts of the Malian authorities to ensure greater inclusivity, including greater participation of women in the national reconciliation process and in all decision-making bodies of the peace process, and their political empowerment at all levels, and also encourages the Malian authorities to strengthen their efforts in this regard;

11.Encourages the Malian authorities to continue to take the necessary actions to prevent the recruitment and use of children, in violation of international law, to put a stop to these practices, to implement sustainable reintegration and rehabilitation programmes that take the gender perspective into account, and to adopt the law on child protection;

12.Also encourages the Malian authorities to put in place appropriate measures to comply with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and, in particular, to strengthen measures for the further implementation of the Protocol on the Release and Handover of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Groups signed by the United Nations and the Government of Mali in 2013, and to strengthen the training programmes of the Malian Armed Forces in this regard, and calls upon partners to support the Malian authorities in order to ensure better access to justice and to social, medical and psychosocial services for all survivors of sexual and gender‑based violence;

13.Calls upon the Malian authorities to bring all perpetrators of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, before the competent courts, and urges the authorities to intensify their efforts to combat impunity;

14.Urges the Malian authorities to ensure that measures taken to promote national understanding are developed in an inclusive manner, and welcomes the establishment of a national reconciliation week;

15.Strongly condemns the summary executions of individuals, encourages the Malian authorities to see through to completion the judicial investigations that have been opened and those that are forthcoming in order to bring to justice those responsible for these serious human rights violations, and welcomes the holding in 2023, 2024 and 2025 of special trial sessions to try, in particular, crimes of terrorism, transnational organized crimes and offences related to economic and financial crime, and the trial of several cases of offences within their jurisdiction by military courts;

16.Welcomes the implementation of the reparations policy, in particular the operationalization of the Authority for the Management of Reparations for the Victims of the Crises in Mali, including victims of serious human rights violations, the appointment of the members of the Steering Committee and the Permanent Secretary of the Authority, the holding of the fourth session of the Steering Committee on 13 December 2024, and the launch, on 11 February 2025, of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process (DDR‑I), involving the recruitment of 3,000 ex-combatants, 2,000 of them to join the Malian Armed Forces and 1,000 others to benefit from the socioeconomic reintegration programme;

17.Encourages the Malian authorities and all regional and international actors to continue their efforts to establish peace and security in Mali;

18.Notes the efforts of the Malian authorities to restore State authority and the rule of law throughout the country;

19.Calls upon all parties to respect human rights and to ensure strict compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law;

20.Welcomes the efforts made by the Malian authorities with a view to the effective return of the administration and basic social services in the centre and north of the country, and urges the authorities to work to restore the conditions required to ensure an acceptable level of security;

21.Notes the will of the Government of Mali to ensure a return to constitutional order through the organization of fair, free, transparent, inclusive and credible presidential elections, and urges it to communicate the timetable for these elections as soon as conditions allow;

22.Encourages the Malian authorities to strengthen cooperation with the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali in the fulfilment of the mandate entrusted to him, and calls upon the Malian authorities to implement his recommendations and to continue to cooperate with all United Nations human rights mechanisms;

23.Decides to extend the mandate of Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali for a period of one year in order to permit the mandate holder to continue to evaluate the situation of human rights in Mali and to provide his assistance in ensuring the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights and strengthening the rule of law;

24.Calls upon all parties in Mali to cooperate fully with the Independent Expert and to help him carry out his mandate;

25.Requests the Independent Expert, within the framework of his mandate, to work closely with all bodies of the United Nations, the African Union, neighbouring States and all other international organizations concerned, and with Malian civil society;

26.Also requests the Independent Expert to submit a report to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-fourth session;

27.Decides to hold a dialogue at its sixty-fourth session, in the presence of the Independent Expert and representatives of the Government of Mali, to assess the changes in the situation of human rights in the country, with a particular focus on the issue of non‑judicial protection of human rights in times of armed conflict;

28.Invites the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide the Independent Expert with all the assistance he needs to discharge his mandate;

29.Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide the technical assistance requested by the Government of Mali in order to strengthen the capacity of the National Human Rights Commission of Mali;

30.Urges the international community to continue to provide Mali with the technical and capacity-building assistance needed to ensure its stability with a view to promoting respect for all human rights and making a determined effort to combat impunity, which will pave the way for national reconciliation, peace and social cohesion;

31.Decides to remain seized of this matter.

55th meeting

31 March 2026

[Adopted without a vote.]