Human Rights Council

Sixt y-first session

23 February–31 March 2026

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 30 March 2026

6 1 / 14. Freedom of opinion and expression: mandate of Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 7/36 of 28 March 2008, 12/16 of 2 October 2009, 16/4 of 24 March 2011, 23/2 of 13 June 2013, 25/2 of 27 March 2014, 34/18 of 24 March 2017, 43/4 of 19 June 2020, 44/12 of 16 July 2020, 50/15 of 8 July 2022, 52/9 of 3 April 2023 and 56/7 of 10 July 2024, and all previous resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the Council on the right to freedom of opinion and expression,

Recognizing that the effective exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is essential for the enjoyment of other human rights and freedoms and constitutes a fundamental pillar for building a democratic society and strengthening democracy, bearing in mind that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Council and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedure Mandate Holders of the Council of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge these duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

N ot ingwith concern that special procedure mandate holders are increasingly targeted in connection with the discharge of their functions, including through repressive activities against them,

1.Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression;

2. Decides to extend the mandate of Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression for a further period of three years;

3.Urges all States to cooperate fully with and to assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of the Special Rapporteur’s tasks, to provide all necessary information requested by the Special Rapporteur and to consider favourably the Special Rapporteur’s requests for visits and for implementing recommendations;

4.Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide all human, financial and material resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur;

5.R equests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly at its eighty-second and eighty-third sessions covering all activities relating to the mandate, with a view to maximizing the benefits of the reporting process;

6.Decides to continue its consideration of the issue of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in accordance with its programme of work.

52nd meeting

30 March 2026

[Adopted without a vote.]