UN renews Sudan fact-finding mission for one year

The UN Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of its independent fact-finding mission for Sudan for one year, in a recorded vote of 28 in favor, 10 against and nine abstentions. The renewal was among 34 resolutions adopted during the Council’s 63rd regular session, which ran from September 7 to October 7, 2026, and concluded in Geneva.

The Sudan resolution, A/HRC/RES/63/2, requests an oral update at the Council’s 65th session and a comprehensive report at its 66th session. It also asks for the report to be presented to the UN General Assembly at its 82nd session. These are requested future steps; they are not reports or updates already delivered.

The mandate renewal continues the mission’s work concerning people affected by the armed conflict in Sudan. The recorded vote was divided, with 10 members voting against and nine abstaining.

Session resolutions set out further reporting

The Council said it extended 14 mandates overall during the session, including eight thematic mandates for three years. Other adopted measures addressed artificial intelligence and human rights, women’s and girls’ rights in the context of digital technologies, and children’s equal access to adequate nutritious food.

The AI-and-human-rights resolution, A/HRC/RES/63/15, was adopted without a vote. It provides for a panel discussion at the Council’s 65th session on human-rights-centered AI capacity-building and the AI divide, and requests a report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the 66th session.

A separate resolution on women’s and girls’ rights in digital technologies provides for a panel discussion at the Council’s 68th session and requests a later report from the human rights office. These provisions schedule discussion and reporting by the Council; they do not specify outcomes for individual women or girls.

Children’s-food measure invites support for states

The resolution on children’s equal access to adequate nutritious food encourages relevant treaty bodies and special-procedure mandate holders to make recommendations on ways to support states in enhancing that access. It also invites the human rights office, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and other relevant UN entities to assist states that request support, in consultation with them.

The invited assistance concerns the design, implementation and evaluation of relevant national programs. The resolution encourages recommendations and offers support under those conditions. Its adoption does not establish that a state has requested or received assistance, that a program has been implemented, or that children’s access to nutritious food has improved.

The Council’s 64th regular session is expected to take place from February 22 to April 2, 2027. The Sudan resolution separately requests further reporting at the 65th and 66th Council sessions, followed by presentation of the comprehensive report to the General Assembly at its 82nd session.