There are three Human Rights Council (HRC) sessions a year, each lasting for 4 or 5 weeks. NGOs must have UN ECOSOC consultative status to participate in the formal HRC sessions. GAROP will endeavour to share information, reminders and updates about HRC sessions to members on our website and through our e-bulletins to members. As a global coalition, we will prioritise our coordinated engagement in those key sessions that are most critical to advancing the human rights of older persons. This will include information about how non-accredited NGOs can also get involved. Any HRC session may cover human rights topics that are relevant in some way to older persons. We encourage members to check the Programme of Work for each session to see if there are topics related to your work or interests and apply for UN ECOSOC status if your NGO does not already have it.
Here you can find information about the upcoming 59th HRC session (HRC59) from 16 June – 9 July 2025.
HRC59 session page
On this official webpage you can find the latest Programme of Work for the session and a list of reports to be discussed at the session. We recommend that you bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates.
From this page on the menu on the left of the page you can also navigate to the NGO participation page, which contains an information note about this session with information and deadlines about NGO accreditation and registration. It also has a handbook for civil society engaging with the UN human rights programme as well as guidance on submitting video messages. We recommend starting your preparations early and familiarising yourself with the different online registration platforms, which can be complicated for newcomers.
Key dates and deadlines for HRC59:
- Registration of requests for NGO Side Events for HRC59 will open from Monday, 12 May 2025, at 12:00 pm (noon), Geneva time – CEST, until Monday, 19 May 2025, at 12:00 pm (noon), Geneva time – CEST.
- Registration of NGO Written Statements for Agenda Items 2, 3 and 4 of the 59th session will open from Monday, 19 May 2025, at 12:00 pm (noon), Geneva time – CEST, until Monday, 26 May 2025, at 12:00 pm (noon), Geneva time – CEST
- Registration of NGO Written Statements for Agenda Items 6, 7, 9 and 10 of the 59th session will open from Monday, 26 May 2025, at 12:00 pm (noon), Geneva time – CEST, until Monday, 2 June 2025, at 12:00 pm (noon), Geneva time – CEST
- The NGOREG system will begin accepting registrations for oral statements on Tuesday, 10 June, at 2 p.m.
Extranet for HRC59
Visit the extranet where the lists of NGO and Member State speakers for different items in the programme will be published.
You can also set up an account on ‘Sched’ and access the dedicated Sched for this session on the extranet with more detailed and up-to-the-minute information about all related events including side events.
Other information
List of NGOs with accreditation at UN in Geneva you may wish to connect with