During its 3-year mandate (2024 – 2026) in the Human Rights Council, Albania will commit itself to the eternal principles of human rights and dignity and to building a world where every person may realize their full potential and live with dignity and respect.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, during his speech at the High Level Segment of the HRC, which was held in Geneva, emphasized that one of Albania’s priorities as a member of the HRC is also to hold perpetrators of serious crimes accountable, to combat impunity and to prevent further violations of fundamental rights.

“We fully support the mandate of the Investigative Commission and as a member of the HRC we will work hard, together with our partners, towards achieving the objective of bringing to justice the perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Ukraine. On February 28, we will host the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit in Tirana, to support Ukraine and denounce the illegal aggression and the crimes it has brought”.

The Albanian chief diplomat stated that Albania is preparing for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, which, according to him, is an opportunity to present the actions taken to improve the human rights situation in Albania and to share the best practices.

“We will work to support the participation of civil society actors and human rights defenders, especially women’s rights defenders, in the work of the Human Rights Council and in the field. This is a particularly important priority for my country,” he stated.

It is the second time that, within a period of less than 10 years, Albania has become part of this important UN body that deals with issues of protection and respect for human rights. Albania had its first mandate in the HRC in the years 2015 – 2017.