UN: Jürg Lauber is the new chairman of the Human Rights Council

United Nations –

For the first time, a Swiss person is heading the UN Human Rights Council

Ambassador Jürg Lauber will take over the chairmanship of the UN Human Rights Council for a year from January.

Published today at 5:03 p.m

61-year-old Jürg Lauber is currently the Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva.

Photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi (Keystone)

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In 2025, Ambassador Jürg Lauber will be the first Swiss to take over the chairmanship of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Lauber was elected president by member states on Monday by acclamation and will hold office for one year.

Switzerland will return to the council in January for a three-year term after being absent for six years. In the almost 20 years since its inception, the United Nations’ main human rights body, which always consists of 47 of the 193 UN members, has never been led by a Swiss representative.

No other state from Switzerland’s regional bloc has challenged Jürg Lauber’s candidacy. «It is a great honor and an immense responsibility. Above all, it is an opportunity for Switzerland,” said the 61-year-old from Zug and current Swiss ambassador to the UN in Geneva to the Keystone-SDA news agency.

Among his various projects, he particularly wants to “win back the space for diplomacy”. This in a council plagued by political tensions and where informal discussions, “so important to build consensus,” have declined since the Covid-19 pandemic. “If I can bring in a Swiss touch and a role as a bridge builder, a goal would already be achieved for me.”

While this year, along with Russia, three of the permanent representatives of the UN Security Council in New York were also members of the Human Rights Council, the USA will no longer be represented on the Council in 2025. “In recent years you have been very active on the council. We will certainly miss her. But other member states are also very committed. It is still too early to predict what the dynamics will be next year,” said Lauber.

Concern about the available resources

He also does not want to speculate about the possible impact that the new administration of Donald Trump could have on international Geneva. However, given the liquidity crises recently witnessed at the United Nations, the ambassador makes no secret of his concerns. He will work to get the necessary resources.

Lauber wants to help make the Council’s working methods more efficient. After discussions in recent years, he will test some new approaches during his presidency. “We will not be able to avoid the need to concentrate resources where the council can have the greatest impact,” he said. The increase in human rights violations in the world is pushing the workload to its limits.

For several years now, and increasingly since the war in Ukraine and the war in the Gaza Strip, the West has been repeatedly accused of applying double standards when it comes to human rights. These allegations are regularly brought to the attention of the council. For Lauber, this question should not be taboo.

Continuity according to mandate in the UN Security Council

However, he believes that the body, whose mandate is to prevent and respond to human rights violations in the world, works “quite well” and helps protect those rights. And the fact that the states agree to discuss this together in Geneva is also important, especially for the victims. “Of course the countries don’t necessarily like to be the subject of discussions; there is a certain preventing element,” he admitted.

In recent years, more and more investigations have been carried out on behalf of the Council, without the violations having stopped. «Justice for crimes committed is very important for the future of a society. These documented reports will be of great interest in due course,” said Lauber.

Switzerland will be able to capitalize on the two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. “There is a certain continuity with the Swiss goals announced in New York on the protection of civilians, sustainable peace, the effects of climate change and the effectiveness of the UN. They all resonate in the Human Rights Council,” said Lauber.