The European Union presented draft resolution L.3 REV1 at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on 6 July 2026, seeking to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea for an additional year. The EU introductory statement, delivered on behalf of the Union, noted that systematic human rights violations and abuses have continued in Eritrea, including enforced disappearance, decades-long arbitrary detention, and persecution of political opponents, journalists, and religious groups, against a backdrop of continued lack of accountability.
The statement acknowledged a few encouraging developments since the previous year's resolution, including a human rights training conducted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Asmara and the release of some arbitrarily detained persons. The EU welcomed these steps and called for them to be continued and translated into concrete results. However, the EU stressed that the Special Rapporteur's report highlighted arrests of religious leaders and closure of Muslim religious institutions.
Some states have recalled their preference for technical assistance over the mandate. The EU countered this by citing OHCHR's position that technical assistance and special procedures for monitoring and reporting are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive. Regarding the duration of the mandate, the core group remains open to assessing its continued need, noting that historically mandates have expired when the country concerned engaged with established mechanisms, took concrete steps, and implemented reforms. To date, this has not been the case with Eritrea, making the mandate necessary for monitoring, reporting, and advancing accountability where no domestic avenues for justice or redress exist.
The EU encouraged Eritrea to consider genuine offers for constructive cooperation by the Special Rapporteur and OHCHR to improve all aspects of human rights, and expressed hope to continue strengthening bilateral dialogue with Eritrea to address human rights and other areas of mutual interest. The EU thanked all delegations for their cooperation and expressed hope that the resolution could be adopted by consensus.
Eritrean citizens and civil society, who face ongoing human rights violations and lack of accountability; the EU and its member states, which advocate for human rights and maintain diplomatic engagement with Eritrea; the UN Special Rapporteur and OHCHR, whose mandate and technical assistance efforts are central to monitoring and reporting; and other UN member states, some of which prefer technical assistance over the mandate, creating a cleavage between human rights monitoring and cooperative engagement approaches.