“Equal participation in political and public affairs is a cornerstone of democracy based on the rule of law, non-discrimination and respect of all human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Czech Ambassador Kateřina Sequensová said when introducing the resolution at the Council. “Ensuring full and effective participation for all is the best means to fight discrimination, social exclusion and marginalization and is a key tool for preventing human rights violations and abuses.”

The Czech initiative has again highlighted at the UN the need of ensuring an enabling environment for  participation of all citizens without discrimination in political and public affairs. The resolution reflects the study by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on factors impeding equal participation in political and public affairs and offers concrete and action-oriented recommendations to states how to overcome those obstacles. The resolution requests another study to build on the findings of the existing one; the focus will be on how the right to participate in public affairs is implemented and translated into legislation, policies and practices. The OHCHR study - to be presented to the Council in September 2015 - will benefit from inputs by both states and non-state actors such as UN agencies and mechanisms, NGOs and regional organizations. 

The Czech resolution - one of 32 texts adopted at the Council’s 27th session - was negotiated in a transparent manner through several rounds of open consultations attended by dozens of delegations from all regions.    

The resolution as adopted is available.