GENEVA - The United Nations Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will hold its 34th session from 16 to 20 February 2026 in Room XVI at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. During the one-week session, the Committee's 18 independent experts - serving as the Council's think tank - will continue its work on the following mandates:
- Technology-facilitated gender-based violence and its impact on women and girls (resolution 56/19)
- Implications of plastic pollution for the full enjoyment of human rights (decision 56/117)
- Impact of artificial intelligence systems on good governance (resolution 57/5)
In this regard, the Committee will consider two draft studies: one on the impact of artificial intelligence systems on good governance (resolution 57/5), and another on technology-facilitated gender-based violence and its impact on women and girls (resolution 56/19). The resulting studies are scheduled to be submitted to the Human Rights Council at its 62nd (June-July 2026) and 63rd sessions (September-October 2026), respectively.
The Committee will also begin its work on the five new mandates listed below and will engage in panel discussions with expert panellists on all these topics, in public sessions open to stakeholders:
- The negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the right to health of individuals in vulnerable situations, particularly women and children (resolution 58/3)
- Achievement of social justice through the legal enforcement of economic, social and cultural rights by national courts (resolution 58/9)
- Guidelines for applying the existing human rights framework to neurotechnology (resolution 58/6)
- Guidelines on implementing existing human rights obligations of States in the context of preventing and combating corruption (resolution 59/6)
- Implications of sea-level rise for the full enjoyment of human rights (resolution 60/20)
The Committee's plenary meetings are open to the media, are not webcast and will conclude with a round-up press release. The agenda and programme of work are available on the Advisory Committee's session webpage.
Background
The Advisory Committee is a body of 18 independent experts serving as a "think tank" to the Human Rights Council. It was established in 2008, pursuant to resolution 5/1 to provide studies and research-based advice, as requested by the Council, and meets twice a year. The Committee's work is implementation-oriented and follows thematic issues linked to the mandate of the Council, namely, the promotion and protection of all human rights. It interacts with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organisations, and other civil society representatives.
The composition of the Advisory Committee and term of membership of each expert are as follows:
Miznah Omair Alomair (Saudi Arabia, 2027); Nicole Ameline (France, 2028); Joseph Gérard Angoh (Mauritius, 2026); Edward Amoako Asante (Ghana, 2028); Buhm-Suk Baek (Republic of Korea, 2026*); Nadia Amal Bernoussi (Morocco, 2026*); Rabah Boudache (Algeria, 2028*); Carlos Ignacio de Casas (Argentina, 2028); Riva Ganguly Das (India, 2026); Alessandra Devulsky (Brazil, 2027); Veronica Fikfak (Slovenia, 2028); Jewel Major (Bahamas, 2026*); Afsaneh Nadipour (Islamic Republic of Iran, 2028); Ren Yisheng (China, 2028); Patrycja Sasnal (Poland, 2026*); Vassilis Tzevelekos (Greece, 2027*); Catherine Van de Heyning (Belgium, 2026*); and Frans Viljoen (South Africa, 2027*)
*Member serving second term
