Contradicting Francesca Albanese, the UN human rights office says that her term as UN special rapporteur was never renewed.
“There was no ‘renewal’ of any Special Procedures mandate-holders at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council,” said the UN, in a press statement reported by the New Arab and the Times of Israel, the full text of which follows below.
Instead, the UN human rights office states that she had been originally appointed for a six-year term, which began on May 1, 2022, and therefore “she can serve as Special Rapporteur until 30 April 2028.”
The UN statement directly contradicts statements by The Netherlands and all other UN member states that have spoken on the matter, as well as Albanese herself, who have all said that she was up for renewal in the 58th session of March-April 2025.
Press Statement by Pascal Sim, Spokesperson of UN Human Rights Office, April 3, 2025:
There was no “renewal” of any Special Procedures mandate-holders at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council.
Paragraph 45 of Human Rights Council Resolution 5/1 entitled “Institution-building of the United Nations Human Rights Council” says that a special procedures mandate-holder’s tenure is a given function, whether a thematic or country mandate, is no longer than six years (two terms of three years for thematic mandate-holders)”.
In the case of Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 (a country mandate), she was appointed by this Council on 1 April 2022, which was the last day of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council.
She took up her function on 1 May 2022.
According to the “no longer than six years” principle, she can serve as Special Rapporteur until 30 April 2028.
Whenever this Council nominates a special procedure mandate-holder, it does so with the knowledge that the mandate-holder may serve up to six years in this function.
At no time has the Human Rights Council, in any formal or informal way, been called to “reappoint” or “renew” a special procedures mandate-holder. And this was not the case at the 58th session of the Council that just concluded.
Accordingly, the New Arab reported: “Pascal Sim, a spokesperson for the UNHRC, clarified to The New Arab that the agenda of the session did not include the approval or reappointment of any Special Rapporteurs, including any ‘renewal’ of Albanese’s mandate. Sim explained that Albanese is among the rapporteurs holding a country-specific mandate, which, unlike thematic mandates, is not divided into two terms of three years.”
Similarly, TRT World reported: “Several outlets claimed that her continued tenure was confirmed during the 58th session of the UNHRC last Friday. However, Pascal Sim, a spokesperson for the UNHRC, said the agenda of the session did not include the approval or reappointment of any special rapporteurs, including any ‘renewal’ of Albanese’s mandate.”
However, the UN human rights office’s statement directly contradicts Albanese’s own statements and videos, which repeatedly refer to her renewal for a second term. “On May 1, I will begin my second term,” tweeted Albanese, promoting an event with her ARDD “colleagues.” In that video, she described what she would do in her second term, and the prospects of her renewal being voted down at the 58th session.
Likewise, speaking with Academia for Equality, Albanese stated that her mandate was “automatically renewed” after “all the brouhaha in France, in Germany, in the Netherlands, in the U.S… didn’t translate in any request for a vote of confidence.”
📌Happening tomorrow – On May 1, I will begin my second term as a UN Independent Expert. Time to reflect on the work done so far and the challenges that lie ahead. Glad to do so with my colleagues at @ardd.
Follow the event on: https://t.co/mpDQIAEcte, 4pm Ireland time, 5pm CET. https://t.co/wtChsRR7IA— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) April 21, 2025
