Chris Elmore MP, Minister for Multilateral, Human Rights, Latin America and the Caribbean, used the Human Rights Council’s high‑level week in Geneva on 25 February 2026 to set out the UK’s approach as a Council member for 2026–28, following election by the UN General Assembly on 14 October 2025. In a prepared statement published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), he reiterated a pledge to defend human dignity and to prioritise mechanisms that investigate abuses, preserve evidence and enable accountability.
On Ukraine, Elmore marked four years since Russia’s full‑scale invasion and listed airstrikes, unlawful detentions, torture and executions among the violations documented since 2022. Citing nearly 15,000 civilian deaths in the past year, he signalled continued UK support at the Council for accountability measures focused on victims’ rights and evidence preservation.
Addressing Gaza and the West Bank, the minister said aid must reach civilians and protections must be upheld, adding that the 20‑point plan should now progress to its next phase to help build the basis for a two‑state solution. The reference aligns with the UN Security Council decision on 17 November 2025 to implement a US‑sponsored 20‑point framework, including authorisation for an International Stabilisation Force; the UK voted in favour and has since urged delivery of ‘phase two’ in subsequent FCDO statements.
Turning to Iran, he highlighted families grieving those killed in protests and others seeking answers on detainees and the disappeared. His remarks followed the Human Rights Council’s special session on 23 January 2026, where Member States extended the mandates of the independent fact‑finding mission and the Special Rapporteur and tasked an urgent investigation into recent violations-an example, in the UK’s view, of acting with urgency and purpose.
Sudan featured as the most acute priority. Elmore said millions have been displaced and communities shattered, calling the Council’s Fact‑Finding Mission essential to documenting the truth. He referred to the mission’s latest reporting on El Fasher, detailing starvation, torture, killings, rape and deliberate ethnic targeting at scale. Echoing a statement by the Foreign Secretary at the UN Security Council on 18 February 2026, he said such crimes must not go unanswered.
For South Sudan, the minister cited escalating clashes, sexual violence, forced recruitment and shrinking political space, warning these trends erode the Revitalised Agreement. He described the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan as indispensable-exposing abuses, preserving evidence and pressing for accountability so communities are not abandoned to impunity.
On Syria, the statement noted recent commitments from the Syrian Government that could-if sustained-open a path to a more inclusive future. The UK framed this as the need for steps that lead to a transition reflecting the aspirations of all Syrians and producing tangible improvements in rights and security.
Human rights defenders were a focal point. Elmore announced a £2.5 million UK commitment to the Lighthouse Fund to support and protect defenders facing heightened risk. The Lighthouse Global Protection Fund, launched in late January 2026, is designed to provide rapid, flexible assistance to at‑risk defenders and civil society groups. The move complements new FCDO guiding principles on supporting defenders published in December 2025 and promoted in January 2026.
The practical implications are clear for practitioners. As a re‑elected Council member from 1 January 2026, the UK has positioned itself to back investigative mechanisms such as the Sudan Fact‑Finding Mission and the South Sudan Commission, to follow through on outcomes from the Iran special session, and to align Council deliberations with the delivery track for the Gaza 20‑point plan. For organisations working on documentation, protection and legal accountability, the Lighthouse funding and the UK’s emphasis on evidence preservation indicate concrete avenues for partnership and support over the coming months.
Elmore closed by linking this agenda to the UN80 reform effort, arguing for a human rights system that adds value where others cannot and focuses on the sharpest needs. For policy teams tracking the sixty‑first session, the watch‑points are resourcing and renewal of investigative mandates, measurable steps on Gaza’s transitional arrangements, and whether Member States coalesce around measures that turn findings into accountability outcomes.