UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Belarus

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UN News Centre – Belarus
https://news.un.org/en/tags/belarus

UN Entities

• United Nations in Belarus: https://un.by/en/
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
  • ReliefWeb – Belarus: https://reliefweb.int/country/blr
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – Belarus: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/ENACARegion/Pages/BYIndex.aspx
• Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/CountriesMandates/BY/Pages/SRBelarus.aspx
• International Labour Organization (ILO) – Belarus: https://www.ilo.org/moscow/countries/belarus/lang–en/index.htm
  • ILO calls on Belarus President to respect workers’ rights and freedoms amid protests
    (9 September 2020): https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_754965/lang–en/index.htm
•  International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Belarus: https://www.iom.int/countries/belarus
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Belarus: https://www.by.undp.org
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – Belarus: https://www.unhcr.org/belarus.html and https://www.unhcr.org/by/
• World Health Organization (WHO) – Belarus: https://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/belarus
• The World Bank in Belarus: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/belarus

Human Rights Council

• Human Rights Council: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urges government of Belarus to end ongoing human rights violations (4 December 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26566
• Human Rights Council adopts resolution on situation of human rights in Belarus
  (18 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26262
• Human Rights Council holds urgent debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus (18 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=26260
• Human rights council opens forty-fifth regular session, decides to hold an urgent debate on Belarus (14 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26233

Selected UN Documents

• A/HRC/RES/45/1: Situation of human rights in Belarus in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath : resolution / adopted by the Human Rights Council on 18 September 2020: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/RES/45/1
• S/2020/900 (14 September 2020): Letter dated 14 September 2020 from the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council: https://undocs.org/S/2020/900
  Transmits summary of the Arria-formula meeting of the Security Council on the theme “Human rights in Belarus”, held on 4 Sept. 2020.
• A/74/995-S/2020/820 (21 August 2020): Letter dated 18 August 2020 from the representatives of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General: https://undocs.org/A/74/995
  Transmits joint declaration dated 13 Aug. 2020 on the situation in Belarus.
• A/HRC/RES/44/19: Situation of human rights in Belarus : resolution / adopted by the Human Rights Council on 17 July 2020: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/RES/44/19
• A/HRC/44/55 (8 April 2020): Situation of human rights in Belarus: report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/44/55
  Submitted by Special Rapporteur Anaïs Marin pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 41/22. Covers the period 1 Apr. 2019 to 31 Mar. 2020.
• Further documents – click here
• UN Member States on the Record: Belarus
  https://library.un.org/unms?combine=belarus
  This site provides access to information about membership and statements of Member States at the United Nations.

Selected Statements and Speeches by UN Officials

• Intersessional meeting of the Human Rights Council – The situation in Belarus: Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 4 December 2020: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26564
• Belarus: UN experts call for probe into violence against protesters (19 November 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26520
• Belarus: UN experts decry threats against women human rights defenders (3 November 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26470
• UN human rights experts: Belarus must release opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava
  (25 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26296
• Statement of Mrs Anaïs Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, at the 75th session of the General Assembly (26 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26426
• UN human rights experts: Belarus must release opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava (25 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26296
• Statement of Mrs Anaïs Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, at the Urgent Debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus Human Rights Council 45th session (18 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26261
• 45th session of the Human Rights Council Urgent debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus: Statement by Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights (18 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26259
• Statement of Mrs Anaïs Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, at the Urgent Debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus Human Rights Council 45th session (18 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26261
• Calling on Belarus authorities to refrain from using force against protestors, Secretary-General says only inclusive dialogue can resolve crisis (SG/SM/20244, 11 September 2020): https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sgsm20244.doc.htm
• Statement of Mrs. Anais Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, at the Arria Formula meeting at UN Security Council (Unofficial translation)
  (4 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26212
• Belarus: UN committee hails role of women in political process and protests (3 September 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26206
• Secretary-General Spotlights Peaceful Expression Rights amid Demonstrations in Belarus (SG/SM/20207, 14 August 2020): https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sgsm20207.doc.htm
• Belarus must stop attacking peaceful protesters, UN human rights experts say (13 August 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26164
• Bachelet condemns violent response of Belarus to post-electoral protests (12 August 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26162
• Belarus: International community must continue scrutinising human rights situation ahead of election, says UN expert (10 July 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26069
• UN experts demand end to crackdown on protesters in Belarus ahead of elections (1 July 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26023
• Belarus must stop crackdown to silence opposing views – UN experts (5 June 2020): https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25932

Non-UN Sources

•  Security Council Report
  • “Arria-formula meeting on human rights in Belarus”, 4 September 2020: https://www.whatsinblue.org/2020/09/arria-formula-meeting-on-human-rights-in-belarus.php

4 December 2020
not an official document – for information only
https://unric.org/en/unric-library-backgrounder-belarus/