Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Issues
The Third Committee of the General Assembly is currently chaired by His Excellency José Alfonso Blanco Conde of the Dominican Republic. This committee is responsible for discussing and addressing various social, humanitarian, and human rights issues that affect people around the world.
The Committee's work primarily focuses on examining human rights questions, including reports from the Human Rights Council's special procedures, which was established in 2006. In October 2022, the Committee will conduct hearings and interact with special rapporteurs, independent experts, and chairs of working groups, as mandated by the Human Rights Council.
Furthermore, the Committee addresses questions related to the advancement of women, protection of children, indigenous issues, refugee treatment, promotion of fundamental freedoms through the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, and the right to self-determination. It also tackles social development questions such as issues related to youth, family, aging, persons with disabilities, crime prevention, criminal justice, and international drug control.
During the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly, the Third Committee considered 62 draft resolutions, with more than half being submitted under the human rights agenda item alone. The committee is expected to review a similar number of draft resolutions during the present session.
As per General Assembly resolution 66/246, the formal meetings of the Third Committee are webcast live on UN Web TV. The formal meetings are available in the six official languages of the United Nations, including the original language of the speaker. Past meetings of the session will also be available from the Committee's dedicated video archives.
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