Pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251, establishing the Human Rights Council, Spain presented its voluntary undertakings and commitments as a candidate to the Human Rights Council. The document was circulated, at Spain’s request, at the General Assembly at the start of September.

By means of this document, Spain sought to publicise its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and to ensure that this contribution was taken into account and valued at the time of its election as a member of the Council. We consider that the backing of 180 countries in the vote held in New York on 16 October 2017 constitutes recognition of the commitment of Spain’s public powers and society to human rights and an expression of trust in Spain.

Now, as a Council member, it is down to us to put these commitments into practice.

What do we propose to do as a member of the Human Rights Council?

Spain will continue, both nationally and as a member of the European Union (EU), to support the Council, paying close heed to the most serious situations of human rights violations in specific countries through the so-called country resolutions, and to insist on the obligation we all have as States to cooperate with the bodies set up by the Council.

Aside from that, we propose to contribute our knowledge and experience in those areas in which we have a proven track-record and which we can group under three main pillars of action:

• Human dignity and equal human rights for everyone.

Spain will maintain its firm position against the death penalty, pursuing the goal of its universal abolition and, as an intermediate step, the establishment of moratoriums. The rejection of the death penalty is founded, inter alia, on the value of human dignity. Furthermore, in order to enjoy human rights, the protection of individuals from any form of discrimination, including in its most extreme form – violence – is especially important. This pillar includes the fight against racism, xenophobia and other related forms of intolerance, gender equality, non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and the rights of people with disabilities.

• Democracy and the rule of law.

Human rights, the rule of law and democracy are interrelated and mutually enhancing. Participation in public affairs is the clearest expression of a democratic regime and recognised as a human right as such. But furthermore, the existence of an effective democracy demands the construction and maintenance of a complex framework of rights and freedoms that individuals can freely exercise. Under this pillar, we will insist that a free and dynamic civil society constitutes an essential element of a democracy that works and we advocate the role of human rights defenders in a year in which we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

• Sustainable development.

Under this pillar, we propose to continue working hard to promote economic, social and cultural rights (including the human rights to drinking water and sanitation as components of an adequate standard of living, the promotion of which Spain has jointly headed up at an international level), and human rights and companies.

How do we want to work as members of the Council?

The fourth pillar of action included in our document of voluntary undertakings and commitments concerns this question under the heading of “dialogue, cooperation and efficacy”.

We want to work to seek to forge agreement through effective dialogue on human rights matters with the aim of strengthening the capacity of member States to comply with their human rights obligations and guarantee their cooperation with Council mechanisms. Dialogue and cooperation are two of the principles which, pursuant to the General Assembly resolution establishing the Council, must guide its work. Dialogue and cooperation are suitable means for preventing human rights violations.

We also aim to work in supporting the participation of civil society stakeholders in meetings of the Human Rights Council. Spain will continue to report those cases in which representatives of civil society suffer threats and reprisals in the protection of human rights defenders.