Egypt Calls for Consensus on Renewing the Mandate on Foreign Debt and Human Rights
Author : Ingy Ihab Published at : Mar 30, 2026
Ingy Ihab
On 30 March 2026, during the 52nd meeting held at the UN Human Rights Council, draft resolution (A/HRC/61/L.11) on the “Mandate of the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights” was introduced.
Egypt expressed its support for this draft resolution. In its statement, Egypt emphasized that the mandate has remained highly relevant since its establishment in 1998, reflecting the continuing and evolving challenges posed by foreign debt to the realization of human rights, particularly within developing countries. Egypt underlined that the issue of sovereign debt today requires more urgent international attention than ever before.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Egypt noted that approximately 3.4 billion people currently live in countries that spend more on debt servicing than on education and health. According to the statement, this reality continues to undermine the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights and threatens to reverse important development gains achieved over the years.
Egypt further stressed that both the mandate itself and the issue it addresses remain matters of legitimate concern for many countries confronting growing challenges arising from the implications of foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights and the achievement of sustainable development.
At the same time, Egypt expressed regret that the draft resolution had not previously been adopted by consensus. The statement called on the international community to ensure that debt does not evolve into a persistent barrier preventing states and peoples from fully realizing their human rights obligations and development aspirations. In this context, Egypt urged members of the Human Rights Council to adopt the draft resolution by consensus. The statement further affirmed that, should the resolution be put to a vote, Egypt would vote in favor of its adoption and called upon all members of the Council to do likewise.
Finally, the resolution was adopted by a vote of 29 in favor, 10 against and 8 abstentions.