GENEVA, February 25. /TASS/. The state of human rights and freedoms in Ukraine, Venezuela, Syria, Myanmar, South Sudan, Yemen and in almost three dozen states will be considered during the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council opening on Monday in Geneva (February 25 - March 22). Such topics as protecting children from violence, respecting human rights in the fight against terrorism, preventing torture, ensuring freedom of religion and cultural rights, fighting discrimination against minorities, protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, and privacy in the digital age will also be discussed.
The first three days of the session are traditionally devoted to discussions in the high-level segment. More than 90 states will present their vision of current human rights issues. On Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin will speak at a session representing Russia. As the Russian Foreign Ministry reported earlier, on the sidelines of the session, events will be organized on the subject of combating discrimination on the basis of language together with Russian non-profit organizations.
This year, Russia is not among the 47 countries of the Council. Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said earlier that Moscow has enough opportunities to promote its initiatives.
An interactive discussion on Ukraine is scheduled for March 20, Congo - March 19, Syria - March 12, Myanmar - March 11, reports on Venezuela, Colombia and Yemen will be presented on March 20.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet will speak at the opening session on February 25. On the first day, the forum is scheduled for speeches by representatives of more than 30 states, including Presidents of Tunisia and Congo, Prime Ministers of Yemen and Fiji, and Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Georgia.