GENEVA 

As global crises deepen and human rights challenges multiply, the UN Human Rights Council is set to launch its 59th regular session on Monday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, running through July 9.

The session will begin at 10 a.m. CET ( 0800GMT) under the presidency of Ambassador Jurg Lauber of Switzerland, the council said in a statement on Wednesday.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk will address the opening session and present his annual report.

Over four weeks, the council will consider more than 60 reports from the UN Secretariat, the high commissioner, independent experts, and investigative bodies on the human rights situation in over 40 countries. A total of 32 interactive dialogues are scheduled.

Key discussions include dialogues on Venezuela, Ukraine, Colombia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar. The council will also receive updates from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan.

Climate change will feature with an annual panel on its adverse impacts on human rights, according to the statement. Other thematic issues include freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, summary executions, education, health, and extreme poverty.

The council will also review the outcomes of the universal periodic review for 14 countries, including Italy, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Interactive dialogues are also planned with the special rapporteurs on Eritrea, Belarus, Burundi, and the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as on racism, trafficking, and international solidarity.