Country detail - yourHRC.org

Botswana

Regional group:

African Group (AG)

Council member:

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Council Bureau membership:	Vice-president (2015)
Coordinator of regional group:	1
Voluntary financial contribution to OHCHR (2024) :

Other HRC positions:	–
OHCHR presence:	– No field presence
NHRI accreditation status:	–

National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up (NMIRF): Standing - Inter-Ministerial

Engagement with the HRC

Principal sponsorship of HRC resolutions

Mission by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve the human rights situation and accountability in Burundi; Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Independence and impartiality of the judiciary and lawyers;Equal participation in political and public affairs; Preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age as a human rights concern; Equal participation in political and public affairs; The right to a nationality: Women’s Equal Nationality Rights in Law and in Practice; High-level panel discussion to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

Voting record

Since it first became a member of the Council in 2011, Botswana has (in the absence of consensus) either voted in favour of or has joined consensus on all resolutions tabled under item 4 (situations that require the Council’s attention). It has abstained during voting on country-specific resolutions tabled under item 2 (e.g. on the situation in Sri Lanka). For item 7 resolutions (human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories), Botswana has generally voted in favour (although on two occasions it abstained – in 2015). On item 10 resolutions (capacity-building), Botswana has joined consensus on all resolutions except for two that were voted on during the period of its membership: on cooperation with Ukraine (Botswana voted in favour). For thematic resolutions dealing with civil and political rights, Botswana has generally joined consensus. Where there has been a vote, it has nearly always voted in favour. The exceptions to this rule are the votes on two texts on the death penalty (Botswana voted against), a 2014 vote on sexual orientation (voted against), and a 2015 vote on the effects of terrorism (abstained). For thematic resolutions dealing with economic, social and cultural rights, Botswana has either joined consensus on, or has voted in favour of, all adopted texts. Leadership/principal sponsor: equal participation in political and public affairs; independence and impartiality of judges and lawyers; preventable child mortality and morbidity.

HRC participation

During HRC general discussions, panel debates and interactive dialogues with the Special Procedures, during the past three years, either as an HRC member or not, the State has joined:

262

Regional
group statements

Average of statements for all countries: 78

Subregional
group statements

Average of statements for all countries: 50

Political group
statements

Average of statements for all countries: 109

111

Cross-regional
group statements

Average of statements for all countries: 96

Other joint
statements

Average of statements for all countries: 5

HRC member empty chair?

Overall, as a HRC member, has participated in more than 10% of panel discussions, general debates and interactive dialogues.

Cooperation with international human rights system

Special Procedures

Standing invitation

Communications responded to / received

Visits requests status

Completed
Invitation sent by the State not (yet) accepted by the SP
Accepted / date set
Visit request by the SP and not (yet) accepted by the State
Postponed / cancelled

Longest visit request not (yet) accepted by the State >
SR on racism, 2012

Treaty Bodies

Ratified

Reporting Status

Ratification status
Party Not Party
Individual complaint procedure accepted.
Reporting status

Submitted on time
Submitted late
Not applicable

On schedule
Overdue (outstanding)

CAT

ICCPR

CED

CEDAW

CERD

ICESCR

CRC

CRPD

Most overdue report

None overdue

OP-CAT

Ratified

NPM established

Universal Periodic Review

Reported

(2008, 2013, 2018)

Mid-term report

2nd and 3rd cycle

Level of delegation

Minister

Participation in other reviews
1^st cycle: 18 / 192

2^nd cycle: 89 / 192

Cooperation with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights

Cited in the Secretary General’s reports on 'alleged reprisals for cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights' (2010-2024)?

Fulfilment of past voluntary pledges & commitments

Specific voluntary pledges: 9

For its election in 2014 (for the period 2015-2017), Botswana did not present any pledges or commitments.

In 2011 (for the period 2011-2014), Botswana tabled voluntary pledges and commitments on 7 January 2011.

Botswana’s international level commitments included to: participate in discussions on the reform of the Treaty Bodies; engage fully with the UPR; contribute to discussions on the reform of Special Procedures; contribute to a strengthening of the UPR; and cooperate with Council mechanisms, including Special Procedures, and with Treaty Bodies.

At the domestic level, Botswana pledged to: create an ‘umbrella’ NHRI; promote dialogue with civil society; promote gender mainstreaming through the national gender action plan; and advance the empowerment of women.

An analysis of steps taken by Botswana in fulfilment of its international level commitments shows that it has facilitated half of the requests by Special Procedures to visit the country, and has responded to the only Special Procedures communication received. Regarding Treaty Bodies, it has ratified 5 of the core conventions, but is yet to submit a periodic report on time. Botswana participated in its own UPR at ministerial level, but rarely contributes to the UPR reviews of other countries (based on first cycle data).

Botswana

African Group (AG)

Engagement with the HRC

Principal sponsorship of HRC resolutions

Voting record

HRC participation

HRC member empty chair?

Cooperation with international human rights system

Special Procedures

Standing invitation

Communications responded to / received

Visits requests status

Treaty Bodies

Ratified

Reporting Status

Universal Periodic Review

Participation in other reviews 1st cycle: 18 / 192

2nd cycle: 89 / 192

Cooperation with the UN, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights

Fulfilment of past voluntary pledges & commitments

Specific voluntary pledges: 9

Participation in other reviews
1^st cycle: 18 / 192

2^nd cycle: 89 / 192