4 July 2006 - Child Rights and the new Human Rights Council 10
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Friday 30th June - ORDER OF THE DAY
- Human Rights Council issues conclusions and recommendations and concludes its first session (30 June)
- Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the situation on human rights in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories (5 July)
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Human Rights Council issues conclusions and recommendations and concludes its first session (30 June)
The Human Rights Council concluded its first session last Friday, 30th June. During the two-week session, which started on Monday 19th June, the Council adopted eight Resolutions, three Decisions and two Statements by the President.
On Friday 30th June, the Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a Resolution on the right to development, endorsing the conclusions and recommendations adopted by the Working Group on the Right to Development at its January 2006 session and renewing its mandate for one year.
The Council also adopted without a vote a Decision on the extension of all mandates, mechanisms, functions and responsibilities of the Commission on Human Rights, in which the Council extended exceptionally for one year, subject to review, the mandates and the mandate-holders of all the Commission's special procedures, of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights as well as the procedure established in accordance with Economic and Social Council Resolution 1503.
The Council adopted by consensus a Decision to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group to formulate concrete recommendations on the issue of reviewing and, where necessary, improving and rationalising all mandates, mechanisms, functions and responsibilities in order to maintain a system of special procedures, expert advice and a complaint procedure, through open-ended, intersessional, transparent, well scheduled and inclusive consultations, with the participation of all stakeholders.
A Decision on the universal periodic review was also adopted, with the Council deciding to establish an intersessional open-ended intergovernmental working group to develop the modalities of the universal periodic review mechanism.
In a Statement by the President on the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Human Rights Council welcomed the entry into force, on 22 June 2006, of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, following ratification by 20 States.
In a Resolution on the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (racism), the Human Rights Council endorsed the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Working Group on its fourth session; and requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to select, in close consultations with the regional groups, five highly qualified experts to study the content and scope of the substantive gaps in the existing international instruments to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
In a Statement by the HRC President on hostage-taking, the Council reaffirmed that all acts of hostage-taking, wherever and by whomever committed, were a serious crime aimed at the destruction of human rights and were, under any circumstances, unjustifiable; strongly condemned all acts of hostage-taking anywhere in the world; and reaffirmed that hostage-taking calls for concerted efforts on the part of all States and the international community, acting in full compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights standards, in order to bring such abhorrent practices to an end.
In a Resolution on the draft framework for a programme of work of the Human Rights Council for the first year, the Human Rights Council adopted a framework for a programme of work of the Human Rights Council for the first year. The next session of the Council will be held from 18 September to 6 October.
The Second (regular) session of the Human Rights Council will be held from 18 September to 6 October 2006; the 3rd session, from 27 November to 8 December; the 4th, from 12 March to 6 April 2007.
In a Resolution on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, the Council requested the relevant Special Rapporteurs to report to the next session of the Council on the Israeli human rights violations in occupied Palestine; and decided to undertake substantive consideration of the human rights violations and implications of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories at the next session and to incorporate this issue in its following sessions.
In a Resolution on incitement to racial and religious hatred and the promotion of tolerance, the Council on Human Rights decided to request the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the next session on this phenomenon.
The Council also adopted its Draft report to the General Assembly on the session.
In concluding remarks, the President said the Council had recently started to be built. A large number of high-level dignitaries had attended. This had opened many doors, although many more remained to be opened.
Particularly important decisions had been taken, including the first decisions on the International Convention on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances, and the United Nations Statement on the Rights of Indigenous peoples. These reflected the capacity of the Council to improve the system of protection of human rights at the normative level, and this now needed to be expressed on the ground. Very ambitious targets and objectives had been set, and these had been met, thanks to the commitment of the delegations participating in the work.
[Source: UN]
Further information
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Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the situation on human rights in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories
On Friday 30th June, the President of the Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, said that following a request signed by 21 Member States of the 47 Member States of the Council to hold a Special Session on the situation on human rights in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, he was holding consultations with the Bureau and the Secretariat to see when it could be scheduled as soon as possible.
Yesterday, a note was issued by the Secretariat to confirm that the first Special Session would be held on Wednesday 5th July, 3-6pm, in the Salle des Assemblées, at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva.
Further information
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