CRINMAIL 63:
In this issue:
14th Session Summary
The 14th Session of the Human Rights Council closed on friday June 18th, having been in session since May 31st.
In addition to a full day devoted to discussions on women's rights, panel sessions took place on a number of themes including victims of trafficking, protection of journalists in armed conflicts, and toxic waste. Special Rapporteurs reported on a number of key thematic issues, including the right to education and violence against women. Rapporteurs also presented reports on the current situation in Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Several countries under review as part of the 8th session of the Univeral Periodic Review (UPR), most notably the Islamic Republic of Iran, were considered, and the appointment of a number of Special Procedures mandate holders led to controversy as members including Nigeria complained and forced the appointments to be overturned. (Read the report by ISHR)
Children's rights featured in the session, most notably:
-Juvenile justice: To read the Report of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in the administration of justice, including juvenile justice, click here
-Young activists lobbying at the HRC: CRIN have teamed up with Y Care International to report on a group of young activists lobbying at the Human Rights Council on youth justice issues. CRIN met the activists one year ago and the interviews conducted by Y Care International below chart their progress at the UN.
To read the draft report of the 14th session, click here
Young activists lobby at the Human Rights Council
In March 2009, five young activists with experience of youth justice systems went to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to lobby decision makers and influence an important UN Resolution (10/2) on youth justice. The Resolution made urgent recommendations to all governments.
A year later (June 2010), another group of young activists returned to the UN to report on the progress governments have made in abiding by this Resolution. During the 14th Session of the Human Rights Council, the young activists delivered two oral interventions and hosted a parallel event where they relayed their experiences and offered practical solutions on juvenile justice. They also held meetings with their own national representatives and Ambassadors, and finally met with the offices of the UN Special Rapporteurs on Education, Torture and Extra-judicial killings.
The young people representing a diverse group of countries, including Guatemala, Sierra Leone, England and Ireland, spoke candidly in the interviews about their own experiences of being in conflict with the law and suffering at the hands of juvenile justice systems. David from Sierra Leone, who had experienced torture and abuse in prison, said "I have been in conflict with the law and know how it feels. I want to help others." They all agreed child participation must be increased. "Governments must create channels for the youth to be heard, and their views to be taken into account", stated Luis, a passionate campaigner from Guatemala.
The group aired their views and concerns at the Council meetings. Addressing the meeting on juvenile justice, they raised concerns that detention and prison always seem to be the first and not the last option. On the issue of rehabilitation, they further stated "for us another particularly challenging key area of Resolution 10/2 is paragraph 10. This stresses the importance of rehabilitation and reintegration strategies for former offenders. Only through this are they able to assume a constructive role in society".
The group also made an oral intervention during the discussions on women's rights, stating "we believe that a key challenge to the empowerment of young women through education, is to fully implement international standards on juvenile justice".
To read the full interviews, biographies and oral interventions, click on the links below:
You can also visit the campaign's website, facebook page, and their blog detailing their experiences at the Human Rights Council.
To find out more about Y Care International, visit their website
Special Procedures Mandate Holders Appointed
The following appointments were made at the 14th Session:
1 Christof Heyns as Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions;
Visit the OHCHR website for further information on this mandate
2 Heiner Bielefeldt as Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
Visit the OHCHR website for further information on this mandate
3 Kishore Singh as Special Rapporteur on the right to education
Vist the OHCHR Website for further information on this mandate
For further information about Special Procedures, click here
To find out more about CRIN's transparency campaign, click here
Special Procedures Visits
- The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention conducted a mission to Malaysia from 7 to 18 June 2010. A press release announcing the visit is available at:
- The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia, Mr. Surya Prasad Subedi, conducted a mission to the country from 8 to 18 June 2010. A press release announcing the visit is available at: http://bit.ly/aBGwe6- The Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, conducted a visit to Armenia from 14 to 18 June 2010. A press release announcing the visit is available at: http://bit.ly/dxBbus
- The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Ms. Najat M'jid Maalla, is expected to visit El Salvador from 24 to 31 August 2010 - http://bit.ly/9GtEqy
- The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. Frank La Rue, will conduct a joint visit to Mexico with the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States, Ms. Catalina Botero, from 9 to 24 August 2010 - http://bit.ly/aUStvP
-The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Mr. Manfred Nowak, to conduct a visit to Greece from 10 to 20 October 2010 - http://bit.ly/cMo8hq
For a full list of visits scheduled for 2010, click here
Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Deadlines for NGO submissions
Upcoming 9th Session: 1st - 12th November 2010
The following countries are due to be reviewed:
Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malawi, Mauritania, Lebanon, Maldives, Marshal Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, United States of America, Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia.
Deadline for Submissions for Sessions 10 and 11
Session 10:
* 5 July 2010 for submissions on Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Prinicpe, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal
* 12 July 2010 for submissions on Oman, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Australia, Austria, Estonia and Georgia.
Session 11:
* 1 November 2010 for submissions on Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore; and
* 8 November 2010 for submissions on Salomon Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Hungary and Latvia.
*Submissions should be sent to [email protected] by:
To access CRIN's child rights reference reports compiled for all countries examined in the UPR to date, visit CRIN's UPR webpage
CRIN's analysis of children's rights in the UPR
CRIN are currently carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the Universal Periodic Review, evaluating the extent to which children's rights are addressed in the UN mechanism and furthermore ascertaining the most effective ways for NGOs to engage with the process.
In addition to analysing the individual state reviews to find out which rights are addressed and which are most commonly neglected, CRIN are interviewing a broad spectrum of NGOs, Ombudspersons or National Human Rights Institions and wider civil society actors, and will be disseminating a report in due course, highlighting the major findings of this analysis. This report will be made available online.
If you would like to contribute your thoughts on the UPR, please contact Ed Renshaw at [email protected].
Other News / Events
The Working Group on the review of the Human Rights Council will meet in Geneva from 25 to 29 October, 2010. Topics under discussion will include an evaluation of the work and functioning of the Council, and the identification of concrete gaps and shortcomings in the Council's work.
Finally, OHCHR have released a report detailing their activites and results for 2009. Click here to read this report.
Finally, click here to subscribe to OHCHR's Civil Society updates.
{THE LAST WORD}
"It is very important for us to be here at the Human Rights Council. This is one of the forums and ways for our voices to be heard globally, and at home. What we say here will reach our own governments at home. This forum is a chance to tell the world what is really happening in our countries".
Luis, a youth campaigner from Guatemala Back to top
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