CRINMAIL 66:
HRC Schedule 2011
In this issue:
To view this CRINMAIL online, click here
The Year Ahead
2011 promises to be another busy year at the Human Rights Council, with the first official review of the Council's work and functioning due to be completed by June this year.
In addition to the HRC review, three Regular Sessions are scheduled for March, June and September, with the Day on the Rights of the Child, focusing on Street Children, taking place during the Council's March session.
The first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review will be completed by the end of October, with the remaining 48 countries reviewed in Session 10 (January), Session 11 (May) and Session 12 (October). In addition to other activities taking place at the Council, a series of Special Procedure visits will be conducted by independent experts with both thematic and country mandates.
Key events in 2011
January
- 24th - February 4th: Session 10 of the UPR
February
- 7th - 9th: HRC Review part one
- 17th - 18th: HRC Review part two
- 28th - March 25th: 16th Regular Session of the HRC
March
- 16th Regular Session of the HRC continues, including:
- 9th March: The Day on the Rights of the Child
May
- 2nd - 13th May: Session 11 of the UPR
- 30th - June 17th: 17th Regular Session of the HRC
June
- 17th Regular Session of the HRC continues
September
- 12th - 30th: 18th Regular Session of the HRC
October
- 3rd - 14th October: Session 12 of the UPR
N.B Special Procedure visits, Special Sessions at the HRC, Advisory Committee meetings and many other activities will also take place throughout the year. Follow CRIN's HRC page for further information.
Reminder of 2010 at the Council
For a reminder of what happened at the Council last year, visit our HRC CRINMAIL archive.
16th Regular Session
The 16th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to take place from February 28th to March 25th this year. The agenda and programme of work for the Session will be posted on CRIN's HRC page once available.
The theme for the Day on the Rights of the Child, which takes place on March 9th, will be "Children working and/or living on the streets". Further information on this day will also be available soon on CRIN's HRC page.
Deadline of Monday 14th February 2011 for:
-Submission of NGO written statements
-Requests for NGO parallel-event rooms (online only)
Consult the HRC NGO Participation page for further information.
Information on Previous HRC Sessions
- Click here for the draft report of the 15th Regular Session
- Click here for information on previous HRC Sessions
HRC Review 2011
Since our last update on the Review of the Human Rights Council in December, a number of discussions have taken place, including an "Ambassadorial retreat" in Bangkok, Thailand, from 8 to 10 December 2010.
Issues under review include the UPR process (most notably the follow-up stage and the phrasing of recommendations), Special Procedures (in particular the appointment process and the code of conduct followed by the experts), and the activities of the Advisory Committee.
Ambassadors of Permanent missions in Geneva, as well as National human rights institutions (NHRI) and ECOSOC accredited non-governmental organisations (NGOs), will continue discussions until the next meeting.
For a more in-depth look at the issues and the positions taken by various States, visit our HRC Review page.
Next formal meeting
The next meeting of the Working Group for the Council's Review, will take place in two stages: 7th - 9th February, and then from the 17th to 18th February.
When will the process be completed?
The President is hopeful the review process can be completed in March 2011, but this may prove to be too ambitious and the deadline is more likely to be June 2011.
Universal Periodic Review
Upcoming 10th Session
The following countries will be reviewed in the 10th Session of the UPR, which takes place from January 24th to February 4th 2011:
Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Oman, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Australia, Austria, Estonia and Georgia.
Reports extracting children's rights from the pre-review reports will be available shortly here.
Upcoming Report Deadlines for the 12th Session
Submissions in relation to the 16 countries scheduled to be reviewed at the 12th session of the Working Group on the UPR (October 2011) should be sent to [email protected] by:
* 14 March 2011 for submissions on Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand; and
* 21 March 2011 for submissions on Timor Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania and Moldova.
Report Launch: "Status of Children's Rights in the UPR"
CRIN recently launched a report assessing the extent to which children's rights are being addressed in the UPR, and how NGOs are engaging with this new mechanism.
Further information:
Special Procedure Visits - 2011
A number of Special Procedure visits are scheduled to take place this year by independent experts with thematic and country focused mandates.
- Click here for a list of upcoming visits
- Click here for a list of visits conducted in 2010
- Click here for CRIN's compilation of children's rights references from each of the experts final reports (currently being updated)
- Click here for information about Special Procedures
Other News / Events
HRC Special Sessions
The Council will hold a number of Special Sessions during the year, which focus on particular countries or issues. Click here to keep updated on upcoming sessions.
Previous sessions in 2010 focused on human rights issues in Sri Lanka, Haiti, Cote d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo, amongst others. Click here to access the final reports from these sessions.
Special Session on Cote d'Ivoire
The 14th Special Session of the Human Rights Council focused on: "The situation of human rights in Cote d'Ivoire since the elections on 28 November 2010".
Amnesty International submitted a written statement highlighting the gravity of the situation in the country, reporting instances of "extrajudicial killings; unlawful arrests and enforced disappearances; violence against women; incitement to hostility and violence; attacks on places of religious worship; and denial of medical treatment amounting to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment".
At the conclusion to the Special Session, a Resolution was adopted (without a vote) by the Human Rights Council. Read the final report and adopted resolution, here.
Further information
Working Group for the HRC (subgroup of the NGO Group for the CRC)
The Working group for the Human Rights Council, of the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, brings together NGOs willing to promote the rights of the child at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The WG’s aim so far has been to ensure that the Human Rights Council addresses the specific rights and situations of children worldwide in its regular work and sessions on human rights. By advocating for the inclusion of its concerns into the Council's Resolutions, the NGO community has ensured better support and coherence between international politics and local realities affecting the realisation of children's rights.
For more information, contact the co-convenors of the NGO WG:
Alan Kikuchi-White, Geneva Representative
SOS-Kinderdorf International
Email: [email protected]
Or Veronica Yates, CRIN
Email: [email protected]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-CHR.asp
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