Summary: Full details of the 18th Session of the Human Rights Council, due to take place from 12 - 30 September this year, including the programme of work, list of NGO statements, discussions scheduled to take place, and how NGOs can participate.
Latest News - Coverage - 18th Session Agenda - Submission Deadlines - Special Procedures - Resolutions - Side Events - Statements - UPR Adoptions - CRINMAILs - NGO participation - Follow the session - Sources of information - Subgroup on the HRC
Latest News
- 18th session concludes in Geneva - read our coverage below
- NGOs lament Council's failure to act on country situations
- Resolution passed on 'Administration of Justice, in particular Juvenile Justice'
- Death Penalty: UN Resolution calls for special attention to children
- WG on Business and Human Rights - 5 Members announced
- Expert present's new report: "Children and Justice During and in the Aftermath of Armed Conflict",
Coverage from the 18th Session
- Read: Our summary CRINMAIL of the 18th Session
- Read: The UN's final session report | All NGO Statements
- View: ISHR's summary video of the session
- 30 September - Session closes with texts adopted, Resolutions passed and mandates extended
The Human Rights Council closed its 18th regular session this afternoon, adopting 33 texts on a wide range of issues, including on the resumption of Libya's membership in the Human Rights Council; on the promotion and protection of freedom of expression on the Internet; on the death penalty; on preventable maternal morbidity and human rights; on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation; on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination; on human rights and international solidatrity; on human rights and indigenous peoples; on human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking; and on human rights and climate change.
One notable outcome was the Council's decision not to renew the Special Procedure mandate on Burundi.
- Read a full summary of the outcomes of the 18th session
- 29 September - Resolution passed on 'Administration of justice, in particular juvenile justice'
In introducing draft resolution L.9, Austria said the draft also strengthened the juvenile focus, including issues of children and young people deprived from their liberty, including collaboration between social and judicial services and the introduction of monitoring mechanisms. Read about the Resolution.
- 29 September - Two new Special Rapporteur mandates established
The Human Rights Council this morning adopted seven texts, which included establishing new mandates for an Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order and for a Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. Read more here.
- 28 September - Resolutions adopted on death penalty / right to water and sanitation
The Council requested the Secretary-General to continue to submit to the Human Rights Council a yearly supplement to his quinquennial report on capital punishment and the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, paying special attention to the imposition of the death penalty on persons younger than 18 years of age at the time of the offence, on pregnant women and on persons with mental or intellectual disabilities. Read more here.
- 27 September - Council holds discussions on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance
In the general debate, speakers observed, among other issues, the need to take action against or prosecute acts of religious intolerance, hate crimes, discrimination and incitement to religious hatred. They also discussed the integration of Roma people, anti-Semitism, extremist groups and political parties, racist discourse and hate speech, and women's rights.
- 21 - 23 September - Council adopts Universal Periodic Review reports
The Council adopted 15 UPR reports for States reviewed during the 11th session, and held a general debate on the UPR under Item 6.
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan and Hungary
- Suriname, Greece and Samoa
- Lativa, Sierra Leone and Singapore
- Belgium, Denmark and Palau
- Somalia, Seychelles and Solomon Islands
- 21 September - Interactive discussion on indigenous people
- 20 September - Council holds discussions on Sudan and Belarus
The Council held an interactive dialogue with Mohamed Chande Othman, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, followed by an interactive dialogue on the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Belarus. Read more. You also read the report by International Service for Human Rights.
- 19 September - Council holds discussions on situation in Yemen
Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, presented the High Commissioner's report on Yemen, and said the delegation undertook a mission to Yemen from 28 June to 6 July 2011 to assess the human rights situation in the country. Read more.
- 19 September - Council holds discussions on situation in Libya
In the interactive dialogue, Philippe Kirsch, Member of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation of the human rights in Libya, said that the Commission of Inquiry hoped that changes on the ground would allow for greater access and was it confident that it would continue to receive the full cooperation of the National Transitional Council. Read about the discussions.
- 19 September - Council meets to discuss situation in Syria
Kyung-wha Kang, deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said her office was prepared to send its confidential list of 50 suspects linked to alleged crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court, if the Security Council refers the situation in Syria to the Hague-based court. Read about the discussions.
- 15 September - Discussions on access to safe drinking water and sanitation
Catarina de Albuquerque, Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, said the biggest barrier to the enjoyment of human rights obligations relating to access to safe drinking water and sanitation was political will. Read about the discussions.
- 14 September - Discussions on child slavery in the mining sector
In her presentation, Gulnara Shahinian, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, said that the main challenges to be addressed when combating slavery could be categorized into five key areas: awareness raising, legislation, discrimination, rehabilitation and financial and technical assistance programmes. Romania, Poland and Peru spoke as concerned countries and two NGOs, Franciscans International and Sudwind, made statements during the session. Read more about the discussions
- 13 September - Commission appointed to probe violations of law in Syria
The President of the Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre today appointed three high-level experts as members of the Commission of Inquiry to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in the Syrian Arab Republic, as mandated by the Human Rights Council. The three Experts are Ms. Yakin Erturk, Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and Karin Abu Zeid*. Mr. Pinheiro will serve as Chair of the Commission. Read more.
- 12 September - Interactive discussion on children and armed conflict
During her presentation to the Human Rights Council, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict expressed concern with regard to issues related to children and justice including the detention and prosecution of children in situations of armed conflict.
According to her new publication, “Children and Justice During and in the Aftermath of Armed Conflict”, children are often tried in national and military courts without legal representation or assistance, are not accompanied by their parents and often do not possess a clear understanding of the charges brought against them.
- 12 September - High Commissioner makes opening statement
In her opening statement, Navi Pillay, touched on a number of human rights issues, including the food crisis in the Horn of Africa and the protest movements in North Africa and the Middle East.
HRC 18th Session Agenda
A draft programme of work for the session has just been released, documenting the meetings and discussions due to take place.
Deadlines for NGO submissions
In view of the forthcoming 18th Session of the Council, please note the deadline of Wednesday, 24 August 2011 for:
- Submission of NGO written statements (please follow guidelines)
- Requests for NGO parallel-event rooms (on-line only)
Please consult the HRC NGO Participation page for further information:
Special Procedures
Twelve mandate-holders will present their annual reports during the 18th session with States and NGOs having the chance to engage in an interactive discussion following the Special Rapporteur's introductory remarks.
CRIN has highlighted some key reports containing references to children's rights:
- Report of the SR on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Report of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict
- Report of the Independent Expert on Sudan
- Report of the Independent Expert on Cambodia
For the full set of reports to be presented at the 18th session, click here.
Mandate Appointments
Several new Mandates were appointed at the 18th Session:
- Doudou Diène (Senegal) was appointed as Independent Expert on Côte d'Ivoire- Gabor Rona (United States/Hungary) was appointed as a member of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries - 5 Members were appointed to UN Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises
Mandates up for renewal
A number of special procedures mandates expire in September and October. The Council made decisions on the following mandates:
- Special Rapporteur on Cambodia - extended by 2 years
- Working Group on African descent - extended by 3 years
- The mandate on Burundi was not renewed
- Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Somalia
- Special Rapporteur on Toxic Waste
- Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Haiti
Resolutions
The following resolutions were tabled during the session. Some of the resolutions have been included in the coverage above, for the rest - visit OHCHR's website.
- Thailand - Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building of the Council
- Austria - Human rights and the administration of juvenile justice
- Argentina, Switzerland, Morocco - Establishment of Special Rapporteur for promotion of peace, justice, reconciliations, and guarantees for non-repetition
- Belgium - Cooperation between regional organisations in promoting human rights
- Guatemala and Mexico - Human rights of indigenous peoples
- Mexico - Rights of migrants and indigenous peoples
- Spain and Germany - Access to drinking water
- Philippines and Bangladesh - Human rights and climate change
- New Zealand, Colombia, Burkina Faso - Maternal mortality and morbidity
- Egypt and Non-aligned Movement (NAM) - Right to development
- Ukraine - Role of prevention and protection in promotion of human rights
- Brazil - Incompatibility of democracy and racism
- Cuba - Human rights and international solidarityThe use of mercenaries as a means for violating human rights, obstacle to self-determination of peoples
- Japan - Renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia
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Side event on Child Slavery (16 September)
Statements at the Human Rights Council
NGO Statements
UPR Adoptions
The Council adopted 15 UPR reports for States reviewed during the 11th session, and held a general debate on the UPR under Item 6.
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan and Hungary
- Suriname, Greece and Samoa
- Lativa, Sierra Leone and Singapore
- Belgium, Denmark and Palau
- Somalia, Seychelles and Solomon Islands
- Visit CRIN's main Universal Periodic Review page
CRINMAILs
We will be producing CRINMAILS documenting key events and discussions during the session.
In the meantime:
You can also read summaries of previous HRC sessions:
- Read about the 16th session of the HRC (1 - 25 March 2011)
- Read about the 15th Session of the HRC (13 Sept - 1 Oct 2010)
- Read about the 14th Session of the HRC (31 May - 18 June 2010)
- Read about the 13th Session of the HRC (1 - 26 March 2010)
Read about the deadlines for report submissions and booking rooms at the top of this page.
Information note for NGOs - including information on accreditation and NGO parallel events
Written statements
NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC may submit written statements relevant to the work of the Human Rights Council.
The HRC Secretariat wishes to draw the attention of NGOs to ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, which authorises written statements of: a) 2,000 words for NGOs in general consultative status; and b) 1,500 words for NGOs in special consultative status and on the roster.
NGO written statements are to be submitted in accordance with the guidelines for the submission of NGO written statements:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/guidelines.htm
NGOs may submit their written statements to the Council Secretariat electronically to [email protected].
OHCHR NGO Liaison Office:
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Telephone: + 41 (0)22 917 9656
Email: [email protected]
Contact information, as well as the NGO liaison office location accessible
during the session will be communicated at a later stage.
How to follow the session
- Follow the updates on this 18th session page
- Watch the session live on the OHCHR webcast
- Read the press releases on the OHCHR website
CRIN - sign up to the special HRC CRINMAIL.
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Press releases are issued by the HRC on a daily basis during HRC sessions and are available on the OHCHR website. In addition, relevant documents are posted on the Human Rights Council extranet (sign up).
Relevant and updated information on the 18th session of the HRC will be regularly posted on the HRC Extranet. Username: hrc extranet - Password: 1session.
A live Webcast service will be available under the Council’s webpage, covering the plenary session online, and will be accessible through this link.
Civil society news and perspectives are available on the CONGO website (Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the UN) and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) - ISHR: Human Rights Council daily updates
UN - FAQs about the Human Rights Council
Working Group for the HRC
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
Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
East Studio
2, Pontypool Place, London, SE1 8QF, United Kingdom
+44 20 7401 2257
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.crin.org/HRC