Human Rights Council - Session 20

• Session closes: read about key resolutions adopted
• NGOs present closing statement
• Council appoints Special Rapporteurson Belarus / Eritrea
• Mandates extended in Cote d'Ivoire and Somalia
• Children's rights on the agenda in a number of discussions - see coverage below
• Commission of Inquiry reports on El Houla events during discussions on Syria
• View the full list of reports submitted
   

Coverage

Follow the latest news on discussions at the Council below:

• View the programme for the 20th session

   

• Special Rapporteur on the right to education
• Special Rapporteur on the right to health
• Working Group on Business and Human Rights
• Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Thematic study
  on the issue of violence against women and girls and disability
• Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression
• Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children

- To view the full list of reports, click here.

Resolutions
 

The following resolutions were tabled at the 20th session, as announced in the organisational meeting:

• Promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights of everyone and respect for cultural diversity (Cuba)

• Trafficking in persons, especially women and children (Germany and Philippines)

• The effects of foreign debt and other international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights (Cuba)

• Promotion of the right of peoples to peace (Cuba)

• Human rights of internally displaced persons, theme on IDPs outside camps (Austria)

• The right to education (Portugal)

• Assistance to Côte d’Ivoire in the field of Human Rights (Senegal/African Group)

• Human rights situation in Belarus (EU)

• Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women – theme on remedies (Canada)

• Human rights of migrants (Mexico)

• National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Canada)

• Human rights and climate change (Bangladesh and Philippines)

• Promotion of human rights in the context of the use of internet (Sweden)

• Discrimination against women in law and in practice (Mexico and Colombia)

• Right to nationality with focus on women and children (USA)

• Right to conscientious objection within military service (Croatia)

• Arbitrary detention (France)

• Arbitrary deprivation of nationality - obstacles to enjoyment of human rights (Russia)

Based on previous June Council sessions, the following resolutions, although not announced at the organisational meeting, may also be tabled at the upcoming session

• Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

• Human rights situation in Syria

• Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association

• Human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises

• Extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions

• Extreme poverty and human rights

• Independence of judges and lawyers

• Technical assistance and cooperation on human rights for Kyrgyzstan

• Freedom of opinion and expression

• Right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

• Follow-up of the report of the Independent International Fact Finding Mission on the incident of the humanitarian flotilla

Side Events / Statements

• Working Group on Children and Violence (WG-CAV) of the International Action for Child Rights
  “Children, the indirect victims of violence against women”
  Date / Venue: 21 June, 1-3pm / Room XXVII

• Franciscans International / Anti-Slavery International
  "A Discussion on a Human Rights-Based Approach to Prosecuting Cases of Human Trafficking"
  Date / Venue: 22nd June, 2-4pm / Room XXII

• Inter- African Committee on Traditional Practices IAC/CI-AF
  "Harmful traditional practices against women and girls"
  Date / Venue: 27 June 12pm / Room IX

For the full list of side-events, view the attached document above.

For the full list of NGO statements, click here.

UPR Adoptions

There will be no UPR reports adopted during the 20th session.
 

NGO Participation

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]

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