Human Rights Council Session 6

Summary: The sixth session of the Human Rights Council will take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 10 - 28 September 2007. Attached is the draft agenda.

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CRINMAILs - Documentation - NGO participation - Sources of information - Subgroup on the HRC - Useful contacts

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CRINMAILs

Child Rights at the 6th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 33

Child Rights at the 6th Session of the UN Human Rights Council 32

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Documentation

NGO written statements

Special Procedures

  • A compilation of mentions of child rights in the reports of the UN Special Procedures is available here

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

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Guidelines for submitting written statements
 
NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC can submit written statements relevant to the work of the Human Rights Council (in accordance with paragraphs 36 and 37 of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31).

NGOs may submit their written statements to the Council Secretariat electronically to hrcngo@ohchr.org.

The deadline for the submission of written statements is Thursday, 30 August 2007. The Secretariat will not be able to ensure the timely circulation of written statements late in submission.

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.

Please also refer to the annexed guidelines (“guidelinesNGOwrittenstatements”) for the technical submission of NGO written statements.

Accreditation:

NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC wishing to accredit representatives to the sixth session of the Human Rights Council are invited to send their letter of accreditation request/s to the Secretariat of the Council as of 20 August 2007 by fax, to the attention of Ms. Kate Hardie, who can be contacted at:

Until 07 September:
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 90 11
Tel: +41 (0)22 917 92 56

Contact information (phone, fax, room number) of Ms. Kate Hardie for the duration of the session from 10 to 28 September will be communicated at a later stage.

The letter requesting accreditation should contain the following elements:

  • It should be submitted on the official letterhead of the organisation;

  • It should clearly state the title and duration of the session the organization wishes to attend, e.g. “Name of NGO, in consultative status with ECOSOC, wishes to send the following members to attend the 6th session of the HRC (10 September – 28 September 2007)…..“;

  • The letter needs to be signed by the President or the Main Representative of the organization in Geneva;

  • It should also indicate the name/s (first name and family name) of the person/s who will represent the organization at the HRC session:
    o Names of persons must appear exactly as they appear in the ID document,
    o Family Name(s) have to be capitalized.

Please also note that the so-called “orange registration forms” previously distributed by Conference Services during the session, will no longer be in use. Therefore, in order to register names for the list of participants, it is important to ensure that the name(s) of those members already in possession of a valid identity badge issued by UNOG Security and Safety Section, and who plan to attend the 6th session of HRC, is/are also included in the accreditation letter, with an indication that the person(s) hold(s) an annual badge.

  • Annual or temporary representatives of NGOs in possession of an identity badge issued by UNOG Security and Safety Section and valid for the duration of the session, will have unrestricted access to the conference rooms.

  • Any other participants without a UNOG identity badge should apply in person to the security entrance at Pregny Gate, 8 – 14 Avenue de la Paix; on presentation of an identity document and a copy of the letter of accreditation, a photo-badge valid for the duration of the Council session will be issued.

The accreditation office of the Human Rights Council will be located at the security entrance "Pregny Gate" and will be open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. throughout the session.

For further information concerning the accreditation procedure, such as access requirements, visa requests, renewals, etc., please contact Ms. Kate Hardie: khardie@ohchr.org.

NGO parallel events:
As under the arrangements and practices observed by the HRC in its former sessions and by the former Commission on Human Rights, NGOs duly accredited to the sixth session of the HRC will be able to organise parallel events of relevance to the work of the Human Rights Council, taking into account availability of rooms.

Room booking requests will be received as of 20 August 2007 by the Secretariat, and will be processed on a first come first serve basis, subject to availability of rooms. All requests should be sent by fax to Ms. Françoise Kenfack, who can be contacted at:

Until 07 September:
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 917 90 11
Tel: +41 (0) 22 917 96 41

Contact information (phone, fax, room number) of Ms. Françoise Kenfack for the duration of the session from 10 to 28 September will be communicated at a later stage.

The relevant room booking forms and annexed guidelines will be posted on the webpage of the Human Rights Council’s sixth session in the course of this week.

Access to relevant information on the Web
Relevant and updated information on the 6th session of the HRC will be regularly posted on the HRC Extranet. The extranet page may be accessed here

Username: hrc extranet
Password: 1session

An HRC Webpage dedicated to the 6th session of the HRC will also be shortly made available, and will be accessible here

Finally, a live Webcast service will be available under the Council’s webpage, covering the plenary session online, and will be accessible here

NGO Liaison Office:
During the upcoming sixth session of the Human Rights Council and the lead-up to it, OHCHR's NGO Liaison Officer, Ms. Laura Dolci-Kanaan, will be in charge of facilitating the participation of NGO representatives in the work of the Council. Kindly note the following contact details

  • Ms. Laura Dolci-Kanaan, e-mail: ldolci-kanaan@ohchr.org, Tel: +41 (0)22 917 9656 (until 06 September)

  • Ms. Noemi Dalmonte (intern), e-mail: erbintern@ohchr.org, Tel: +41 (0)22 917 9754 (until 07 September)

  • Ms. Rita Izsak (consultant); e-mail: rizsak@ohchr.org, Tel: +41 (0)22 917
    9106 (until 07 September)

Contact information, as well as the NGO liaison office location for the duration of the session from 10 to 28 September will be communicated at a later stage.

A more complete NGO information note will be shortly posted on the relevant HRC webpage dedicate to the sixth session of the HRC.

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Sources of information

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 5th 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 

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The Subgroup 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 Subgroup’s aim so far has been to ensure that the Commission on Human Rights 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 Commission's Resolutions, the NGO community has ensured better support and coherence between international politics and local realities affecting the realisation of children's rights.

The Subgroup has been active during the negotiations on the creation of the Human Rights Council and during consultations on the first session of the Council.

It produced a call for action in May 2006, calling on the Human Rights Council to act on four specific child rights issues: violence against children - sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography - children affected by armed conflict and displacement - children in conflict with the law. The  Call for Action was updated last November.

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Useful contacts

For more information on the Human Rights Council, contact:
The Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, OHCHR – UNOG,
8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.
Tel: +41 22 917 9000; Fax: +41 22 917 9016
Website: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr

For more information on NGO participation, contact:
Ms Laura Dolci-Kanaan
OHCHR’s NGO Liaison Officer
Email: ldolci-kanaan@ohchr.org
Tel: +41 22 917 9656

For more information about the Subgroup for the Human Rights Council, contact:
Cecile Trochu, co-Convenor 
OMCT
Email: ct@omct.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-CHR.asp

or Jennifer Grant, co-Convenor
Save the Children UK
Email: J.Grant@savethechildren.org.uk
Visit: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-CHR.asp

Any other enquiries:
Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
c/o Save the Children, 1 St. John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR, UK
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7012 6866; Fax: + 44 (0)20 7012 6963
Email: info@crin.org
Website: http://www.crin.org/HRC

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/Session_6_prog_work.pdf

Countries

Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.