Submitted by crinadmin on
[22 June 2006] - The first session of the Human Rights Council is currently underway at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. It opened on Monday 19th June and will end on Friday 30th June. The newly established Human Rights Council takes over from the Commission on Human Rights (abolished on 16 June) and this first session serves the main purpose of deciding on working procedures. The session is attended by delegates from member and non-member States of the Human Rights Council, as well as a substantial number of representatives from non-governmental organisations, representatives of national human rights institutions and members of the press. The inaugural ceremony took place on Monday 19th June with statements from Jan Eliasson, President of the UN General Assembly, Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General, and Louise Arbour, the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, President of the first session of the Council, said the mechanism of universal and periodic evaluation of States' human rights records would avoid the excessive politicisation and the use of double standards of which the former Commission was accused. He explained that all those participating in this process should bear in mind that a strong Council could only emerge from the legitimacy it would gain in effectively addressing the demands of men and women who wished for a full respect of their rights. Most of the first week of the session consists of a High-Level Segment (19-22 June), where dignitaries from member and non-member States have addressed the Council. However, this afternoon, national human rights institutions and a few NGO representatives will also be given the opportunity to deliver statements. Furthermore, the final agenda for the first session will be adopted this afternoon. According to the draft agenda for the second week, the Council is expected to tackle procedural issues as well as some pressing human rights issues as follows: On the second week, CRIN will be reporting from the Human Rights Council through the HRC CRINMAIL and daily updates on the HRC news page. CRIN has produced a new webpage on the Human Rights Council. The page offers information on the first HRC session for child rights NGOs. It provides links to daily news updates on the HRC, information on NGO participation and useful contacts. It contains background information on the Commission on Human Rights and the creation of the Human Rights Council, as well as on the historical involvement of child rights NGOs in the work of the Commission. [Source: ISHR and UN] Further information