HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: Suggested guidelines for NGO oral interventions

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Suggested guidelines for NGO oral interventions, Human Rights Council (5th session, 11 – 18 June 2007)

1. At the request of the President and taking into account the suggested guidelines previously developed for the 4th regular session of the Human Rights Council, the following guidelines for speaking time arrangements relating to NGOs at the 5th regular session of the Human Rights Council are suggested.

2. The suggested guidelines should be applied on an interim basis; they are being suggested to assist NGOs in planning and managing their oral interventions during the 5th session of the Human Rights Council.

3. The guidelines are also being suggested to facilitate the participation of NGOs not represented in Switzerland.

4. Opening of the List of Speakers:

The List of Speakers will be opened on Monday 11 June, at 9.30 a.m. for inscriptions in the Interactive Dialogues with thematic Special Procedure mandate-holders and in the General Debates (i.e. Follow-up of the HRC decisions and Institution-building). NGOs are encouraged to arrive earlier and proceed to the List of Speakers desk inside the plenary room by 9.30 a.m.

A separate List of Speakers will be opened on Tuesday 12 June, at 9.00 a.m. for inscriptions in the Interactive Dialogues with country-specific Special Procedure mandate-holders.

5. In order to facilitate then participation of NGOs not represented in Switzerland, pre-inscriptions by fax (+41 22 917 0339 ) will be allowed for NGOs not based/represented in Switzerland, as soon as the List of Speakers will be opened in the plenary room (on Monday 11 June), and will follow the schedule indicated above (see point 4).

6. In order to accommodate a larger number of NGOs, NGOs are strongly encouraged, when inscribing, to indicate their priorities, which will assist the Secretariat when drawing the lists.

Interactive Dialogues with Special Procedure mandate-holders:

  • NGOs’ individual interventions/questions in interactive dialogues will be up to 3 minutes each.
  • Interventions should consist of brief and to-the-point questions and/or comments related to the reports being considered.
  • It being understood that a maximum of 3 minutes could be used for an individual NGO intervention, NGOs coordination is strongly encouraged to maximize the use of total time available to NGOs (which should be calculated on the basis of two to three interventions of three minutes each per dialogue).
  • NGO interventions in relation to Interactive Dialogues with country-specific Special Procedure mandate-holders will be taken up at the end of the day.

General debates:

  • NGOs’ individual statements will be up to 3 minutes.
  • NGOs’ joint interventions with a large number of co-sponsors will be placed on top of the list; no additional time will be allocated.
  • NGOs coordination is encouraged to maximize the use of total time available for general debates.

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