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Summary: The resumed second and third sessions of the Human Rights Council (HRC) will be held from 27 November to 08 December 2006 in the General Assembly Hall (Salle des Assemblées) of the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
On November 27th, the HRC will resume its 2nd session in order to consider all pending matters relating to the draft resolutions/decisions tabled during the period of 18 September - 06 October 2006, and to adopt its report on the 2nd session. The Council will then open its 3rd session and continue its work until 8 December 2006. Pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 60/251, the participation of NGOs in the Human Rights Council shall be based on the arrangements and practices observed by the Commission on Human Rights, including Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996. Information relating to preparations for the upcoming session is available on the HRC Extranet page under “Preparations for the resumed second session”. Accreditation The Secretariat would like to remind all participants that letters of accreditation sent to the Secretariat for the second session of the HRC (18 September to 06 October 2006) are no longer valid and new accreditation requests will need to be made. NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC wishing to accredit representatives to the resumed second and third sessions of the Human Rights Council are invited to send their letter of accreditation request/s to the Secretariat of the Council by fax, to the attention of Ms. Kate Hardie, who can be contacted at: Until 24 November: From 27 November to 08 December: The letter requesting accreditation should contain the following elements: 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 resumed 2nd and 3rd sessions of HRC, is/are also included in the accreditation letter, with an indication that the person(s) hold(s) an annual badge. a) 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. b) Any other participants without a UNOG identity badge should apply in person to the security entrance at Pregny Gate (no longer at Villa Les Feuillantines), 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 5.00p.m. throughout the session. Draft agenda & timetable The draft timetable of the resumed second and third sessions of the Human Rights Council, as circulated by the President of the Human Rights Council 01 November 2006, may be found here. NGO written statements In the absence of specific rules relating to the frequency of submission of NGO written statements to the HRC, the Secretariat would consider it more appropriate for NGO written statements to be submitted to the March/April 2007 session. As a matter of fact, according to decision 1/102 of 30 June 2006 on the “Draft framework for a programme of work of the Human Rights Council for the first year”, the March/April 2007 session is expected to be substantive in nature as most stakeholders, including the Secretariat and the special procedures mandate-holders are due to submit relevant documentation and reports to that session. Notwithstanding the above, and while reminding participants that the up-coming session of the HRC will be indeed mostly devoted to institution-building and discussions on the agenda and methods of work, NGOs wishing to contribute with pointed and targeted statements relevant to Council’s programme of work for its 3rd session should contact the NGO Liaison Officer (ldolci-kanaan@ohchr.org, tel. +41 22 917 9656), and submit their statements electronically to hrcngo@ohchr.org. The deadline for the submission of written statements will be 20 November 2006. The Secretariat will not be able to ensure the timely circulation of written statements late in submission. Please refer to the annexed guidelines for the technical submission of NGO written statements. It is anticipated that the modalities for NGO oral interventions at the resumed second and third sessions of the Human Rights Council will be announced by the President of the Human Rights Council shortly. 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 resumed second and third sessions 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. Kindly fill the relevant room booking form and refer to its annexed guidelines. Room reservation requests are 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 24 November: Contact information (phone, fax, room number) of Ms. Françoise Kenfack for the duration of the sessions from 27 November to 08 December will follow. As per latest HRC practice, a live Webcast service will be available under the Council’s webpage, covering the plenary session online. The Webcast service may be accessed through this link. Username: hrc extranet Finally, the HRC Secretariat has been informed that some Geneva-based NGOs will also be offering regular information on the upcoming resumed 2nd and 3rd sessions. Such information may be accessed on the following websites: NGO Liaison Office During the upcoming resumed second and third sessions of the Human Rights Council 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. The NGO liaison team stands ready to assist NGOs. Contact information, as well as the NGO liaison office location for the duration of the sessions from 27 November to 08 December will follow.
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 90 11
Tel: +41 (0)22 917 92 56;
Fax: + 41 (0)22 917 04 94
Tel: + 41 (0)22 917 15 25 / 917 92 56
Further useful information regarding accreditation, such as access requirements, visa requests, renewals, etc. may be found under the following link: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/3session/accreditation.htm.
As of today, a provisional agenda is not yet available. At this stage, the Secretariat strongly encourage NGOs to consult the Human Rights Council’s extranet webpage on a regular basis, as it is being continuously updated with information relating to the organisation of the resumed second and third sessions of the Human Rights Council.
NGO oral interventions
Useful information regarding the list of speakers’ modalities, including all relevant forms, may be found here.
Please note that only NGOs not represented or based in Switzerland may inform the Secretariat in advance of their intention to inscribe on the list of speakers by fax, but should confirm and register in person at the list of speakers’ desk upon arrival in Geneva.
A list of speakers’ desk, placed at the back of the plenary room, will be open for NGOs to register. To take the floor, NGO speakers should use the conference-table seats reserved primarily for that purpose.
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 917 90 11
Tel: +41 (0) 22 917 96 41
Please be advised that the Secretariat does not provide interpretation for NGOs' parallel meetings. NGOs shall therefore bring their own interpreters, if they so wish, and inform the Secretariat accordingly ahead of time. It is reminded that the use of cameras/videos during parallel events is not encouraged. Only journalists and cameramen accredited on a yearly basis with UNOG will be allowed to use camera and video equipment.
The NGO in charge of organising the meeting is requested to provide the Secretariat (Ms. Kate Hardie, see contact details above) with a complete list of its guests at least 48 hours prior to the day of the meeting. Persons not accredited to the HRC session, who are invited to take part in parallel meetings, should go with an identity document to the Pregny gate, where they will be issued with a "Parallel Event" photo-badge. Please note that the badge will be valid for the duration of the meeting only.
Access to relevant information on the Web
The HRC Extranet service will also continue. The extranet page may be accessed through this link.
Password: 1session