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Summary: To the disappointment of human rights practitioners worldwide, the World Summit marking the 60th anniversary of the UN did not make any real breakthrough on the proposed Human Rights Council.
[VIENNA, 21 September 2005] - The momentum for progressive action toward a Human Rights Council that was built up prior to last week’s World Summit must not be lost in the post-summit period, the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) emphasised today.
"Now that the party is over, states should take immediate and concrete steps toward following through on their commitment to replace the dysfunctional UN Commission on Human Rights with a more able Human Rights Council," said Aaron Rhodes, IHF Executive Director. To the disappointment of human rights practitioners worldwide, the World Summit marking the 60th anniversary of the UN did not make any real breakthrough on the proposed Human Rights Council. World leaders took a formal decision to establish a Council. However, as a draft agreement resulting from months of informal discussions fell through on the eve of the Summit, all details regarding the status, mandate, membership and working methods of the new body were left open for further negotiations. These negotiations are to be conducted under the auspices of the acting president of the General Assembly, Jan Eliasson of Sweden, and to be completed "as soon as possible" during the current session of the General Assembly. Hence, the responsibility for realising the promise of the Human Rights Council now rests with the General Assembly.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for negotiations to resume on the basis of the detailed provisions that were developed in the lead-up to the Summit, pointing out that these "enjoyed the support of an overwhelming majority of states." According to him, "the majority must lead," and states that still have reservations "should make an extra effort to show flexibility," to ensure the creation of a Human Rights Council that "commands respect and achieves results." The IHF fully agrees with the Secretary General and believes that the General Assembly should swiftly proceed to establish a clear procedure and timeline for the continued deliberations on the Human Rights Council. This will reduce the risk that negotiations drag out indefinitely and that the reform is completely watered down.
For more information: Aaron Rhodes, IHF Executive Director, +43 -676-635 66 12 See also the IHF website, which offers a special feature on the efforts to establish a UN Human Rights Council, at http://www.ihf-hr.org/cms/cms.php?sec_id=47
Henriette Schroeder, IHF Press Officer, +43-676-725 48 29