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The second informal consultations for the first session of the Human Rights Council took place today at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva. This consultation mostly consisted in agreeing on procedures and issues that will inform and be addressed in the agenda of the High Level Segment (HLS) in June. Schedule change to be confirmed: the Tuesday 6th June 2006 informal consultations will probably occur on Friday of the same week to enable more time for delegates to voice their opinions and proposals. NGO participation will be discussed at the next session, but President designate of the Council, the Permanent Representative of Mexico, mentioned that he foresaw a limited participation, with only 3 to 5 themes for which NGO could voice their opinions. Most delegates agreed that the first session will consist of creating a “road map” for the first year of the HRC. However, opinions differed on important issues such as: disparities in the frequency of sessions in 2006 (2 or 3), when the agenda should be ready and what length of time should the agenda cover, the type of mechanisms (working groups, facilitations, co-chair, informal meetings, etc…) that would be used to establish the universal review mechanism, revision mandates, expert advice and complaint mechanisms as well as the substance of each session in terms of what matters. Many delegates put forward the necessity of extending Special Procedure mandates to one year for certainty, continuity and no overlaps. The US, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia thought that the Draft UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples was not ready for discussion in the June session. Fewer countries mentioned the same opposition for the Convention on Disappearances. Many voiced: Cuba, China, India, Iran and Russia expressed their approval for an Annual report from the High Commissioner for Human Rights, while the UK preferred reports after each session. Further information
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