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The United Nations Commission on Human Rights ended its last session on 27th March after adopting a Resolution to transfer all its work to the recently created and stronger Human Rights Council. Sixty-four UN Member States have announced their candidacies for election to the new 47-member Human Rights Council. The elections are scheduled to take place today at 10am at the General Assembly in New York. The Council will then hold its first meeting on 19 June. Candidates will be elected directly and individually by a majority of the Members of the General Assembly and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.The 64 countries that have announced their candidacies are: The United States, which voted against the Human Rights Council Resolution, have not submitted their candidacies, unhappy with the fact that the new membership modalities still allow human rights abusers to be elected to the Council. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last month said he hoped the US would continue to play an active role in defending universal human rights and support the new Council, despite its decision not to take part in the elections. Human Rights Watch, which has launched its website analysing candidates’ human rights records, has urged Member States not to vote for the seven following countries, based on their human rights records: Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Saudi Arabia. As part of its Asian Campaign on the Human Rights Council, Forum-Asia has produced a briefing paper analysing pledges submitted by 11 of the Asian candidates, noting that comparatively, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and China have provided the lowest number of specific commitments in their pledges. Furthermore, Amnesty International has prepared a summary overview of pledges and commitments made by each candidate matched against the suggested elements published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The purpose of the table is to assist Member States in assessing each candidate's proposed contribution to the Human Rights Council. The results of the elections will be published on the CRIN website as soon as they become publicly available. NGO call for action The NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Subgroup on the Human Rights Council, is calling on the Human Rights Council to act on four specific child rights issues: violence against children - sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography - children affected by armed conflict and displacement - children in conflict with the law. The Subgroup presented a call for action to all Permanent Representatives at the United Nations in Geneva on 28 April 2006. NGOs, members of Subgroup, feel that children have specific needs and concerns that necessitate the adoption of an explicit children’s rights focus by the Council. They are also urging the Human Rights Council to ensure meaningful and substantive participation of children’s rights NGOs and other independent human rights institutions for children’s rights in the work of the Council including consultations during the universal periodical review. They also look forward to the innovative creation of a specific space to allow children themselves to participate in the work of the HRC. For more information, contact: Further information
Roberta Cecchetti: [email protected]