Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of traditional values of humankind

The Advisory Committee has finalized its study on how a better understanding and appreciation of traditional values of dignity, freedom and responsibility could contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 16/3, which is being submitted to the Council’s 22nd session.

Background:

In its resolution 16/3, the Human Rights Council requested the Advisory Committee to prepare a study on how a better understanding and appreciation of traditional values of dignity, freedom and responsibility could contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights, and to present that study to the Council before its twenty-first session.

At its seventh session, the Advisory Committee set up a drafting group consisting in the following members: Ahmer Bilal Soofi (Chairperson), Vladimir Kartashkin ( Rapporteur), Obiora Chinedu Okafor, Anantonia Reyes Prado, Mona Zulficar, Dheerujlall Seetulsingh, Laurence Boisson de Charzournes, Shiqiu Chen and Chinsing Chung. The Committee also requested the drafting group to prepare the study and to submit it to the Committee for consideration at its ninth session.

At its eighth session, the Advisory Committee adopted recommendation 8/6, in which it took note of the comments and suggestions made during the discussions on the preliminary study prepared by Mr. Kartashkin A/HRC/AC/8/4 and requested the drafting group to submit a revised preliminary study to the Committee at its ninth sessions for further consideration.

At its ninth session the Advisory Committee recalling Human Rights Council resolution 16/3, took note of the study on promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of traditional values of humankind A/HRC/AC/9/2, and requested the drafting group to finalize the study in the light of discussions held by the Committee at its ninth session and to circulate it to all members of the Committee by e-mail for final review and approval by the end of November 2012.

At the same session, the Committee respectfully requested that, in view of the challenges facing the drafting group in its efforts to reflect in the study the wealth of inputs provided by participants in the discussions, the Council to defer its consideration of the final study until its twenty-second session.
At its twenty-first session, the Council took noteof recommendation 9/4 of the Advisory Committee on the progress of work on a study on how a better understanding and appreciation of traditional values of dignity, freedom and responsibility can contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights, and decided to accord it additional time to finalize the study.