Welcome to the United Nations 
OHCHR 
Press releases Commission on Human Rights
Default title
18 September 2000
Share
18 September 2000
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights convened an informal one-day meeting on 15 September to facilitate the exchange of information in connection with the forthcoming General Assembly discussion on human rights matters.
Over 220 participants representing Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) took part in the meeting, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. In an opening statement, the Chairperson of the Commission, Ambassador Shambhu Ram Simkhada of Nepal, said the importance of the informal session -- which did not aim to have a negotiated outcome, lay in creating a conducive environment for greater understanding and dialogue through a process of information sharing in an informal setting.
The agenda of the meeting followed the human rights items allocated this year by the General Assembly to its Third Committee. On each item, staff members of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) provided highlights of recent developments and information with respect to 59 reports submitted to the Third Committee. Those documents were available for consultation by interested delegations and placed on the OHCHR Website (www.unhchr.ch). The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, provided an update on her report to the General Assembly, and 27 Governments and 10 NGOs took the floor to make comments, ask questions and share information, including indications by several Governments of their intentions to table resolutions in the Third Committee.
The meeting, one of the innovations and improvements relating to the functioning of the Commission agreed earlier this year, broke new ground and was acknowledged by all speakers as a useful and successful exercise.
The Chairman called upon those delegations who would be attending the session of the General Assembly to revert back to the Commission with feedback on how useful that informal meeting had been in terms of making relevant information available to them in their preparations for the Third Committee. He also welcomed comments through regional coordinators about how the meeting could be further improved since from now on it will be held on an annual basis.
The one-day meeting was held pursuant to Commission decision 2000/109, adopted earlier this year.
* *** *
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights convened an informal one-day meeting on 15 September to facilitate the exchange of information in connection with the forthcoming General Assembly discussion on human rights matters.
Over 220 participants representing Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) took part in the meeting, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. In an opening statement, the Chairperson of the Commission, Ambassador Shambhu Ram Simkhada of Nepal, said the importance of the informal session -- which did not aim to have a negotiated outcome, lay in creating a conducive environment for greater understanding and dialogue through a process of information sharing in an informal setting.
The agenda of the meeting followed the human rights items allocated this year by the General Assembly to its Third Committee. On each item, staff members of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) provided highlights of recent developments and information with respect to 59 reports submitted to the Third Committee. Those documents were available for consultation by interested delegations and placed on the OHCHR Website (www.unhchr.ch). The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, provided an update on her report to the General Assembly, and 27 Governments and 10 NGOs took the floor to make comments, ask questions and share information, including indications by several Governments of their intentions to table resolutions in the Third Committee.
The meeting, one of the innovations and improvements relating to the functioning of the Commission agreed earlier this year, broke new ground and was acknowledged by all speakers as a useful and successful exercise.
The Chairman called upon those delegations who would be attending the session of the General Assembly to revert back to the Commission with feedback on how useful that informal meeting had been in terms of making relevant information available to them in their preparations for the Third Committee. He also welcomed comments through regional coordinators about how the meeting could be further improved since from now on it will be held on an annual basis.
The one-day meeting was held pursuant to Commission decision 2000/109, adopted earlier this year.
* *** *