HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADIVSORY COMMITTEE OPENS SECOND SESSION

Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
26 January 2009


Committee Observes Minute of Silence for Thousands of People Affected by Violence


The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this morning opened its second session by hearing statements by the Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaties Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the Human Rights Council. It also adopted its agenda for the session.

Bacre Waly Ndiaye, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaties Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that since adopting its institution-building package nearly two years ago, the Human Rights Council was increasingly focusing on substantive challenges, to which this think tank could meaningfully contribute. He recalled that the Advisory Committee was expected to follow up on the requests stemming from the Council. The comprehensive knowledge of the Experts had already kick-started substantive work in important areas such as the right to food, human rights education and training, missing persons, human rights and persons living with leprosy, and gender mainstreaming. Mr. Ndiaye underlined the importance of focusing the Committee’s work towards implementation and action, which would assist the Council in addressing emerging challenges as well as those human rights issues that were insufficiently dealt with at the international level.

Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, President of the Human Rights Council, encouraged the Committee to use the annual opportunity of the main March session of the Council to submit recommendations in a clear and organized manner so as to allow the Council to take swift action on the Committee’s recommendations and needs. He also took the opportunity to appraise the Committee of the work undertaken by the Council and its other subsidiary bodies on issues of substance since last summer. Important thematic issues were on the agenda of the tenth session of the Human Rights Council, which was scheduled in March. They included human rights and climate change, missing persons, enhancement of international cooperation, elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy, protection of human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS, the question of death penalty, and the promotion of cultural rights, underscored Mr. Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi.

At the suggestion of Committee Expert Halima Embarek Warzazi, the Committee observed a minute of silence for the thousands of people affected by violence.

The Chairperson of the Advisory Committee, Miguel Alfonso Martinez, said the Experts would meet in working groups for the rest of the day to discuss specific requests to the Committee from the Human Rights Council. He said Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, would meet with the Experts in a closed meeting at 2 p.m. The Advisory Committee will reconvene in public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 27 January.

Statements

BACRE WALY NDIAYE, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaties Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that he was confident that the Committee would consolidate its foundations and refine its working methods. Since adopting its institution-building package nearly two years ago, the Human Rights Council was increasingly focusing on substantive challenges, to which this think tank could meaningfully contribute. He recalled that the Advisory Committee was expected to follow up on the requests stemming from the Council. The comprehensive knowledge of the Experts had already kick-started substantive work in important areas such as the right to food, human rights education and training, missing persons, human rights and persons living with leprosy, and gender mainstreaming.

Mr. Ndiaye underlined the importance of focusing the Committee’s work towards implementation and action, which would assist the Council in addressing emerging challenges as well as those human rights human rights issues that were insufficiently dealt with at the international level. This Expert body should pursue interaction with the other subsidiary bodies and mechanisms of the Council, such as the Forum on Minority Issues, the Social Forum and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the large constellation of Special Procedures. The Advisory Committee should also take note of the numerous interactive thematic discussions and panels being organized by the Council.

02 MARTIN IHOEGHIAN UHOMOIBHI, President of the Human Rights Council, said that it was his hope that in the course of this week the Committee would continue to progressively engage in substantive discussions, while consolidating its mandate of work and rules of procedure.

The Human Rights Council would take note of the outcome of both this session and of the inaugural session of its independent expert body at its upcoming tenth session. Mr. Uhomoibhi therefore encouraged the Committee to use the annual opportunity of the main March session of the Council to submit recommendations in a clear and organized manner so as to allow the Council to take swift action on the Committee’s recommendations and needs. He also took the opportunity to appraise the Committee of the work undertaken by the Council and its other subsidiary bodies on issues of substance since last summer. From 8 to 24 September, the Human Rights Council held its ninth session, during which important ground was covered on various issues and sets of rights. The Council also completed its scheduled review and rationalization of mandates of its Special Procedures and a number of high profile reports were considered, including those presented by the Special Rapporteur on Sudan, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on behalf of the high-level fact-finding mission to Beit Hanoun.

It was important to note that in order to address specific thematic issues the Council had progressively resorted to innovative formats and inter-active methods, such as panel discussions and inter-active debates. Mr. Uhomoibhi encouraged all subsidiary mechanisms of the Council to develop inter-active formula for their own discussions.

Important thematic issues were on the agenda of the tenth session of the Human Rights Council, which was scheduled in March. They included – inter alia – human rights and climate change, missing persons, enhancement of international cooperation, elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy, protection of human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS, the question of the death penalty, and the promotion of cultural rights, underscored Mr. Uhomoibhi.

In the reporting period, all the other Council’s subsidiary bodies initiated their activities, thus bringing to an end the Council’s institution-building phase. In particular, the 2008 session of the Social Forum took place from 1 to3 September 2008. The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples also held its first session from 1 to 3 October. On 15 and 16 December 2008, the Forum on Minority Issues held its inaugural session, organized under the guidance of the Independent Expert on minority issues. Its focus was on the issue of minorities and the right to education.
_________

For use of the information media; not an official record