PHILIP ALSTON OF AUSTRALIA APPOINTED UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON EXTRAJUDICIAL, SUMMARY OR ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS

29 July 2004



United Nations Commission on Human Rights Chairman Mike Smith has
appointed Philip Alston (Australia) as Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions. The appointment was made on 13 July 2004
in consultation with representatives of the different regional groups in
the Commission.

Mr. Alston has served in various capacities in the United Nations
system, including as Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights from 1991 to 1998, and as its Rapporteur from
1987 to 1990. In 1989 he was appointed by the Secretary-General, at the
request of the General Assembly, as an Independent Expert to report on
measures to ensure long-term effectiveness of the human rights treaty
bodies. In that capacity he presented reports to the General Assembly in
1989, the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, and the
Commission on Human Rights in 1997. In 2002, he was appointed as Special
Adviser to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the
Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Alston is currently Professor of Law at New York University and
Faculty Director of its Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. He was
previously Head of the Law Department at the European University Institute
in Florence and from 1996 to 1999 directed a major project on the European
Union and Human Rights at the request of the European Commission. He has
also been a visiting Professor at Harvard Law School (1984-1989, 1993) and
was founding Director of the Centre for International and Public Law at the
Australian National University.

Special Rapporteurs and other "mandate-holders" of the Commission are
independent from any government and serve in their individual capacity. The
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions is
mandated to examine the phenomenon worldwide and to submit his findings on
an annual basis, together with conclusions and recommendations, to the
Commission. He also submits every other year a report to the General
Assembly along with his recommendations for more effective action to combat
situations of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Following his appointment, Mr. Alston paid special tribute to the
outgoing Special Rapporteur, Asma Jahangir, "for the outstanding way in
which she discharged her mandate and for her tireless efforts to give voice
to, and respond to, the pleas of victims of violations of the right to
life".