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UN Human Rights Council commences first session in Geneva
19 June 2006
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Geneva, 19 June 2006. The new United Nations Human Rights Council held its inaugural session today, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for “a clean break from the past” and a “new era” as the enhanced body seeks to give teeth to the protection of rights for all, an issue that often seemed to elude its much-criticized predecessor.
“What must be apparent, above all, is a change in culture,” Mr. Annan told representatives from over 100 countries at the first meeting of the 47-member body in Geneva, appealing for an end to the confrontation and distrust that pervaded the now-replaced Human Rights Commission.
“Never allow this Council to become caught up in political point-scoring or petty manoeuvre,” he entreated those present. “Think always of those whose rights are denied - whether those rights are civil and political, or economic, social and cultural; whether those people are perishing from brutal treatment by arbitrary rulers, or from ignorance, hunger and disease”.
Other UN officials expressed their hopes that members of the new Council would fulfil expectations and work hard over the coming months to create a strengthened body for the promotion and protection of human rights.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, called on the members of the Council to look beyond national interests and to earn the trust invested in the new body. “Through its deliberations, the Council should search for, articulate and implement a broad concept of universality of rights and freedoms, designed to reflect first and foremost individual human dignity, rather than cater to the narrow pursuit of national self-interest and regional factionalism. Properly understood and applied, international human rights law speaks to all that unites us in our most fundamental aspirations and entitlements”.
“From its very inception, the Council must strive to vindicate the expectations and hopes of all people whose welfare so urgently depends on this new body’s decisions and action.”
In his opening address, President of the General Assembly, H.E. Jan Eliasson, reflected on the difficult negotiations that resulted in the creation of the new body and urged Member States to continue working in a spirit of compromise and responsibility.
“Now you have to show determination and courage to translate intentions and words to the changing of realities and taking action. This requires from all of us statesmanship and preparedness not only to examine each other but also to examine ourselves”, he said.
“We constructed a sharper instrument to promote and protect human rights. We now have a Council that is built on cooperation and dialogue, yet, it is principled and strongly anchored in human rights law. It is a Council that will review all Member States’ fulfilment of their human rights obligations, thereby ensuring equal treatment of all.”
At this opening session, members of the Council elected H.E. Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico as President of the Human Rights Council.
Upon assuming the Presidency of the Council, Mr. de Alba said, “We are at a crossroads of an historic nature. We can and should contribute to improve the respect of human rights all around the world, and at the same time, we can and should contribute to the reform and strengthening of the multilateral system.”
The newly-elected President is charged with the task of leading the Council in planning its work schedule for the coming year. Over the next two weeks the 47 members are expected to agree to a Programme of Work for future sessions. Mr. de Alba referred to today’s landmark occasion as the starting point of “building a new institution able to respond to the expectations of our peoples”.
The Council also elected its four Vice-Presidents: Tomas Husak (Czech Republic) (Eastern European group), Mohammed Loulichki (Morocco) (African group), Blaise Godet (Switzerland) (Western Europe and Others Group) and Musa Burayzat (Jordan) (Asian group), who will assume the role of rapporteur.
The first session of the Human Rights Council will run from 19 to 30 June. The high-level segment, from 19 to 22 June, will be followed by a presentation to the Council by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday 23 June.
The second week of the Council will begin with a session addressing pressing human rights issues, followed by reports from the five intergovernmental Working Groups on racism; the right to development; economic, social and cultural rights; enforced disappearances and indigenous rights. The Council will also begin discussions on the process of designing the universal periodic review, by which all Member States of the UN will have their human rights performance reviewed, and conducting the review of all mandates of the Commission on Human Rights.
“What must be apparent, above all, is a change in culture,” Mr. Annan told representatives from over 100 countries at the first meeting of the 47-member body in Geneva, appealing for an end to the confrontation and distrust that pervaded the now-replaced Human Rights Commission.
“Never allow this Council to become caught up in political point-scoring or petty manoeuvre,” he entreated those present. “Think always of those whose rights are denied - whether those rights are civil and political, or economic, social and cultural; whether those people are perishing from brutal treatment by arbitrary rulers, or from ignorance, hunger and disease”.
Other UN officials expressed their hopes that members of the new Council would fulfil expectations and work hard over the coming months to create a strengthened body for the promotion and protection of human rights.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, called on the members of the Council to look beyond national interests and to earn the trust invested in the new body. “Through its deliberations, the Council should search for, articulate and implement a broad concept of universality of rights and freedoms, designed to reflect first and foremost individual human dignity, rather than cater to the narrow pursuit of national self-interest and regional factionalism. Properly understood and applied, international human rights law speaks to all that unites us in our most fundamental aspirations and entitlements”.
“From its very inception, the Council must strive to vindicate the expectations and hopes of all people whose welfare so urgently depends on this new body’s decisions and action.”
In his opening address, President of the General Assembly, H.E. Jan Eliasson, reflected on the difficult negotiations that resulted in the creation of the new body and urged Member States to continue working in a spirit of compromise and responsibility.
“Now you have to show determination and courage to translate intentions and words to the changing of realities and taking action. This requires from all of us statesmanship and preparedness not only to examine each other but also to examine ourselves”, he said.
“We constructed a sharper instrument to promote and protect human rights. We now have a Council that is built on cooperation and dialogue, yet, it is principled and strongly anchored in human rights law. It is a Council that will review all Member States’ fulfilment of their human rights obligations, thereby ensuring equal treatment of all.”
At this opening session, members of the Council elected H.E. Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico as President of the Human Rights Council.
Upon assuming the Presidency of the Council, Mr. de Alba said, “We are at a crossroads of an historic nature. We can and should contribute to improve the respect of human rights all around the world, and at the same time, we can and should contribute to the reform and strengthening of the multilateral system.”
The newly-elected President is charged with the task of leading the Council in planning its work schedule for the coming year. Over the next two weeks the 47 members are expected to agree to a Programme of Work for future sessions. Mr. de Alba referred to today’s landmark occasion as the starting point of “building a new institution able to respond to the expectations of our peoples”.
The Council also elected its four Vice-Presidents: Tomas Husak (Czech Republic) (Eastern European group), Mohammed Loulichki (Morocco) (African group), Blaise Godet (Switzerland) (Western Europe and Others Group) and Musa Burayzat (Jordan) (Asian group), who will assume the role of rapporteur.
The first session of the Human Rights Council will run from 19 to 30 June. The high-level segment, from 19 to 22 June, will be followed by a presentation to the Council by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday 23 June.
The second week of the Council will begin with a session addressing pressing human rights issues, followed by reports from the five intergovernmental Working Groups on racism; the right to development; economic, social and cultural rights; enforced disappearances and indigenous rights. The Council will also begin discussions on the process of designing the universal periodic review, by which all Member States of the UN will have their human rights performance reviewed, and conducting the review of all mandates of the Commission on Human Rights.