Twenty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee taking place in Geneva from 17 to 21 February 2020

GENEVA (13 February 2020) - The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will hold its twenty-fourth session from 17 to 21 February 2020 in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Chamber (Room XX) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Over the course of the one-week-session, the Committee's 18 independent experts*, who serve as the Council's "think-tank", will finalise a number of studies and reports, and continue its work on a number of mandates addressing several human rights themes.  The six mandates the Committee will address this session are:

• Negative effects of terrorism on the enjoyment of human rights (HRC resolution 34/8);
• National policies and human rights in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (HRC resolution 35/32);
• Global call for comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (General Assembly resolution 72/157);
• Importance of a legally binding instrument on the right to development (HRC resolution 39/9);
• New and emerging digital technologies and human rights (HRC resolution 41/11)
• Current levels of representation of women in human rights organs and mechanisms (HRC resolution 41/6).

During the session, the Committee will finalize its work on the importance of a legally binding instrument on the right to development; the negative effects of terrorism on the enjoyment of human rights; and on national policies and human rights in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, which it will submit to the Council at its 45th regular session in September this year.

The Committee session is open to the media and will conclude with a round-up press release.

Documentation relating to the twenty-fourth session, including the agenda and programme of work, is available on the Advisory Committee's session webpage.

Background

The Advisory Committee is a body of 18 independent experts serving as a think-tank to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). It was established in 2008, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, to provide studies and research-based advice, as requested by the Council and meets twice annually.  The Committee's work is implementation-oriented and follows thematic issues linked to the mandate of the Council, namely, the promotion and protection of all human rights.  It interacts with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other civil society bodies.

* Ibrahim Abdulaziz Alsheddi (Saudi Arabia, 2021); Mohamed Bennani (Morocco, 2020); Lazhari Bouzid (Algeria, 2022); Alessio Bruni (Italy, 2021); Milena Costas Trascasas (Spain, 2022); Ion Diaconu (Romania, 2020); Ludovic Hennebel (Belgium, 2020); Iurii Alexandrovich Kolesnikov (Russian Federation, 2022); José Augusto Lindgren Alves (Brazil, 2021); Xinsheng Liu (China, 2022); Ajai Malhotra (India, 2020); Itsuko Nakai (Japan, 2022); Mona Omar (Egypt, 2022); Javier Palummo (Uruguay, 2022); Elizabeth Salmón (Peru, 2020); Dheerujlall Baramlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius, 2020); Changrok Soh (Republic of Korea, 2020); and Cheikh Tidiane Thiam (Senegal, 2021).

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For use of the information media; not an official record