Opening remarks by H.E. Janis Karklins, Vice President of the Human Rights Council, to the opening of the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee

8 August 2016

Chairperson,
Distinguished members of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee,
Mr. Eric Tistounet, Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the President of the Human Rights Council, it is with great pleasure that I welcome all of you to the opening of this 17th session of the Advisory Committee. The President regrets that he is not able to be here today and he sends his best regards to all of you. 

Allow me to start by highlighting that this year marks the tenth Anniversary of the Human Rights Council. In this regard, I wish to recall the celebration that the Council held on the first day of its thirty-second session in June. The high-level panel discussion, chaired by the President of the Council, introduced by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Deputy Secretary-General, and moderated by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, saw the ten Presidents of the Human Rights Council discuss and reflect on the achievements and challenges of the Council. It was a momentous event in the history of the Council, a unique opportunity for States, international organizations and other relevant stakeholders to underline and reiterate their commitments to the universal promotion and protection of human rights for all. The discussion was interactive and focused on the main achievements of the Human Rights Council in its first 10 years of life, as well as on the challenges for the future. To reach its achievements, the Council has counted on the valuable contribution of this Committee on various topics and emerging issues, many of which were not without controversy.  As it moves into its second decade, the Human Rights Council will continue to rely on your great expertise and useful recommendations as it confronts the remaining challenges.

Let me now turn to the work of the Human Rights Council that relates to the deliberations that you will engage in during this 17th session.

The Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights of persons with albinism, whose mandate was established following your recommendation, presented her first report at the Council’s thirty-first session last March. The Independent Expert informed the Council that attacks against persons with albinism, of which most victims are children, will be the primary focus of her work. The Independent Expert also noted that crimes against persons with albinism cannot be separated from other significant human rights issues that persons affected by this disease face, such as the rights to health and education.

Furthermore, at its 32nd session, the Council held six panel discussions, including one on the use of sport and the Olympic ideal to promote human rights, including those of persons with disabilities.. Your Committee’s report, presented at the Council last September, stressed, among others, the fundamental role of sport in educating children and young people, the value of sport in combating all forms of discrimination and the role sporting events can play in promoting human rights. You may be interested to note that the developments in the Council on this topic mirror the call within the sports world for a strengthening of human rights obligations Discrimination, however, is unfortunately still common in sports despite the fact that sports has the potential to promote equality. The panel discussion therefore offered a timely opportunity to look at this potential and explore ways in which the universal characteristic of sports could be put to better use in reaching out to the millions of fans and disseminating human rights messages. During the ensuing discussion it was also noted that sports could contribute to tolerance and peace as well as  empower persons with disabilities, and that sports and the media had a role to play in raising awareness on accessibility.

In addition, given the work your Committee has accomplished in the past on the promotion of the right to peace, I would like to inform you that also in its June session, the Council adopted by vote a resolution on the Declaration on the Right to Peace, which will be presented to the General Assembly for its endorsement this fall.

Distinguished Members,

Allow me now to refer to your ongoing work on the study on unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents. I would like to recall here that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict presented their reports to the Council in March. Their reports may be of particular interest to you, as they touch upon the increased vulnerability of children that are affected by migration, especially when they are separated from their family.
You may also wish to refer to the report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, concerning the impact of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements on the human rights of migrants, which was presented to the Council in June. The Special Rapporteur emphasised that migrant children comprise a significant proportion of child labourers in informal sectors, and that they are more likely to be excluded from education and health systems in the country of destination.

Also during its June session, the Council decided to hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the theme “The human rights of migrants in the context of large movement” at its thirty-fourth session in March of next year. The discussions of this panel may also be relevant for your final report on unaccompanied migrant children, to be presented to the Council in September 2017.

This week you also have on your agenda the impact of the activities of vulture funds on human rights. Last March, the Council held an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on foreign debt. During the dialogue, States expressed concern that the burden of debt cannot but increase inequality and social unrest, as well as prevent affected countries from pursuing the improvement of socio-economic rights of their citizens. Some States expressed support for recommendations such as desisting from imposing punitive debt conditions on struggling States.

Additionally, during this session you will also be discussing the progress on your report on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy.  In this regard, I look forward to your discussions and valuable insights into the implementation of the principles and guidelines to eliminate discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members.

Distinguished Members,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Last March, the Council adopted resolution 31/22 on funds of illicit origin and the non-repatriation thereof to the countries of origin. In this resolution, the Council requests the Advisory Committee to conduct a comprehensive research-based study on the impact of the flow of funds of illicit origin and the non-repatriation thereof to the countries of origin on the enjoyment of human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, with a special emphasis on the right to development. I wish to highlight the aim of this new mandate, which is that of compiling relevant best practices and main challenges, and making recommendations on tackling those challenges. In this regard, I am confident that the experts invited to introduce this topic will provide you with ample food for thought as you embark on your discussions and commence your research.

At its most recent session, the Council entrusted you with another new mandate, through its decision 32/115 on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights. In this decision, the Council requests your Committee to prepare a report on these regional arrangements, with particular focus on the progress made in the establishment of regional and sub-regional arrangements in this regard. The study is expected to reflect on the role played by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as on the role that it can play in the future in advancing cooperation between international and regional human rights mechanisms. It should also identify ways to increase the role that regional arrangements play in promoting and protecting human rights, and to reinforce universal human rights standards. I am pleased to say that this new study is the result of our unified efforts, and follows up on the proposal made by your Committee to research this topic.

At the same session in June, the Council also addressed a wide range of other thematic issues through its resolutions, including inter alia, climate change, migration, mental health (which is a new topic), access to medicines, arms transfers, arbitrary deprivation of nationality, business and human rights and the promotion of human rights on the internet.  Hence,  I am equally pleased to inform you that among the new initiatives at the Council is a panel discussion to be held at the upcoming September session on youth and human rights, a topic which your Committee deemed necessary for the Council to address, and which was also submitted as a research proposal. Following your call for attention to this important issue, the Council adopted by consensus for the first time a resolution on youth and human rights, thereby complementing the Third Committee bi-annual resolution on the topic.

Distinguished Members,
Ladies and gentlemen,

These are just a few of the highlights of the Council’s March and June sessions. Let me now briefly turn to the upcoming thirty-third session of the Council, which will take place from 13 to 30 September. Among the topics that are on the agenda for the session are the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on human rights education and training, unilateral coercive measures, a democratic and equitable international order, the rights of older persons, and the rights of peasants, among others. Your Committee is also due to present its progress reports on the activities of vulture funds and on unaccompanied migrant children at that session. The Human Rights Council looks forward to the presentation of these reports as well as the interactive dialogue with your Chairperson.

The Council stands ready to engage in further dialogue with the Committee on these subjects, and encourages States to adopt the valuable recommendations contained within your reports.

Distinguished members,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I cannot conclude my welcoming remarks without expressing my sincere appreciation for the work of this Committee. Your expertise on a broad range of human rights issues, your efforts to draw the attention of the Council to pressing and emerging issues and obtain additional mandates thereon, and your determination to collect information from a wide range of stakeholders is very much valued.

Before closing, I wish to mention that this will be the last session for three of the Committee members. Ms. Elsadda, Mr. Karokora and Mr. Zhang, I would like to acknowledge your valuable contribution to the work of this Committee over the past years. Your participation and high expertise has been greatly appreciated, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Distinguished members,

It was a pleasure to address you this morning at the start of what I trust will be a busy and productive seventeenth session of the Advisory Committee.

Thank you.