There must be room at each meeting of this Council for discussion of human rights situations, and for follow up on the Council’s discussions. As human rights violations occur year round, the Council’s program of work must ensure that it has the ability to respond to human rights abuses no matter when and where they occur. Human Rights Watch believes the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be able to address the Council at each session. Human Rights Watch also supports regular updates and interactive dialogues with the Special Procedures at each Council meeting throughout the year
In his inaugural address to the Human Rights Council, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “You have much hard work before you. In the weeks and months ahead, as you descend into detail and wrestle with issues at the heart of the Council’s mandate, I urge you to keep constantly in mind the noble aims that brought you here.” We must bear his words in mind as we examine the draft program of work for the first year of the Council.
The regular meeting schedule of this new Human Rights Council, with at least three sessions during each year, for a total duration of at least ten weeks, offers a substantial opportunity to improve upon the work of the Commission. The draft framework of a program of work provides an initial step towards fulfilling that potential.
We welcome the opportunity for the High Commissioner for Human Rights to address the Council at each session. At last year’s World Summit, leaders agreed not only to the establishment of this Council, but also to doubling the budget of OHCHR to carry out the vision set forth in the High Commissioner’s Action Plan. The increased capacity of the OHCHR, including its expanded field presence, will also contribute to the work of this Council. Regular dialogue with the High Commissioner will assist the Council to follow and respond to human rights developments.
Similarly, the Human Rights Council will be strengthened by regular updates and interactive dialogues with the Special Procedures at each of its meetings throughout the year. This Council is entitled to hear from the Special Procedures while their information and conclusions are fresh, rather than waiting many months during which their reports could become outdated or the human rights situations described could worsen. We urge the Council to open up space at its December 2006 session for those Special Procedures whose reports will be ready for discussion. Regular exchanges with Special Procedures will strengthen implementation and follow-up of recommendations in a timely manner, in stark contrast with past practice.
We understand that Section III of the proposed program of work for the first year of the Council is intended to allow member states to bring before the Council all issues and initiatives pertaining to operative paragraphs 2 through 5 in General Assembly resolution 60/251. In particular, both the World Summit Outcome Document and paragraph 3 of the resolution directed this Council “to address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations.”
There must be room at each meeting of this Council for discussion of human rights situations, and for follow up on the Council’s discussions. As human rights violations occur year round, the Council’s program of work must ensure that it has the ability to respond to human rights abuses no matter when and where they occur.
