HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONCLUDES SECOND SESSION

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this afternoon concluded its second session during which it adopted by consensus seven recommendations to the Human Rights Council.

Among the recommendations adopted, the Advisory Committee recommends that the Council encourage the Committee to continue its work in order to develop a draft declaration on human rights education and training. The Advisory Committee also recommends that the Council request the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to facilitate the organization of an informal meeting to enrich the collective thinking before the next session of the Advisory Committee.

The Committee recommends that the Council approve the designation of Committee members Mr. José Bengoa Cabello and Ms. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing to follow the work of the Social Forum, and Ms. Mona Zulficar and Mr. Miguel Alfonso Martinez to follow, respectively, the work of the Forum on Minority Issues and the work of the Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Peoples.

As to the issue of protection of civilians in armed conflict, the Advisory Committee recommends that the Human Rights Council request a member of the Advisory Committee to be invited to participate in the expert consultation convened by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Regarding missing persons, the Advisory Committee recommends that the Human Rights Council request the drafting group to submit the results of its work on the study to the Advisory Committee at its third session with a view to submitting them to the Council at its twelfth session.

Also among the recommendations adopted by the Advisory Committee was that the Council endorse all the conclusions contained in the working paper on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members submitted by Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto.
The Council is recommended to further request Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto to formulate a draft set of principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, for review by the Advisory Committee at its third session in August 2009, and for consideration by the Human Rights Council by September 2009.

Regarding gender mainstreaming, the Advisory Committee recommends that the Human Rights Council authorize the Advisory Committee to prepare draft guidelines on methods to enhance implementation of gender mainstreaming, including action-oriented mechanisms within the Human Rights Council and all other organs within the United Nations system, in consultation with all other relevant United Nations organs, specialized agencies, treaty bodies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations.

In a recommendation to the Human Rights Council on the right to food, the Advisory Committee recommends to the Human Rights Council that it entrust the Advisory Committee with the task of preparing a study on “The Food Crisis, the Right to Food, Agricultural Subsidies and the Right of Peasants”; and that the Human Rights Council entrust the Advisory Committee with the task of preparing a study on “The Food Crisis, the Right to Food and the New Concept of “Hunger Refugees”: Definition and Situation”. It also recommends that the Human Rights Council urgently appeal to Member States to increase their contributions substantially and as soon as possible so as to enable the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme to effectively discharge their mandates during the current crisis.

The Advisory Committee also approved its report to the Human Rights Council on its second session before closing the session.

The Committee will hold its third session from 3 to 7 August 2009.


Membership

The 18 members of the Advisory Committee were elected on 26 March 2008, at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council. The membership of the Advisory Committee has to conform with the following geographical distribution guidelines set out in its establishing resolution: five members each from African and Asian States; three each from Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States; and two members from Eastern European States.

Members serve for a period of three years and are eligible for re-election once. In accordance with resolution 5/1, the staggering of terms of membership of the Advisory Committee members was determined by drawing lots immediately after the election. Hence, in the first term, one-third of the experts will serve for one year and another third for two years. Following is the list of members of the Advisory Committee and their respective terms of office: Mr. José Antonio Bengoa Cabello (Chile - 2010), Mr. Ansar Ahmed Burney(Pakistan - 2011), Mr. Shiqiu Chen (China - 2009), Ms. Chinsung Chung (Republic of Korea - 2010), Mr. Emmanuel Decaux (France - 2011), Mr. Hector Felipe Fix Fierro (Mexico - 2011), Mr. Wolfgang Stefan Heinz (Germany - 2010), Mr. Latif Huseynov (Azerbaidjan - 2011), Mr. Baba Kura Kaigama (Nigeria - 2011), Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin (Russian Federation - 2010), Mr. Miguel Alfonso Martinez (Cuba - 2009), Mr. Bernards Andrews Nyamwaya Mudho (Kenya - 2010), Ms. Purificacion V. Quisumbing (Philippines - 2011), Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto (Japan - 2010), Mr. Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius - 2011), Ms. Halima Embarek Warzazi (Morocco - 2009), Mr. Jean Ziegler (Switzerland - 2009), Ms. Mona Zulficar (Egypt - 2010).

The Chairperson of the second session was Miguel Alfonso Martinez, Vice-Chairpersons were Mona Zulficar, Vladimir Kartashkin and Chung Chinsung. The Rapporteur was Emmanuel Decaux.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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