HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS ELEVENTH REGULAR SESSION FROM 2 TO 18 JUNE

The Human Rights Council will hold its eleventh regular session from 2 to 18 June 2009 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Under its agenda item on the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) and the Secretary-General, the Council will have before it the report of the Secretary-General on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights; the report of OHCHR on the outcome of the expert consultation on the issue of protecting the human rights of civilians in armed conflict; the report of OHCHR on the outcome of an expert consultation on the issue of protecting the human rights of civilians in armed conflict; the report of the High Commissioner on the draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights: the rights of the poor; and the report of OHCHR on integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system.

Concerning the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, the Council will review reports from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises; the Independent Expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; OHCHR on a three-day workshop on the right of peoples to peace; and the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights.

Under its agenda item on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, the Council will have before it the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan.

On the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, the Council will discuss follow-up to special sessions and the report of the High Commissioner on the resolution to dispatch an urgent, independent international fact-finding mission to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip.

As for technical assistance and capacity building, the Council will have before it the report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti.

On racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance: follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, the Council will have before it the report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.


Also during the session, the Council will hold an annual full day discussion on women’s human rights and a panel discussion on the relationship between climate change and human rights. It will hold two closed meetings of its complaint procedure. The President of the Council will also convene a discussion on the arrangements and modalities of panels organized by the Human Rights Council.

The Council will consider the final outcome of the Universal Periodic Review for Germany, Djibouti, Canada, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Russian Federation, Senegal, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Mauritius, Jordan and Malaysia.

For more detailed information about the work of the Council at this session, including with regards to documentation, please refer to the annotated agenda of the session A/HRC/11/1/ as well as the Human Rights Council website http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/.

The eleventh regular session will be immediately followed by an organizational meeting of the Human Rights Council on 19 June to mark the beginning of the fourth year of the Council. At this meeting, the new composition of the 47-member Council, following the General Assembly elections on 13 May, will assume its role. The Council will also elect its new Bureau members and consider its agenda, programme of work and calendar of regular sessions for the year.

Composition of the Council

The Council is made up of the following 47 Member States. The mandates conclude on 18 June of the year indicated between parentheses. The Member States are: Angola (2010); Argentina (2011); Azerbaijan (2009); Bahrain (2011); Bangladesh (2009); Bolivia (2010); Bosnia and Herzegovina (2010); Brazil (2011); Burkina Faso (2011); Cameroon (2009); Canada (2009); Chile (2011); China (2009); Cuba (2009); Djibouti (2009); Egypt (2010); France (2011); Gabon (2011); Germany (2009); Ghana (2011); India (2010); Indonesia (2010); Italy (2010); Japan (2011); Jordan (2009);Madagascar (2010); Malaysia (2009);Mauritius (2009); Mexico (2009); Netherlands (2010); Nicaragua (2010); Nigeria (2009); Pakistan (2011); Philippines (2010); Qatar (2010); Republic of Korea (2011); Russian Federation (2009); Saudi Arabia (2009); Senegal (2009); Slovakia (2011); Slovenia (2010); South Africa (2010); Switzerland (2009); Ukraine (2011); United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2011); Uruguay (2009); Zambia (2011).

The President of the Council is Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi (Nigeria); Vice-Presidents are Erlinda F. Basilio (Philippines), Alberto J. Dumont (Argentina) and Marius Grinius (Canada); and the Vice-President and Rapporteur is Elchin Amirbayov (Azerbaijan).


For use of the information media; not an official record


HRC09067E