Issues Conclusions on Reports of Austria, Uganda, Djibouti, Lithuania, Bhutan, United Kingdom and Tanzania The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its forty-ninth session, issuing its conclusions and recommendations on the situation of children in Djibouti, Bhutan and the United…

Adopts 24 Texts, Appoints Four New Special Procedure Mandate Holders and Extends Mandates of Seven Special Procedures The Human Rights Council closed its ninth regular session this afternoon, adopting 24 texts on a wide range of issues, appointing four new Special Procedure mandate holders and…

The Conference on Disarmament this morning adopted its annual report to the General Assembly and closed the work of its 2008 substantive session, which officially ends this Friday, 12 September. In concluding remarks at its final meeting, Ambassador German Mundarain Hernandez of Venezuela,…

The Group of Governmental Experts of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) continued its efforts last week to "negotiate a proposal to address urgently the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, while striking a balance between military and humanitarian considerations", a mandate…

Navanethem Pillay to Make First Address to Council as High Commissioner for Human Rights The Human Rights Council will hold its ninth regular session from 8 to 26 September at the Palais des Nations to discuss issues relating to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. The…

The Fourth 2008 Session of the Group of Governmental Experts of the High Contracting Parties to the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) will convene from 1…

The Human Rights Committee, the UN body in charge of monitoring compliance of States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols with their obligations under these treaties, was very concerned to learn that, on Tuesday 22 July 2008, President…

The 2008 United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament starts today at the United Nations Office at Geneva with the participation of young diplomats from 25 Member States of the United Nations. The programme will last for a period of nine weeks. Diplomats from the following 25 Member…

Experts Discussed Biosafety and Biosecurity as well as Oversight, Education, Awareness-raising and Codes of Conduct The 2008 Meeting of Experts from States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was held in Geneva from 18 to 22 August 2008 to discuss and promote common understanding…

The Conference on Disarmament today heard statements by Venezuela as the President of the Conference, France, Pakistan, New Zealand, Brazil, Sri Lanka and China on the stalemate in its work and its programme of work, and by Slovakia, the Russian Federation and Ireland on the conflict in…