PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Speaking on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Doru Romulus Costea, the President of the Council, said the Council was about to take an “important step” this afternoon by selecting by a drawing of lots the countries to undergo the Universal Periodic Review process in order they are to be reviewed over the course of the next four years.

“The UPR was the innovation of the Council”, Ambassador Costea said. “This mechanism was the first of its kind in the UN system.” The President said the drawing of lots of countries will prove that the Council had taken full responsibility to go further in building its own structures. The next important step would be when countries actually go through the process of review.

The President said that this new mechanism had the potential to strengthen other human rights machinery, in particular the special procedure system and treaty bodies. The agreement on the UPR guidelines, which were expected to be adopted next week, was also a significant achievement. After those guidelines were adopted, countries would be informed of how to proceed for the actual review process. Additionally, the Council was expected to adopt the criteria for electing members of the Council’s new Advisory Committee, which replaces the former Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, and for the selection of human rights mandate holders.

Addressing the overall performance of the Human Rights Council, the President said so far the Council had been able to achieve good results in its work by managing substantive issues whilst at the same time implementing its important institution building measures adopted in June.

The Council also held a very constructive discussion on gender perspectives in the Council yesterday and today, Ambassador Costea added. “There was a need for meaningful debates such as these which would lead to results on the ground. These results would be better achieved if we had such dialogues”.

Responding to a question on the UPR, the President said, while the UPR was just under way, it would take time to see how it worked. “It will be very important to have a very well prepared and well managed process. Countries are ready to do that…It will be a very important experience for everybody”. He added that this process was very flexible emphasizing that it was up to the member States themselves to determine how successful it would be.