HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS FIRST SESSION FROM 19 TO 30 JUNE
The first session of the Human Rights Council, which the President of the General Assembly Jan Eliasson says will herald a new beginning for the promotion and protection of human rights, will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 19 to 30 June 2006.
Mr. Eliasson, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, are expected to join dozens of dignitaries from around the world to inaugurate the Council, which replaces the Commission on Human Rights.
At the opening meeting, the 47-member Council is expected to elect its Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons and Rapporteur, and adopt its agenda. A four-day high-level segment will follow.
In welcoming the election of the members of the Council on 9 May, Mr. Eliasson said the world was now witnessing a new beginning for the promotion and protection of human rights. He said the work of the Council would be guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and constructive international dialogue and cooperation with a view to enhancing the promotion and protection of all human rights.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Council will offer the United Nations a unique opportunity to make a fresh start in its vital work of upholding the highest standards of human rights. He said the Council was required to conduct a regular review of the human rights record of all countries, beginning with its own members. This would give its members the chance to show the depth of their commitment to promote human rights both at home and abroad.
The Commission on Human Rights, which since its creation in 1946 had been the principal human rights organ of the United Nations, had suffered in recent years under charges of politicisation and criticism that States known to violate human rights on a large scale were members of the body.
The Commission has a large group of thematic or country-specific procedures and mechanisms to help it carry out its work, and among other things, the Council, which inherits these bodies, has to review, and where necessary improve and rationalize, all mandates within one year after the holding of its first session, according to General Assembly resolution A/60/251 which created the Council.
The resolution also states that the Council shall be responsible for promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind and in a fair and equal manner; should address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon; and that the work of the Council shall be guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, constructive international dialogue and cooperation, with a view to enhancing the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.
The Council is mandated to meet regularly throughout the year for no fewer than three sessions, including a main session, for a total duration of no less than 10 weeks.
Membership of the Council
The Council is composed of 47 members (with year of term's end)
African States: Algeria (2007), Cameroon (2009), Djibouti (2009), Gabon (2008),
Ghana (2008), Mali (2008), Mauritius (2009), Morocco (2007), Nigeria (2009),
Senegal (2009), South Africa (2007), Tunisia (2007) and Zambia (2008)
Asian States: Bahrain (2007), Bangladesh (2009), China (2009), India (2007),
Indonesia (2007), Japan (2008), Jordan (2009), Malaysia (2009), Pakistan (2008),
Philippines (2007), Republic of Korea (2008), Saudi Arabia (2009) and Sri Lanka (2008)
Eastern European States: Azerbaijan (2009), Czech Republic (2007),
Poland (2007), Romania (2008), Russian Federation (2009) and Ukraine (2008)
Latin American & Caribbean States: Argentina (2007), Brazil (2008) , Cuba (2009),
Ecuador (2007), Guatemala (2008), Mexico (2009), Peru (2008) and Uruguay (2009)
Western European & Other States: Canada (2009), Finland (2007), France (2008),
Germany (2009), Netherlands (2007), Switzerland (2009) and United Kingdom(2008).
LIST OF ALL PERSONS MANDATED TO CARRY OUT THE SPECIAL PROCEDURES
MANDATES OF THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Country-specific procedures
| Belarus | Mr. Adrian Severin (Romania) | Special Rapporteur |
| Cuba | Ms. Christine Chanet (France) | Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights |
| Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn (Thailand) | Special Rapporteur |
| Myanmar | Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro (Brazil) | Special Rapporteur |
| Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 | Mr. John Dugard (South Africa) | Special Rapporteur |
 | | |
| ThThematic procedures | | |
| Adequate housing | Mr. Miloon Kothari (India) | Special Rapporteur |
| Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance | Mr. Doudou Diène (Senegal) | Special Rapporteur |
| Education | Mr. Vernor Muñoz Villalobos (Costa Rica) | Special Rapporteur |
| Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions | Mr. Philip Alston (Australia) | Special Rapporteur |
| Extreme poverty | Mr. Arjun Sengupta (India) | Independent expert |
| Freedom of opinion and expression | Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo (Kenya) | Special Rapporteur |
| Freedom of religion or belief | Ms. Asma Jahangir (Pakistan) | Special Rapporteur |
| Highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Mr. Paul Hunt (New Zealand) | Special Rapporteur |
| Human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people | Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen (Mexico) | Special Rapporteur |
| Human rights defenders | Ms. Hina Jilani (Pakistan) | Special Representative of the Secretary-General |
| Human rights of internally displaced persons | Mr. Walter Kälin (Switzerland) | Representative of the Secretary-General |
| Human rights and international solidarity | Mr. Rudi Muhammad Rizki (Indonesia) | Independent expert |
| Human rights of migrants | Mr. Jorge A. Bustamente (Mexico) | Special Rapporteur |
| Human rights and transnational corportations and other business enterprises | Mr. John Ruggie (United Status of America) | Special Representative of the Secretary-General |
| Illicit movement and dumping of toxic waste | Mr. Okechukwu Ibeanu (Nigeria) | Special Rapporteur |
| Independence of judges and lawyers | Mr. Leandro Despouy (Argentina) | Special Rapporteur |
| Minority issues | Ms. Gay McDougall (United States of America) | Independent expert appointed by the High Commissioner |
| Right to food | Mr. Jean Ziegler (Switzerland) | Special Rapporteur |
| Sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography | Mr. Juan Miguel Petit (Uruguay) | Special Rapporteur |
| Effects of economic reform policies and foreign debt | Mr. Bernards Andrew Nyamwaya Mudho (Kenya) | Independent expert |
| Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism | Mr. Martin Scheinin (Finland) | Special Rapporteur |
| Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment | Mr. Manfred Nowak (Austria) | Special Rapporteur |
| Trafficking in persons, especially in women and children | Ms. Sigma Huda (Bangladesh) | Special Rapporteur |
| Violence against women, its causes and consequences | Ms. Yakin Ertürk (Turkey) | Special Rapporteur |
| Working Group on Arbitrary Detention | Ms. Leila Zerrougui (Algeria) | Current Chairperson |
| Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances | Mr. Stephen J. Toope (Canada) | Current Chairperson |
| Working Group on People of African Descent | Mr. Peter Lesa Kasanda (Zambia) | Current Chairperson |
| Working Group on the use of mercenaries | Ms. Amanda Benavides de Pérez (Colombia) | Current Chairperson |
| TeTechnical cooperation programmes | | |
| Burundi | Mr. Akich Okola (Kenya) | Independent expert |
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| Cambodia | Mr. Yash Ghai (Kenya) | Special Representative of the Secretary-General |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Mr. Titinga Frédéric Pacéré (Burkina Faso) | Independent expert |
| Haiti | Mr. Louis Joinet (France) | Independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General |
| Liberia | Ms. Charlotte Abaka (Ghana) | Independent expert |
| Somalia | Mr. Ghanim Alnajjar (Kuwait) | Independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General |
| Sudan | Ms. Sima Samar (Afghanistan) | Special Rapporteur |
| Uzbekistan | Ms. Michèle Picard (France) | Independent expert |
For use of the information media; not an official record
HR/HRC/06/02E