HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONCLUDES SEVENTH SESSION

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee today concluded its seventh session during which it adopted five recommendations to the Human Rights Council, submitted a letter to the Human Rights Council to consider holding a special session on the food crisis in the Horn of Africa, appointed five members of the Working Group on communications, adopted its report to the Council and sent a letter to the Council suggesting research proposals.

Latif Hüseynov, Advisory Committee Chairperson, in concluding remarks, thanked the Committee experts, Governments and non-governmental organizations for their active participation during the session. The Rapporteur, Chung Chinsung, said that over the last five days the Committee had had a particularly constructive session, with interesting discussions both in plenary and closed meetings allowing it to address a variety of topics with tangible progress made on some of the requests stemming from Human Rights Council resolutions.

In its recommendations to the Human Rights Council, the Advisory Committee established a drafting group to prepare a study on the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of the traditional values of dignity, freedom and responsibility.

Further, the Committee noted the draft outline on human rights and solidarity and encouraged the drafting group to cooperate closely with the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity.

On the promotion of the right of peoples to peace, the Committee noted the second progress report submitted by the drafting group and welcomed initiatives by civil society to organize discussions on progress reports of the Committee with Member States and academic experts.

Further, the Committee welcomed the comments by States and other stakeholders on the preliminary study on the advancement of the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas and assigned the completion of this study to the drafting group on the right to food. The Committee welcomed the preliminary study on severe malnutrition and childhood diseases and invited the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to collect the views and comments on this preliminary study so that the Committee could take them into account in the preparation of the final study. The Committee welcomed the concept note entitled ‘Promoting the human rights of the urban poor: strategies and best practices,’ and assigned the preparation of a preliminary study on this topic to the drafting group on the right to food. The Committee assigned the preparation of a preliminary study on rural women and their enjoyment of the right to food to the drafting group on the right to food.

On the recommendation on the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, the Committee took note of the progress report and the questionnaire prepared by the drafting group and requested the support of the Secretariat in disseminating the questionnaire to States and relevant stakeholders.

During the session, the Committee decided to send a letter requesting that the Human Rights Council consider holding a special session on the food crisis in the Horn of Africa. In the letter, the Committee said it was deeply preoccupied by the food crisis and drew the attention of the Human Rights Council to the crisis and areas where urgent action was required.
Also during the session, the Advisory Committee appointed five members of the Working Group on communications: Halima Embarek Warzazi, Chen Shiqiu, Jose Antonio Bengoa Cabello, Vladimir Kartashkin, and Wolfgang Stefan Heinz.

The Committee also adopted its report to the Council and sent a letter to the Council suggesting the following research proposals: youth, globalization and human rights; the impact of the use of new information technologies, including the internet and social networks, on human rights; discrimination against poor and marginalized groups in the context of access to justice; and human rights and corruption.

The Advisory Committee is expected to hold its next session from 20 to 24 February 2012.

Recommendations

In the recommendation on the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of traditional values of humankind, the Committee decides to establish a drafting group and requests that the drafting group prepare a study and submit it to the Committee for consideration at its ninth session. The drafting group consists of the following members: Chinsung Chung, Vladimir Kartashkin, Obiora Chinedu Okafor, Anantonia Reyes Prado, Mona Zulficar, Dheerujlall Seetulsingh, Laurence Boission de Chazournes, Chen Shiqiu, Ahmer Bilal Soofi and Alfred Ntunduguru Karakora.

In the recommendation on human rights and international solidarity, the Committee takes note of the draft outline prepared by Chen Shiqiu as Chairperson and Rapporteur of the drafting group, as well as the comments and suggestions made during the discussions on the issue at the seventh session of the Committee. The Committee encourages the drafting group to cooperate closely with the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity and to submit the outcome of its work to the Advisory Committee at its eighth session.

In the recommendation on the promotion of the right of peoples to peace, the Committee takes note of the second progress report submitted by the drafting group to the Advisory Committee at its seventh session and welcomed initiatives by civil society to organize discussion on progress reports of the Advisory Committee with Member States and academic experts. The Committee encourages the various stakeholders to contribute to the work underway. The Advisory Committee requests the drafting group to submit a draft declaration on the right of peoples to peace revised in the light of comments received and discussions held at the seventh session of the Advisory Committee.

In the recommendation on the right to food, the Committee welcomes the comments by States and other stakeholders on the preliminary study on the advancement of the rights of peasants and other people working in the rural areas and assigns the completion of this study to the drafting group on the right to food, to be presented to the Advisory Committee at its eighth session for submission to the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth session. The Committee welcomes the preliminary study on severe malnutrition and childhood diseases, with children affected by Noma as an example and invites the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to collect the views and comments on this preliminary study so that the Advisory Committee may take them into account in the preparation of the final study to be submitted to the Council at its nineteenth session. The Committee assigns the completion of this study to the drafting group on the right to food, to be presented to the Advisory Committee at its eighth session for submission to the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth session. The Committee welcomes the concept note entitled ‘Promoting the human rights of the urban poor: strategies and best practices,’ and assigns the preparation of a preliminary study on this topic to the drafting group on the right to food, to be presented to the Advisory Committee at is eighth session. The Advisory Committee assigns the preparation of a preliminary study on rural women and their enjoyment of the right to food to the drafting group on the right to food, to be presented to the Advisory Committee at its ninth session.

In the recommendation on the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, the Committee takes note of the progress report presented by Mr. Seetuslingh, Chairperson of the drafting group and the questionnaire to be disseminated for the preparation of the final proposals. The Committee requests the support of the Secretariat in disseminating the questionnaire to States and relevant stakeholders and requests that the drafting group submit proposals on the issue for consideration by the Advisory Committee at its eighth session.

Membership

The 18 members of the Advisory Committee were first elected on 26 March 2008, at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council. The most recent elections were held on 23 March 2011 at the sixteenth session of the Human Rights Council. The membership of the Advisory Committee has to conform to 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 expiration dates for their respective terms of office: Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann (Nicaragua – 2012); Mr. José Antonio Bengoa Cabello (Chile - 2013); Mrs. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes (France - 2014); Mr. Shiqiu Chen (China - 2012); Ms. Chinsung Chung (Republic of Korea - 2013); Mr. Wolfgang Stefan Heinz (Germany - 2013); Mr. Latif Hüseynov (Azerbaijan - 2014); Mr. Alfred Ntunduguru Karokora (Uganda – 2013); Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin (Russian Federation - 2013); Mr. Obiora Chinedu Okafor (Nigeria - 2014); Ms. Purificacion V. Quisumbing (Philippines - 2014); Ms. Anantonia Reyes Prado (Guatemala – 2013); Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto (Japan - 2013); Mr. Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius - 2014); Mr. Ahmer Bilal Soofi (Pakistan – 2014); Ms. Halima Embarek Warzazi (Morocco - 2012); Mr. Jean Ziegler (Switzerland - 2012); and Ms. Mona Zulficar (Egypt - 2013).

The Chairperson was Mr. Latif Hüseynov, Vice-Chairpersons were Mr. Wolfgang Stefan Heinz, Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin, Mr. Dheerujlall Seetulsingh. The Rapporteur was Ms. Chinsung Chung.


For use of the information media; not an official record

AC11/016E