HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONCLUDES SIXTEENTH SESSION

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee today concluded its sixteenth session, which was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 22 to 26 February 2016.

The Advisory Committee, a body of 18 independent experts serving as a think-tank to the United Nations Human Rights Council, took action on the three thematic issues that it had been considering: unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents; the activities of vulture funds and human rights; and the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy.

On unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents, the Committee recommended that the Human Rights Council extend the time schedule envisaged to allow for better informed work, inter alia, by taking into account the work currently underway by the Committee on Migrant Workers and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and that the Advisory Committee be requested to submit a progress report to the Council at its thirty-third session and a final report at its thirty-sixth session.

Concerning the activities of vulture funds and human rights, the Committee took note of the draft progress report and requested the drafting group to finalize its report to the Council.

With regard to the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy, the Advisory Committee took note of the preliminary report on the implementation of the principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, and requested the drafting group to recirculate the questionnaire and to submit a progress report to the Committee at its seventeenth session, with a view to its submission to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fifth session.

The Advisory Committee also endorsed a letter to be sent by the Chair of the Committee to the President of the Human Rights Council, submitting two research proposals to the Council: on regional human rights regimes, and on youth, human rights and social cohesion.

At the opening of the session, Choi Kyonglim addressed the Advisory Committee for the first time in his capacity as President of the Human Rights Council. In his address the President commended the role of the Advisory Committee as an intellectual powerhouse for the Human Rights Council, and encouraged the Advisory Committee to continue improving its interaction with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other civil society entities.

Documentation relating to the sixteenth session, including the agenda and draft programme of work, can be found on the Advisory Committee’s webpage.

The seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 8 to 12 August 2016.


Background

The Advisory Committee is a body of 18 independent experts serving as a think-tank to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). It was established in 2008, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, to provide studies and research-based advice, as requested by the Council, and meets twice annually. The Committee’s work is implementation-oriented and follows thematic issues linked to the mandate of the Council, namely, the promotion and protection of all human rights. It interacts with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other civil society bodies.

Membership

The membership of the Advisory Committee conforms 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.

Following is the list of members of the Advisory Committee and expiration dates for their respective terms of office:

Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Alsheddi (Saudi Arabia, 2018); Mohamed Bennani (Morocco, 2017); Laurence Boisson de Chazournes (France, 2017); Mario Luis Coriolano (Argentina, 2018); Laura Craciunean (Romania, 2017); Hoda Elsadda (Egypt, 2016); Karla Hananía de Varela (El Salvador 2016); Mikhail Lebedev (Russian Federation, 2016); Alfred Ntunduguru Karokora (Uganda, 2016); Kaoru Obata (Japan, 2016); Obiora Chinedu Okafor (Nigeria, 2017); Katharina Pabel (Austria, 2018); Anantonia Reyes Prado (Guatemala, 2017); Changrok Soh (Republic of Korea, 2017); Ahmer Bilal Soofi (Pakistan, 2017); Imeru Tamrat Yigezu (Ethiopia, 2018); Yishan Zhang (China, 2016) and Jean Ziegler (Switzerland, 2016).


For use of the information media; not an official record

AC16/002E