HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE HOLDS FOURTH SESSION IN GENEVA FROM 25 TO 29 JANUARY 2010

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will hold its fourth session from 25 to 29 January 2010 in Room XX of the Palais des Nations.

The Committee, which is composed of 18 independent experts who serve as a think tank to the Human Rights Council, will focus its work on four of the requests addressed to it by the Council: a draft declaration on human rights education and training; a draft set of principles and guidelines to eliminate discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members; a study on best practices regarding missing persons; and possible further measures to enhance the realization of the right to food, including a draft study on discrimination in the context of the right to food.

On Monday, 25 January, the Advisory Committee will be considering a draft declaration on human rights education and training. In its resolution 6/10, the Council requested the Advisory Committee to prepare such a draft declaration, inter alia, by seeking the views and inputs of relevant stakeholders. Representatives of the drafting group on the Declaration have since participated in the seminar organized on 16 and 17 July 2009 in Marrakech, Morocco, by the Platform for Human Rights Education and Training, in order to further the reflection on elements to be included. The Council has requested that the draft declaration on human rights education and training be submitted to it at its thirteenth session (March 2010), when the Council will hold a high-level discussion on it.

Draft guidelines to prevent discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members will be discussed by the Advisory Committee on the morning of Tuesday, 26 January. In its resolution 8/13 on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, the Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to collect information on measures taken by Governments to eliminate discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members. It also asked the Advisory Committee to review that information and to formulate a draft set of principles and guidelines on the subject, and draft guidelines were duly submitted to the Council in September 2009. The Council subsequently requested OHCHR to collect the views of relevant actors on the draft guidelines. It further requested the Advisory Committee to finalize the draft set of principles and guidelines, taking into full consideration the views of relevant actors, for submission to the Council by its fifteenth session, to be held in September 2010.

With regard to missing persons, following a panel discussion on the issue held at the Council’s ninth session (September 2008), the Council adopted decision 9/101, requesting the Advisory Committee to prepare a study on the best practices in the matter of missing persons and to submit it to the Council at its twelfth session, which was held in September 2009. However, difficulties in obtaining information and resources were encountered by the relevant drafting group of the Committee; in light of this, the Council extended the drafting mandate of the Committee and the study is now expected to be considered by the Council at its fourteenth session (June 2010). To this end, the drafting group elaborated a questionnaire addressed to Governments, which was sent out on 2 November 2009 by the Secretariat. Taking into account the feedback received, the Committee will discuss the best practices related to missing persons’ study on the afternoon of Tuesday, 26 January.

With regard to improving the realization of the right to food, the Human Rights Council, in its resolution 10/12, requested the Advisory Committee to undertake a study on discrimination in the context of the right to food, including identification of good practices of anti-discriminatory policies and strategies, and to report on it to the Council at its thirteenth session in March. In the morning of Wednesday, 27 January, the Advisory Committee will consider the study on discrimination in the context of the right to food, prepared by its drafting group.

Following its consideration of these four items, the Advisory Committee may address other requests stemming from the Human Rights Council, including on the integration of a gender perspective in the Committee’s mandate; the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; the integration of the perspective of persons with disabilities; and the preparation of inputs to contribute to the elaboration by the independent expert on human rights and international solidarity of a draft declaration on the right of peoples and individuals to international solidarity. It is also expected to consider new initiatives, in particular an initial working paper on the human rights of elderly people.


Background

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, composed of 18 independent experts, was established to provide expertise in the manner and form requested by the Council, focusing mainly on studies and research-based advice.

The scope of the Advisory Committee’s advice is limited to thematic issues pertaining to the mandate of the Council, namely, the promotion and protection of all human rights. The Committee should be implementation-oriented and is also urged to establish interaction with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other civil society entities. The Committee is not mandated to adopt resolutions or decisions, but may propose to the Council, within the scope of its work as set out by the Council, suggestions for further enhancing its procedural efficiency, as well as further research proposals within the scope of the work set out by the Council.

Documentation and updated information on the Advisory Committee, including the session’s annotated agenda and draft programme of work, are posted on the Advisory Committee’s webpage (see http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/advisorycommittee.htm).


Membership

The 18 members of the Advisory Committee were elected on 26 March 2008, at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council. The membership of the Advisory Committee has to conform with 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 their respective terms of office: Mr. Miguel Alfonso Martinez (Cuba - 2012); Mr. José Antonio Bengoa Cabello (Chile - 2010); Mr. Ansar Ahmed Burney (Pakistan - 2011); Mr. Shiqiu Chen (China - 2012); Ms. Chinsung Chung (Republic of Korea - 2010); Mr. Emmanuel Decaux (France - 2011); Mr. Hector Felipe Fix Fierro (Mexico - 2011); Mr. Wolfgang Stefan Heinz (Germany - 2010); Mr. Latif Huseynov (Azerbaijan - 2011); Mr. Baba Kura Kaigama (Nigeria - 2011); Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin (Russian Federation - 2010); Mr. Bernards Andrews Nyamwaya Mudho (Kenya - 2010); Ms. Purificacion V. Quisumbing (Philippines - 2011); Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto (Japan - 2010); Mr. Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius - 2011); Ms. Halima Embarek Warzazi (Morocco - 2012); Mr. Jean Ziegler (Switzerland - 2012); and Ms. Mona Zulficar (Egypt - 2010).

Presently, the Chairperson of the Committee is Ms. Warzazi; the Vice Chairpersons are Mr. Bengoa Cabello; Ms. Quisumbing and Mr. Ziegler; and the Rapporteur is Mr. Hüseynov.


For use of the information media; not an official record

AC10/001E