HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS SIXTEENTH SESSION FROM 28 FEBRUARY TO 25 MARCH 2011

The Human Rights Council will hold its sixteenth regular session from 28 February to 25 March at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The Council will begin its session by holding a High-Level Segment from Monday, 28 February to Wednesday, 2 March in which dignitaries will address the Council on their countries’ efforts to promote and protect human rights. As part of the High-Level Segment, the Council will hold a panel discussion on the full enjoyment of the human rights of people of African descent to mark the International Year of People of African Descent.

Following the High-Level Segment, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, after she presents the annual report of the activities of her Office. There will also be a general debate following the presentation of thematic reports from the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner on topics including reports on the human rights of persons with disabilities; the protection of human rights in the context of HIV/AIDS; minorities; human rights and counterterrorism; and the effective implementation of international human rights instruments, among other topics.

During the second week of the session, the Council will hear presentations from independent human rights experts on numerous topics including: the right to food; adequate housing; the protection of human rights while countering terrorism; torture, forced disappearances; detention; internally displaced persons; violence against children; the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; human rights defenders; freedom of religion or belief; and minorities.

During the third week of the session, the Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and in Myanmar will also present their reports. After the presentation of each report, an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur will be held with Member States of the Council, observer States and non-governmental organizations. The Council will also follow-up on the outcome of its 14th special session on the situation of human rights in Cote d’Ivoire since the elections on 28 November 2010.

During the final week, under the agenda item dealing with the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, the Council will have before it the report of the committee of independent experts on the Gaza conflict and there will be an interactive dialogue with the committee to discuss domestic, legal or other proceedings undertaken by the government of Israel and the Palestinian side. Among other reports submitted under this item, the Council will have a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights on the Occupied Palestinian territories and hold an interactive dialogue with him. Also during the last week the Council will consider the report on follow-up to the report of the international fact-finding mission on the incident of the humanitarian flotilla.

Also during the last week, technical assistance and cooperation on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Nepal, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan will be taken up under the agenda item on technical assistance and capacity-building. The report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Iran and reports of the High Commissioner on Colombia and Cyprus are also among the reports to be presented during the last week.

The Human Rights Council will also hold a number of thematic panels and discussions during the four week session. On 4 March the annual debate on the human rights of persons with disabilities will take place in which the Council will discuss the role of international cooperation in support of national efforts to realize the purpose and objectives on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. On 9 March the Council will hold its annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child, with a focus this year on the fight against sexual violence against children and a holistic approach to the promotion and protection of the rights of children working and/or living on the street. On 11 March there will be a panel discussion on human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage taking.

Also at this session, the Council will consider the final outcomes of Universal Periodic Reviews undertaken on the human rights situations in Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia, Panama, the Maldives, Andorra, Bulgaria, Honduras, the United States of America, the Marshall Islands, Croatia, Jamaica, Libya, Micronesia, Mauritania and Lebanon. Following its consideration of the reports, the Council is expected to officially adopt those documents, which include observations and recommendations to concretely improve the human rights situations in those countries.

At the end of its session, the Council will decide on the appointments of Special Procedures including five members of the newly established Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and Practice, the newly established Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and a member of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. The appointment for the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will also take place as well as the elections for Human Rights Council Advisory Committee members.

For more detailed information about the work of the Council at this session, including with regard to documentation, please refer to the annotated agenda of the session A/HRC/16/1, as well as the Human Rights Council website at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/16session/.


Composition of the Council

The Council is made up of the following 47 Member States. The mandates conclude on 18 June of the year indicated between parentheses. The Member States are: Angola (2013); Argentina (2011); Bahrain (2011); Bangladesh (2012); Belgium (2012); Brazil (2011); Burkina Faso (2011); Cameroon (2012); Chile (2011); China (2012); Cuba (2012); Djibouti (2012); Ecuador (2013); France (2011); Gabon (2011); Ghana (2011); Guatemala (2013); Hungary (2012); Japan (2011); Jordan (2012); Kyrgyzstan (2012); Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (2013); Malaysia 2013); Maldives (2013); Mauritania (2013); Mauritius (2012); Mexico (2012); Nigeria (2012); Norway (2012); Pakistan (2011); Poland (2013); Qatar (2013); Republic of Korea (2011); Republic of Moldova (2013); Russian Federation (2012); Saudi Arabia (2012); Senegal (2012); Slovakia (2011); Spain (2013); Switzerland (2013); Thailand (2013); Uganda (2013); Ukraine (2011); United Kingdom (2011); United States (2012); Uruguay (2012); and Zambia (2011).

The President of the Council is Sihasak Phuangketkeow (Thailand); Vice-Presidents are Arcanjo Maria Do Nascimento (Angola), Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez (Cuba), and Fedor Rosocha (Slovakia); and the Vice-President and Rapporteur is Bente Angell-Hansen (Norway).


For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC11/004E