The following statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was issued today: I am delighted that the Convention on Cluster Munitions enters into force on 1August2010. This new instrument is a major advance for the global disarmament and humanitarian agendas, and will help us to counter the…

Today, the United Nations Compensation Commission made available a total of $650,000,000 to the Government of the State of Kuwait for distribution to nine successful claimants. Payment is being made in respect of 5 claims in category E (claims of corporations and public sector enterprises) and 4…

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will hold its fifth session from 2 to 6 August 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 further its work in relation to requests…

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon adopted its annual report to the General Assembly following a discussion among Committee Experts. The annual report covers the period from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010 and the ninety-seventh, ninety-eight and the ninety-ninth sessions of the Human Rights…

This morning the Committee heard presentations of progress reports by Committee members on the status of follow-up to the Committee’s concluding observations and actions taken by States parties to implement those, as well as and on the follow-up to Views. The Committee then adopted the reports, as…

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency. Secretary-General Ms. Momal-…

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the United Nations Children's Fund, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization…

The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ambassador Sihasak Phuangketkeow, has appointed three preeminent experts to an independent international fact-finding mission to “investigate violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law,…

Discusses Outcome of Inter-Committee Meeting and Meeting of Committee Chairpersons The Human Rights Committee this afternoon adopted its revised guidelines for State reports under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights after having gone through a final reading of the draft. The…

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon continued its first reading, begun in an open meeting in October 2009, of a draft General Comment on States parties' obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, setting out the rights to hold an opinion without…