The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard a general statement from Ambassador Clemencia Forero Ucros of Colombia, in which she reiterated Colombia’s support for Presidential Draft Decision CD/1840, which aims to get the Conference back to substantive work, and highlighted efforts in the…

Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Office at Geneva, chaired the briefing which also heard from spokespersons and representatives from the Universal Postal Union, the World Meteorological Organization, the UN Refugee Agency, the Office…

Adopts Programme of Work and Agenda The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this morning started to discuss a request from the Human Rights Council for the Committee to prepare a draft declaration on human rights education and training. Elena Ippoliti of the Office of the High Commissioner…

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning concluded its thematic debate, begun yesterday afternoon, on the obligation of States parties to undertake special measures or positive measures – sometimes known as affirmative action – as set out in articles 2 and 4 of the…

Appoints Members to Drafting Group on a Draft Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this afternoon discussed requests to the Committee from the Council concerning the right to food and appointed five of its Experts to a drafting group which…

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this morning held the first meeting of its first session by hearing statements by the Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the Human Rights Council and by electing its Chairperson and Bureau officers. The 18-member…

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has considered the eighteenth and nineteenth periodic reports of the Russian Federation, submitted in one document, on how that State party is fulfilling its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of…

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this afternoon discussed its working methods and listened to statements on this subject by its Experts, Observer States and non-governmental organizations. Experts of the Advisory Committee underlined the special nature of the Committee, but there were…

The first session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will be held from 4 to 15 August 2008, in Room XIX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. During the session, the Advisory Committee is scheduled to elect its officers, adopt its agenda and organization of work, discuss the mandate…

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has considered the combined sixth to seventeenth periodic report of Togo on how that State party is fulfilling its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Célestine Akouavi…