The Human Rights Council this morning began its discussion of the methods of work and future agenda of the Council, hearing speeches from delegations, many of whom urged the Council to ensure that it would not repeat the mistakes of the defunct Commission, and to adopt an agenda and methods of work…

President Says Member States Have Requested Special Session on Human Rights Situation in Darfur The Human Rights Council this afternoon continued its consideration of its methods of work and future agenda, dividing the discussion into three segments dealing with the methods of work, the agenda,…

In Presidential Statement, Council Postpones Twenty Draft Texts for Consideration at Later Sessions The Human Rights Council today concluded its second session in which it adopted 18 texts, including on human rights and access to water, extreme poverty, the occupied Syrian Golan, the right to…

Council Hears Message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; High Commissioner for Human Rights Reports on Her Recent Missions The Human Rights Council this morning began its third session, hearing a message from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which was delivered by the United…

The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso De Alba, today announced that the High-Level Fact-Finding Mission the Council established following the Israeli military operations in Gaza on 8 November in which at least 18 civilians were killed, will be led by…

Concludes Interactive Dialogue with High Commissioner for Human Rights; Hears Statement from Foreign Minister of Maldives The Human Rights Council this afternoon held an interactive dialogue with the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide. It also heard a…

Moussa Bocar Ly, the new Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Ly has been simultaneously serving,…

Marie Heuzé, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which also heard from Spokespersons for the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, the United Nations…

The Human Rights Council this morning adopted a resolution on the effective implementation of international instruments on human rights and deferred to a future session two draft texts on impunity and freedom of opinion and expression. In the resolution on effective implementation of international…

Hears Statements from the President, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole and Iran The Sixth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their…