Hears Statements from Non-Governmental Organizations The Human Rights Council this morning concluded its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from Slovenia, Senegal, Congo, Indonesia, Iran, Philippines, Togo, Cameroon, and Venezuela, as well as the Secretary-General of the Inter…

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted the agenda of the first session of the Council. The President of the Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, said that although the programme of work had also been scheduled to be adopted, further time for consultations would be…

Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the Conference on Disarmament this morning, saying that if any single group had the collective power to wake the world up to the danger of increased nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism, it was the Conference on Disarmament, which for many years…

The Human Rights Council this morning began the third day of its high-level segment, hearing statements by dignitaries from Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Burundi, Maldives, Rwanda, Ecuador, Armenia, Georgia, Norway, Czech Republic, Albania, Bahrain, Malta and Denmark. Many speakers…

Hears Statements from National Delegations and Specialized Agencies The Human Rights Council this afternoon started its general segment, hearing a series of statements from national delegations, United Nations specialized agencies and other bodies. Speakers welcomed the creation of the Council…

Starts Thematic Debate on New Forms of Weapons of Mass Destruction The Conference on Disarmament this morning was addressed by Ki-Moon Ban, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, and by Akiko Yamanaka, the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. Both speakers…

Hears Statements from Ministers and Other Dignitaries from 16 Countries The Human Rights Council this morning continued its high-level segment, hearing statements from Ministers and other dignitaries from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Andorra, Croatia, Cuba, Estonia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia,…

The Human Rights Council this afternoon concluded the second day of its high-level segment, hearing statements on the role of the new body by dignitaries from the Holy See, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Timor-Leste, Mexico, Cyprus, China, the Russian Federation, Poland, Azerbaijan,…

Marie Heuzé, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which also heard from Dennis McNamara, United Nations Special Adviser on Internal Displacement, and spokespersons for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United…

Mr. President [Luis Alfonso de Alba], let me first congratulate you – or rather, let me congratulate the Council on choosing you as its first President. This choice augurs well indeed for the Council’s future work. We at UN Headquarters in New York know you well, from your time in the…