Following is the opening statement by Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly, to the first session of the Human Rights Council, which he delivered today at the Palais des Nations in Geneva: “I think we all agree that today we are all part of an historic occasion, the opening of the…

Following is the statement by Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico, the President of the first session of the Human Rights Council, to the first meeting of the Council which opened today at the Palais des Nations in Geneva: “Almost 60 years ago, with the adoption of the Universal…

Speakers Hope Council Will Uphold and Protect Human Rights in Spirit of Cooperation The Human Rights Council this morning opened its first session, hearing from the President of the General Assembly, the United Nations Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and from a number…

Mr. Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly: I am very glad to be here in Geneva. I associate Geneva with very tough and difficult negotiations. I did the Iran-Iraq negotiations here in the 80s, I was here for Somalia in the 90s but today was a truly joyful occasion. The word…

Hears Statements from Ministers and Other Dignitaries from 21 Countries The Human Rights Council this afternoon concluded the first day of its high-level segment, hearing from Ministers and other dignitaries from Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Gabon, Serbia, France, Morocco, Brazil, Germany, the Republic…

The Fourteenth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts of the States Parties to the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW), presided by Ambassador…

Warren W. Tichenor, the new Permanent Representative of the United States 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, Ambassador Tichenor had…

The first session of the Human Rights Council, which the President of the General Assembly Jan Eliasson says will herald a new beginning for the promotion and protection of human rights, will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 19 to 30 June 2006. Mr. Eliasson, United Nations…

Marie Heuzé, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization of…

The first meeting of the newly established Human Rights Council opens in Geneva on Monday, 19 June, marking a new beginning for United Nations efforts to promote and protect fundamental freedoms worldwide. This inaugural session, set to last until 30 June, will bring together high-level…