Sub-Commission on the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights
58th session, Geneva (7 - 25
August 2006)
Agenda as adopted, (7 August 2006) now
available
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/251
of 15 March 2006 entitled 'Human Rights Council', all mandates,
mechanisms, functions and responsibilities of the Commission on
Human Rights, including the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights, were assumed, as of 19 June 2006, by the
Human Rights Council.
In its decision 2006/102 of 30 June
2006, the Human Rights Council decided that the final session of the
Sub-Commission should be convened 'starting 31 July for a period of
up to four weeks, if so decided by the Sub-Commission, including its
pre-sessional and in-sessional working groups'. The Council also
decided that 'the working groups and the Social Forum of the
Sub-Commission shall be convened to hold their annual sessions in
accordance with current practices'.
The schedule of meetings
of the Sub-Commission and its subsidiary bodies as announced on 30
June 2006, during the first session of the Human Rights Council, is
as follows:
- From 31 July to 4 August: Working Group
on Indigenous Populations;
- From 3 to 4 August: the Social
Forum;
The following weeks would be dedicated to other
working groups of the Sub-Commission and to its plenary meetings as
follows:
The Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
and the Working Group on Minorities will meet alternatively in
parallel to the plenary during the first week of the session of the
Sub-Commission (7 to 11 August);
The Sub-Commission should
decide whether to use the remaining two weeks or to complete its
work within the week of 14 to 18 August.
Background
information on the Sub-Commission:
The United
Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human
Rights, the main subsidiary body of the former Commission on Human
Rights, was established in 1947 with 12 members. Originally the 'Sub
Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of
Minorities', it was renamed in 1999.
Today, it is comprised of 26
independent experts in the field of human rights who were elected
with due regard to equitable geographical distribution, and who act
in their personal capacity. In 2006, the membership consists of
seven experts from Africa, five from Asia, five from Latin America ,
three from Eastern Europe and six from Western European and other
States.
The Sub-Commission's main functions are to undertake
studies on human rights issues, to make recommendations concerning
the prevention of discrimination of any kind relating to human
rights and fundamental freedoms and the protection of racial,
national, religious and linguistic minorities, and to carry out any
other functions which may be entrusted to it. Studies undertaken
have addressed various aspects of the realization of human rights,
the administration of justice, combating discrimination and
protecting the human rights of minorities, indigenous peoples and
other vulnerable groups. The Sub-Commission is often described as a
'think tank'. |