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Human Rights Council
AFTERNOON 26 March 2008
The Human Rights Council this afternoon elected 18 experts
to make up its new Advisory Committee. The Council also approved candidates
for its Special Procedures on the right to adequate housing, the right to
food, human rights of indigenous people, sale of children, effects of
economic reform policies, human rights in Myanmar, human rights in the
Palestinian territories, human rights and extreme poverty, contemporary forms
of slavery, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, people of African
descent, human rights in Somalia and human rights defenders.
The Advisory Committee replaces the former Sub-Commission
on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Functioning as a
think-thank, the Committee will provide the Council with expertise and advice
and conduct substantive research and studies on thematic issues of interest,
at the Council's request.
The number of candidates in three regional groups
corresponded to the numbers of seats available in each of these groups;
consequently those members were elected by the Council without a ballot.
These were, from the African Group: Ms. Mona Zulficar (Egypt), Mr. Bernards
Andrews Nyamwaya Mudho (Kenya), Mr. Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius), Ms.
Halima Embarek Warzazi (Morocco) and Mr. Baba Kura Kaigama (Nigeria). From
the Asian Group: Mr. Shiqiu Chen (China), Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto (Japan), Mr.
Ansar Ahmed Burney (Pakistan), Ms. Purificacion V. Quisumbing (Philippines)
and Ms. Chung Chinsung (Republic of Korea). From the Latin American and
Caribbean States: Mr. Miguel Alfonso Martínez (Cuba), Mr. José Antonio Bengoa
Cabello (Chile) and Mr. Héctor Felipe Fix Fierro (Mexico).
With regard to the candidates from the Eastern European
Group and the Group of Western European and Other States, the Council
conducted an election in secret ballot. The two candidates elected from the
Eastern European Group were: Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin (Russian Federation)
with 42 votes and Mr. Latif Hüseynov (Azerbaijan) with 30 votes. The three
members elected from the Western European and Others Group were: Mr. Jean
Ziegler (Switzerland) with 40 votes, Mr. Wolfgang Stefan Heinz (Germany) with
24 votes and Mr. Emmanuel Decaux (France) with 24 votes.
After the election of the members of the Advisory
Committee, the Council proceeded to determine the duration of membership for
each member. The four members that will serve for a one-year term are: Ms.
Halima Embarek Warzazi (Morocco), Mr. Shiqiu Chen (China), Mr. Miguel Alfonso
Martínez (Cuba) and Mr. Mr. Jean Ziegler (Switzerland). The seven members
that will serve for a two-year term are: Ms. Mona Zulficar (Egypt), Mr.
Bernards Andrews Nyamwaya Mudho (Kenya), Mr. Shigeki Sakamoto (Japan), Ms.
Chung Chinsung (Republic of Korea), Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin (Russian
Federation), Mr. José Antonio Bengoa Cabello (Chile) and Mr. Wolfgang Stefan
Heinz (Germany). The seven members that will serve for a three year-term are:
Mr. Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius), Mr. Baba Kura Kaigama (Nigeria), Mr.
Ansar Ahmed Burney (Pakistan), Ms. Purificacion V. Quisumbing (Philippines),
Mr. Latif Hüseynov (Azerbaijan), Mr. Héctor Felipe Fix Fierro (Mexico) and
Mr. Emmanuel Decaux (France).
The Advisory Committee will hold its first session from 4
to 15 August 2008.
Also this afternoon, the Council approved the list of
candidates for Special Procedures mandate holders proposed by the President
of the Council, who chose them out of candidates proposed by the Consultative
Group which the Council appointed. The list included Ms. Raquel Rolnik
(Brazil), Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing as a component
of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to
non-discrimination in this context; Mr. Olivier de Schutter (Belgium),
Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Mr. James Anaya (United States),
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
of indigenous people; Ms. Najat M'jid Maala (Morocco), Special Rapporteur on
the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; Mr. Cephas
Lumina (Zambia), Independent Expert on the effects of economic reform
policies and foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights, particularly
economic, social and cultural rights; Mr. Thomas Ojea Quintana (Argentina),
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar; Mr. Richard
Falk (United States), Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; Ms. Maria Magdalenan
Sepulveda (Chile), Independent Expert on the question of human rights and
extreme poverty; and Ms. Gulnara Shahinian (Armenia), Special Rapporteur on
contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences.
Also chosen were Mr. Malick El Hadji Sow (Senegal), Mr.
Aslan Abashidze (Russia) and Mr. Roberto Garreton (Chile) to the Working
Group on arbitrary detention; Mr. Jeremy Sarkin (South Africa), Working Group
on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearences; Mr. Milton Nettleford (Jamaica),
Working Group on African Descent; Mr. Shamsul Bari (Bangladesh), Independent
Expert appointed by the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in
Somalia; and Ms. Margaret Sekaggya (Uganda), Special Representative of the
Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders.
In the ensuing general discussion about the Special
Procedures mandate holders, delegations raised various issues, including the fact
that this process had some deficiencies. The Asian Group regretted that there
was not enough geographical distribution in this process. Surprise was
expressed over the non-inclusion of the Ecuadorian candidate by the
delegations of Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil and Bolivia. Delegations said
clarification was still needed on the status of mandate holders that had
reached the end of their three-year terms. These mandate holders should not
be automatically renewed. Concern was also expressed over the candidate for
the mandate on Palestine. The lack of clarity concerning the role and
competencies of the President and the Consultative Group remained an issue
that should be revisited.
Delegations speaking in the discussion on the Special
Procedures mandate holders were China on behalf of the Asian Group, Ecuador,
Russia, Uruguay, Algeria, Canada, Brazil on behalf of Group of Latin America
and Caribbean Countries, Turkey, Egypt on behalf of the African Group,
Israel, the United States, Italy, India, Morocco, Bolivia, Palestine,
Switzerland, Chile and Pakistan.
Also speaking were representatives of Amnesty
International, North South XXI and International League for the Rights and
Liberation of Peoples.
When the Council meets on Thursday, 27 March 2008, at 10
a.m., it will take action on draft decisions and resolutions. The Council
will conclude its seventh regular session on Friday, 28 March.
The Council has before it the note by the
Secretary-General on Election of Members of the Human Rights Council Advisory
Committee (A/HRC/7/64 and Corr.1), reflecting the rules and procedures
for election of candidates to the Council's Advisory Committee, as
established by Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007. The Advisory
Committee, consisting of 18 experts serving in their personal capacity and
nominated by States members of the United Nations following States'
consultations with national human rights institutions and civil society
organizations, shall be elected by the Council by secret ballot, from the
list of candidates whose names have been submitted in accordance with the
agreed requirements. The membership is subject to geographic distribution as
follows: five members from the African States; five members from the Asian
States; two members from the Eastern European States; three members from the
Latin American and Caribbean States; and three members from the Western
European and other States. Advisory Committee members will serve for a period
of three years, and shall be eligible for re-election once. The technical and
objective requirements for the submission of candidatures, as established by
Council resolution 6/102, are also set out. These include recognized
competence and experience in the field of human rights, high moral standing,
independence and impartiality. The names and nationalities of nominated
candidates are then provided by geographical group, and candidates'
biographies follow in an annex to the note.
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