HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ADOPTS SEVEN RECOMMENDATIONS TO HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee this morning adopted seven recommendations to be transmitted to the Human Rights Council for approval on human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking, human rights and international solidarity, traditional values of humankind, the right to food, and enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights. The Committee also proposed five research proposals to the Human Rights Council and adopted its report to the Human Rights Council ad referendum.

Speaking in concluding remarks, the Committee Chairperson, Latif Hüseynov, said that the ninth session of the Advisory Committee was full and challenging, in which a number of studies were finalized and submitted to the Human Rights Council. The Chairperson thanked the leaving members of the Committee for their enormous contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide.

Also in concluding remarks, Bacre Ndiaye, Director of Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the Advisory Committee had the opportunity to discuss a number of topics during this session and welcomed the informal interaction with the Human Rights Council that had taken place during this week.

In its recommendations to the Human Rights Council, the Committee submitted to the Council the study on human rights and international solidarity. Concerning human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking, the Committee recommended that the Human Rights Council take note of the progress report and that it request the Drafting Group to submit the finalized study on this issue to the Advisory Committee with a view to submitting it to the Human Rights Council at the twenty-fourth session of the Council.

On the right to food, the Committee recommended that the Council take note of the study on the promotion of the human rights of the urban poor: strategies and best practices, and the preliminary study on rural women and the right to food. The Committee further recommended that the Human Rights Council request the two Drafting Groups to finalize the studies with a view to submitting them to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-second session.

The Committee designated Committee Expert Dheerujlall Seetulsingh to participate in the seminar on the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights to be organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Concerning traditional values of humankind, the Committee decided, in the light of the challenges in incorporating the inputs and views from the participants, to request the Human Rights Council to defer the submission of the final study until its twenty-second session in February 2013.

Speaking in introduction of texts were Wolfgang Stefan Heinz, Shiqiu Chen, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Dheerujlall Seetulsingh, Chinsung Chung, Mona Zulfikar and Latif Hüseynov. Chinsung Chung, the Rapporteur for the session, introduced the report of the session.
All recommendations will be available on the Advisory Committee’s website under its documentation page.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Advisory Committee concluded the discussion on the right of peoples to peace that was held on 9 August, hearing from the Japanese Workers’ Committee for Human Rights.

The Committee thanked and bid farewell to three Committee Experts whose terms were coming to end: Halima Embarek Warzazi, Shiqiu Chen and Jean Ziegler.

The next session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will take place from 18 to 22 February 2013.

Discussion on the Right of Peoples to Peace

The Japanese Workers’ Committee for Human Rights said Japan recognized the right of all to live in peace and suggested the inclusion of the people’s right to make peace into international human rights law. The nuclear disaster in Fukushima had uncovered the fact that the nuclear energy plan was a very risky policy which took away fundamental human rights of the current generation but also broke the human rights of future generations.

Action on Recommendations to the Human Rights Council

Human Rights and Issues Related to Terrorist Hostage-taking,

In the recommendation on human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking, the Committee took note of the progress report and agreed to invite all interested stakeholders, including Member States, international organizations, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations, to contribute to the study. The Committee also requested the Drafting Group to finalize the study and submit the final report to the Committee at its tenth session with a view to submitting it to the Human Rights Council at the twenty-fourth session of the Council in September 2013.

WOLFGANG STEFAN HEINZ, Committee Expert, introduced draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.1) and its oral amendment.

The text was adopted unanimously.

Human Rights and International Solidarity

In the recommendation on human rights and international solidarity, the Committee endorsed the draft final paper as revised in light of comments made in the discussions at the present session and agreed to submit the final paper to the Human Rights Council for consideration at its twenty-first session in September 2012.

SHIQIU CHEN, Committee Expert, introduced draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.2) which contained the agreement of the Committee to submit the paper to the twenty-first session of the Human Rights Council for its consideration. This meant that the work in the Committee on human rights and international solidarity was now completed.

The text was adopted unanimously.

Traditional Values of Humankind

In the revised recommendation on traditional values of humankind, the Committee took note of the study on the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of traditional values of humankind, and requested the Drafting Group to finalize the study in light of discussions at the present session. In view of the challenges facing the Drafting Group in incorporating all the comments and views, the Committee agreed to request the Human Rights Council to defer the submission of the final study until its twenty-second session in February 2013.

AHMER BILAL SOOFI, Committee Expert, introduced revised draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.3/Rev.1), which requested the Human Rights Council to defer the submission of the final study until its twenty-second session in March 2013 in view of the challenges in incorporating views and comments by Committee Experts into the revised study.

After the discussion in the Committee concerning revisions to the text, MONA ZULFIKAR, Committee Expert, introduced final amendments to the draft recommendation.

The text was adopted unanimously.

The Right to Food

In the recommendation on the right to food, the Committee took note of the study on the promotion of the human rights of the urban poor: strategies and best practices, and requested the Drafting Group to finalize it in light of the discussions held by the Committee at its ninth session with a view to submitting it to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-second session in March 2013.

CHINSUNG CHUNG, Committee Expert, introduced draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.4) on the right to food of urban poor.

The text was adopted unanimously.

In the recommendation on the right to food, the Committee took note of the preliminary study on rural women and the right to food and requested the Drafting Group to finalize it in light of the discussions held by the Committee at its ninth session with a view to submitting it to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-second session in March 2013. (A/HRC/AC/9/L.5)

MONA ZULFIKAR, Committee Expert, introduced draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.5) on rural women and the right to food and said that the study had received support from a number of stakeholders

The text was adopted unanimously.

Enhancement of International Cooperation

In the recommendation on enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights, the Committee designated Dheerujlall Setulsingh to participate in the seminar on the enhancement of international community in the field of human rights to be organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

DHEERUJLALL SEETULSINGH, Committee Expert, introduced draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.6) and said that should he be prevented from attending the seminar, he would be replaced by Ms. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes.

The text was adopted unanimously.

Research Proposals

In the recommendation on research proposals, the Committee proposed for the Council’s consideration and approval the research proposals on access to justice and the fight against corruption; local governments and human rights; globalization, human rights and youth; human rights and humanitarian action; and a model law on equal opportunities and non-discrimination.

LATIF HÜSEYNOV, Committee Chairperson, introduced draft recommendation (A/HRC/AC/9/L.7) on research proposals.

The text was adopted unanimously.

Report of the Session

The Committee then proceeded to adopt the draft report of the ninth session with a presentation of the report by the Rapporteur.

CHUNG CHINSUNG, Rapporteur, introducing the draft report (A/HRC/AC/-/-) spoke of the changes in the presentation and style of the report and said that the concept papers for the five research proposals were annexed. Ms. Chinsung said that the report would be finalized in light of today’s discussions in the Committee.

The report was adopted ad referendum.

Concluding Remarks

JOSÉ ANTONIO BENGOA CABELLO,, Committee Expert, said in concluding remarks that the Committee had addressed some problematic issues which the Chairperson handled well, and bid farewell to Committee Experts whose term was coming to an end this year, namely Ms. Warzazi, Mr. Chen and Mr. Ziegler.

LAURENCE BOISSON DE CHAZOURNES, Committee Expert, in concluding remarks, thanked the Chairman for his sense of humour and also thanked the leaving three members of the Advisory Committee.

SHIGEKI SAKAMOTO, Committee Expert, thanked the Chairperson on behalf of the Asian Group for his engagement on a number of topics discussed in the Committee, including traditional values, the right to food of rural women and others.

MONA ZULFICAR, Committee Expert, on behalf of African Group thanked the Chairperson for the way in which he managed the session and allowed the Experts to feel free all the time while respecting the rules.

VLADIMIR KARTASHKIN, Committee Expert, thanked Mr. Ziegler who had displayed outstanding human and professional qualities and would be missed in the Committee. Mr. Kartashkin also thanked Ms. Warzazi, Mr. Chen and the Chairperson.

HALIMA EMBAREK WARZAZI, Committee Expert, said in her closing remarks that it would be difficult to leave this Committee, after working on human rights for 53 years. Ms. Warzazi provided a historic overview of the human rights developments since the 1960s and stressed the responsibilities of the Advisory Committee in the promotion and protection of human rights in light of the formidable challenges it was facing today.

SHIQIU CHEN, Committee Expert, in his concluding remarks said that he had worked in the Advisory Committee for a decade, representing a significant proportion of his life which had enriched it and provided it with many values. This body was an institution that represented collective wisdom in its advisory function.

JEAN ZIEGLER, Committee Expert, in his concluding remarks thanked the colleagues, the Secretariat, the interpreters, and different social movements, several States and intellectuals from the University of Geneva who had supported the topic of the right to food. For as long as there were people dying from hunger in this world of plenty, the fight for human rights was the key.

BACRE NDIAYE, Director of Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in his closing remarks said that the Advisory Committee had had the opportunity to discuss a number of topics during this session, including on new research proposals. Mr. Ndiaye welcomed the informal interaction with the Human Rights Council that had taken place during this session. Mr. Ndiaye then thanked Ms. Warzazi, Mr. Chen and Mr. Ziegler whose terms were coming to an end this year.

Indian Council of South America, thanked the leaving Experts of the Advisory Committee for their work on a number of human rights issues, including the rights of indigenous peoples and the right to food.

LATIF HÜSEYNOV, Committee Chairperson, in his closing remarks, said that the ninth session of the Advisory Committee was full and challenging; a number of studies were finalized and submitted to the Human Rights Council, including on human rights and international solidarity. The Chairperson thanked the leaving members of the Committee for their enormous contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide.


For use of the information media; not an official record

AC12/014E