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Human Rights Council adopts 13 resolutions, appoints 13 new mandate holders and extends eight mandates

Attachments

Human Rights Council
AFTERNOON
18 June 2008

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted 13 resolutions on a range of issues, including the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, the promotion on the right of peoples to peace, and elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy. It appointed 13 new mandate holders on freedom of expression, health, racial discrimination, trafficking in persons, people of African descent, arbitrary detention, Haiti, indigenous peoples and minority issues, and extended the mandates of eight Special Procedures on extrajudicial executions, education, independence of judges, transnational corporations, torture, migrants, extreme poverty and trafficking in persons. The Council also adopted a resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

The Council appointed 13 new mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination xenophobia and related intolerance; and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. It also appointed five members of the Expert Mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples, a member of the Working Group on people of African descent, a member of the Working Group on arbitrary detention, the Chairperson of the Forum on minority issues and the Independent Expert appointed by the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Haiti.

The Council extended for three years the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the Independent Expert on human rights and extreme poverty, and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

The Council adopted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and recommended that the General Assembly adopts and opens for signature, ratification and accession the Optional Protocol at a signing ceremony in Geneva in March 2009.

On the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, the Council stressed the importance of preserving the rich and diverse nature of the international community of nations and peoples, and urged all actors on the international scene to build an international order based on inclusion, justice, peace, equality and equity, human dignity, mutual understanding and promotion of and respect for cultural diversity and universal human rights, and to reject all doctrines of exclusion based on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Concerning the promotion on the right of peoples to peace, the Council stressed that peace was a vital requirement for the promotion and protection of all human rights for all, and requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene, before April 2009, a three-day workshop on the right of peoples to peace, with the participation of two experts from countries of each of the five regional groups, in order to further clarify the content and scope of this right.

On the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, the Council called upon Governments to take effective measures to eliminate any type of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, including awareness-raising.

On the situation of human rights in Myanmar, the Council condemned the ongoing systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Myanmar and strongly urged the Government of Myanmar to desist from further politically motivated arrests and to release all political prisoners without delay and without conditions.

Speaking as a concerned country was Myanmar.

Speaking to introduce the resolutions, or in a general comment, or in an explanation of the vote before the vote, or in an explanation of the vote after the vote were Canada, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden, Egypt, Portugal, Cuba, Slovenia, Hungary, Norway, India, South Africa, Jordan, Denmark, Mexico, France, Germany, Japan, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, Malaysia and China.

Speaking as observer States were Algeria, Sudan, Denmark, Turkey, Australia, Thailand, Syria and Morocco.