2nd part of the 6th session - Human Rights Council - 10-14 December 2007
The second part of the HRC 6th session will continue the process of review and ratiomalization of the system of Special Procedure and will provide a follow up to its previous decisions. A number of Special Procedures mandate holders will also present their report to the Council and decision will be taken on pending draft resolutions. The first meeting of the HRC session (Monday 10 December 2007, 10:00-13:00) will be devoted to a ceremony on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day and for the launch of the celebrations of the UDHR's 60th anniversary. NGOs were informed that 1 or 2 civil society speakers would be offered the opportunity to bring an NGO perspective during these celebrations.
CONGO has been facilitating a process to identify civil society speakers who could receive the widest possible recognition from the NGO community.
For a number of various reasons, it appeared that that out of the four civil society representatives supported, three could finally not speak during this ceremony. Ms. Camilla Asano from Conectas will therefore address the Council during the ceremonies of the HR Day and launch of UDHR 60. NGOs are encouraged to think of a second speaker who would be available, receive the support of a large number of NGOs and join the list.
Additional CS representatives proposed after 3 December 2007 are:
- Mr Baseer Naveed (Housing Rights Defender in Pakistan)
- Mr. Jamil Dakwar (Advocacy Director and head of the Human Rights Program (HRP) at the American Civil Liberties Union's National Legal Department in New York)
- Mr. Hans-Christof Graf Sopneck (Former UN Assistant Secretary General and United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq)
- Mr. Bertie Ramcharan (former Deputy and Acting HCHR)
- Mr. Roy Brown (former President & Main Rep. of the International Humanist & Ethical Union)
- Mr. Carlo Cleofe (the Philippines)
- Mr. Hossam Bahgat (Director of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, based in Strasbourg)
CONGO Letter to the HRC Secretariat - 3 December 2007
Following some discussions with the OHCHR Civil Society Unit and the intervention of CONGO during the informal meeting between NGOs and the President of the Human Rights Council, I have the great pleasure to inform you about the outcome of a civil society process meant to identify civil society speakers who could receive the widest possible recognition from the NGO community and who could address the HRC membership on the morning of 10 December 2007.
Two NGO consultations took place in Geneva on 23 November and on 29 November 2007. Participants in these meetings committed to respond to this opportunity by identify possible speakers who would reflect the spirit of the celebrations of the International Human Rights Day and of the launch of the 60th Anniversary of the UDHR. Reflecting the wish of participants to have young speakers having a direct experience and practice of human rights protection and promotion, we propose that the following representatives could be invited by a number of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and accredited to the session of the HRC to address the Human Rights Day ceremony and the launch of the UDHR's 60th Anniversary:
- Ms. Fatmire Feka (Serbia, young promoter of peace and human rights, selected as one of the "1000 Women of Peace Across the Globe")
- Ms. Mandira Sharma (Nepal, leading human rights advocate, received Human Rights Watch's highest honor)
- Mr. Aung Myonmin (Myanmar, human rights activist working with refuges and on human rights education programmes)
If it appears that one of the three individuals nominated above is finally not available, we would like to suggest that the following possible speaker be also considered:
- Ms. Camilla Lissa Asano (Brazil, Conectas Direitos Humanos)
The above-mentioned speakers would present their own considerations on the 60 years of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, but we expect that their views will echo those of many NGOs. We fully appreciate your initiative to open this informal meeting of the Human Rights Council to NGO/civil society voices, as well as your support throughout this process.
