Briefing on "Human Genome and Human Rights" , Organised by Mrs Iulia-Antoanella Motoc, Expert of the Sub-Commission
Madame Motoc started the meeting by briefly summarising her report on Human Rights and Bioethics, which she presented at the plenary session on Monday, the 4th of July. This report articulates four points: the human genome as common heritage of humanity, human genetic manipulation and human rights, discrimination and the human genome, and intellectual property rights and the human genome. (Read More)

Briefing on Kashmir Situation
The President of the meeting, Dr. Charles Graves, representing Interfaith International, opened the debate by presenting the main problems of the Kashmir situation. One issue he mentioned was the line of control which separates "Indian occupied Kashmir" from the "Pakistan occupied Kashmir." He then explained that the aim of the meeting was to promote the political independence of the Kashmir region. (Read More)

Cancellation of the Debt of Developing Countries, Organized by Mr. Guissée, Expert at the Sub-Commission
The President of the meeting, Mr. Guissée, began the debate, stating that Third World debt was illegitimate from the point of view of international law. He then explained that the debt burden in Third World countries was contracted by the colonial powers before the political independence of African countries in the 1960s. (Read More)

Human Rights Violation with the actions taken after 9.11
On Friday the 8th as a side event, the International Service for Human Rights held a briefing on the Human Rights Framework under Threat: Challenges and Opportunities, presented by Joe W. (Chip) Pitts, an international Human Rights Lawyer and Delegate to UN Sub Commission of the Minnesota Advocates. (Read More)

Meeting of the Chairperson of the Sub-Commission with NGO Representatives
Mrs Warzazi stated that she was pleased with the productivity of the 55th session of the Sub-Commission. She noticed that the right of reply of the countries had diminished, which shows that the governments have started acknowledging the NGOs. The relationship between NGOs and government appears to be ameliorating over time. (Read More)

Discrimination is everybody's business. Organized by: International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Madame January-Bardill, Ambassador of South Africa to Switzerland and member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, opened the meeting by introducing the members of the panel. The theme of the discussion focused on combating discrimination and racial prejudice in the workplace and wider community. (Read More)

Forgotten War, Forgotten victims and Forgotten Crimes
The Korea Truth Commission (KTC) and the International Democratic Lawyers Association organized a meeting dealing with a dramatic and quiet unknown episode of the Korean war (1950-1953): US military massacre of Korean civilians. Eyewitness testimonies by survivors, archives photographs as well as a documentary gave this gathering an emotive and special tone. (Read More)

Human RIghts and Military Courts : Stakes and Challenges - By international commission of Jurists
The ICJ is dedicated "to the primacy, coherence and implementation of international law and principles that advance human rights." During this conference, a new book was presented: Fuero militar y derecho internacional (Military Court and International law), by Federico Andreu Guzman. A rich debate developed around the relationship between the exercise of justice by the military body, and the respect of human rights, themes addressed by the author. (Read More)

Human Rights of Minorities in the Asian Sub-Continent - Organized by Interfaith International
Dr. Charles Graves of Interfaith International introduced the meeting stating that the problems between Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians, and Buddhist minorities in the Sub-Continent appeared when Britons left the region in 1947. (Read More)

CONGO Interview of the President of the 55th Session Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Ms Warzazi
Congo Reporteurs: Vous avez été élue présidente de la Sous-Commission. Quelle signification donnez-vous à cette fonction au vu de vos expériences passées ?
Ms Warzazi : C'est la seconde fois que je suis élue présidente de la Sous-Commission en l'espace de 20 ans. (Read More)

Meeting with the Bureau of the Sub-Commission with NGOs
Madame Warzazi started the meeting by thanking the NGOs for their contribution to the work of the Sub-Commission. She then gave them some advise about the way they should prepare their interventions: do not repeat the same statement, make solid declarations (as opposed to politicised ones, even if the item is intimately politically motivated), use an adequate language for the item, and show the problem from the humanitarian aspect only. (Read More)

Presentation on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Laos
Conchita Poncini, of International Federation Of University Women, opened the debate stating that Hmong indigenous populations of Laos are persecuted by the communist Laotian government since 1975. Charles Graves, of Interfaith International, specified the theme of the debate would be focused on the difficult living conditions of the Hmong populations. (Read More)

Mangla Dam upraising and suffering of local Kashmiris
And if we spoke about Pakistan?
A seminar organised by the World Council for Peace, about the Mangla Dam and the human rights situation of the people of Kashmir took place, as a parallel event to the 55th Sub-Commission. The presentation was made by Shabir Choudhry, Chairman of the Diplomatic Committee of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. (Read More)

Meeting of the Chairperson of the Sub-Commission with NGO Representatives
The Director for Geneva for Human Rights of the SAHRDC (South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre) explained that interactive dialogue is a good idea, but may be at the expense of Item 2 (Violations of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom). The Director also made a remark about several NGOs that are breaking rules and do not respect regulations and comments made by the Chair. (Read More)

Panel discussion: Trafficking Migration and Human Rights
After having presented the speakers, the chairman, Mr Pinheiro, Chair of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, introduced the panel. He reminded everyone of the Working Group in June and its major issue (trafficking). There are two challenges: 1) how should standards be implemented, and 2) how can the issue be better researched and understood by the general public. (Read More)

Situation of Human Rights in Japan
The purpose of this lunchtime briefing, chaired by Mr Yorio Shiokawa (Japanese Workers' Committee for Human Rights), was to explain the situation of Human Rights in Japan, and that all the participants' sharing of particular experiences in the field of violation of Human Rights. (Read More)

Freedom or Occupation? (Iraq-Palestine-Afghanistan)
Organised by the General Arab Women Federation and sponsored by many other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like World Movement of Mothers and Union of Arab Jurists, a round table took place this afternoon, to discuss the problem of the repetition of the violations of human rights in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan. This meeting will try to address one main question, said Mrs Juliette Sayegh, moderator and former UNICEF Representative to Iraq, in her introduction: how is it possible to create peace in an environment of law of force and occupation? (Read More)

Report on the item 5 : Prevention of Discrimination
The Sub-Commission began Item 5 regarding the Prevention of Discrimination during the afternoon plenary, Monday August 11, 2003. Under Item 5(b), Prevention of discrimination and protection of indigenous peoples, there were two working papers presented by Special Rapporteur Madame Erica-Irene Daes as well as the report of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations given by Mr. Miguel Alfonso Martinez. (Read More)

Nongovernmental Organizations
welcome the New U.N. Norms on Transnational Business - Source : OMCT - 13 August 2003 - Today, a United Nations human rights body in Geneva adopted the first set of comprehensive international human rights norms specifically applying to transnational corporations and other businesses. The nongovernmental organizations joining in this statement come together to welcome the U.N. Human Rights Norms and Commentary, and to urge their supporters and others concerned with human rights, the environment, and development to begin using them to spur greater corporate social responsibility. (Read More)

Déclaration orale du CETIM - Point 4 de l'ordre du jour
Droits économiques, sociaux et culturels
Madame la Présidente, Quand on parle de la mondialisation, on entend par-là la mondialisation néolibérale qui est en cours depuis une vingtaine d'années.
La " mondialisation " actuelle est définie par ses partisans comme " un processus accéléré d'intégration et d'interdépendance des économies au niveau mondial, entraînant une internationalisation de plus en plus poussée des marchés des services et des marchés des capitaux ". (Read More)

Right of Reply requested by the World Jewish Congress - Meeting convened by Mrs. Halifa Wazazi, the Chairman of the 55th session of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, with NGOs
During the meeting between the NGOs representatives and the Chairman which took place on the 29.7.03, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IAJLJJ) were represented respectively by Maya Ben-Haim Rosen and Daniel Lack. (Read More)

Administration of Justice: Few people to talk about "Sexual abuses" due to clashes of timetable
This second sessional meeting, attended by less than 50 persons; was very rich in its content as experts and NGO's representatives dealt about "Rules of evidence with regard to rape and sexual assault" as well as "privatizations of prisons" and a conceptual debate pertaining to the evolution of the International Penal Justice. (Read More)

Specific questions relative to human rights:
women and human rights, contemporary forms of slavery, new priorities, especially terrorism.
The plenary session started with a presentation by M. Emmanuel Decaux, an expert to the sub-commission on the promotion and protection of human rights, about the stakes and the modalities of an effective universality of international human rights instruments. (Read More)

Gender/Women's caucus for information sharing and strategising - Women ask for men's participation
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, men and women participating to the Sub-Commission are invited to attend the Gender/Women caucus, from 9 to 10 a.m., of which purposes are; to share information, to determine the issues to be addressed in the areas of gender problems and women's rights, and to allow the participants to express their ideas (Read More)

OMCT speech on Agenda Item 2: Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), which coordinates the world's largest network of non-governmental organisations working in the fight against torture, comprising 261 NGOs, has noted with concern the deleterious effect upon the human rights situations in countries where there has been a cessation or continuing absence of United Nations human rights monitoring. (Read More)

OMCT speech on Agenda Item 6: Women and Human Rights
Following up on the recommendations of the Vienna World Conference and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing regarding integrating a gender perspective and the human rights of women, OMCT's programme on Violence against Women has, as one of its aims, the integration of a gender perspective into the work of human rights mechanisms at the international level and, in particular, into the five "mainstream" human rights treaty bodies. (Read More)

Statement of the International Federation of University Women, the International Council of Women and Femmes Africa Solidarité, on item 6 : Women's Human Rights .
In 2005 the Fourth World Conference on Women will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. At the 47th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Commission decided to review the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Actiion. (Read More)

Gender/Women Caucus - Thursday the 31st July
Mrs. Conchita Poncini, from the International Federation of University Women, preceded the meeting. This session served as a brainstorming session about women's reproductive rights. The meeting's participants were encouraged to contribute ideas for the join statement located within Item 6 of the Sub-Commission agenda. (Read More)

Morning Plenary - 4th of August
During the 7th meeting of the plenary session, a discussion about issues related to item 6 (i.e. specific human rights issues) resumed today. During the meeting, the special rapporteurs discussed contemporary forms of slavery and the use of small firearms. The debate among the experts concentrated on three particular themes: Women and human Rights, small weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. (Read More)

Briefing on "Leprosy and Human Rights"
This meeting, organised by The Nippon Foundation and Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation, aimed to explain both the history as well as the current extremity of the global discrimination against those touched by leprosy. Dr Kenzo Kiikuni (Chairman of the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation) lead the meeting. (Read More)

Pax Romana Morning Session (July 31, 2003)
This morning, two interns at the Pax Romana session briefly discussed the deliberation on Item 2 at the Sub-Commission plenary yesterday. They pointed out the main issues of the discussions: the need for a review of the Human Rights Education, the rich-poor gap that exists in relation to economic rights, the problem with North Korean refugees, the need for stronger institutions against torture, special legislation and security cooperation that are needed for anti-terrorism, and the Sub-Commission itself. (Read More)

Pax Romana Morning Session (August 4, 2003)
This morning session of Pax Romana dealt with Item 6 of the Agenda, focusing on three particular human rights issues: a) Women and Human Rights, b) Contemporary forms of slavery; and c) New priorities, in particular terrorism. (Read More)

Sessional Working Group on the Working Methods and Activities of Transnational Corporations: Impact of Transnational Corporations on the Realization of Human Rights
President-Rapporteur, El Hadji Guisse, presided over the meeting. He discussed the negative impact of transnational corporations on the realization of human rights. "Transnational corporations," (TNCs), he stated, "may not be ready to respect the right of development." Mr. Guisse referred to some transnational companies' monopolistic control over technological assistance. (Read More)

Pax Romana Morning Session, July 30th
During their morning session, the Pax Romana interns, led by Mr Anselmo Lee and Mr Rej Kumar went over and analysed the 2 main sessions of the previous day: the Working Group on Transnational Corporations (TNC) and the plenary session on item 2 of the agenda. (Read More)