RE: [hr-wsis] Re: HR and the UN

Hi Bill, Rik and all..

Thanks, but the issue I was referring to is not the ongoing debate on reforming HRC into a smaller standing body. What I heard from one of my colleagues, who just returned from the UN corridors of Geneva, was a new proposal to reform the basic structure of the UN system/organisation giving security, development and HR equal weight. But maybe it’s a misunderstanding.. Ill ask around some more...

Rikke

-----Original Message-----
From: Rik Panganiban [mailto:rikp@earthlink.net]
Sent: 20. april 2005 14:36
To: hr-wsis@iris.sgdg.org
Subject: [hr-wsis] Re: HR and the UN

Rikke,

The idea of the Human Rights Council is the following:

"If the United Nations is to meet the expectations of men and women everywhere - and indeed, if the Organization is to take the cause of human rights as seriously as those of security and development - then Member States should agree to replace the Commission on Human Rights with a smaller standing Human Rights Council. Member States would need to decide if they want the Human Rights Council to be a principal organ of the United Nations or a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, but in either case its members would be elected directly by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. The creation of the Council would accord human rights a more authoritative position, corresponding to the primacy of human rights in the Charter of the United Nations. Member States should determine the composition of the Council and the term of office of its members. Those elected to the Council should undertake to abide by the highest human rights standards" (par. 183)

Basically the concept has been rejected by every country and regional group, particularly the African group. The debate can be read at:

http://ngochr.org/view/index.php?basic_entity=DOCUMENT&list_ids=522

Much of the SG's reform package is up for grabs now that the US and China have taken the Security Council expansion question off of the table.

Rik Panganiban

CONGO

On Apr 20, 2005, at 8:32 AM, Bill McIver wrote:

Rikke,

This has been talked about for about for a few weeks.

It overlapped with the report on Oil for Food.

I rushed, otherwise I would send links, but you

can easily find it.

As I recall, the idea is to create an mechanism like

the Security Council for HR specifically.

I am sure some else here can fill in / correct me.

WJM

Rikke Frank Joergensen wrote:

Hi

I just heard from the HR Commission in Geneva, that Kofi A. has proposed (in a speech) that the UN system be reformed into three main pillars; fight against terrorism, development and HR…

This would mean a big upgrade of HR within the UN system, and I am quite astonished that he even proposed it.. Does anyone know more ?

Rikke

--

Bill McIver, Ph.D

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