Cairo: March 6, 2006

A workshop on human rights council in the United Nations

hopes and challenges

In cooperation with some human rights activists and organizations' representatives as follows:

  1. Syrian Organization "Swasia"
  2. Al Sham Center for Regional Human Rights Studies
  3. Committees for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights
  4. Bahrain Human Rights Organization
  5. Bahrain Center for Human Rights
  6. Yemeni Information and Rehabilitation Center for Human Rights
  7. Lebanese Association for Human Rights
  8. Justice Center for Human Rights
  9. The National Center for Human Rights
  10. The Rehabilitation of Torture Victims
  11. Geneva Institute for Human Rights
  12. A Saudi Organization
  13. The Egyptian Women Issues Center
  14. Dialogue Center for Development and Human Rights
  15. The Egyptian Association for Social and Economic Rights
  16. Alternative Development Studies Center
  17. The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists

Moreover, many other experts and specialized researchers in international and human rights law including Mohsen Awad, Mahmoud Kandil and Amr Reda Bayoumy.

This council was established as an initiative by the United Nations to enhance and activate human rights principles through the replacement with human rights committee established in 1946 that includes 53 member states. There is a controversy now on the extent of the dependence of the new council to Security Council or the general assembly and how to represent different countries in this council.

The Arab Penal Reform Organization and Geneva Institute for Human Rights have organized this workshop as an attempt to reach the Arab view to this issue and conclude with joint Arab recommendations. The workshop invited some human rights organizations and human rights activists from Egypt and the Arab region to consider the discussion paper prepared by Nezar Abdel Kader, the Executive Director of Geneva Institute for Human Rights. The discussion included a background on this issue and some key ideas and proposals presented concerning this council and to what extent these discussions reached in the United Nations.

The Arab Penal Reform Organization APRO held a workshop, in cooperation with Geneva Institute for human rights, to discuss the proposal of the establishment of a human rights council for human rights in February 27, 2006 in Pyramisa hotel in Cairo.

The discussions and inferences of the participants concluded with some points as follows:

·  The participants commended the positive role of the United Nations and its endeavors to reform, especially concerning the improvement and reform of human rights committee and the establishment of a new council to replace it. This decision was approved according to the approval of the general assembly of United Nations issued in September 15, 2005.

·  Within the same context, the participants commended the proposal of the chair of the 60 session of the general assembly of the United Nations issued in February 23, 2006 that recognized the dependency of the council to the general council of the United Nations. In addition, the assembly recognized the fair geographic distribution rules of the membership of the new council specified as 47 members according to the regional groups of the United Nations. They were distributed as follows:

1.  13 members for the Afro Asian groups

2.  7 members for western Europe countries in including USA, Canada, New Zeeland and Australia

3.  6 members for Eastern Europe

4.  8 members for Latin America

·  In addition, the participants recognized opening participation for member states in the United Nations on condition that these countries abide by the international criteria in human rights field when elected as a member.

·  Moreover, the participants welcomed excluding the idea of the permanent membership in the new council and making membership one period for 3 years to be renewed for the same period and ability to strip off membership of any member when breaching human rights principles and to enable the council to demonstrate human rights conditions in all member states without exception or distinction.

·  The participants welcomed the evaluation of the general assembly of United Nations to the council after 5 years of the establishment

·  The participants stated some recommendations concerning the activation of the new council role in order to avoid mistakes and deficiencies of human rights commit. Following are the most important proposals on this issue:

o  Staying away from the process of politicization, duplication and unfair measurements in the activities of the council

o  Providing broader authorities and larger role to the participation of the NGOs in work mechanisms of the new council and providing opportunity to all NGOs to activate their roles in this council

o  Paying attention to all rights equally whether they are political, civil, economic, social or cultural with giving the right to development special attention

o  Setting effective mechanism to follow up and implement the recommendations and decisions of the new council

o  Maintaining granted rights to place the Palestinian problem and countries under occupation in the front of its schedule like the previous situation in the human rights committee

o  To rush to transfer authorities and tasks from the committee to the new council

o  To put effective authorities to these council concerning the enhancement of human rights

·  The participants stressed on the abidance of the member state by some criteria such as the extent of human rights respect in these member states and ratification of covenants and key agreements and the implementation of the notes of the relevant committees to human rights in the seven contractual agreements

Finally, the participants stressed on the importance of the contributions of civil society organizations and Arab NGOs to the international proceedings and coordination between the global civil society organizations in the discussions and the positive participation in discussions and ideas discussed internationally concerning human rights issues whether on the regional or international level. They should not satisfy with the role of the viewer.

The participants decided to constitute a committee to follow Arab organizations active in human rights field which its secretariat is assumed by the Arab Penal Reform Organization to follow up the latest developments of the role of this council and demonstrating the Arab non-governmental view.

Signatories:

  1. Arab Program for Human Rights Activists Egypt
  2. Bahrain Association for Human Rights Bahrain
  3. Syrian Organization for Human Rights "Sawasia" Syria
  4. Arab Penal Reform Organization APRO Egypt
  5. Arab Institute for Support of the Civil Society And Human Rights Egypt
  6. Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners Egypt
  7. Committees for Defense of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights Syria
  8. Bahrain Center for Human Rights Bahrain
  9. Sham Center for Democratic Studies and Human Rights Syria
  10. Information and Rehabilitation Center for Human Rights Yemen
  11. Justice Center for Human Rights Jordan
  12. Maat Center Rights and Constitutional Studies Egypt
  13. Dialogue Center for Development And Human Rights Egypt
  14. Women Issues Center Egypt
  15. Geneva Institute for Human Rights Egypt
  16. Studies and Programs of Alternative Development Center Egypt
  17. Cairo Center for Human Rights Studies Egypt
  18. Group for Democratic Development GDD Egypt
  19. Egyptian Association for Promotion of Social Participation Egypt

Arab Penal Reform Organization APRO