Information Note for National human rights institutions
16th Session of the Human Rights Council
1. Brief overview
The 16th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) is scheduled from 28February to 25 March 2011in Room XX at Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Following the High-level Segment (28 February – 2 March) the High Commissioner will present herannual report (agenda item 2) and hold an interactive dialogue with the Council. Subsequently, the Council will also consider a number of thematic reports of the SG and the High Commissioner, includingthe following reports submitted under items 2 and 3:
- Secretary-General report on effective implementation of international human rights instruments (Res. 9/8)
- High Commissioner report on protection of human rights while countering terrorism (Res.13/26)
- Secretary-General progress report on the analytical study on HIV/AIDS (Res. 12/27)
- High Commissioner report on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, including OHCHR compilation of existing tools on minority issues (Res. 13/12)
During the second week, among other activities, there will be interactive dialogues with the following Special Procedures Mandate Holders and a Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Item 3):
Special Rapporteur on the right to food (Res.13/4)
Special Rapporteur on adequate housing (Res. 6/27)
Working Group on arbitrary detention (Res.10/9)
Special Rapportuer on freedom of religion or belief (Res. 6/37, 10/25 and 14/11)
Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances (Res.10/10) which will submit a report on best practice on enforced disappearances in domestic criminal legislation (Res. 14/10)
Special Rapporteur on the question oftorture (Res. 8/8)
Independent Expert on minorities (Res. 6/15 and 7/6)
Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders (Res. 7/8)
Special Rapporteur on internally displaced persons (Res. 6/32)
Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism (Res. 13/26)
Special Rapporteur on thesale of children, child prostitution and child pornography(Res. 13/20)
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children (Res. 13/20)
During the first and second weeks, the Council will also hold a panel discussion on the enjoyment of human rights of people of African descent (Res. 14/16),e the annual interactive debate on the rights of persons with disabilities (Res. 13/11) and the annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child (Res. 13/20).
Under item 4, the Council will consider a few country-specific reports, including the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (Res.13/14) through an interactive dialogue.
Under item 7, an interactive dialogue will take place on the report of the SR on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 (Res. 10/18)
With regard to human rights bodies and mechanisms (agenda item 5), the Council will consider the following reports:
Report of the complaint procedure(in closed meetings)
Reports of the Advisory Committee (5th and 6th session)
Report of the Advisory Committee on its study on discrimination in the context of the right to food (Res.13/4)
Report of the Advisory Committee on best practices in the matter of missing persons (Dec. 14/118)
Report of the Social Forum (2010)
Report of the Forum on Minority Issues (2010)
Under item 6, the Human Rights Council will consider the reports ofthe Universal Periodic Review (UPR)Working Group (9th session): Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia, Panama, Maldives, Andorra, Bulgaria, Honduras, USA, Marshall Islands, Croatia, Jamaica, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Micronesia, Lebanon, Mauritania. It will also hear a briefing on progress in operationalising the UPR Voluntary Trust Fund and the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance (Res 13/23)
Under agenda item 8 (Follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action), the Council will consider the following reports:
►Secretary-General report on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Dec. 2/102)
►Secretary-General report on the ICC process to accredit national institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles (Dec. 2/102)
►Summary of the workshop on traditional values of humankind (Res. 12/21)
The Council will consider (agenda item 9): the report of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action on its eighth session (Res. 11/12).
During the last week, the Human Rights Council will consider a number of reports submitted under agenda items 2 and 10, including:
Secretary-General Report onadvisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights (Res. 2004/81 and Dec. 2/102)
High Commissioner report on Afghanistan (Dec. 2/113, Res. 14/15)
High Commissioner report onNepal (Dec. 2/102)
High Commissioner report on the situation of human rights in Colombia (Dec. 2/102)
2. DOCUMENTATION FOR THE SESSION
The latest version of the draft Programme of Work will be posted on the HRC Extranet. Documents for the Session, including reports submitted by the Special Procedures mandate holders and the annotated agenda will be available on theHRC’s webpage:
To access the HRC Extranet, select the link on the left hand toolbar of the OHCHR Council webpage.
When prompted, enter:
- Username: hrc extranet
- Password: 1 session
The Secretariat strongly encourages NHRIs to consult the HRC Extranet, as well as the OHCHR Human Rights Council website on a regular basis, as they are regularly updated as and when documentation becomes available.
3. BROADCASTING THE SESSION
A live Webcast service will be available on the HRC’s webpage, covering the plenary session online. This service will be available at:
4. NHRI PARTICIPATION
Rule 7 of the Human Rights Council’s Rules of Procedure (contained in resolution 5/1) states that participation of NHRIs shall be based on arrangements and practices agreed upon by the Commission on Human Rights, including resolution 2005/74.
Specifically, NHRIs with ‘A’ status ICC accreditation, the ICC and regional coordinating bodies of NHRIs (speaking on behalf of its ‘A’ status members) can:
a)make an oral statement under all agenda items of the Human Rights Council
b)submit documents, which will be issued with their symbol number;
c)take separate seating in all sessions.
This Information Note provides NHRIs with practical information about participating in the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council.
The deadline for submitting documents and written statements for the 16th session of the Human Rights Council is Friday, 11February 2011.
5. NHRI DOCUMENTATION
In accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, ‘A’ status NHRIs are entitled to submit documentation for the Council sessions. Examples of the type of documents NHRIs may submit include reports, policy papers, etc. The documents:
- should relate to a particular HRC agenda item
- will receive an official UN document symbol (e.g. A/HRC/../ NI/..)
- will not be edited
- will not be translated (should therefore be in English, French or Spanish)
- should not exceed a reasonable number of pages (i.e. 30-40 pages maximum)
The deadline for submitting documents for the 16th session of the Human Rights Council is Friday, 11 February 2011.
Documents should be emailed to and
When emailing documents, please indicate the agenda item under which they should be made available.
HRC Agenda ItemsAs per Human Rights Council Resolution 5/1 the agenda items are as follows:
Item 1. Organizational and procedural matters
Item 2. Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary General
Item 3. Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
Item 4. Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
Item 5. Human rights bodies and mechanisms
Item 6. Universal Periodic Review
Item 7. Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories
Item 8. Follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
Item 9. Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
Item 10. Technical assistance and capacity-building.
6. WRITTEN STATEMENTS
NHRIs with ‘A’ status ICC accreditation may submit written statements to the Human Rights Council. Statements should be no longer than 2,000 words and should be relevant to the Council's Programme of Work of the 16th session. Please refer to the Guidelines available on the HRC’s webpage for more information on the written statements.
Written statements should be sentelectronically to and
Please kindly note that the deadline for submitting written statements for the 16th session of the Human Rights Council is Friday, 11February 2011. The Secretariat will not be able to ensure the timely processing and circulation of statements submitted late.
7. ACCREDITATION TO ATTEND THE SESSION
Accreditation of NHRIs shall be given to:
- thoseinstitutions which are accredited by the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC) as in compliance with the Paris Principles (‘A’ status institutions);
- the ICC as the representative body of NHRIs globally;
- regional coordinating committees of NHRIs, speaking on behalf of ‘A’ status institutions, in line with the strict criteria agreed upon by the ICC at its 19th session in March 2007.
NHRIs granted ‘A’ status by the ICC that wish to accredit representatives to the 16th session of the Human Rights Council should send a letter of request(s) by fax prior to the beginning of the session.
The accreditation request should:
- be submitted on official letterhead;
- clearly state the title and the dates of the session the NHRI wishes to attend, e.g. “[Insert name of NHRI] with A Status Accreditation by the ICC, wishes to send the following members to attend the [insert relevant session number] session of the Human Rights Council ([insert dates of session])…”;
- be signed by the President or main representative of the NHRI;
- indicate the first name and family name of the person(s) who will represent the NHRI at the Council session (NB: names must appear exactly as they appear on the person’s ID document and family names must be capitalized).
Accreditation request letters should be faxed to Ms Zenaida Lugon at: +41 (0) 22 928 9018 or email at r
For any other related queries call:+41229289164 or +41 22 928 9 467.
NHRI representatives who do no already have a UNOG identity badge should apply for it in person at the security entrance at Pregny Gate, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix (open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 17.00 pm non-stop, throughout the session). Representatives must present an identity document and a copy of the accreditation request letter. They will then be issued with an appropriate photo-badge (designating participants as a National Human Rights Institution, the International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs, or other coordinating committee of NHRIs, respectively) that will be valid for the duration of the Council session.
8. ORAL STATEMENTS
All representatives of 'A' status NHRIs, the ICC, or regional coordinating committees addressing the Human Rights Council must be accredited for that session (see procedure above).
Accredited representatives wishing to make an oral intervention are requested to fill out the NHRI Statement form (see annex I) and deliver it by hand to the List of Speakers Desk during the Council session, which will be set up in the front of the plenary room. Please also note that there is a pre-inscription fax form (see annex II), which should be sent to the Secretariat prior to the start of the Council session.
Accredited representatives making an oral statement are responsible for bringing 250 copies of their statement, if they want it distributed in the room.
Accredited NHRIs may speak on behalf of other ‘A’ status NHRIs. In such case, the statement should clearly indicate on whose behalf it is read. The ICC and regional coordinating committees may speak on behalf of their member NHRIs that are in full conformity with the Paris Principles, evidenced by an ‘A’ status accreditation with the ICC. At the beginning of the statement the names of the NHRIs on whose behalf they speak must be stated. All of these NHRIs should previously have expressed their agreement with the content of the statement in writing.
9. NHRI PARALLEL EVENTS
NHRIs accredited for the 16th session of the Council may organize parallel events of relevance to the work of the Human Rights Council, taking into account availability of conference rooms. The relevant forms for booking conference rooms and annexed guidelines on how to fill out the forms are available on the webpage of the Human Rights Council's 16th session at
Conference room booking requests will be received by the Secretariat as of now, and will be processed on a first come first served basis, subject to availability of conference rooms. All requests should be sent to the room booking officer, who can be contacted prior to the session at
Please be advised that the Secretariat does not provide interpretation for parallel meetings. NHRIs should therefore provide their own interpreters, if they so wish, and inform the Secretariat accordingly ahead of time.
The NHRI in charge of organizing the meeting is requested to provide the Secretariat with a complete list of its guests at least 48 hours prior to the day of the meeting to Fax:+41(0)229179011.
Persons not accredited to the Human Rights Council session, who are invited to take part in parallel meetings, should present themselves to the Pregny gate with an identity document, where they will be issued with a "Parallel Event" photo-badge. Please note that the badge will be valid for the duration of the meeting only.
10. ICC REPRESENTATIVE IN GENEVA
For further information on the work and sessions of the HRC, NHRIs may also wish to contact the ICC Geneva Representative, Ms Katharina Rose ().
NHRIs accredited by the ICC with “A Status” that are not able to attend the Session but would like the ICC Geneva representative to make a statement on their behalf should contact Ms. Katharina Rose at () with a copy to Ms. Citlalin Castaneda ()
For further information, please contact the National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Mr. Vladlen Stefanov
Chief of the National Institutions and Regional Mechanism Section
Tel: + 41 (0) 22 928 9377
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 928 9018
Ms. Citlalin Castañeda de la Mora
Associate Human Rights Officer
Tel: + 41 (0) 22 928 9469
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 928 9018
Annex I
Human Rights Council, 16th session (28 February-25 March 2011)
NHRI statement form
SHOULD BE BROUGHT IN PERSON TO THE LIST OF SPEAKERS DESK
1. Segment and subject of the meeting:
______
2. Date of meeting:______
3. Name of the NHRI:
______
4. Speaker’s name:
______
5. If this is a joint statement, please provide the name(s) of other NHRI(s) on whose behalf this statement is also delivered:
Name/s of other NHRI(s) on whose behalf the joint statement is also delivered. / Name and signature of authorized representative6. Name of person responsible for registration of statement (person accredited under the NHRI):
______
7. Telephone and mobile number of person responsible:
______
8. Email of person responsible:
______
9. Signature:
______
Secretariat entered: Date:
Annex II
TO BE FAXED:
+41 22 928 90 18
Form to be used by NHRIs wishing to inform the Secretariat in advance of their intention to deliver a statement during
the 16th session of the Human Rights Council
(28 February-25 March 2011)
I, (in capital letters, indicate name of authorized representative)
______,
(indicate telephone number)______
hereby wish to inform the Human Rights Council Secretariat of my organization’s intention to deliver a statement during the 16th session of the Council (in capital letters, indicate name of NHRI)
______
on (indicate date)______
with regard to segment/subject:
______.
Signature of authorized representative______
Date______
NHRIs are kindly reminded that they should confirm and register in person at the list of speakers desk upon arrival in Geneva.