COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO HOLD FIFTY-NINTH SESSION AT PALAIS DES NATIONS FROM 17 MARCH TO 25 APRIL 2003

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO HOLD FIFTY-NINTH SESSION

AT PALAIS DES NATIONS FROM 17 MARCH TO 25 APRIL 2003

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 13 March (UN Information Service) -- The principal human rights organ of the United Nations will conduct its annual six-week session for 2003 from 17 March to 25 April.

The Commission on Human Rights, created in 1946 and made up of 53 Member States, will begin its series of meetings at the Palais des Nations with a three-and-a-half-day “high-level segment” featuring speeches by Government officials of elevated rank and by chiefs of various United Nations agencies.

It will then work its way through an agenda covering such topics as human-rights violations around the world; racism; the rights of minorities, migrant workers, and indigenous peoples; the rights of women and the prevention of violence against women; the rights of children; the prevention of torture, disappearances, and summary executions; efforts to end religious intolerance; the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights; and the advancement of the right to development.

New this year will be a report on the right to health, delivered by a Special Rapporteur appointed last year and given a mandate to study the topic through 2005; and two reports related to racial discrimination -– one from a newly created Working Group of Experts on people of African descent, and the other from a recently established intergovernmental Working Group charged with recommending how to implement effectively the Declaration and Programme of Action of the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.  That Conference was held in Durban, South Africa, and is often referred to as the Durban Conference.

Among long-standing topics of consideration will be a review of the human rights situation around the world.  Numerous non-governmental organizations

generally address the subject.  Accountings also will be presented by the Commission’s Special Rapporteurs or Special Representatives on the status of human rights in Burundi, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, the Sudan, Afghanistan and Myanmar.  Reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will address situations in Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste.  A report of the Secretary-General will deal with the question of human rights in Cyprus, and a note of the Secretariat will address the state of human rights in Cuba.  All these situations fall under the Commission’s agenda item on “the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world”.

There will be reports and discussions as well under the Commission’s long-standing agenda item on the question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine.  The situation in Colombia will be reviewed under an agenda item on “organization of work”, and matters in Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, Cambodia, and Haiti will be debated when the Commission discusses “advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights”.

Trends and themes in the field of human rights deemed pressing enough to warrant the appointment of Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives, Independent Experts, or Working Groups will also be reviewed.  Reports will be presented, among other things, on mercenaries and their use to impede the exercise of the right to self-determination; contemporary forms of racism; the right to development; adequate housing; the right to education; the right to food; the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes; structural adjustment policies and their effects on human rights; human rights and extreme poverty; women’s land, property and housing rights; the prevention of torture; the production and trade of equipment used for torture; arbitrary detention; enforced or involuntary disappearances; freedom of expression and opinion; the independence of judges and lawyers; religious intolerance; violence against women; the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; children and armed conflict; the human rights of migrants; internally displaced persons; the human rights of persons with disabilities; human rights and indigenous issues; and human rights defenders.

In addition, as in previous years, in closed meetings under what is called the “1503 procedure”, the Commission will discuss communications concerning alleged violations of human rights in specific countries.

Under a new procedure, the Commission met on 20 January 2003, two months in advance of its session for the year, to elect officers.  Najat Al-Hajjaji of Libya was chosen as Chairperson.  Vice-Chairpersons are Mike Smith of Australia, Prasad Kariyawasam of Sri Lanka, and Jorge Voto-Bernales of Peru.  The Rapporteur is Branko Socanac of Croatia.

Questions to be Examined:  Specific Situations Concerning Human Rights

Under its agenda item on the right to self-determination the Commission is scheduled to take up the situation in occupied Palestine, and will have before it a report of the Secretary-General (document E/CN.4/2003/15). 

There is also the Commission’s annual agenda item on the question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, for which there is the report of its Special Rapporteur, John Dugard (document E/CN.4/2003/30 and Add.1).  In addition, there is a report of the Secretary-General on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan (document E/CN.4/2003/28).

Under the agenda item on the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world, there is a series of documents:

-- a report of the Secretary-General on the human rights situation of Lebanese detainees in Israel (document E/CN.4/2003/32) ;

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in

Burundi, Marie-Thérèse Kéita-Bocoum (document E/CN.4/2003/45);

-- a report of the Special Representative on the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, José Cutileiro (document E/CN.4/2003/38) ;

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iulia-Antoanella Motoc (document E/CN.4/2003/44) ;

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq, Andreas Mavrommatis (document E/CN.4/2003/40 and Add.1)

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Gerhart Baum (E/CN.4/2003/42) ;

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Kamal Hossain (document E/CN.4/2003/39) ;

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro (document E/CN.4/2003/41) , along with a report of the Secretary-General prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 57/231 (document E/CN.4/2003/33) ;

-- reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on human rights situations in Sierra Leone (document E/CN.4/2003/35) and Timor-Leste (document E/CN.4/2003/37 and Add.1) :

-- and a report of the Secretary-General on the question of human rights in Cyprus (document E/CN.4/2003/31).

The situation of human rights in Colombia will be dealt with on the basis of a report (document E/CN.4/2003/13) of the High Commissioner for Human Rights under the Commission’s agenda item on organization of work.  Other country-specific situations will be discussed under the agenda item on advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights, including a report of the Commission’s Independent Expert on assistance to Somalia in the field of human rights, Ghanim Alnajjar (document E/CN.4/2003/115); a report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Peter Leuprecht (document E/CN.4/2003/114), along with a report of the Secretary-General (document E/CN.4/2003/113); a report of the Commission’s Independent Expert on technical cooperation and the situation of human rights in Haiti, Louis Joinet (document E/CN.4/2003/116); and a note of the secretariat on the situation of human rights in Cuba (document E/CN.4/2003/36).

In addition to its consideration of specific situations, the Commission has a procedure, established in 1974, for dealing confidentially with communications concerning alleged violations of human rights.  The Commission looks at particular situations referred to it by the Working Group on situations (procedure 1503).  Since this practice was started, the Commission has examined situations relating to 83 countries.  Following established practice, the Chairperson of the Commission will announce in a public meeting those countries that have been examined under the procedure, as well as those countries no longer being dealt with under the procedure.

In conjunction with its review of specific human rights situations, the Commission will consider an annual report of the Secretary-General (document E/CN.4/2003/34) on alleged reprisals against private individuals and groups who seek to cooperate with the United Nations and representatives of its human rights bodies.  The report describes situations in which persons reportedly have been intimidated or have suffered reprisals for such cooperation, who have availed themselves of international human rights procedures, have provided legal assistance for this purpose, or who have suffered intimidation or reprisals for being relatives of victims of human rights violations.

Thematic Mandates

The Commission has appointed Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives, Independent Experts, and Working Groups to examine aspects of human rights deemed important or timely, and has requested reports on various topics from the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Under its agenda item on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination, the Commission will consider reports of its Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diene (documents E/CN.4/2003/23 and E/CN.4/2003/24); a report of its new Working Group of five independent experts on people of African descent (document E/CN.4/2003/21); and a report of its new intergovernmental Working Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (document E/CN.4/2003/20).

Under the Commission’s agenda item on the right of peoples to self-determination and its application to peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation, there is a report of its Special Rapporteur, Enrique Bernales Ballesteros, on the use of mercenaries to undermine the right to self-determination (document E/CN.4/2003/16).

On the right to development there is a report of the Commission’s Working Group on the subject (document E/CN.4/2003/26) and a report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the application of the principle of equity as a matter of priority (document E/CN.4/2003/25).

Under its agenda item on economic, social and cultural rights, the Commission will consider, among other things:

-- a report of its Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari (document E/CN.4/2003/5 and Add. 1-3);

-- a report of the Secretary-General on the negative impact on the right to development of unilateral coercive measures (document E/CN.4/2003/47);

-- a report of its Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Katarina Tomasevski (document E/CN.4/2003/9 and Add.1 and 2) ; and a report of its Independent Expert, Hatem Kotrane, on the question of a draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the right to education (document E/CN.4/2003/53);

-- a report of its Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler (document E/CN.4/2003/54 and Add.1 and 2);

-- a report of its Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes, Fatma Zohra Ouhachi Vesely (document E/CN.4/2003/56 and Add.1 and 2);

-- a report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of human rights (document E/CN.4/2003/49), and an analytical study by the High Commissioner on non-discrimination and its application at the global level with a view to recommending measures for its integration and effective implementation in the debate on and process of globalization (document E/CN.4/2003/50);

-- a report of the Commission’s Independent Expert on the effects of structural adjustment policies and foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights, Bernards Andrew Nyamwaya Mudho (document E/CN.4/2003/29);

-- a report of the Commission’s Independent Expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty, Anne-Marie Lizin (document E/CN.4/2003/52 and Add.1);

-- a report of the new Special Rapporteur on the right to everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt (document E/CN.4/2003/58);

-- a report of the Secretary-General on access to medication in the context of pandemics such as HIV/AIDS (document E/CN.4/2003/48);

-- and a report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing on the topic of women’s equal ownership of, access to and control over land and the equal rights to own property and to adequate housing (document E/CN.4/2003/55) .

A series of documents will be before the Commission under its agenda item on civil and political rights.  They include:

-- reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the incompatibility between democracy and racism (document E/CN.4/2003/62) and measures to promote and consolidate democracy (document E/CN.4/2003/59);

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, Theo C. van Boven, on matters relevant to the issue of torture (document E/CN.4/2003/69) ; and a report of the Special Rapporteur on production and trade in equipment used for torture (document E/CN.4/2003/68 and Add.1-3);

-- a report of the Working Group on arbitrary detention (document E/CN.4/2003/8 and Add.1-3);

-- a report of the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances (document E/CN.4/2003/70) and a report of the Commission’s Working Group to draft a legally binding international instrument for the protection of persons from enforced or involuntary disappearances (document E/CN.4/2003/71);

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo (document E/CN.4/2003/67 and Add.1 and 2);

-- a report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Param Cumaraswamy (document E/CN.4/2003/65 and Add.1-4);

-- and a report of the Special Rapporteur on elimination of all forms of religious intolerance, Abdelfattah Amor (document E/CN.4/2003/66 and Add.1 and 2).

Under an agenda item titled “integration of the human rights of women and gender perspective”, there will be reports of the Secretary-General on integrating the human rights of women into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations (document E/CN.4/2003/72) and on traffic in women and girls (document E/CN.4/2003/74); and a report of the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of violence against women, Radhika Coomaraswamy (document E/CN.4/2003/75 and Add.1-4).

In discussing the rights of the child, the Commission will review reports of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children affected by armed conflict, Olara Otunnu (document E/CN.4/2003/77); and of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Juan Miguel Petit (document E/CN.4/2003/79 and Add.1 and 2).

Human rights issues related to vulnerable groups and individuals will be debated with the help of a report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro (document E/CN.4/2003/85 and Add.1-4); a report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, Francis Deng (document E/CN.4/2003/85 and Add.1-6); a report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on mass exoduses (document E/CN.4/2003/84); and a report of the Special Rapporteur on disability of the Commission for Social Development (document E/CN.4/2002/4) .

Discussion of indigenous issues will be carried out with reference to reports, among other things, of the Working Group to elaborate a draft declaration in accordance with paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 49/214 of

23 December 1994 (document E/CN.4/2003/92); and of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, Rodolfo Stavenhagen (document E/CN.4/2003/90 and Add.1-3).

Review of the Commission’s agenda item on promotion and protection of human rights will be carried out with the help of a reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the role of good governance in the promotion of human rights (document E/CN.4/2003/103); a note by the Secretariat on the outcomes of a seminar held by the High Commissioner’s Office on practical approaches and activities to strengthen good governance (document E/CN.4/2003/102); a report of the Secretary-General on impunity (document E/CN.4/2003/97); a report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Covenants on Human Rights (document E/CN.4/2003/96); a report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights defenders, Hina Jilani (document E/CN.4/2003/104 and Add.1-4); a study of the Office of the High Commissioner on follow up to the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (document E/CN.4/2003/101); and a report of the Secretary-General on human rights and bioethics (document E/CN.4/2003/98).

Consideration of the Commission’s agenda item on the effective functioning of human rights mechanisms will include consideration of a report of the Secretary-General on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of Human Rights (document E/CN.4/2003/107); a report of the High Commissioner on the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (document E/CN.4/2003/111); and a report of the Secretary-General on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (document E/CN.4/2003/110).

The work of the Commission’s principal subsidiary body, the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, will be reviewed through consideration of the Sub-Commission’s report of its 2002 session (document E/CN.4/2003/2); the report of the Chairperson of the fifty-fourth session of the Sub-Commission (document E/CN.4/2003/94); and the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (document E/CN.4/2003/95).

Activities of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Major attention will be given at the beginning of the session to the annual report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (document E/CN.4/2003/6), which among other things summarizes follow up to the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights.  Since last year’s session, the Office of High Commissioner has passed from Mary Robinson to Sergio Vieira de Mello.  The report, among other things, will describe policies initiated by the High Commissioner and missions undertaken to various countries and regions.

Composition of the Commission

The composition of the Commission for 2003 is as follows.  The term of membership of each State expires on 31 December of the year indicated in brackets:

Algeria (2003), Argentina (2005), Armenia (2004), Australia (2005), Austria (2004), Bahrain (2004), Belgium (2003), Brazil (2005), Burkina Faso (2005), Cameroon (2003), Canada (2003), Chile (2004), China (2005), Costa Rica (2003), Croatia (2004), Cuba (2003), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003), France (2004), Gabon (2005), Germany (2005), Guatemala (2003), India (2003), Ireland (2005), Japan (2005), Kenya (2003), Libya (2003), Malaysia (2003), Mexico (2004), Pakistan (2004), Paraguay (2005), Peru (2003), Poland (2003), Republic of Korea (2004), Russian Federation (2003), Saudi Arabia (2003), Senegal (2003), Sierra Leone (2004), South Africa (2003), Sri Lanka (2005), Sudan (2004), Swaziland (2005), Sweden (2004), Syria (2003), Thailand (2003), Togo (2004), Uganda (2004), Ukraine (2005), United Kingdom (2003), United States (2005), Uruguay (2003), Venezuela (2003), Viet Nam (2003), Zimbabwe (2005).

Officers:  Chairperson, Najat Al-Hajjaji (Libya); Vice-Chairpersons, Mike Smith (Australia), Prasad Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka), and Jorge Voto-Bernales (Peru); Rapporteur, Branko Socanac (Croatia).

Annex

Following is a list of thematic and country-specific procedures and other mechanisms of the commission on human rights:

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC PROCEDURES
Afghanistan	Mr. Kamal Hossain (Bangladesh)	Special Rapporteur
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro	Mr. José Cutileiro (Portugal)	Special Representative
Burundi	Ms. Marie-Thérèse Aïssata Kéita-Bocoum (Côte d’Ivoire)	Special Rapporteur
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Ms. Iulia-Antoanella Motoc (Romania)	Special Rapporteur
Iraq	Mr. Andreas Mavrommatis (Cyprus)	Special Rapporteur
Myanmar	Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro (Brazil)	Special Rapporteur
Palestinian territories occupied since 1967	Mr. John Dugard (South Africa)	Special Rapporteur
Sudan	Mr. Gerhart Baum (Germany)	Special Rapporteur

Cuba	Ms. Christine Chanet (France)	Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
THEMATIC PROCEDURES
Adequate housing	Mr. Miloon Kothari (India)	Special Rapporteur
Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance	Mr. Doudou Diène (Senegal)	Special Rapporteur
Draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights	Mr. Hatem Kotrane (Tunisia)	Independent expert
Education	Ms. Katarina Tomasevski (Croatia)	Special Rapporteur
Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions	Ms. Asma Jahangir (Pakistan)	Special Rapporteur
Extreme poverty	Ms. Anne-Marie Lizin (Belgium)	Independent expert
Freedom of opinion and expression	Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo (Kenya)	Special Rapporteur
Freedom of religion or belief	Mr. Abdelfattah Amor (Tunisia)	Special Rapporteur
Highest attainable standard of physical and mental health	Mr. Paul Hunt (New Zealand)	Special Rapporteur
Human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people	Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen (Mexico)	Special Rapporteur
Human rights defenders	Ms. Hina Jilani (Pakistan)	Special Representative of the Secretary-General
Human rights of migrants	Ms. Gabriela Rodríguez Pizarro (Costa Rica)	Special Rapporteur
Illicit movement and dumping of toxic waste	Ms. Fatma Zohra Ouhachi Vesely (Algeria)	Special Rapporteur
Independence of judges and lawyers	Mr. Param Cumaraswamy (Malaysia)	Special Rapporteur
Internally displaced persons	Mr. Francis Deng (Sudan)	Representative of the Secretary-General
Mercenaries	Mr. Enrique Bernales Ballesteros (Peru)	Special Rapporteur
Protection of persons from enforced or involuntary disappearance	Mr. Manfred Nowak (Austria)	Independent expert

Right to development	Mr. Arjun Sengupta (India)	Independent expert
Right to food	Mr. Jean Ziegler (Switzerland)	Special Rapporteur
Sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography	Mr. Juan Miguel Petit (Uruguay)	Special Rapporteur
Structural adjustment policies and foreign debt	Mr. Bernards Andrew Nyamwaya Mudho (Kenya)	Independent expert
Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment	Mr. Theo C. van Boven (Netherlands)	Special Rapporteur
Violence against women, its causes and consequences	Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy (Sri Lanka)	Special Rapporteur
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention	Mr. Louis Joinet (France)	Chairperson
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances	Mr. Diego García-Sayán (Peru)	Chairperson
TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME
Cambodia	Mr. Peter Leuprecht (Austria)	Special Representative of the Secretary-General
Haiti	Mr. Louis Joinet (France)	Independent expert
Somalia	Mr. Ghanim Alnajjar (Kuwait)	Independent expert
“1503 PROCEDURE”
Liberia	Ms. Charlotte Abaka (Ghana)	Independent expert

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