4/115 Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the follow-up to the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon

GE 07-10878 (E) 230207

UNITED NATIONS

A

General Assembly Distr. GENERAL

A/HRC/4/115 16 February 2007

Original: ENGLISH

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fourth session Item 2 of the provisional agenda

IMPLEMENTATION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 60/251 OF 15 MARCH 2006 ENTITLED “HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL”

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the follow-up to the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon∗

1. This report has been prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 3/3 of 8 December 2006 requesting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to “consult with the Government of Lebanon on the report and its findings and on the relevant recommendations contained therein and to report to the Council at its fourth session” (para. 2).

2. Resolution 3/3 was adopted following the presentation by the Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon of its report (A/HRC/2/3) to the Human Rights Council on 1 December 2006. The Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon was established by Human Rights Council resolution S-2/1 of 11 August 2006.

3. This report describes the steps taken by the High Commissioner and her Office to implement resolution 3/3 of the Human Rights Council and the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry as contained in its report.

4. In accordance with resolution 3/3, the High Commissioner met with the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations at Geneva, on 2 February 2007, in order to consult on the report, its findings and recommendations. During the meeting, the Permanent Representative recalled the original mandate of the Commission of Inquiry, as contained in

∗ The present report was submitted after the deadline in order to reflect the most recent information available.

Human Rights Council resolution S-2/1, and stated that the recommendations should be interpreted in that light. It was agreed that OHCHR in Geneva and the OHCHR Regional Office for the Middle East in Beirut would continue their course of action, as described in the paragraphs below. It was also agreed that further working-level meetings would take place in Geneva between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Permanent Mission of Lebanon.

5. Within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, an inter-branch task force was set up, in order to ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to follow-up on the Commission’s recommendations. The task force, in consultation with the Government of Lebanon, is examining the possibility of designing activities and projects in order to ensure the follow-up of specific recommendations.

6. A number of recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry pertain directly to the mandate of United Nations agencies or bodies other than the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other intergovernmental and regional bodies. Some recommendations are directly addressed to specific institutions. Consequently, letters have been sent to these United Nations agencies and bodies and to other intergovernmental and regional bodies by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, drawing their attention to the report of the Commission of Inquiry. In view of the fact that a number of the recipients have ongoing programmes and activities closely linked to the recommendations, information on these programmes and their achievements is also being requested. It is expected that, by the next session of the Human Rights Council, enough information will be available for the Office of the High Commissioner to be able to report on the activities relevant to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry that are being implemented by other agencies and bodies.

7. In Lebanon, the OHCHR Regional Office for the Middle East is initiating collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the United Nations Country Team and the Lebanon Recovery Fund, to ensure that reconstruction and recovery efforts are conducted with due regard to human rights and without discrimination. To systematize this effort, a Protection Working Group is being set up, with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees as co-chairs. It will also include members of civil society as well as government officials from relevant ministries. The Protection Working Group will look into human rights aspects of economic and social recovery programmes, emphasizing a rights-based approach to health, education, housing and other rights. It will also call attention to the special protection needs of vulnerable groups. The Protection Working Group will discuss the report of the Commission of Inquiry and will give due consideration to its recommendations in developing its programmes. It will also provide information to the High Commissioner on programmes and activities implemented in Lebanon. In addition, the OHCHR Regional Office’s ongoing collaboration with the Lebanese Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights is being strengthened. A capacity-building programme in the area of human rights law and international humanitarian law has been conducted, and more such trainings are being considered.

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