DEC/17/119 Follow-up to the Human Rights Council resolution 16/21 with regard to the universal periodic review
Document Type: Final Decision
Date: 2011 Jul
Session: 17th Regular Session (2011 May)
Agenda Item: Item1: Organizational and procedural matters
GE. 11-15036
Human Rights Council Seventeenth session Agenda item 1 Organizational and procedural matters
Decision adopted by the Human Rights Council∗
17/119 Follow-up to the Human Rights Council resolution 16/21 with regard to the universal periodic review At its 35th meeting, on 17 June 2011, the Human Rights Council decided to adopt the text below:
“I. Order for the review in the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
1. The order of the review established for the first cycle of the review (see annex I) shall be maintained for the second and subsequent cycles, whereby 14 States are reviewed during each session of the Working Group.
II. General guidelines for the preparation of information under the universal periodic review
2. Reaffirming the relevant provisions relating to the universal periodic review of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 and Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, containing the institution-building package, and resolution 16/21 of 25 March 2011, containing the outcome of the review of the work and functioning of the Human Rights Council,
Emphasizing that the second and subsequent cycles of the review should focus on, inter alia, the implementation of the accepted recommendations and the development of human rights situations in the State under review
The Council adopts the general guidelines below.
A. Description of the methodology and the broad consultation process followed for the preparation of information provided under the universal periodic review;
B. Developments since the previous review in background of the State under review and framework, particularly normative and institutional framework, for the promotion and protection of human rights: Constitution, legislation, policy measures,
∗ The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its seventeenth session (A/HRC/17/2), chap. I.
national jurisprudence, human rights infrastructure including national human rights institutions and scope of international obligations identified in the “basis of review” in resolution 5/1, annex, section IA;
C. Promotion and protection of human rights on the ground: implementation of international human rights obligations identified in the “basis of review” in resolution 5/1, annex, section IA, national legislation and voluntary commitments, national human rights institutions activities, public awareness of human rights, cooperation with human rights mechanisms …;
D. Presentation by the State concerned of the follow-up to the previous review;
E. Identification of achievements, best practices, challenges and constraints in relation to the implementation of accepted recommendations and the development of human rights situations in the State;
F. Key national priorities, initiatives and commitments that the State concerned has undertaken and intends to undertake to overcome those challenges and constraints and improve human rights situations on the ground;
G. Expectations of the State concerned in terms of capacity-building and requests, if any, for technical assistance and support received.
III. Duration of the review in the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
3. The duration of the review shall be extended to three hours and thirty minutes for each country in the Working Group, so as to be within existing resources and with no additional workload, during which the State under review shall be given up to 70 minutes to be used for initial presentation, replies and concluding comments in line with President’s statement PRST/8/1 of 9 April 2008.
4. The allocation of time during the working group shall be in accordance with annex II.
IV. List of speakers in the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
5. The established procedures, which allow three minutes speaking time for Member States and two minutes for observer States, will continue to apply when all speakers can be accommodated within three hours and thirty minutes available to Member and observer States.
6. Should it be impossible to accommodate all speakers within three hours and thirty minutes based on three minutes speaking time for Member States and two minutes for observer States, the speaking time will be reduced to two minutes for all.
7. If all speakers still cannot be accommodated, the speaking time will be divided among all delegations inscribed so as to enable each and every speaker to take the floor.
8. Steps for drawing up the list of speakers:
(a) The list of speakers will open at 10 a.m. on the Monday of the week preceding the beginning of the session of the Working Group and will remain open for a period of four days. It will close on the Thursday at 6 p.m.. A registration desk will be set up at the Palais des Nations. The exact location will be communicated to all permanent missions by the Secretariat;
(b) In all cases, regardless of speaking times, the delegations inscribed on the list of speakers will be arranged by alphabetical order of the country names in English. On the Friday morning preceding the beginning of the session, the President, in the presence of the
Bureau, will draw by lot the first speaker on the list. The list of speakers will continue from the State drawn onward. On Friday afternoon, all delegations will be informed of the speaking order and of the speaking time available to delegations;
(c) Speaking time limits during the review will be strictly enforced. Speakers who exceed speaking time will have their microphones cut off. Speakers may therefore wish to deliver the essential part at the beginning of their statements;
(d) All speakers will retain the possibility of swapping places on the speaker’s list under bilateral arrangement between speakers.
V. Voluntary funds
9. The Secretariat is requested to revise the terms of reference of the Voluntary Fund for participation in the universal periodic review and to provide an annual written update to the Human Rights Council, starting from the eighteenth session, on the operations of the funds and the resources available to it.
10. The Secretariat is requested to revise the terms of reference of the Voluntary Fund for financial and technical assistance in the implementation of the universal periodic review and to provide an annual written update to the Human Rights Council, starting from the eighteenth session, on the operations of the fund and the resources available to it. A board of trustees shall be established by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with the rules of the United Nations and taking into consideration equitable geographic representation.”
35th meeting 17 June 2011
[Adopted without a vote.]
A /H
R C
/17/L .29
4
Annex I
Human Rights Council universal periodic review (second cycle)
1 Bahrain 65 Central African Republic 129 Malawi 2 Ecuador 66 Monaco 130 Mongolia 3 Tunisia 67 Belize 131 Panama 4 Morocco 68 Chad 132 Maldives 5 Indonesia 69 Congo 133 Andorra 6 Finland 70 Malta 134 Bulgaria 7 United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland 71 New Zealand 135 Honduras
8 India 72 Afghanistan 136 United States of America 9 Brazil 73 Chile 137 Marshall Islands 10 Philippines 74 Viet Nam 138 Croatia 11 Algeria 75 Uruguay 139 Jamaica 12 Poland 76 Yemen 140 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 13 Netherlands 77 Vanuatu 141 Micronesia (Federated States of) 14 South Africa 78 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 142 Lebanon 15 Czech Republic 79 Comoros 143 Mauritania 16 Argentina 80 Slovakia 144 Nauru 17 Gabon 81 Eritrea 145 Rwanda 18 Ghana 82 Cyprus 146 Nepal 19 Peru 83 Dominican Republic 147 Saint Lucia 20 Guatemala 84 Cambodia 148 Oman 21 Benin 85 Norway 149 Austria 22 Republic of Korea 86 Albania 150 Myanmar 23 Switzerland 87 Democratic Republic of the Congo 151 Australia 24 Pakistan 88 Côte d'Ivoire 152 Georgia 25 Zambia 89 Portugal 153 Saint Kitts and Nevis 26 Japan 90 Bhutan 154 Sao Tome and Principe 27 Ukraine 91 Dominica 155 Namibia 28 Sri Lanka 92 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 156 Niger 29 France 93 Brunei Darussalam 157 Mozambique 30 Tonga 94 Costa Rica 158 Estonia 31 Romania 95 Equatorial Guinea 159 Paraguay 32 Mali 96 Ethiopia 160 Belgium 33 Botswana 97 Qatar 161 Denmark
A /H
R C
/17/L .29
5
34 Bahamas 98 Nicaragua 162 Palau 35 Burundi 99 Italy 163 Somalia 36 Luxembourg 100 El Salvador 164 Seychelles 37 Barbados 101 Gambia 165 Solomon Islands 38 Montenegro 102 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 166 Latvia 39 United Arab Emirates 103 Fiji 167 Sierra Leone 40 Israel 104 San Marino 168 Singapore 41 Liechtenstein 105 Kazakhstan 169 Suriname 42 Serbia 106 Angola 170 Greece 43 Turkmenistan 107 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 171 Samoa 44 Burkina Faso 108 Madagascar 172 Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 45 Cape Verde 109 Iraq 173 Sudan 46 Colombia 110 Slovenia 174 Hungary 47 Uzbekistan 111 Egypt 175 Papua New Guinea 48 Tuvalu 112 Bosnia and Herzegovina 176 Tajikistan 49 Germany 113 Kyrgyzstan 177 United Republic of Tanzania 50 Djibouti 114 Kiribati 178 Antigua and Barbuda 51 Canada 115 Guinea 179 Swaziland 52 Bangladesh 116 Lao People's Democratic Republic 180 Trinidad and Tobago 53 Russian Federation 117 Spain 181 Thailand 54 Azerbaijan 118 Lesotho 182 Ireland 55 Cameroon 119 Kenya 183 Togo 56 Cuba 120 Armenia 184 Syrian Arab Republic 57 Saudi Arabia 121 Guinea-Bissau 185 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic
of) 58 Senegal 122 Sweden 186 Iceland 59 China 123 Grenada 187 Zimbabwe 60 Nigeria 124 Turkey 188 Lithuania 61 Mexico 125 Guyana 189 Uganda 62 Mauritius 126 Kuwait 190 Timor-Leste 63 Jordan 127 Belarus 191 Republic of Moldova 64 Malaysia 128 Liberia 192 Haiti
A /H
R C
/17/L .29
6
Annex II
Tentative timetable for the session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review as of the second cycle
First week
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Review of State under review 5
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Review of State under review 7
M
o
r
n
i
n
g
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Review of State under review 1
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Review of State under review 3
12.30 Distribution of report on State under review 1
12.30 Distribution of report on State under review 3
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
State under review 9
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 6
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 8
A
f
t
e
r
n
o
o
n
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 2
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 4
6 p.m. Distribution of report on State under review 2
6 p.m. Distribution of report on State under review 4
3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Adoption of reports on States under review 1 to 6
Second week
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Review of State under review 10
Review of State under review 13
M
o
r
n
i
n
g
12.30 p.m. Distribution of report on State under review 7
10 a.m. - 11.30 a.m.
Adoption of reports on States under review 7 to 9
9 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Distribution of report on State under review 10
1 p.m. Distribution of report on State under review 12
A /H
R C
/17/L .29
7
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 11
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 14
A
f
t
e
r
n
o
o
n
6 p.m. Distribution of report on State under review 8
2.30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Review of State under review 12
6 p.m. Distribution of report on State under review 11
3 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Adoption of reports on States under review 10 to 14