DEC/3/104 Conference facilities and financial support for the Human Rights Council

Human Rights Council

Decision 3/104. Conference facilities and financial support
for the Human Rights Council

At its 14th meeting, on 8 December 2006, the Human Rights Council decided, without a vote, to adopt the following text:

“Recalling General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 in which the Assembly decided, inter alia, that the Council shall meet regularly throughout the year and schedule no fewer than three sessions per year, including a main session, for a total duration of no less than 10 weeks, and shall be able to hold special sessions, when needed, at the request of a member of the Council with the support of one third of the membership of the Council,

“Reaffirming the importance of the respect and the promotion of multilingualism within the United Nations and in particular the importance of the provision of appropriate interpretation and translation services,

“Taking into account the Council’s heavy schedule of work and the difficulties encountered in obtaining the necessary conference services, particularly during its first, institution-building year,

“Taking also into account the need to ensure the necessary financial resources to implement its decisions,

“1. Reaffirms the need to ensure the necessary Secretariat support and financial resources for the Council in order to fully discharge its mandate as stipulated in General Assembly resolution 60/251;

“2. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly at the earliest possible date on ways and means to guarantee the provision of:

“(a) Conference services, including interpretation, particularly for the holding of special sessions, additional meetings during regular sessions and organizational meetings;

“(b) Webcast transmission on a regular basis for all the sessions of the Human Rights Council;

“(c) Translation of documentation in all official United Nations languages in a timely manner;

“(d) Adequate funding to provide timely financing for unforeseen extraordinary expenses arising in the implementation of the decisions of the Council, involving inter alia fact-finding missions and special commissions as well as the necessary support from the Secretariat.”

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