INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS

ON

HRC REVIEW – PROCESS AND MODALITIES






Timing and relationship with the New York process 


Our resolution 12/1 says that the Working Group on HRC review shall hold two sessions of five working days each and the WG is requested to report to the Council at its seventeenth session in June 2011. The Council Secretariat and UNOG have scheduled the first session for end October and the second session for end February.

- Can you agree with the timing put forward by the secretariat?

- What is your view on the division of labour as set out by GA 60/251?

- Do you see a need for a stronger interrelationship between the “status” and “working methods” discussions, and if so, how would you reorganize this (knowing this would need consensus on a new GA resolution)?



- Agenda and Programme of Work


Do you think we should base our agenda on an analysis of our implementation of the Council’s mandate and responsibilities, or would you base it on the structure of the IB Package?
Alternatively, taking into account we only have ten days of formal exchange of views and negotiation, could we work  with a draft agenda agreed before, structured in agreed and concrete themes and subthemes, with indications of elements for debate and suggestions for change?

I would like to know your position on the following suggestions:

Are you willing to work on a draft agenda, which would be a part of my draft roadmap? Your suggestions and input would be very welcome. 
Could this draft agenda then allow the new President to structure the Programme of Work for the two sessions? As a “living document”, he could take into account further suggestions by Member States and Groups.
Would you agree to include the evaluation of the first UPR cycle into the review process?
Would you invite Individual States and Groups to make presentations of their position papers and concrete proposals during the session? Would you follow the practice of inviting representatives of NGO’s to intervene at the end of each chapter or at the end of each half-day meeting?
Would you allow parallel meetings or prefer to avoid them?
Could you agree with inviting the President to summarize the views of States, Groups and interested stakeholders and prepare a draft document containing concrete review proposals? He would work then on a consensual basis and will seek for compromise between conflicting proposals.




- Preparation for the Working Group Sessions


We all agree the HRC review should be a) transparent b) State driven but all inclusive and c) constructive and consensual. 

Knowing we only have ten days for a thorough discussion we have to consider the need for good preparation of our debates.

How do we take up the valuable input of the different preparatory initiatives? Do we invite the Secretariat to prepare a compilation for the new President and membership of the Council? Can we put their reports on the Extranet?
Do we invite Member States and observes, as well as regional and political groups, to put forward their analysis, input and concrete suggestions, before the first WG session in October? If so, should we put forward a deadline (p.e. Mid or end September?)
Do we invite our different stakeholders (civil society, UN bodies, Council Subsidiary bodies, Treaty bodies) to offer their input at the same occasion?
Do we give the new President the possibility to call on facilitators on any part of the process at a moment of his choosing?
Do we give the new President the possibility to call on specific expertise to prepare our debates and to call on speakers/panels to introduce and assist elements of the discussion?




Report to the Council and adoption of an outcome document


The President will prepare a report to the June 2011 Council session. We would have to look into the following modalities:

The report should preferably take the form of an outcome document, agreed by the Working Group.
If necessary, the report should indicate the remaining issues of disagreement. Provisions that would amend or modify the IB Package should be indicated as well.
The Human Rights Council should decide under what form (short procedural resolution?) it wants to adopt the outcome document of the Working group and transmit it to the General Assembly, as provided for by OP16 of resolution 60/251.