UNITED NATIONS A Word.Picture.8 General Assembly Distr. Distr. \* MERGEFORMAT LIMITED Symbol \* MERGEFORMAT A/HRC/2/L.27/Rev.2 Date \* MERGEFORMAT 23 November 2006 Symbol \* MERGEFORMAT A/HRC/3/L.3 4 December 2006 Original: Orig. Lang. \* MERGEFORMAT ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Second Third session Agenda item 2 implementation of general assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 march 2006 entitled “human rights council” Algeria (on behalf of the African Group): draft decision 2/… Global efforts for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive follow-up to the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related intolerance and the effective implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action The Human Rights Council, Recalling its resolution 1/5 of 30 June 2006, all resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Commission on Human Rights, in particular Assembly resolutions 57/195 of 18 December 2002 and 60/144 of 16 December 2005 and A/C.3/61/l.53/Rev.1 of 22 November 2006 and Commission resolution 2002/68 of 25 April 2002, on the subject, Decides: (a) To heed the decision and instruction of the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance by establishing an OpenEnded Working Group on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards GE.06-15104 (E) 241106 with the mandate to elaborate, as a matter of priority and necessity, complementary standards in the form of either a convention or additional protocol(s) to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, filling the existing gaps in the Convention and also providing new normative standards aimed at combating all forms of contemporary racism, including incitement to racial and religious hatred; (b) To reaffirm its earlier request, contained in its resolution 1/5 of 30 June 2006, to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to appoint five experts, in consultation with regional groups, with the mandate to produce a document outlining the substantive gaps in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; (c) To reaffirm that the five experts should be appointed in accordance with the principle of equitable geographic representation and also ensuring a balanced representation of the different civilizations, religions, cultures and legal systems; (d) To determine affirm that the Working Group on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards shall convene annual sessions of 10 working days commencing after the fourth session from February 2008 of the Human Rights Council and also that the working group shall report regularly on progress in the actual process of the elaboration of complementary standards to the Council on progress in this regard; (e) To request the five experts to report to the working group on the elaboration of complementary standards, and that these experts should serve as resource persons for the working group, through the development of relevant documents as well as conducting further research and studies, as may be required by the working group towards the achievement of its mandate; (f) To recommend to the General Assembly that it decide, at its sixty-first session, in compliance with its resolution 60/144, to convene a Durban Review Conference on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in 2009 with clear, attainable objectives which would focus on the realities of present-day racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. To this end the Council also recommends that in the preparatory processes to the proposed review the Assembly should ensure that all States and regions demonstrate their resolve and determination to move significantly from rhetoric to reality in their actions against all the scourges of racism; (g) (e) To request the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to give visibility and a high profile to the Anti-Discrimination Unit within her Office and to provide it with all the necessary and additional resources to ensure its effectiveness, particularly in view of the current global challenges of racial and religious discrimination. The Unit would ensure that the High Commissioner makes a positive contribution and plays a leadership role in the global efforts to combat all the resurgent scourges of racism. The Council also decides to recommend to the General Assembly the following draft decision for adoption: “The General Assembly, taking note of decision 2/… of … November 2006 of the Human Rights Council, in particular subparagraph (f) relating to the convening of a Durban Review Conference on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in 2009, decides to endorse the decision of the Council.” (e) To welcome the recent appointment of the Five Experts on Complementary Standards by the High Commissioner for Human Rights with the mandate to produce a base document outlining the substantive gaps in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; (f) To request the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to invite the Five Experts to its fifth session during January/February 2007, with the view of having a one day preliminary exchange of views and vision on complementary standards as a provisional measure pending the completion of their report; (g) To request   the Five Experts to finalise their report before the end of June 2007 for submission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and also to request the latter to ensure immediate dissemination of the report of the experts to all Governments and all other relevant partners and stakeholders in order to allow all these institutions adequate opportunity and time to study the recommendations contained in the report; (h) To recommend that the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action will convene its sixth session during January 2008 and that this sixth session will mark the conclusion and closure of the Working Group’s debates and deliberations on the question of complementary standards; (i) To invite, in the above context, the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to transmit the report of the Five Experts to the Working Group on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards, through the Human Rights Council; (j) To direct the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to continue its important work of ensuring the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as mandated by the Commission on Human Rights’ resolution 2002/68 of 25 April 2002 by focusing on other critical segments of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action which require immediate attention; (k) To request the Working Group on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to convene its first session during February 2008 and to use all the documents presented to it as background material for commencing its process of elaborating complementary standards, and that one of its main priorities will be to ensure that draft instrument(s) is/are produced for negotiations; (l) (e)  To request the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to give visibility and a high profile to the Anti-Discrimination Unit within her Office and to provide it with all the necessary and additional resources to ensure its effectiveness, particularly in view of the current challenges of racial and religious discrimination. The Unit would ensure that the High Commissioner makes a positive contribution and plays a leadership role in the global efforts to combat all the resurgent scourges of racism; (m) Decides to retain this priority issue on its agenda and to review progress at its fourth session. ----- A/HRC/3/L.3 page \* MERGEFORMAT 4 A/HRC/3/L.3 page \* MERGEFORMAT 5