Seminar on Universal Periodic Review Lausanne August 28, 2006

1
Seminar on Universal Periodic Review Lausanne
August 28, 2006

• Presentation by
• Ambassador Masood Khan
• Pakistans Permanent Representative

2
Disclaimer

• Not an OIC presentation. OIC views were presented
  to the Council on August 2. The OIC as a group
  would present its positions only formally to the
  Human Rights Council
• Views being expressed today with a view to
  promoting dialogue and understanding.

3
What do we need to decide?

• What?
• Define the animal. Know its anatomy. Its genes
  and lineage. Its evolution and adaptation to the
  new body.
• Question of principles and parameters
• Who?
• The Council. The Plenary or the Committees or the
  Working Groups.
• How?
• The process during the Council sessions or
  intersessionally
• Dialogue with country concerned
• Outcome Process Verbale
• Follow up VI, TC, RP_at_ next UPR
• When?

4
What? - Stick to A/60/251

• Normative/ legal basis All universal human
  rights under the Charter, the UDHR, conventions
  and treaties, domestic laws, commitments,
  obligations.
• Collective rights to self-determination, to
  development would not to be sidelined.
• Stay within the parameters. Dont reinvent the
  wheel. It will only result in loss of time and
  needless squabbling.
• Objective and reliable info
• Universality of coverage and equal treatment
• Cooperative mechanism interactive dialogue with
  the full involvement of state concerned
• Capacity building
• Complement not duplicate the work of treaty
  bodies
• Deadline for developing modalities and schedules
  is one year
• Council members first
• Member-driven

5
Who ?

• Reviewers It should be the Council, the entire
  body. Universal should also mean universal review
  by all Council Members. If it is a Committee, it
  should be Committee of the Whole.
• Observer states and NGOs with the ECOSOC
  consultative status will observe the proceedings.
• Who will prepare the dossier? Let us call it a
  report.
• What are the precedents?
• Shall we give this job to The Office? The
  Sub-Commission? Sub-Com successor expert body?
• States themselves? Our answer States themselves.

6
How? The State

• State concerned prepares and submits report
• Additional info reports of the treaty bodies,
  special procedures and other UN sources.
• Anatomy of the report five elements basic
  facts institutional infrastructure
  ratifications affirmative programmes role and
  independence of media, civil society.
• The report be submitted to members in advance.

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How? The Council

• The Council each year shall approve a standard
  Questionnaire, list of countries to be reviewed,
  schedule.
• Interactive dialogue Presentation of the report
  by state concerned adoption of the outcome.
• Cooperative constructive.
• Not Name and Shame
• Not You scratch my back,
• I scratch yours
• But reciprocal altruism.
• Motto Help states help themselves.
• Designate a Rapporteur

8
Periodicity

• Single cycle five years to cover all UN members
  35 to 40 each year two hours each state number
  of days required 12 to 14.
• Multiple Cycles According to the level of
  development of states.
• One, DdCs 35-e3y-11py
• Two, DgCs 106-e5y-20py
• Three, LDCs 50-e7y-7py
• Altogether 40 countries each year 3 hours each
  state number of days in a year 20.

9
Outcome and Follow up

• OUTCOME
• Proces Verbale Summary of proceedings with
  recommendations to be adopted by consensus
• Follow up
• implementations, voluntary initiatives by
  states, technical cooperation, review of progress
  at the next UPR.
• Review
• Follow up should itself be reviewed.

10
When?

• Commence after modalities for the UPR are adopted
  by the Council.
• Prepare intersessionally, but review during the
  sessions.
• Nothing would be more important than the UPR.

11
Stockholders and Stakeholders

• We will cooperate and respect each others space
• Will change adjacency into synergy
• Reduce latent hostility
• Special Procedures and Sub-Commission draw their
  authority and legitimacy from the Council
• Transparency
• Awareness raising
• Education

12
Lausanne

• Professor Walter Kalin and Professor Andrew
  Claphalm, Nick Howen, Ibrahim Salama made
  brilliant contributions. Helped us move towards
  clarity
• Thank you Lausanne Thank you Berne
• We appreciate your zest and enthusiasm.
• We hope next time you will be in Geneva, with
  us.
• We would also like to share a few things with you
  there.