A/HRC/27/63 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 20/15 of 5 July 2012, the Human Rights Council decided to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group with the mandate of progressively negotiating a draft United Nations declaration on the right to peace. The working group held its first session from 18 to 21 February 2013 and submitted a report on its first session (A/HRC/WG.13/1/2) to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session. 2. In its resolution 23/16 of 13 June 2013, the Human Rights Council decided that the open-ended intergovernmental working group would hold its second session for five working days in 2014, before the twenty-fifth session of the Council. At the request of the Chair-Rapporteur, the second session was rescheduled to be held from 30 June to 4 July 2014. 3. Also in its resolution 23/16, the Human Rights Council requested the ChairRapporteur of the working group to conduct informal consultations with governments, regional groups and relevant stakeholders before the second session of the group, and to prepare a new text on the basis of the discussions held during the first session and the intersessional informal consultations, and to present the text prior to the second session for consideration and further discussion. The Chair-Rapporteur addressed a letter to the members of the group outlining his preliminary ideas (A/HRC/WG.13/2/2 of 22 May 2014). The new text prepared by the Chair-Rapporteur was circulated to all States by note verbale on 24 June 2014. 4. On 30 June 2014, the session was opened by the Director of the Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on behalf of the High Commissioner. The Director recalled that the realization of peace lay at the very heart of the principles and purposes of the United Nations, as reflected in its Charter. He mentioned the thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace, approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 39/11 of 12 November 1984, and pointed to the prominent role of peace in the fulfilment of the fundamental rights of every person, as recognized in numerous international and regional human rights instruments. The Director commended the efforts of the Chair-Rapporteur to engage actively with States, civil society and academia in the intersessional period in order to reconcile the diverse views and positions with regard to the right to peace. He also confirmed the readiness of OHCHR to continue to assist the working group in all its endeavours. 5. The President of the Human Rights Council also participated in the opening of the session. He said that peace and international security faced new challenges, not only from local conflicts, but also from the proliferation of terrorism and transnational organized crime. International peace and cooperation were central to the founding principles of the United Nations. He reiterated that the Council attached great importance to the question of peace as an essential element for the full enjoyment of all human rights by all around the world. The President welcomed the Chair-Rapporteur’s new text as the basis for future negotiations and expressed hope that the constructive approach and enriching discussions among States and all stakeholders that had been witnessed from the outset would continue during the session. 3