A/HRC/4/106
page 3
I. INTRODUCTION
1.
The Human Rights Council, by decision 2/102 of 6 October 2006, requested the
High Commissioner for Human Rights to “continue with the fulfilment of her activities, in
accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and to
update the relevant reports and studies”. On the current issue, the Secretary-General
submitted a comprehensive biannual report (E/CN.4/2005/92) to the sixty-first session of the
Commission on Human Rights pursuant to resolution 2003/62. The Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) understands decision 2/102 to preserve the
previous biannual reporting cycle in respect of this issue until otherwise decided by the Council,
and accordingly the current report addresses the issue of public information activities in the field
of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights.
2.
The World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights was launched by the
General Assembly in its resolution 43/128 of 8 December 1988, with the objectives of increasing
understanding and awareness of human rights and fundamental freedoms and educating the
public on the international machinery available for the promotion and protection of those rights
and freedoms and the efforts of the United Nations to realize them.
3.
The coordination of the United Nations education and public information programmes in
the field of human rights was specifically mentioned in General Assembly resolution 48/141
of 20 December 1993, as part of the mandate of the post of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
4.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights has repeatedly stressed the importance she
attaches to the implementation of activities for increasing awareness of human rights among the
general public. To meet this objective she stressed in her Strategic Management Plan 2006-2007
the need to enhance the Office’s communication capacity. The Public Affairs and Public
Information Units have been merged to form a larger Communication Section composed of three
units: Media Unit, Editorial and Publications Unit, and Web and Audiovisual Unit. The Section
reports directly to the Deputy High Commissioner.
5.
The present report supplements information and estimates provided in the
Secretary-General’s last report to the Commission on Human Rights. Further information
about other educational activities in the field of human rights undertaken within the framework
of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing) is available in the
relevant report of the High Commissioner to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/4/85).
II. PUBLIC INFORMATION ACTIVITIES OF THE OFFICE
OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
A. Publications programme
6.
The goal of the publications programme of OHCHR is to raise awareness of human rights
and fundamental freedoms and to publicize ways of promoting and protecting them at the
international level. Another aim is to encourage debate on human rights issues under discussion
in United Nations bodies.
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