A/HRC/13/26
Member States on the establishment, functioning and responsibilities of NHRIs in line with
international standards. OHCHR promoted NHRI compliance with the Paris Principles, and
sought to strengthen the capacity of these institutions to address core protection issues such
as discrimination, torture and violations committed in the context of migration, and to
generally reinforce the administration of justice and the rule of law. In collaboration with
United Nations partners and regional networks of NHRIs, OHCHR assisted in the
establishment or strengthening of 43 NHRIs worldwide. Continued secretarial support was
provided to the Sub-Committee on Accreditation of the International Coordinating
Committee of NHRIs which, by December 2009, had reviewed and accredited 64 NHRIs
with “A status”, that is, fully compliant with the Paris Principles.
46.
OHCHR continued to deepen its cooperation with regional organizations in Africa,
the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Americas. OHCHR organized three regional
consultations on enhancing cooperation between regional and international mechanisms for
the promotion and protection of human rights in collaboration with the African Union, the
Organization of American States and the Council of Europe. These consultations will
ensure adequate planning for the international workshop on Regional Human Rights
Mechanisms scheduled for May 2010, as called for in Council resolution 12/15, adopted on
1 October 2009.
47.
Reflective of the ongoing United Nations system reform process relating to peace
missions, OHCHR maintained its focus on the integration of human rights in peace
missions and continued to work in close cooperation with the Department of Peacekeeping
Operations, the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Field Support.
OHCHR continued to provide substantive and human resources support to human rights
components of peace missions, including substantive backstopping of human rights
components and supporting the release of public human rights reports by peace missions.
48.
OHCHR continued to participate in inter-agency humanitarian mechanisms,
particularly the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its subsidiary groups, and the Global
Protection Cluster Working Group. OHCHR prioritized its operational role in humanitarian
contexts, namely in empowering human rights field presences to fully participate — and
sometimes to lead — in collaborative efforts. OHCHR currently plays a lead role in
protection coordination in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Fiji (regional), Haiti, Iraq,
Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, the occupied Palestinian territories, Samoa and Timor-Leste. OHCHR
was also pleased to assist the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the
development of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, launched in
October 2009, the first regional body of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.
V.
The Durban Review Conference and its follow-up: steps
towards implementation
49.
The Durban Review Conference was held in Geneva from 20 to 24 April 2009 and
its Outcome Document was adopted by consensus. A significant accomplishment of the
Conference was its generation of renewed commitment by States to the anti-racism agenda.
Taking a rights-based approach, which places the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination at the centre of international efforts to
combat racism, the Outcome Document urges Member States to do more at the national
level, and in particular, to elaborate national action plans on racism and intolerance.
50.
In my report to the Durban Review Conference (A/CONF.211/PC.4/5), I addressed
contemporary challenges to the fight against racism and critically assessed the strengths and
shortcomings of the OHCHR anti-discrimination programme, as well as the Durban followup intergovernmental and expert mechanisms. Proposals were put forward to help States
GE.09-17604
13
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents