A/HRC/S-17/2 A. Opening and duration of the session 6. The Human Rights Council held its seventeenth special session at the United Nations Office at Geneva on 22 and 23 August 2011. It held two meetings during the session. 7. The seventeenth special session was opened by the President of the Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre. B. Attendance 8. The special session was attended by representatives of States Members of the Human Rights Council, observer States of the Council, observers for non-Member States of the United Nations and other observers, as well as observers for United Nations entities, specialized agencies and related organizations, intergovernmental organizations and other entities, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. C. Officers 9. At its first organizational meeting of the sixth cycle, on 20 June 2011, the Human Rights Council elected the following officers, who also served as officers for the seventeenth special session: D. President: Laura Dupuy Lasserre (Uruguay) Vice-Presidents: Christian Strohal (Austria) Anatole Fabien Nkou (Cameroon) Andràs Dékàny (Hungary) Vice-President and Rapporteur: Gulnara Iskakova (Kyrgyzstan) Organization of work 10. Pursuant to paragraph 124 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, an open-ended informative consultation was held on 18 August 2011 in preparation for the seventeenth special session. 11. At its 1st meeting, held on 22 August 2011, the Human Rights Council considered the organization of its work, including speaking time limits, which would be three minutes for statements by States Members of the Council and two minutes for statements by observer States of the Council, observers for non-Member States of the Council and other observers. The list of speakers would be drawn up in chronological order of registration. States Members of the Council would be given the floor first, followed by observer States and observers for United Nations entities, specialized agencies and related organizations, intergovernmental organizations and other entities, and observers of national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. 12. The special session was conducted in accordance with the relevant provisions contained in Human Rights Council resolution 5/1. E. Resolution and documentation 13. The resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council at its seventeenth special session is reproduced in chapter I of the present report. 6