A/HRC/4/43
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which would also support the work of special procedures. The High Commissioner further
stressed that UPR should be embraced and efforts not be spared to make it a very meaningful
addition to the system of promotion and protection of human rights. The High Commissioner
said she was committed to enhance the visibility and impact of the work of special procedures.
B. Exchange with the Deputy High Commissioner and senior officials of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
64.
Participants had an opportunity to meet with OHCHR senior managers. During this
session mandate-holders were provided with an opportunity to ask questions and raise issues
with: the Deputy High Commissioner, Mehr-Khan Williams; the Chief of the Treaties and
Commission Branch, Bacre Ndiaye; the Chief of the Special Procedures Branch,
Soussan Raadi-Azarakhchi; the Chief of the Capacity-Building and Field Operations Branch,
Fabrizio Hochshild; the Chief of the Research and Right to Development Branch Ibrahim Wani;
the Chief of the Communication Section, Susan Curran; and the Chief of the Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Michael Fruhling.
65.
Among the issues raised by mandate-holders were: explanations on the rationale for
grouping all thematic mandates under one branch; the need to ensure that support to mandates be
even; the desirability of looking at ways in which OHCHR could give follow-up to special
procedures’ recommendations and findings; the need to strengthen the communication capacity
of OHCHR and its media outreach to raise the visibility of special procedures’ findings and
make sure that reports do not “sink without trace”; the need to ensure that the special procedures’
individual web pages are more personalized and the information in it more easily accessible; the
role of field presences in raising awareness and disseminating special procedures’ findings and
recommendations at the national level, as well as in providing advice to special procedures on
countries to prioritize; the importance of the translation of reports into local languages; and the
need for intellectual leadership of the Office.
66.
The Deputy High Commissioner emphasized the need for better communications
between mandate-holders and OHCHR, so as to increase the understanding of each other’s
capacities and create an environment conducive to strengthened cooperation. The High
Commissioner’s Strategic Management Plan was a result-based, two-year plan which addressed
many of the issues raised by special procedures.
67.
Recently, a Communication Section had been created at OHCHR and more human
resources would be devoted to it to strengthen its capacity. Consultations would be undertaken
by the Communication Section with mandate-holders through the Coordination Committee to
envisage ways to respond to the need of ensuring better outreach and dissemination of their
work, as well as understanding of their role and functions. Efforts to strengthen the website were
under way, but for the time being, OHCHR had a limited capacity in this regard.
68.
It was stressed that the transfer of all thematic procedures to the Special Procedures
Branch would ensure even and coherent support to all procedures and cross-fertilization between
different mandates. Efforts were under way to ensure the same level of human resources to all
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