A/HRC/10/57
page 5
recommended that further work should be carried out to systematically operationalize relevant
concepts and standards and to continue enhancing capacity, knowledge and skills both at
Headquarters and in the field. The Board underlined the fact that enhancing institutional
commitment within OHCHR to raise economic, social and cultural rights to the same level as
civil and political rights, as well as addressing the lack of understanding and knowledge of those
rights in OHCHR remains a priority challenge. With regard to measuring the success of the
Office’s work on economic, social and cultural rights, the Board highlighted the importance of
developing monitoring tools.
8.
With regard to specific rights, the Board received an update on the activities carried out by
the Office in the area of disabilities, including the recent developments regarding the new
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto. The
Board highlighted the need for a strategy to integrate the provisions of the Convention into the
work throughout the United Nations system in order to operationalize the principles therein and
to enhance its implementation.
9.
In view of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Board
was briefed on indigenous and minority fellowship programmes. The Board learned about the
successful cooperation with other United Nations agencies in these areas and encouraged further
application of this good practice. The Board recommended that these issues be integrated firmly
into the work of the Office. It also noted possible areas of future cooperation, in particular the
promotion of the Declaration, staff training and capacity-building at the country level,
development of guidelines, the establishment of a forum on indigenous issues and follow-up to
the fellowship programmes.
10. Ahead of the 2009 Durban Review Conference that will review progress and assess
implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in order to foster its
implementation, the Board received an overview of the preparatory process. The Board noted the
various internal task forces, panels and working groups that have been set up within OHCHR to
prepare for the Review Conference and the regional meetings that had been organized. The
Board appreciated the efforts by the Office, in particular field presences, to engage with
United Nations country teams and non-governmental organizations for their participation in the
Conference. The Board regarded the dissemination of the first e-bulletin for non-governmental
organizations on the Durban Review Conference as an important tool to support their
engagement in the process.
11. Concerning the ongoing work of OHCHR on human rights indicators, the Board took note
of the new report on indicators for promoting and monitoring the implementation of human
rights (HRI/MC/2008/3), which provides an outline of the conceptual and methodological
framework as it has evolved over the past two years. The Board appreciated the fact that the
framework had been subject to a validation exercise through workshops and consultations with
members of treaty bodies, special rapporteurs, United Nations agencies, academics and
non-governmental organizations and with country-level stakeholders, namely human rights
institutions, relevant governmental bodies, statistical agencies, non-governmental organizations
and United Nations country teams in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Board acknowledged
the importance of having indicators to measure the impact of the Office’s activities. At the same
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents